when caleb leans towards her, jester responds in kind. violet eyes alight with mischief, she is eager to hear what appeared to be the most conspiratorial of secrets from her typically reclusive friend. her eyebrows raise inquisitively. ❝ yeah, but you don’t want to, right? you’d miss me too much, ❞ she gives an exaggerated grin, tilting her chin up slightly. ❝ besides, you just said you couldn’t even if you wanted to, so it sounds like you’re stuck with me, caleb! ❞ her shoulders shrug matter-of-factly, and her hands fall into her lap. jester’s gaze turns from caleb’s face and towards the horizon.
the moon hangs high in the sky, and jester revels in its glow.
she is reminded of her childhood at the chateau, the nights when she would stay up late creating her newest masterpiece on the wall of her room, adding splashes of bright color wherever she desired. on those nights, she would prop up her chin in her hands, leaning against the windowsill, and gaze out at the moon. sometimes, the traveler would appear to her, and together they would talk for hours, with only the silent opal archways and silver moonlight to accompany them. something about the way it washed over the open plain before her gave it a new sense of majesty—the view so much better in comparison to the one outside her bedroom window. jester takes a deep breath, letting the scent of grass and earth fill her lungs, and releases it with a soft smile.
she looks back at caleb, that same smile lingering on her lips and brightening her eyes.
❝ you know…❞ it is her turn to conspire. ❝ it’s not so hard for me to be super optimistic all the time when i’m with my friends! like you. ❞ she adds, playfully poking caleb’s shoulder. ❝ even if you are a little stinky, ❞ the sentence has hardly left her mouth when her voice gives way to musical laughter, which she stifles with one hand. ❝ i don’t mean that, really, i was just thinking about how we met, you know, when i came over from my table with beau and fjord and let you know that you smelled, like, really bad. but you don’t! not anymore. ❞
it’s true. their impending return to nicodranas resurfaced old memories—of her childhood, of the nein’s earliest days. they were such different people then: caleb’s standoffishness has since given way to a sort of quiet compassion, a present but silent care…and jester’s naïveté has crumbled under the weight of the horrors she’s seen.
she pauses, allowing her expression to become more serious but no less earnest.
❝ you’ve come a long way from then, you know? ❞ they both have. ❝ you told me a while ago that i’m the one who changes people, but like, you’re the one who’s, like, really changed for the better. ❞ jester put one hand on top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. ❝ you should be really proud, caleb. ❞
AFFIRMATION to her assumption comes by way of subtle NOD , his own smile gracing features in response to her own - however, the mirth shines brighter in his EYES than by way of curve to his lips ; she’s EXUBERANT , her energy CONTAGIOUS , yet it’s with inward acquiescence he could never reach such degree of excitement - not because he’s INCAPABLE of being GLEEFUL , nor because his own joy is expressed in more UNASSERTIVE fashion---it’s because she exudes a brightness that outshines the sun , a RARE GIFT------
her eyes travel outwards to the night sky , & - after a moment - his attention follows . beyond them , the stars speckle distant evening , constellations painting stories of lore---
caleb had never been much of an ASTRONOMER , failing to take time in order to APPRECIATE the vast expanse above them beyond FLEETING GLANCES ;
of course he had DESIRES & WISHES that reached higher than the farthest star , but for SO LONG had he been SO FOCUSED upon the ground - every step could prove DETRIMENTAL , & survival into the next morning relied upon placement of his footing ; the STARS had once been too THREATENING , open space too DANGEROUS---
---but then came companions , FRIENDSHIP , them all of equal importance within his heart - & jester , with her BRIGHTNESS beyond the SUN , has helped him to APPRECIATE the stars that rise .
at her voice does his attention refocus , relocating once more to HER as head turns in order to face the tiefling---there’s a HUFF of air at her remark to his scent , however sound comes laced with SUBTLE HUMOR - never had it TRULY insulted him , in fact only ever BOLSTERING his objective ; to be REPELLENT was to be SAFE , though these days he finds himself grateful his repulsiveness had not been enough to drive his friends away .
attention takes note of the SHIFTS to her expression as she speaks , cataloging the FURROWS of her BROW as she reminisces ; it’s TRUE , they’ve come quite a ways - LOSS & GAIN has affected them all , & WEIGHT has been placed upon their shoulders that could not have POSSIBLY anticipated the night they’d gone to the carnival .
---& then she tells him he should be PROUD , & the UNEXPECTEDNESS of it throws him OFF---for a beat , caleb simply BLINKS , before COMPOSURE finds itself caught , & he chooses delicately his words for a response :
“ there are things i am proud of. ”
a claim carrying HONESTY - there are acts done by his hands of which , at times , he’ll allow himself to feel SATISFIED for---not so quick to SMUGNESS , but a PRIDE at his achievements - his biggest , to date , the TRANSMUTATION of VETH------
but to look upon his hands would be to date farther back - nicks & scars of recent travels that mar his hands blend to long-healed incisions made into his forearms ; to look upon his hands would be to see FIRE , & to know that for all the GOOD he may do , his very hands are capable of such DESTRUCTION---
there exists PRIDE within him , as well as acts for which there is no forgiveness .
---it’s these very hands he finds himself faced with now , held in front of him & raised a touch above his lap ; he drops them now , clenches fists , & faces skyward once more .
“ the accomplishments we’ve made as a group
account for much of them . it’s been... quite a journey. ”
one that , at his suspicion , is far from over .