Essek lifted his head from Caleb’s neck and looked over to Jester. When he saw her face, he smiled and lifted a hand to wave. When she took his hand in hers, his smile became a beaming grin that flushed his cheeks a faint purple in the glow of Dancing Lights.
Jester’s eyes glistened with tears as she pulled Essek’s hand to her chest. “Oh Essek,” she whispered. “We’ll get you better, okay? We’ll help you.”
“Of course we will,” Caduceus said gently, reaching out and ruffling Essek’s hair earning him a sound that Caleb would swear was a giggle. Surprise flashed across the firbolg’s face before he smiled like a parent to a beloved young child.
“This is so weird,” Beau murmured. “But I have to admit,” she added with a crooked grin, “that smile looks good on him.”
“Now I suppose our next order of business is getting those diamonds,” Veth said, her voice drawing Essek’s gaze.
Slowly, Essek slipped from Caleb’s arms to kneel on the floor so he was eye level with the Halfling. Veth stood still, her eyes wide as Essek smiled and held out his arms to her. She glanced around at her friends before offering an unsteady smile in return and stepped carefully into Essek’s reach. His smile grew and he gathered her into a hug.
“Oh,” she breathed, too stunned to do or say much else.
“Essek?” The quiet, hopeful call came a moment before Verin’s hand rested gently on his brother’s shoulder. “Essek, can you hear me?”
Essek lifted his head and turned to the speaker. However the moment he laid eyes on Verin, his smile vanished. Golden eyes widened in fear and he skittered back across the floor until his back struck something solid.
“Woah, woah, easy there,” Yasha murmured softly, placing a steadying hand on Essek’s shoulder to keep him from backing further into her legs. He was practically sitting on her feet as it was.
While he may not have understood her words, Essek must have recognized her voice because some of the tension seeped out of his form. He covered her steading hand with his own as if it was his only anchor in the world.
But when Verin crouched and tried to reach out to his brother again, Essek flinched away. Golden eyes squeezed shut and he curled into a fetal position at Yasha’s feet, clutching her hand as tightly as he could.
Hurt, Verin retreated and got back to his feet. His gaze never leaving his brother’s quivering form. “He must… truly trust you,” he whispered, sadness and wonder coloring his words. “He flees whenever any of us try to approach him, even mother and I. Even the Bright Queen herself isn’t enough to calm him. He ran from her when she tried to help after the spell hit him.He’s afraid of everyone.”
The Drow shook his head and ran a hand through his long hair. “We had to lock him in here,” he said, turning to Beau, “because he kept hiding throughout the house and getting hurt when he did so. He’s good at hiding. The only blessing from this curse is that he can’t cast any spells. Otherwise, he would have crushed us all by now.”
He shrugged awkwardly and admitted, “It also makes it slightly easier to find him. Since he can’t levitate, he can’t go very far. But he can still find the damndest places to hide.”
“What do you mean he can’t go very far?” Fjord asked. “Does he not recognize this place or-”
“Oh no, I’m absolutely sure he still recognizes this place,” Verin said enthusiastically. “He remembers all the nooks and crannies he used to hide in when we were kids.”
“I doubt that,” Caleb said, kneeling beside Essek and placing a hand on the quaking Drow’s hair. “Feeblemind doesn’t work like that. I doubt he’s remembering those places so much as seeing them and using them. Like prey looking for a place to hide from a predator.”
Verin looked stricken. “You think he… He thinks I’m going to hurt him?”
“Have you?” Fjord’s question was deceptively neutral and non-accusing.
“No!” Verin cried in offense. “I would never hurt him. We may not get along all the time, but he’s a mage. I’m a soldier. We’re on opposite ends of the spectrum. Besides, we’re siblings. It’s only natural that we don’t always get along.”
“And yet,” Caleb said slowly, “he does not trust you.”
“I don’t…” Verin’s voice trailed away into silence as he stared at his frightened brother in sad understanding. “I don’t…”
“We’ve got incoming,” Beau said suddenly.
A second later, footsteps could be heard moving through the hall. Then the lock turned and the door opened revealing a beautiful Drow woman. Her long, thick, white hair hung loose over her shoulders with only a black and gold headband keeping it from her face. Her gray eyes were sharp and cold as she stepped into the room and beheld the tableau. Her gaze moved from Essek still shaking in a ball at Yasha’s feet, to the Mighty Nein, and finally to Verin. She said nothing. She merely lifted an eyebrow.
Verin shifted from foot to foot. “I invited them, mother.”
Again, she said nothing. But the other eyebrow lifted to join the first and she crossed her long, elegant arms over her chest. Verin wilted under her gaze, but stood his ground. The woman’s eyebrows drew low over her eyes in displeasure before she turned to the Mighty Nein.
“You have overstayed what little welcome you were given,” she said. “Leave.”
“What about Essek, mother?” Verin asked.
Her burning gaze flashed back to him and he immediately fell silent.
“Yes, what about Essek?” Veth demanded, stepping up so her small body stood firmly between Essek and the Denmother of Den Thelyss.
Unimpressed, the Denmother merely hummed. “You should tread carefully, Halfling,” she said, her voice soft but sharp as shards of glass. “You and your compatriots live in Xhorhaus by the grace of the Bright Queen and the blessing of myself, Umavi Deirta Thelyss, Denmother of Den Thelyss. That blessing can be retracted whenever I see fit.”
“Mother, ple-”
“Stand aside,” the Umavi commanded. “I would see my son.”
Reluctantly, Veth stepped aside. After waiting just long enough to be rude, the Umavi finally stepped forward. Her long fingers found Essek’s chin and lifted his head, ignoring his whimper of fear. She gazed directly into his wide golden eyes, her grip holding him in place when he tried to pull away.
She said one word in a language Caleb didn’t understand, then she released Essek’s chin and straightened. Her eyes followed her wayward son as Essek scrambled to hide behind Caleb, Verin spoke softly in what Caleb assumed to be Undercommon and the Umavi listened, but did not reply.
“He stays here,” she declared in a tone that would accept no argument. “If you truly believe you can heal him, then you are welcome to try. But he will remain here where I can keep an eye on him until you are ready to do so. You have three days.”
“I understand your… desire to protect your family,” Caleb said, choosing his words with care. “But it will be easier to heal him if he stays with us. I give you my word, no one will find him, no one will learn of what happened to him, and he will be healed in three days.”
“No.”
The word rang through the room loud and final. Caleb could feel Essek flinch, his fingernails digging into his shoulders.
“He will remain here,” the Umavi said. “Leave. When you are ready to heal him, I will inform the Bright Queen.”
It was a clear dismissal. Without any valid reason that the Umavi would accept, short of grabbing Essek and just teleporting out of there, the Mighty Nein would have to leave alone. The thought of leaving Essek behind in a place he feared, with no one he trusted, and no way to communicate or protect himself burned Caleb.
“As you wish, Umavi Thelyss,” Fjord said, taking the lead.
He bowed politely to her before moving to the door. Beau, Yasha, Veth, Caduceus, and Jester slowly followed until it was just Caleb left in the room. The Umavi raised a single eyebrow and Caleb bit back the angry retort that begged to be let loose. Instead, he steeled himself and reached up to work himself free of Essek’s panicked grasp.
When he turned to face his friend, he was met by soulful gold eyes that had nothing but trust and adoration in them. He clasped Essek’s hands in his own and kissed them.
“I will be back,” he said, knowing Essek wouldn’t understand him but hoping in his heart that Essek would remember this. “I will be back for you. I promise.” He placed a single kiss on Essek’s forehead just as he had that night on the boat when their trust was broken.
Then he did one of the hardest things he ever had to do. He let go of Essek and left.
The distressed gasp of his enfeebled friend tore at him as he walked into the hallway followed closely by Verin and the Umavi. He paused to look over his shoulder just in time to see Essek stumble after him, only for the door to close and lock. On the other side, Caleb could hear Essek pounding on the door and crying, distressed calls wafting through the solid Vermaloc wood.
The Umavi seemed unaffected by the noise as she pocketed the key and turned to the Mighty Nein. Her silence was loud and clear. They were no longer welcome.
As Caleb trudged through the home of Den Thelyss, he swore to himself that when he did return, it would be to do more than just heal his friend Essek. He refused to turn his back on his friend again.
Essek’s weeping still haunted his dreams that night.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: FILL Actions Speak Louder Than Words (Part 3/?)
Date: 2021-01-11 02:36 am (UTC)Essek lifted his head from Caleb’s neck and looked over to Jester. When he saw her face, he smiled and lifted a hand to wave. When she took his hand in hers, his smile became a beaming grin that flushed his cheeks a faint purple in the glow of Dancing Lights.
Jester’s eyes glistened with tears as she pulled Essek’s hand to her chest. “Oh Essek,” she whispered. “We’ll get you better, okay? We’ll help you.”
“Of course we will,” Caduceus said gently, reaching out and ruffling Essek’s hair earning him a sound that Caleb would swear was a giggle. Surprise flashed across the firbolg’s face before he smiled like a parent to a beloved young child.
“This is so weird,” Beau murmured. “But I have to admit,” she added with a crooked grin, “that smile looks good on him.”
“Now I suppose our next order of business is getting those diamonds,” Veth said, her voice drawing Essek’s gaze.
Slowly, Essek slipped from Caleb’s arms to kneel on the floor so he was eye level with the Halfling. Veth stood still, her eyes wide as Essek smiled and held out his arms to her. She glanced around at her friends before offering an unsteady smile in return and stepped carefully into Essek’s reach. His smile grew and he gathered her into a hug.
“Oh,” she breathed, too stunned to do or say much else.
“Essek?” The quiet, hopeful call came a moment before Verin’s hand rested gently on his brother’s shoulder. “Essek, can you hear me?”
Essek lifted his head and turned to the speaker. However the moment he laid eyes on Verin, his smile vanished. Golden eyes widened in fear and he skittered back across the floor until his back struck something solid.
“Woah, woah, easy there,” Yasha murmured softly, placing a steadying hand on Essek’s shoulder to keep him from backing further into her legs. He was practically sitting on her feet as it was.
While he may not have understood her words, Essek must have recognized her voice because some of the tension seeped out of his form. He covered her steading hand with his own as if it was his only anchor in the world.
But when Verin crouched and tried to reach out to his brother again, Essek flinched away. Golden eyes squeezed shut and he curled into a fetal position at Yasha’s feet, clutching her hand as tightly as he could.
Hurt, Verin retreated and got back to his feet. His gaze never leaving his brother’s quivering form. “He must… truly trust you,” he whispered, sadness and wonder coloring his words. “He flees whenever any of us try to approach him, even mother and I. Even the Bright Queen herself isn’t enough to calm him. He ran from her when she tried to help after the spell hit him.He’s afraid of everyone.”
The Drow shook his head and ran a hand through his long hair. “We had to lock him in here,” he said, turning to Beau, “because he kept hiding throughout the house and getting hurt when he did so. He’s good at hiding. The only blessing from this curse is that he can’t cast any spells. Otherwise, he would have crushed us all by now.”
He shrugged awkwardly and admitted, “It also makes it slightly easier to find him. Since he can’t levitate, he can’t go very far. But he can still find the damndest places to hide.”
“What do you mean he can’t go very far?” Fjord asked. “Does he not recognize this place or-”
“Oh no, I’m absolutely sure he still recognizes this place,” Verin said enthusiastically. “He remembers all the nooks and crannies he used to hide in when we were kids.”
“I doubt that,” Caleb said, kneeling beside Essek and placing a hand on the quaking Drow’s hair. “Feeblemind doesn’t work like that. I doubt he’s remembering those places so much as seeing them and using them. Like prey looking for a place to hide from a predator.”
Verin looked stricken. “You think he… He thinks I’m going to hurt him?”
“Have you?” Fjord’s question was deceptively neutral and non-accusing.
“No!” Verin cried in offense. “I would never hurt him. We may not get along all the time, but he’s a mage. I’m a soldier. We’re on opposite ends of the spectrum. Besides, we’re siblings. It’s only natural that we don’t always get along.”
“And yet,” Caleb said slowly, “he does not trust you.”
“I don’t…” Verin’s voice trailed away into silence as he stared at his frightened brother in sad understanding. “I don’t…”
“We’ve got incoming,” Beau said suddenly.
A second later, footsteps could be heard moving through the hall. Then the lock turned and the door opened revealing a beautiful Drow woman. Her long, thick, white hair hung loose over her shoulders with only a black and gold headband keeping it from her face. Her gray eyes were sharp and cold as she stepped into the room and beheld the tableau. Her gaze moved from Essek still shaking in a ball at Yasha’s feet, to the Mighty Nein, and finally to Verin. She said nothing. She merely lifted an eyebrow.
Verin shifted from foot to foot. “I invited them, mother.”
Again, she said nothing. But the other eyebrow lifted to join the first and she crossed her long, elegant arms over her chest. Verin wilted under her gaze, but stood his ground. The woman’s eyebrows drew low over her eyes in displeasure before she turned to the Mighty Nein.
“You have overstayed what little welcome you were given,” she said. “Leave.”
“What about Essek, mother?” Verin asked.
Her burning gaze flashed back to him and he immediately fell silent.
“Yes, what about Essek?” Veth demanded, stepping up so her small body stood firmly between Essek and the Denmother of Den Thelyss.
Unimpressed, the Denmother merely hummed. “You should tread carefully, Halfling,” she said, her voice soft but sharp as shards of glass. “You and your compatriots live in Xhorhaus by the grace of the Bright Queen and the blessing of myself, Umavi Deirta Thelyss, Denmother of Den Thelyss. That blessing can be retracted whenever I see fit.”
“Mother, ple-”
“Stand aside,” the Umavi commanded. “I would see my son.”
Reluctantly, Veth stepped aside. After waiting just long enough to be rude, the Umavi finally stepped forward. Her long fingers found Essek’s chin and lifted his head, ignoring his whimper of fear. She gazed directly into his wide golden eyes, her grip holding him in place when he tried to pull away.
She said one word in a language Caleb didn’t understand, then she released Essek’s chin and straightened. Her eyes followed her wayward son as Essek scrambled to hide behind Caleb, Verin spoke softly in what Caleb assumed to be Undercommon and the Umavi listened, but did not reply.
“He stays here,” she declared in a tone that would accept no argument. “If you truly believe you can heal him, then you are welcome to try. But he will remain here where I can keep an eye on him until you are ready to do so. You have three days.”
“I understand your… desire to protect your family,” Caleb said, choosing his words with care. “But it will be easier to heal him if he stays with us. I give you my word, no one will find him, no one will learn of what happened to him, and he will be healed in three days.”
“No.”
The word rang through the room loud and final. Caleb could feel Essek flinch, his fingernails digging into his shoulders.
“He will remain here,” the Umavi said. “Leave. When you are ready to heal him, I will inform the Bright Queen.”
It was a clear dismissal. Without any valid reason that the Umavi would accept, short of grabbing Essek and just teleporting out of there, the Mighty Nein would have to leave alone. The thought of leaving Essek behind in a place he feared, with no one he trusted, and no way to communicate or protect himself burned Caleb.
“As you wish, Umavi Thelyss,” Fjord said, taking the lead.
He bowed politely to her before moving to the door. Beau, Yasha, Veth, Caduceus, and Jester slowly followed until it was just Caleb left in the room. The Umavi raised a single eyebrow and Caleb bit back the angry retort that begged to be let loose. Instead, he steeled himself and reached up to work himself free of Essek’s panicked grasp.
When he turned to face his friend, he was met by soulful gold eyes that had nothing but trust and adoration in them. He clasped Essek’s hands in his own and kissed them.
“I will be back,” he said, knowing Essek wouldn’t understand him but hoping in his heart that Essek would remember this. “I will be back for you. I promise.” He placed a single kiss on Essek’s forehead just as he had that night on the boat when their trust was broken.
Then he did one of the hardest things he ever had to do. He let go of Essek and left.
The distressed gasp of his enfeebled friend tore at him as he walked into the hallway followed closely by Verin and the Umavi. He paused to look over his shoulder just in time to see Essek stumble after him, only for the door to close and lock. On the other side, Caleb could hear Essek pounding on the door and crying, distressed calls wafting through the solid Vermaloc wood.
The Umavi seemed unaffected by the noise as she pocketed the key and turned to the Mighty Nein. Her silence was loud and clear. They were no longer welcome.
As Caleb trudged through the home of Den Thelyss, he swore to himself that when he did return, it would be to do more than just heal his friend Essek. He refused to turn his back on his friend again.
Essek’s weeping still haunted his dreams that night.