“Elease what in the world are you doing here? I mean I am happy to see you but….” Calluna asked when things had calmed down a bit. She was still surprised that right after thinking about Seelie, her other patron showed up. Seelie curled up as a mouse in one of her pockets. Content to be back with their witch. Elease just folded her arms in irritation.
“You’ve been gone for a month and were dragged into a portal by shadowy hands! Seelie and mabon found you through this world’s higher ups I guess. Seelie needed someone to cross over with and well I promised your parents I’d find you. Didn’t want to split them up since Seelie could only take one. Met a nice goddess lady in the way over that liked my coffee and she agreed to be apparently my patron so I have access to this realms magic. Said I am now a sword dancer. Works, I always did excel at fencing.” Elease explained.
Calluna didn’t remember crossing over, just that she did. She didn’t think she had been gone a month but that didn’t really mean anything. Hundreds of years could pass in one realm while only days in another.
“Is any one else gonna come over,” Shadowheart asked. “Asking just in case so I can prepare myself.”
“There are of course ways to go through the veil, weak links or fae being mischievous but something like elease or me… I always thought it took a lot of power. Fae can flit through worlds…. But it’s easier when they have an anchor. I am suprised elease is here. So I wouldn’t think any one else.” Calluna explained. “Well not someone you would need to prepare for. Mabon might show up but they don’t like any one but the family they pact to. So you’d either not see them or they’d be an animal” Calluna didn’t mention she could kind of feel Mabon already, she just didn’t have the power any more to interact with them. As the journey went on though she was getting her power back, so it was a matter of time.
The rest of the night turned into elease meeting the others. Sidhe trying to pounce Seelie and Seelie yelling back about sharing. It looked like balls of light annoying each other, and Gale making dinner. It wasn’t until later things turned more interesting. She couldn’t sleep, wondering why this world’s gods had involved elease. Deciding to just moongaze and take over watch she opened her eyes to see Astarion bending over her. Red eyes glowing and fangs out.
“….. called it?” Calluna sighed as astarion backed away and Calluna sat up.
“This isn’t what it looks- you called it?” Astarion tried to defend and then trailed off when he realized what Calluna said.
“You do look like a vampire, and you do have vampire bite marks in your neck. Plus you talk like the charming vampire rakes in the stories back home. The sunlight kept throwing off k- me though.” Calluna answered. Astarion looked taken back. As if he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with this new development.
“And the others.” Astariom asked.
“Not sure. They haven't mentioned anything if they have. I haven’t said anything because everyone is allowed secrets. Other than our first meeting when you pulled or well tried to pull a knife on me, You’ve pulled your weight and helped. Plus none of us woke up drained or attacked. Well other than tonight.” Calluna answered.
“You can trust me. I promise. I don’t kill people for food. I go after animals; like boar and deer. Some times even kobolds. What ever I can catch.” Astarion replied. “It’s just not enough any more with all the fights. I just need a little bit of blood.”
“Do I even want to ask why you weren’t more transparent about it?” Calluna asked. Astarion pointed out it was a matter of trust. Over here vampires often invoked villagers with stakes. Something still felt off about what Astarion was saying. However she could tell from the tadpole that he really did want the group to trust him. It was just his reasoning that was shrouded.
“This is just a fantastically horrible idea.” Calluna muttered. Still Sidhe and seelie would have her back, and from kal’s grumbling, Kal. “Well since you don’t kill people you should know I’m anemic. I don’t mind giving you blood but I expect a shit ton of sugar if you don’t want me useless tomorrow.”
“Wait really?” Astarion asked as if suprised as Calluna felt she was agreeing to this. Calluna might have mentioned he looked like death warmed over but she had the feeling Astarion could be a little vain. “I…. Promise tons of sugar and I’ll only take a little.”
// he might get lost in blood lust no matter his feelings now. I’ll switch with you in case we have to uh pull him back to his senses.// Kal said diplomatically. Calluna thought about it and decided yeah it would be good to have a back up. Trust but caution after all. They got themselves comfortable and Calluna really did feel like the prey in one of those charming vampire rake novels. However astariom did pull back when she asked and started getting dizzy.
Astarion thanked her saying he would treat this as a gift but he did have to go actually hunt his food source and find that sugar he promised. Well at least he was looking better.
Sidhe and Seelie just stared at her before Seelie at least summoned a pack of cookies. Then she was safely bundled to the back of their shared mind and surrounded by her fae friends and nessie. It took everything to convince Seelie not to wake elease.
When astarion came back Calluna had Nessie on her lap again. Sidhe was a tiger and Seelie was astarion supposed a very venomous snake. He carefully handed over the bag of sweets he got from the grove. Luckily Aaron hadn’t been able to sleep.
“You might have lost a little bit of ground with them.” Calluna answered. However just like Shadowheart earlier that morning and the sense from the tadpole this was someone more dangerous and not Calluna. How intriguing. Ah well people were allowed to have their secrets. He would figure it out.
By morning it was clear Calluna was back in the pilot seat although elease was giving him a tiny bit of a stink eye. Astarion could understand it and well he would tread carefully. He was pretty sure her new patron god was eillistrae. Sword dancers were no joke. Plus radiant damage.
“This might get me staked but how do you feel.” Astarion asked carefully walking over to Calluna.
“A bit woozy. However better after the sugar.” Calluna answered. Astarion explained more about vampire history and the difference between a vampire and a spawn which he was. They talked about he did have sunlight sensitivity but the tadpole was helping him negate normal vampire rules.
“What does blood taste like.” Calluna asked.
“Well different animals have different tastes. Yours was delightfully spicy. It’s been a while since I could have food but I think salsa roja.” Astarion answered. Calluna had a quizzical look on her face and wondered if it was part of the veil pact child thing again as that was not the answer she expected. “Still I am glad you are being calm about this. I was expecting pitchforks and torches.”
“That’s so last century astarion.” Calluna frowned.
“Where you are from, here… well there is still time.” Astarion countered. The others mentioned their thoughts and Calluna had to defend him. She would talk to the others later once she figured out how to stop the tadpole from having everyone peep on each other’s conversations. Trust until proven otherwise but always keep caution, she kept repeating in her head.
The plan for today was to see if Nettie was back and so they headed towards the grove. Elease wanting to tag along. Astarion mentioned staying behind today. He wanted to hunt a tiny bit more before getting dragged into another battle. He did make sure Shadowheart would spill the tea if they met up with kagha. Shadowheart laughed and said she would. Calluna had to spend time catching elease up on what was going on. As they walked towards where the Druids where in the grove, they met a weird ox that was radiating, well Calluna would have said unseelie court magic but this world was so different and weird. She did let the ox have its secrets.
//for now…. I am starting to be worried about your survival instincts.// Kal frowned folding his arms.
“Oi I like to be slightly optimistic. My survives skills are fine.” Calluna protested. Kal just raised an eyebrow and hummed. Calluna mentally imagined throwing a pillow at him which got a laugh.
Then they ran across the warlock from yesterday. He was teaching the children how to fight. Calluna backed up his lesson, got to learn he was hunting a devil and had been infected by a tadpole as well. Considering he wasn’t showing signs either… and according to Shadowheart was a famed monster hunter, Calluna added him to the party. He seemed very happy to join and have companions.
//sidhe figure out his patron yet?// Kal asked muttering something that sounded like survival instincts. Calluna just silently groaned. Elease seemed interested in swapping sword fighting techniques with their new member wyll. She was a pretty good judge of character so Calluna wasn’t too worried about wyll. Besides how one treated kids and animals was a big indicator of their personality.
Of course they met up with rolan again which Kal quickly took over when rolan insulted them and Gale. (Calluna was much more upset at Gale being insulted). Then they walked right into a fight between Druids and tieflings which majorly soured Calluna against the druids again. Calluna checked in with the worried parents and promised she would add checking on Arabella to her list of things to say to kagha.
“I can see why astarion wanted to watch you deal with kagha. I hold you punch?” Elease added. When they dealt with the Druids holding the tieflings back, one who had shifted into a bear, Kal found himself suddenly blinking at them.
// oi you little turds… considering how the battle was going at the gates, and you were all too busy sitting here chanting to defend your own home and the tieflings who you are bad mouthing did it for you… there wouldn’t be a space to be racist for// Calluna bad mouthed from the safety of their mind. Kal diplomatically handled it while hiding a smile as Calluna continued cussed out their attitude from the safety of their head. Surprisingly what got them through was kagha, who apparently wanted to talk with them. So Kal and Calluna quickly decided to make them wait.
“Hello you there…” a very cheerful man in a colorful outfit and hat called out.
“Calluna no. Calluna don’t even think about it. He has to be a minstrel. You know I hate minstrels.” Elease groaned.
“Yes but he’s a way to make kagha wait.” Calluna answered back in control. “Besides they call them bards here. I even got some bard powers.”
“Yeah so did I but still pleeeease don’t talk to the flamboyant man.” Elease pleaded.
“ so we should talk to kagha?”
“…….. fine but don’t expect me to be nice if I have to talk to him.”
Volo as the bard was known, wanted to know if they had been at the gates, what they had seen or heard. Then they got into a bard contest on adding more outrageous details to the story. Elease did hide a smile when Calluna (with kal feeding her more outrageous details to add) started to out bard vilo with tales of gold dragons. Then volo asked about the absolute. There was a sharp pain that went through Calluna’s eye socket and somehow nausea through Kal. The name of the god meant something to Kal but the thought slipped away.
They finished the conversation with Volo who had plans to visit the camp soon and continued exploring the grove. Calluna convinced a bear to move off the elevator and sidhe and Seelie found an amulet to the god powering the grove and a chest with some magical arrows. Eventually though they did have to meet up with Kagha.
