The Art of Superstition

Fancy seeing you here...

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A large island and a few smaller isles in the Arova River, this hub of nomadic wick life is home to the annual Wick Festival.

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Juniper Feldspar
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Sun Apr 07, 2019 11:24 am

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Surwood Isle| Mid morning
6th BETHAS 2719
T
he little tailor bit his lip in concentration, considering his freckled reflection in the mirror fastened to the tent pole before him. He did so love Surwood, it let him be a little more flamboyant than was appropriate for a serious business owner, and Juniper took full advantage. This year he'd made a new waistcoat, the base fabric a simple unbleached linen, but embroidered with a riot of wildflowers in all shades of purple and gold, with a few hidden surprises in the form of a couple of bees, a red admiral butterfly, a fieldmouse and several ladybirds. Unusually for a male garment, he had stiffened the seams with whalebone and laced it at the back with lavender velvet ribbon, resulting in clean lines and a perfect unruffled canvas to show off the embroidery. Of course, it did also show off his trim waist, but that was more of a side-benefit than intention.

In contrast, his shirt was butter-soft lavender silk, with voluminous bloused sleeves that hung like a dream and billowed in the slightest breeze. The wide collar hung unbuttoned- no cravat today. Breeches were of the same crisp undyed linen as his waistcoat, with just a narrow accent of that lavender ribbon stitched down the side seams for a pop of colour.

He sighed happily, tweaking neat cuffs, and smiled down at nails lacquered a delicate pearlescent violet- he'd given in finally and bought a bottle, and Surwood was a perfect excuse to try it out. The wick gave a quiet whistle as he turned, holding out one wrist as he shouldered a leather satchel with the other hand, and Miranda gracefully uncurled from the table she'd been napping on to zip over and curl round his forearm, nuzzling happily into his palm with a musical chirrup.

He looked around the little tent with a satisfied smile, making sure that everything was neat and tidy before he left- belongings and bed stowed safely behind the curtain at the back, the long trestle table along one wall covered in neatly folded garments, two wicker mannequins hung against the opposite wall, one bearing a pretty green day dress, the other wearing a smart dusky blue suit. He ducked out of the flap, buttoning it behind him, and nodded to the cheerful middle-aged witch who ran the adjoining stall. She sold candied nuts and marzipan fancies and had more than once insisted he sample some in the week he'd been here.

“Hesta, Moira! I'm off exploring- if anyone wants me, tell 'm I'll be open again on the morrow?”

She smiled, reaching a hand out to pet Miranda, who trilled happily, fluffing her feather crest.

“Oes, pet, ne problem.” The witch turned, snagging a paper bag that rattled dully and pressed it into his free hand. “Take 'em to keep ye goin’, oes? Have a benny time, ye chen?”

He chuckled, knowing by now that it was fruitless to attempt to refuse, and slid the little paper bag into his satchel with a warm “Thankye! Oes, I'll do m’ best!”

Such a beautiful day. It wasn't so much the weather- though it was lovely and bright, despite the snow they'd had overnight- but more that Juniper was in a place where he felt truly at home, where he was guaranteed a welcome, and there were no clocking gollies around every corner to keep his nerves running high.

Music, chatter and delicious scents filled the air, the place a riot of colour and movement.

Everything- everything- was beautiful, and he had been riding high on the sheer atmosphere ever since he'd arrived four days ago.

He meandered happily for the better part of two hours, taking in sights, sounds and smells, chatting happily to anyone who greeted him.

There was music everywhere, but around mid morning, he'd stopped to grab a late breakfast- the seller's hand pies had reminded him of Cecelia- when Miranda's crest fluffed suddenly, and her head darted up, cocking from one side to the other as though she was trying to work out where a sound was coming from.

“What is it, darling?”

She slithered in a coil around the strap of his satchel where she'd been resting, but suddenly she was in the air, beating up to wheel over his head before letting out a happy trill and dart off in a direction he'd not explored.

His desperate whistle did nothing, so, swearing, pie in hand, he ran after the little silver streak disappearing between a cluster of tents a few hundred yards away.

The sound of a stringed instrument filtered into hearing, tickling something at the back of his memory, but he was more concerned about his pet.

“MIRANDA!”


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Xavier Zhirune
Posts: 90
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 4:00 pm
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Race: Wick
Location: On Tour
: Not all that glitters be ging. Some 'f it's me.
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Fri Apr 12, 2019 2:25 pm

Surwood Isle
in the MID-MORNING of the 6th of BETHAS, 2719

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Autumn had faded into winter and winter had finally begun to turn to spring, though the bitter cold lingered. Xavier had meandered their way through Anaxas, following their own path from village to city and in between, drifting on their own whim and playing music along the way. They'd made friends and pilfered pockets, found themselves in trouble and also experienced some lovely things.

Ah, but Surwood.

Perhaps this was the real reason they'd lingered so long in the Kingdom, anyway, the albino wick aware that the legendary festival brought tekaa from all over the Six Kingdoms and was known everywhere to be a bang moony good time.

It had been a strange season in Vienda, the tense capitol city as full of wealth as it had been of unrest. Aware of their mistakes but unashamed of their successes, Xavier had parted ways with one galdor in particular with no small amount of unexpected reluctance, eager to drag Lee away from the shadow of Viendan laws and introduce the young wick to the glory of the Surwood festival in all of its accepting, welcoming splendor. They'd had to warn the child not to pick all the pockets, not to taunt the Black Hands, and not to say yes to all the candy all the time, especially if it was Deep Water wicks offering said candy—gods only knew what they snuck in there this time of year.

The festival was freedom. It was tekaa life in all of its many flavors and colors. It was a level of peace only hardship could craft, sheltered safely in the middle of the Arova by beautiful ancient trees, colorful tents, and so many smiling faces. The winter had been so cruel that there seemed to be some extra layer of celebration woven into this year's event that every wick could feel but no one had the heart to comment on. Tribes had been devastated by the cold, brutalized by the Seventen, and forced to seek a new level of peacefulness after centuries of tribal conflict.

It led to caojas that were far more wild, music that was far more beautiful, and food that was far more tasty than what Xavier remembered from the other years they'd had an opportunity to visit.

Refreshed and inspired, filled with the breath of life they hadn't known they'd been missing, it took less than a week for the Gioran wick to feel so very much at home. For Anaxi and Mugrobi wicks, the chill lingered, but for the albino, Bethas' weather was perfect, especially in the warm shelter of the ancient trees. Hair dyed with streaks of violet and sky blue and soft pink, worn up in braids and decorated with a few glass baubles and a feather or two, Xavier was the epitome of Surwood in flowing, muted colors in cottony layers worn unbottoned and opened in ways that unapologetically revealed so much translucent skin, trinkets and jewelry bright in the mid-morning sun.

They'd already eaten far too many onna-sticks, enjoyed a bit too much Chan around a welcome fire with some Falling Stones, and stumbled into a charming natural amphitheater hollowed out between the roots of two massive trees that just ached to be filled with music.

Freshly shined oud in their lithe fingers, they'd gathered a little audience after a few songs, a handful of bochi dancing in the moss at their feet with their families relaxing in the dappled sunlight, eating and chatting while Xavier was more than content to provide the upbeat atmosphere in their own original melodies and improvised notes. Violet eyes eventually fluttered shut, lost in their own song and in far too many memories of their travels—lost in the clouds, lost in the mountains, lost in the city, and lost between the sheets.

A shadow flitted over their face, something unseen behind their eyelids until a high-pitched chirrup caught their attention sharply. Bejeweled fingers faltered and a few discordant notes rang out.

There were many miraans about, it was true, but only one of them who knew the albino wick by note and appearance alone.

The pale musician blinked and glanced upward in time to see a familiar draconic missile of incandescent silver descend toward their person, a mixture of unfiltered shock and almost immediate excitement gracing their features. Children giggled and Xavier held up one arm with a whistle, already blushing long before they heard a voice they knew shouting for their beloved but obviously quite intelligent companion, murmuring quietly to the miraan as if it understood everything they said,

"Junta, pet. Heard some notes ye knew, hmm? Ent imagine ye'd fly this far alone, so where's yer lovely man—oh. Mmm. There. Gods, what a necessary surprise, sweet creature." Ruffling feathers gently, the albino wick let their gaze wander the crowds, expectant smile creased into their delicate features while they stepped away from their place in the center of attention, nodding and giggling their pardons and farewells. Free hand on their oud, moving to tuck it behind them while they kept Miranda's attention, they couldn't help but raise it to wave with no small amount of enthusiasm,

"Juniper Feldspar, ye missin' somethin'?"

Clearly meant to be a double entendre, Xav's expression left no room for misinterpretation, moving swiftly to meet the ginger wick as soon as the man was in sight, ready without shame or question to greet the adorable tailor with warm lips and at least one grabby hand.

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Nikolina Fabricio
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 6:02 pm
Topics: 5
Race: Wick
: The obligatory street kid and orphan of Thorns.
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Fri Apr 12, 2019 6:01 pm

Surwood Isle
6th of Bethas, 2719 Mid-morning


Lee was not having a good time. Xav swore the throng of people on this overwhelming Isle were her people too, that she was a wick that “never learned to be a wick”. But Lee felt no connection to these people, leaving her feeling like an overwhelmed fish out of water. Her da had raised her as a golly and she never realized how much his lessons had stuck with her until now.

She knew that Xav had meant well, so she had tried to relax. She really had. The kids wanted to play with her, which made her panic as memories of the gangs of wick kids in Vienda who beat her erse and told her to bugger off because she was “too golly” came up. In the end, she basically ended up being permanently attached to Xav’s shadow, returning to the tent whenever Xav went off to do things “inappropriate for a child”. Lee assumed that alcohol was usually involved, since Xav had ended up back at the tent drunk once. Lee didn’t mind her pale friend wandering off to do their own thing. She still had the tent to hide in when Xav needed to do something that didn’t involve her and she didn’t want to ruin what was obviously an amazing experience for her friend.

Xav had given her a bunch of warnings when they had arrived, but Lee hadn’t needed any of them. She hadn’t picked any pockets or bought anything outside of the most basic of food needed to survive and her books. Candy seemed unappealing, so she didn’t need to worry about “Deep Waters” and their unsafe candy, whatever a “Deep Waters” was. Was there a lake on the island that people used to make candy? Lee didn’t really care to find out. And she was most certainly not taunting anyone, much less people with black hands.

This morning, she was sitting on the ground by Xav as they performed, her shoulders curled downwards as she tried to make herself invisible. Onna laid on her back in her lap, sleepily gnawing on Lee’s hand as the girl worked her way through a picture book. The only saving grace this place had was the fact that there were booksellers at the festival and she had enough money to get 2 children’s books. It was her one splurge, the drive to learn reignited as soon as she had the first book in her hand.

The ferret was kept as close to Lee as Lee kept to Xav. Lee too afraid to let the ferret explore the Isle, the wandering ostas and dogs making her fear for her little ferret’s life. Onna was one of the two things keeping Lee sane right now. The other was retreating to the tent when everything got too much.

“A… apple. B… baby,” the girl whispered to herself, her braid falling over her shoulder. She was determined to learn the full alphabet by the time she and Xav finally left this overwhelming expanse of what Xav called freedom and Lee called exile.

A group of brightly dressed kids nearby whispered between them, giving Lee meaningful glances occasionally. Lee interpreted those glances as malevolent, but if the child hadn’t been so overwhelmed, she would have realized they were just curious and hopeful. They wanted to play with the strange girl in overalls.

Lee didn’t want to play. She wanted to be anywhere but here.

Lee looked up from her book as she heard a shrill chirrup and one of the tiny drakes that she had seen a few times flew towards Xav. Xav’s notes went off-key, scaring Lee. Xav never went off-key. But before she could stand up and run to protect her friend, it became clear that Xav knew the miraan and it wasn’t going to hurt them.

Then a ginger man in overly ornate, garish clothing entered the circle and Lee wrinkled her nose. She understood Xav’s need for fancy clothes – they were performers and needed to look the part. But she didn’t understand why so many other people on the Isle dressed so richly. They couldn’t all be performers. Clothing was just meant to cover your body, not dress you like you were a tapestry to put on the wall. It seemed this man decided to go to extremes and it was not a look that Lee liked. Some of the outfits people wore bordered on nauseating though, thankfully, this man’s clothing wasn’t that bad.

Then Xav kissed the man.

“Oh…” Lee said simply, wrinkling her nose in distaste and blushing deeply as she looked back down to her book. Lee was naïve, but she had a very vague idea what adults did and knew Xav had some “friends” that they spent nights with. Whatever was going on was not something she wanted to see. If Xav wanted her to go back to the tent, Lee trusted that they would let her know.


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Juniper Feldspar
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Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 12:53 pm
Topics: 10
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Mon Apr 15, 2019 2:59 pm

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Surwood Isle| Mid morning
6th BETHAS 2719
Breathless with both exertion, and fright that something could happen to his beloved pet, Juniper pounded through tented alleys and around trees, offering gasped apologies at near-misses with indignant passers-by, until he rounded a corner and found himself in an idyllic hollow under gnarled, ancient trees. He slowed then, seeing children and their accompanying families sprawled in relaxation on the mossy ground, not wishing to tread upon anyone by accident.

Cobalt gaze roamed the glade, desperately seeking that flash of silver he knew so well, but when he finally found it, he stopped in his tracks and the pie slipped from his hand, falling to the ground with a soft thud and a rustle of waxed paper.

His little teacup drake was coiled around the wrist of an all-too-familiar tall, fey figure who looked utterly at home in such fairytale surroundings… and was walking towards him.

...oh gods…

He had considered the possibility, of course, but the festival was huge and he hadn't dared hope he would actually run into the beautiful Gioran here.

They were clearly excited to see him though, which answered one anxious question that had played on his mind ever since those first few days they'd spent together.

"Juniper Feldspar, ye missin' somethin'?"

Hearing his name in Xavier's musical tones sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach, and he raised a tentative hand to wave in return. Miranda uncoiled from the musician’s wrist, darting up to loop over a treebranch overhead, and the little wick glared at his pet, grumpy now that she was safely in his company once more, and stammering apologies.

“...oes...epaemo, I...uh…oh

The other wick was suddenly there and the tailor couldn’t finish his sentence because he was being kissed. It was brief, short and sweet, a greeting, but it brought feelings welling up that he’d been trying to supress for months, and when they parted, his freckled cheeks were flushed cherry red, pinpricked fingers with their newly painted nails somehow clutching at the soft fabric of loose, half-buttoned shirts.

Juniper blinked up at Xav, taken completely by surprise by such a flagrant show of affection, but after a moment or two he found his voice again, and the warmth in his words and his smile expressed just how welcome that greeting had been, unfamiliar though it was.

“Xav, junta. I’ve…” ...oh just say it, they know already, you’re staring at ‘em like some moony schoolboy… “...missed you.”

He realised what his hands were doing and released Xav’s shirts with a start, one hand flying up to cup the back of his neck in an embarrassed gesture, gazing down at his boots.

“...I got your letter. It… mujo ma, ‘twas lovely t’hear from ye. I couldn’t quite believe that ye were thinkin’ of me, away in Vienda… and all those lovely things…”

His free hand played with one of the buttons on his waistcoat, pretty silver things the shape of flowers, enamelled in bright colours. They had been in that little parcel the musician had sent him, along with a handful of other tiny treasures- a coil of silver ribbon woven with a pattern of scrolling vines, iridescent feathers, a candle in a little glass jar, scented with cinnamon and berries. While the letter and gifts had been so sweet and so personal- and so unexpected that he’d actually teared up a little on opening them- they had also confused him. Juniper had been so certain that the lovely musician would forget all about him as soon as they left Brunnhold with their painstakingly made, brand new wardrobe- but they had actually taken the time to write to him, to spend their hard-earned money on gifts they thought would make him smile.

...he’d been trying so hard to forget about them, then in one fell swoop all that work had fallen apart. The half-made garment carefully packed away in tissue paper in his workroom back home was a testament to that particular failure.

“I’d have written back, but ye’d ne gave a return address...oh!”

A hand rose sharply to his lips as he remembered what he would have sent had he been able, and turned to the side to unbuckle his satchel, drawing out a soft package wrapped in white tissue paper and tied with a thin violet ribbon. It contained a soft, generously cut shawl-like scarf, made from acid-etched silk velvet in the pale violet colour of Xav’s eyes, and across each end were embroidered the phases of the moon in silver.

“I did hope I’d see ye here…so...um…brought this just’n case...”

He held out the package, looking up with a shy, embarrassed smile.
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Xavier Zhirune
Posts: 90
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 4:00 pm
Topics: 10
Race: Wick
Location: On Tour
: Not all that glitters be ging. Some 'f it's me.
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Writer: Muse
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Wed Apr 17, 2019 2:20 pm

Surwood Isle
in the MID-MORNING of the 6th of BETHAS, 2719

Xavier was more than aware of Juniper's delightful expressions of surprise, and while it was very true that they'd taken their leave of the wick tailor in his cute little shop in the Stacks after a whirlwind of a stay, they hadn't parted on bad terms. The Gioran just wasn't one to settle down, just didn't have the mind to put down roots, and just felt the skies still calling them to travel again. There had been reluctance, however, something more than quaint and charming about the idea of growing comfortable somewhere with someone, but the pale musician honestly knew this was just not yet their time for such things.

Aware that they'd stepped away from an already uncomfortable Lee (who had been quite the unhappy barnacle nearly the entire half a week they'd even been on Surwood), their violet gaze wandered briefly from Juniper's smile and Miranda's incandescence, making sure they met the wick child's eyes and offered the briefest of uncharacteristically shy smiles.

Brief because they quickly turned their head to press a warm, impolite kiss on a very off-guard tailor's lips before they missed their chance, tall, willowy body pouring into the man's personal space and free hand curling into a lovely flowered waistcoat Xavier would have totally paused to admire had they thought to do so.

It was only by sheer luck that the musician managed to step delicately over sad, unfortunate pie.

"Missed me, too? Mujo ma." Purred the albino wick without a hint of shame, though the flush of their cheeks revealed they took the breathless words as more than just a greeting but as a compliment, too, "Ent worth missin', ye che—oh. By Imaan's smile, th' post in Anaxas might be reliable after all. Well, I couldn't help but see a few pretty baubles an' think on how ye could use 'em for somethin'—"

Juniper showed off his handiwork with a few of their gifts and the pale creature grinned stupidly, making a theatrical performance out of admiration just like they could make a stage show out of everything else. Suddenly aware of themselves as if they'd forgotten, however, Xav turned and waved lithe fingers at their young witch of a companion.

Return address!

Before they could finish inviting the girl over, the albino wick giggled, "Ne, I ent got somewhere permanent an' cozy. Vienda's nice an' all but gods if it ent full of itself, ye chen?"

Eyes widened as a package was removed from the man's satchel, a hint of confusion fluttering over the albino's delicate features, unable to hide the deeper flush of color that rose beneath their translucent skin once they realized it was a gift for them, once the tailor admitted they'd hoped to see the musician again here right now in Bethas on Surwood.

Oh.

"Lee. Epeaemo, beata. This 's my friend, Juniper. From Brunnhold. Who made me all 'f my favorite clothes—" Xavier spoke while staring at the package, smile bright and excited. It wasn't as though they hadn't talked about the ginger wick before (because they had), and the poor child they'd dragged all the way from Vienda had heard the Gioran fawn more than once over the various articles of clothing the man had made for them in a way that always seemed to imply they might have been fawning more over the man than anything else, "—Mister Feldspar, this be my pina friend an' occasional manager, Lee. Lee, this be Mister Feldspar—"

Introductions made so casually, Xav removed the ribbon carefully and lifted the lovely scarf with an undeniably effeminate gasp of joy,

"It's soooo pretty. Ye know me a bit too well, methinks. Thank you." Hummed the Gioran, eyes wide, expression practically glowing. Bejeweled fingers traced over the embroidered moons, the color of the scarf not at all lost on the creature, "Ent gonna lie, Juniper, but I were hopin' ye'd get out o' yer shop an' be here, too. Looks like Miranda may 've missed me more than ye did, though. M'haps I'll ask ye to prove otherwise later, hmm?"

Xavier winked, clearly taunting the tailor with such an obvious innuendo and not an ounce of shyness about the invitation, as expected of course. Greedily reaching to hold one of his hands and tangling their lithe fingers with his as if afraid he'd find an excuse to slip away, they grinned down toward Lee, aware that they'd spent long enough torturing them with socialization, "Did ye wanna find somethin' t' eat? Together? An' maybe some sun t' sit in for jus' th' three 'f us?"

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Nikolina Fabricio
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 6:02 pm
Topics: 5
Race: Wick
: The obligatory street kid and orphan of Thorns.
Character Sheet: Character Sheet
Plot Notes: Plot notes, including thread history
Writer: Rachel/jadeowl
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Sun Jun 09, 2019 5:28 pm

Surwood Isle
6th of Bethas, 2719 Mid-morning


Lee watched Xav interact with Jun and her stomach dropped.

Her bright, but childish, brain connected the obvious dots in a split second. The two of them were obviously in love. Nobody kissed a friend like that. So Xav was clearly in love with the man. And look at how the man looked at Xav! Da used to look like that when he talked about her mother. He was clearly in love. And people who were in love got married. Why would Xav want to keep a gutter kid when they got married?

The petite girl sniffed quickly to try to keep from crying as she jumped to a childishly obvious, if astonishingly incorrect, conclusion. She wouldn't embarrass herself by crying. She wanted Xav to be happy and, if the man was as in love with them as Da was with the mother she never got to meet, she wouldn't stand in the way. She cared too much about Xav to do that.

She closed her book and tapped her shoulder, nuzzling Onna when the ferret climbed up to her shoulder. She stood up and tucked her books close to her chest, walking over to Xav just as they were introducing her. She gave Juniper a nod and a murmured "Nice to meet you, Mr. Feldspar." She didn't meet his eyes, though, afraid that she'd break out in tears if she did.

The pre-teen watched Xav open the gift and gave a thin, but infinitely sad smile at the look on Xav's face. The man would be good for them, if he gave them gifts like that. She missed the willowy musician's question the first time and plastered a happy smile on her face before looking up at her friend. "Oh, no. I'm… I'm okay. I wanted to finish learning my book, so I'll just go to the tent. And I'm tired of being around people. Plus you two clearly need to spend more time together," she said with a quick, nearly perfect rendition of her usual cheeky grin. "Maybe later!" she said, before turning and darting off, not willing to give Xav a chance to reply.



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Juniper Feldspar
Posts: 86
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 12:53 pm
Topics: 10
Race: Wick
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Fri Jun 28, 2019 11:37 am

Surwood Isle
☙ 6th of Bethas, 2719; Mid-morning ❧
There was a girl sat a little way away, a scruffy, darkhaired thing, though he hadn’t noticed how intently she was watching them until Xavier beckoned the child over.

Cobalt gaze flicked briefly from the girl to his…friend.

...is she…could…

But no, she was too old, and besides, looked nothing like them at all. Juniper inwardly chided himself for such a silly thought, and bent to greet her on her own level as she approached.

“Occasional manager, eh? Ye must be good. Benny t’meet ye too, Lee. And I’m ne ‘Mister Feldspar’, Xav, don’t be moony.” He smiled at the girl nervously. She was clearly important to the Gioran, even if the tailor couldn’t quite work out the relationship between the two other wicks just yet. Noticing the ferret on her shoulder, his mind turned to the all-but-forgotten pie, rolled out of its waxed paper in the grass, and he bent to scoop it up, holding it out to her.

“I'd ne eat it yesen, but I’m sure a bit of dirt won’t bother ye'r friend. It’s a meat one,” the little wick explained, almost bashfully.

Lee looked confused, but grateful, and accepted the little offering with a “Thank you” and a small smile, eyes flicking up to meet his own only briefly.

The tailor returned it with a cheery smile of his own, but his attention could only be diverted so long from the willowy musician who was currently unwrapping his gift. He straightened as Xavier exclaimed in delight, and freckled cheeks flushed with pleasure at their effusive joy.

"'m so glad ye like it," he murmured...and that I did get the colour right...

"Well, 'm working too, ye chen," he explained, blinking in surprise when they admitted they'd hoped to see him too. "Could ne take the whole month off...business an' all…"

At the mention of his pet, the little tailor's gaze flicked up to where she hung coiled in the branches overhead.

"I blame ye feedin' her all those treats, she...oh…"

He looked back down, startled by the sudden possession of his hand and the cheeky suggestion that went with it, hiding his eyes with his free hand and an embarrassed wail. "Xav, ne in company…"

Much as his cheeks burned...he did very much intend to take them up on that suggestion.

Later.

In private.

The hand clasping his own was...strange, but very welcome. No-one had ever shown him public affection in such a possessive, open manner, and the little wick was so very aware of the warm palm pressed against his own, the slender fingers entwining with his.

At the suggestion of lunch for the three of them, the tailor nodded, but before he could speak, Lee was declining...and then the child was gone.

Juniper watched her leave with a small frown of concern. She'd seemed upset, but in that way that a child gets where they still can't master their emotions but think they're too grownup to admit they feel them.

"Did I...was that me?" he asked softly, looking up at Xavier, blue eyes anxious. "D'ye want to go after her? I can find ye later…"

His stomach, reminded that it hadn't yet been filled today, growled, and the little tailor made a face.

"...lunch is fair important mind…"


...don't you ever stop being dandy, showing me you're handsome...
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