Caleb was going to tear his hair out. Perhaps not literally because his strength was... lacking to say the least, but the sentiment remained.
They'd been going over this equation for months. Months of attempting to combine Dunamancy, Transmutation, and Evocation. Sure, those may be odd schools to combine, but nothing, nothing, was impossible anymore. Not with two prodigies in two of the aforementioned schools. Especially with the tech they'd retrieved from Aeor! But no... here they were, after weeks, so close and yet so far away.
"Caleb," came the soft, lilting accent.
"Was?" he bit out, not even looking up. The answer was there, he knew it. Just out of his grasp.
Suddenly, a lovely violet face popped into his line of sight, obscuring the notes resting on the coffee table. As much as it irritated him, he forced himself to focus on the drow in front of him.
Essek had a concerned but soft smile on his face. Cupping the other's face, he said, "MĂłj najdroĆŒszy pĆomieĆ, why don't we take a break?"
Caleb clicked his tongue in frustration. "I'll take one later. We're so close. I can feel it. We almost have it."
Essek looked at him, unconvinced. "We've worked on this for hours non stop. Both our brains need a break. Perhaps once you step away from it for a moment, you'll be able to see it from a different angle."
"Maybe in a few minutes, Schatz." Already, Caleb's head was back in his hand as he resumed staring at the notes, searching for an answer.
Essek heaved a deep sigh and slowly exited the human's field of vision. Caleb felt bad for brushing him off like that, but he really was very close to a breakthrough. If he could push through this growing headache, he'd have it.
Soft music filtered through the room, breaking his train of thought. It was a familiar song... A very familiar song. Caleb lifted his head in surprise, and there was Essek fiddling with an audio crystal for the newly invented gramophone. Once set in place, that familiar song grew clearer and just a tad louder. It almost brought tears to his eyes.
But when Essek turned around, revealing a very different outfit than he had been wearing earlier, Caleb's breath caught in his throat. For though the colors were Essek's with it's deep blues and silver, that was an outfit of Zemnian make that he wore. From the intricate detailing to the very fabric itself.
Caleb recognized the handwoven details. Knew them because they came from a single maker in the Zemni Fields, one Caleb knew when he was young. And that song...
"Essek," Caleb could hear his voice cracking with emotion, "what is this, Liebling?"
At this, Essek began playing with edges of his coat. "Well, um, this was supposed to be a surprise for your birthday, but I felt it would work here as well."
He looked up at Caleb now. "I, uh, you mentioned that this was a song you and your mother used to dance to when you were young. So in my most recent travels, I hired the best band I could find to play it whilst I recorded it on this." He gestured to the audio crystal.
Essek was rambling at this point but didn't seem able to stop himself. He ducked his head and continued, "And then I thought I would try to commission an outfit of Zemnian make because you looked so lovely in your outfit in Xhorhas, I thought I would do the same for you. Perhaps it was a silly, maybe even a childish notion, but I thoughtâ"
Before he knew what he was doing, Caleb was in front of Essek, holding the sides of his face as he gave this wonderful man a deep kiss. Caleb tried to pour all the love and affection he didn't think he'd be able to verbalize into this connection. The love he had for this man threatened to bubble and spill over in a never ending stream.
When Caleb pulled away, he didn't go far. He rested their heads together and felt Essek's arms wrap around his waist.
"So you like it?" whispered Essek.
This startled a laugh out of the human. "Like it? I... Essek, this is the most thoughtful gift I have ever received."
The drow smiled and leaned up to press another kiss to his mouth. "I'm glad. It was hard keeping this a secret from you."
Essek gently wiped tears away from Caleb's cheeks. Oh... he hadn't even realized he'd been crying.
"There's one more thing," Essek murmured.
He backed up a little so there was enough space between them and held out his hand, palm facing the ceiling.
"Caleb Widogast, may I have the honor of this dance?"
Caleb stared wide-eyed at him. Essek, who hated dancing because he believed himself terrible at it and refused every time Caleb asked, was asking Caleb to dance?
"Who are you and what have you done with Essek?" Caleb asked in wonder.
Essek threw his head back in laughter and Caleb thought he had never looked more beautiful.
"I have been taking lessons with Jester," he admitted, face flushing slightly. "However, I haven't been able to actually lead yet, so you may have to for this. But Jester says I've improved a lot from when I started."
Caleb smiled softly. "I would be honored to dance with you, Herr Thelyss."
They drew closer to each other, Caleb taking the leading position, and they began to slowly waltz to the song crooning from the crystal. To Caleb's immense delight, not only had Essek improved, but he was amazing! Almost completely perfect form. He checked if the other was floating but was shocked to find he wasn't. He was actually dancing on his own two feet.
Essek pinched Caleb's arm. "What? You didn't believe me? Jester is second only to you in dancing and even then the margin is small. She was a wonderful teacher, you know?"
Caleb beamed. "I had no doubt in my mind that she would be. My only regret is I wasn't able to teach you myself."
"Well, it had to be a surprise, miĆoĆÄ." Essek rolled his eyes fondly. "But I hear there are many other dances both in the Zemni Fields and outside of it that you know." He looked up at Caleb through his silvery white lashes. "Perhaps you can endeavor to teach me those, Liebling."
The Zemnian endearment sent a shock up Caleb's spine. That accent curling around those syllables? He stopped dancing.
Essek looked up at him with concern. "Caleb, are you all right?"
"I love you," he breathed.
Essek's eyes go wide, his ears perking up like a cat's. Cute... "R-really?"
Caleb chuckled fondly. He cupped the other's face and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "It isn't as if you haven't heard it before, Sternenlicht."
Essek huffed. "Well, yes I know that, but it doesn't change the fact that I like hearing it, mĂłj ogieĆ."
Caleb was smiling as he kissed his cheeks, his nose, his lips, saying "I love you" after each one, in Zemnian and Common.
"You're such a sap," Essek said, but he was smiling from ear to ear.
"Mm, but you like it."
At this point they were just swaying to the music instead of actually waltzing, but neither one particularly minded. Heads resting against each other, they just enjoyed each other's company, dancing in the amber lit room.
"See, wasn't taking a break good for you?" Essek whispered.
"Mhm." Caleb pressed a kiss to Essek's temple. "That pesky headache has stopped knocking on my brain, thanks to you."
Essek hummed. "You should listen to me more often."
Caleb just smiled into the other's hair. They spent the rest of the night gently swaying to the music, both Caleb's and Essek's childhood favorites filling the air. The notes were forgotten, at least for the moment, equations left to be solved. But... they could wait. For however long the two liked.
A/N: Phew! That was a long one (at least for me). If you've stayed this far, that's impressive and I love you for it. Translations of the various bits of Polish and German below (I did use translators so apologies for the inaccuracies and feel free to correct me)!
Was: German for "What"
MĂłj najdroĆŒszy pĆomieĆ: Polish for "my dearest flame"
I believe in shadowgast endgame. Mr O'Brien has a tellâŠ..it took me 5mins to find these. It is the oldest tell in the book sir! Iâm sure a Gilmore one exists. Drop a timestamp if you find one
A quick Shadowgast drabble bc???? I'm filled with feelings.
SPOILERS FOR C2 E134
Rest. Finally, rest. The only one of them that had gotten proper sleep the night before was Essek, and even he was feeling frayed. He couldn't imagine what everyone else felt like.
Caleb, especially, looked like he would collapse if a strong enough breeze came along.
There was only the dome tonight. No fancy dinner, no spectral cats, no hot baths to relax in. But, Caleb could not bring himself to care, curling up on the ground almost immediately after putting up the tiny hut.
The Nein huddled in for the evening(?), all piled on top of each other in a warm cluster. Caleb remained near the outside of the pile, drawing away so his aching wounds could be left undisturbed. Still, he remained in contact with the pile, his back pressed firmly against Veth's.
Essek was also on the outside of the pile. He was there out of nervousnes. He was fond of the Mighty Nein, but he found his heart racing at the thought of just... being in a cuddle pile with them. He'd never been in a pile.
He sat with his back against the pile. There was no escaping some touch, as it was a tight fit in the dome. He stayed up a while, not needing as much sleep as everyone else.
The corner of his eye caught some movement from Caleb, turning the drow's attention fully to the wizard. Up until now, he'd been... mostly avoiding looking at Caleb in the dome. It was one thing to look when there was plenty of space around them, when they were working or fighting together. He could come up with reasons for looking at Caleb then. Here? He couldn't deny to himself why he was looking.
Caleb brought a hand around his ribs, fingers tensed in pain. He let out a quiet hiss through his teeth.
"Still awake?" Essek said.
"Ja... hard to sleep like this." Caleb's voice was low and hoarse.
Essek found himself moving without really thinking about it. He scooted over to Caleb, in front of him so he could see his face.
They remained wordless for a while. Essek gave in to his desire to look at Caleb, but still quickly averted his gaze whenever Caleb went to make eye contact. Caleb did the same, staring when Essek wasn't paying attention, and pretending he wasn't looking just as their eyes were about to meet.
Caleb, already tired of most things today, grew tired of their small game of "I totally wasn't looking at you fondly," and let himself finally meet Essek's gaze.
Once they caught each other, they could not let go. Essek felt a shiver run down his spine. Caleb simply let his exhausted brain relax into it, too tired to overthink at the moment.
A lazy hand found its way to Essek's forearm. Caleb's fingers ghosted over the back of Essek's hand on the way there.
Essek drew a shaky breath. That simple gesture of Caleb touching his forearm had become something so personal and meaningful and... comforting. Heat rushed to his face, but he felt every muscle in his body relax involuntarily.
"Mmmh... just lie down," Caleb said, closing his eyes.
Essek let out a soft o-ok as he laid on the ground next to Caleb. He was nervous to touch him, afraid he might cause him pain. Still, he found himself placing a gentle hand on Caleb's chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breath, the beat of his heart.
Caleb did not pull away. He nuzzled into Essek's chest, causing the drow to draw in a soft gasp. Caleb sighed a contented sigh.
How nice it was to be too tired and in too much pain to keep every one of his walls up.
When Essek thought Caleb was asleep, he placed a tender kiss on his forehead.
I think rewrite the stars as a shadowgast song would represent the internal conflict essek and caleb have of wanting each other but due to their circumstances part of them believes they both think it's impossible and I'm aaaaaaaaa
thinking about how caleb or essek's "I fell in love with you in Kamordah" moment probably just happened in that 9th floor scene, or if not, the beginning of a big ol eiselcross snowball
i was thinking about yeza and luc and it made me real sad so now you guys have to experience it too
imagine being yeza brenatto, husband to veth and father to 3 year old luc sitting in a cage in a goblin camp terrified that you might never get to go home
imagine being yeza, having just escaped with your three year old in your arms when your wife, your beautiful and brave wife, kisses you and says that sheâll be right behind you but you need to run and stay hidden. so you agree, so sure that sheâll make it out that you kiss her back and run
imagine pacing your house, having told the crownsguard what happened and that sheâll be right behind you. she was right behind you.
imagine a day passing, hoping that thereâll be a knock on the door and itâll be her, ragged but alive. your son, finally waking up from the horrific nightmare, asks you where his mother is and you tell him that sheâs on her way, that sheâll be here very soon. you hope against hope that youâre not lying to him because you need her to be alive too
imagine that day turning into a week, your nerves raw and body jumping at the slightest sound, your nights wakeful because you canât miss her when she comes home. if...if she comes home. your son is distraught and youâre lost without her, she was always your better half and now you donât know how you survived without her
imagine that week turning into a month, the hope fading and being replaced with grief. if she was coming home sheâd be here, she wouldnât abandon you and your son, sheâs knows that you two need her. you ask the crownsguard if theyâve heard or seen anything and the only news they have is that the goblin clan was seen drowning someone before disappearing back into their camp. you desperately check on all those that had been kidnapped with you and your family, selfishly hoping that one of them is missing so that she might be alive because she canât die, she wouldnât die. but their families are whole and they offer you words of sympathy, especially those who were freed after you two had parted
imagine having to explain to your three year old that his mother isnât coming home, his wide innocent eyes asking where sheâs gone and when sheâll be back and now you have to explain to your son, who is only a toddler but now the last reminder you have of her, what death is and where his mother has gone. imagine the tears streaming from his eyes and the deafening shrieks leaving his mouth as he howls and cries for a mother who will never come home again. imagine holding your little boy as you cry too, the first tears youâve shed since the ordeal that took her from you
imagine trying to return to life as normal, the absence of her painful and never ending. your son doesnât like the food you prepare for him for breakfast, you donât even like the food youâve prepared. you and her cooked together, the kitchen so different to the lab where you two spent your days, but now everything lacks that special flavour that only she could create and it tastes like the shadow of the life you knew.
imagine waking up one morning six months after the ordeal and seeing the painting of the two of you from your wedding, so happy and so content, unknowing that your son, your beautiful luc, was on his way. the painting makes you angry. how could she leave you? how could she fucking die on you two like that? didnât she know that you needed her? didnât she know that you canât remember a life without her in it? without her smile, her laugh, the way she tucked her hair behind her ears when she worked, the way she soothed luc in moments, the way she made you feel like the most intelligent and handsome person in the entire world. how could she leave you all alone like this? so you rip the painting from the wall and throw it into the cellar, along with all the things that remind you of her. soon the walls are bare and your son is screaming, heâs the only trace of her left. so you pull him into your arms and rock him as he screams, your tears wetting his curls, curls the same colour as her hair
imagine needing to rely on the village more than you ever have before. veth always knew the best times of day to get the best produce, she always remembered which customers had what orders, and she always had a knack for making people smile without even trying. you still canât believe that sheâd once been a little girl that you wouldnât have looked at twice because she had been so radiant that to miss her would have meant you to be blind. your son is growing at a rate you never thought possible, his shoes donât fit anymore and you canât get any of his shirts over his head, his shoulders suddenly too broad for the button-downs sheâd bought âjust in caseâ. so now you need to ask your neighbors to help you get clothes that will fit him, soon the clothes your wife had once purchased for your son are all gone and another part of her is lost. you mourn the baby heâd been and the fact that sheâll never get to see him grow up
imagine a year passing, luc has just turned four and life is back to a sense of normalcy. you still miss her, you always will, and there are nights when you wake, hearing the last words she said to you and feeling the press of her lips against yours before sheâs gone. you always reach for her but sheâs too fast and you wake with a thundering heart, aching still for her to come home. youâve recently ordered new herbs for your shop, wanting to experiment with something when the courier arrives with not only your crate of ingredients but a badly wrapped package wrapped with twine that says yeza brenatto, brenatto apothecary, felderwin on the top in shaky script. the courier doesnât know who sent it, thereâs so return address on the back but you take it anyway, curious. luc sits on the kitchen floor, playing with his toys, as you open the package at the table. a small pouch of money falls out, the coins rolling across the chipped wooden table. you count the coins, one, two, three, four, eighty gold pieces; youâve never had this much money in your life and you want so desperately to know who sent it but whoever did tried to make sure you couldnât. unwrapping the package further, thereâs a smaller, squishier package wrapped in bright blue paper with a little note stuck to the top that reads âlucâ. you know that itâs for your son but your curiousity gets the better of you so you tug the letter free and open it. it wishes him a happy birthday and hopes that he enjoys his gift, the sender has scribbled out what appears to be their name at the bottom of the note. you try to raise the note to the light to see the name written beneath but the ink has done its job and concealed their identity. you give your son his present, itâs a teddy bear with shiny buttons and wide brown eyes. it looks expensive and thereâs a smell to it that makes you feel nostalgic, it smells like her. you shake the nostalgia away and return to your work. that night, you dream of her
imagine having been hired to study something, an elven woman breathing down your neck to complete it and youâre too terrified to tell her that good research cannot be completed quickly so you keep working. your son keeps distracting you, now a young boy of five, demanding that you play with him but this is too important and the money that the woman is paying you will be enough to get luc into a good school next year and maybe, just maybe, afford the gravestone youâve wanted to get to commemorate your wife for the last year. the woman is cruel and rude, so you send your son to stay with one of your neighbours for a while, to keep him out of the awful womanâs eye sight
imagine there being an attack, massive worms carving through the ground and enemy soldiers swarming your hometown. theyâve never come this far before, you hide your son and beg him to stay quiet as you rush to the outside doors leading into your cellar and slam a magical lock onto them just as an enemy soldier knocks you unconscious
imagine waking up in a cold, dark cell. you donât know where you are, you donât know how far youâve travelled but all you can think about is your son. you scream at the captors you cannot see to take you back, you scream that you have a son and that he needs you and that youâre all he has left until your throat is raw. imagine a sudden voice filtering from nowhere, apparently there for your ears only. the accent is strange and the woman introduces herself as a friend of veth, a hope that had long since died in your chest has started to thunder to life again. you received a package not too long ago from zadash, signed by a person called nott who claimed that veth was safe and would be on her way home soon; you hadnât believed the letter but there was no return address so you kept the money. youâd convinced yourself that this nott person was a very old friend of vethâs that youâd never met and was doing this out of kindness but you couldnât fathom why theyâd want to hurt you like that. but this woman speaks with conviction, her voice strangely trustworthy so you answer her questions and hope, hope against hope, that she is coming for you and that maybe, just maybe, your wife will be with her
imagine that woman contacting you periodically, you take her pauses to be someone telling her what to say. you hope that itâs your wife, hope that you havenât had for two years being the only thing you have left to hold onto in this dark cell
imagine your cell opening, the first light youâve seen in ages and itâs her. itâs her. she rushes in and wraps her arms around you and you cry. you cry burning, salty tears. then she tells you that the form you see her in isnât her, but you know itâs her because she looks the same as the day you lost her and the time youâve spent apart has only made her so much more beautiful. but then she drops the illusion and you see how she looks right now, sheâs a goblin. this is not the woman you married. this is not the mother of your child. this is a fucking goblin who waltzed in here wearing her skin as an illusion. then you hard a familiar voice asking after ânottâ, itâs the voice of the woman who has been messaging you for the last few days, the one who promised you that veth was coming. if she was here, if sheâd really come and all her friends had come with her to save you then why would they lead you to believe that veth wasnât with them? you take a moment and calm your racing heart, thereâs something about her that feels familiar, she smells familiar even despite the goblin form and you know, you know in this moment, that this is your wife. she promises you that she wonât look like this forever and assures you that your son is okay, you want to cry but youâre so ragged that you canât. but sheâs here and sheâs alive and sheâs protected and sheâs protecting people in kind like you always knew she would
imagine weeks passing, you stay in a house in a country you donât know. the blue tiefling woman, jester, helps you contact your son so you can tell him that youâre alright but jester and veth and their friends arenât here enough for it to really matter. youâre still giddy that sheâs alive, that your wife is here and even if she doesnât look like herself youâre just happy that sheâs whole. each time you pass her, you find yourself touching her to remind yourself that sheâs real and that sheâs here but the grief from the last two years hasnât faded. you know what life is like without her now and you know that you can survive but, all the same, it hurts to see her leave. at least you know that sheâll come home this time though, her friends promise you and you know that their promises will be held
imagine being teleported to nicodranas and seeing your son for the first time in months, his face is dirty but his eyes are bright and he sees his parents together for the first time since he was a child of three. veth has disguised her goblin form, not wanting luc to see her as she is until she knows whether or not sheâll be stuck like this forever. youâre a family again and it feels surreal, like the dreams you used to have that felt so close and so real but youâd wake up to a cold bed that had long forgotten the warmth of her body. but she has to go, she has work to do, so you kiss her goodbye and stay with marion lavorre, the famed ruby of the sea and jesterâs mother, at her hotel in nicodranas
imagine your wife returning, imagine seeing her friends but not seeing her. you can catch the occasional whiff of her perfume but they say that sheâs not there and that sheâll be along soon. they disappear for an hour, youâre confused but theyâre an odd bunch so you donât question it. after a while, the bathroom door bursts open and, standing there, is veth. the buttery yellow dress sheâs wearing compliments her skin beautifully and her thick dark hair is braided in her favourite style, youâre not sure if this is an illusion until she runs at you and dips you down into a kiss. this is her, this is veth whole and just as you remember her. you pull away and admire the round face of your wife, thereâs the familiar pang of grief in your chest and something in your mind tells you that this isnât real. that it canât be real. that veth is gone and that youâre holding onto a dying mote of hope but she places her hand on your cheek and that feeling fades. she pulls luc between you two as you hug, a family reunited. if this is a dream, you donât want to wake up
Could I request Caleb having a s/o who has their own feline familiar that he and the rest of the nein didn't know about and discover by accident. When he questions his s/o about it they tell him they don't have the same level of control as him with frumpkin and didn't want to be looked down upon.
Soft fur brushes against the skin of your arm brittle whiskers following as the comforting gentle purr soothed away your nerves. For such a temperamental familiar your little fey was always a great comfort when you were put on watch, typically by yourself, and ever since the day you found him Aldric was quite an independent cat. Talents that were underused you were certain he was more than unhappy at being sent away for so long despite how wonderful Aldricâs realm must be. Cunning, smart, and cute were all deadly qualities for a cat as handsome as he was. Poking Aldricâs nose you fought back a smile at his attitude when the teeth chased your finger down for committing such an offense. Caleb would be coming out for his shift soon and you wished to enjoy the sight of the stars with him while they were still hung in the sky and to finally have some alone time without the grins of the Nein as they watch your lover attempt to flirt with even after youâd returned his confession; Beau was especially worse when it came to her smirk.Â
Awakening only ten minutes later when you had to wrangle your cat to keep him from shoving items off the cart did you recognize the mess of fiery ginger hair and sleep riddled body of Caleb who was still rubbing his face by the time he had made it over to your perch. âGo rest Liebling,â a lazy kiss is pressed against your cheek as he stands in between your legs that dangle off the back of the cart just barely brushing the floor. âYouâll need it for tomorrow.â Voice raspier than normal with exhaustion digging its heels in stubbornly and only when a lamentable meow sounds out does Caleb seem to gain some life.Â
âIs that a cat?â Aldric now gaining the desired amount of attention blinks up at Caleb having met him now for the first time and Aldric certainly has a look on his face that seems like he is sizing him up. Expressive as can be Caleb just looks back and forth between you and your little fiend of a familiar who was probably already pondering biting him. There was a reason behind why you refused to let him be a viper after what happened last time.Â
âAldrics my familiar and one with quite the attitude.â The siamese glared at you as much as a cat could tail thumping loudly against the wood as if to display his disdain about your comment. Caleb seemed deeply amused with the vanity that your cat had, he couldnât stand to have a horrible image where its a physical or mental one. Frumpkin was a sweet mellow familiar that you found to be often the exact opposite of yourâs at times.Â
âI did not know you had him all this time!â The level of giddiness Caleb had made you smile ear to ear. He was one to always celebrate the magical accomplishments of others whether they were big or small he knew how painstakingly long the art of magic can take to learn and while you werenât as skilled as he was you were no beginner mage either. Caleb was fascinated with Aldric from the Zemnian name to the sleek fur he was a beautiful creature and boy did Aldric know. A love for cats was the cause of your first in-depth conversation as you fell head over heels for Frumpkin and his owner at the same time.Â
Sharing a look with Caleb you could pinpoint the moment when the questions started forming in his head. âAldric is very hard to control at times and I suppose I didnât want to burden everyone with his temperament,â The moment you said that the needle-like teeth were stabbing into your wrist as you jerked it away glaring harshly at the culprit who looked rather pleased with himself. âAs you can see heâs bite happy which is why his snake days were short-lived.â For all his drama queen moments you loved your familiar and his human-like qualities but that doesnât mean he never gets on your nerves.Â
âYou could never burden us,â Holding your hands he gave them a reassuring squeeze. âWe all love you and we all accept you, feline friend included.â Making you laugh Caleb considered his job to be complete and ushered you to sleep promising to keep Aldric company as you rested. Little did he know what he was in for and when you woke up the next morning you winced at the little cat bites that littered his hands. Aldric would eternally cause trouble for as long as you walked the earth.Â
Fjord: goes crazy after the first few hours. Must get out of the house however he can. Fuck this I'm getting a job at a supermarket just so I can get out of the house, no I don't care if I get sick
Beau: physically restraining fjord from going out in public whenever he tries to leave. Eventually caves and goes with him to buy alcohol because they consider that essential. Also keeps coming up with crazier conspiracy theories about some force of evil causing the virus that they could go out and kill.
Caleb: lots of reading. Didn't even realise they were in quarantine until Essek failed to come over and help him study
Nott/Veth: lasts longer than fjord but also joins beau and fjord on their alcohol supply runs despite having a bottomless flask. Also going absolutely crazy being stuck in the Xhorhouse and away from Yeza and Luc. Makes Jester message them daily.
Jester: paints every wall in the house. Paints all the outside walls too. Paints all the ceilings and even the floors and then any other surface she can find (eg. Tabletops). Even tried to paint Frumpkin. Messages everyone she's ever met every day. After like two weeks she remembers that she now has the time to bond with Sprinkles. Starts a prank war with nott and eventually everyone joins in. (Caduceus is the next to join)
Caduceus: lots of cooking. So much of it is mushrooms but it also facilitates many of Fjord's trips to get stuff.
Yasha: bone harp time. The neighbours hate her. Also starts a small flower garden on the roof that she looks after with great care.
Molly: keeps coming up with fun and inventive ways to entertain, this includes working on a circus act with Yasha that they never got to finish before Kylre ending the circus. Involves a lot of falling on his arse and nott laughing at him. He suggested the first prank of Jester's prank war to her. Was absolutely involved in it from the beginning. Also finishes his tarot deck.
Essek: he's used to going weeks at a time without talking to the Mighty Nein but after two weeks quarantined on his own to make sure he's not sick he goes and joins them in the Xhorhaus. Because hearing about what's going on in their lives from daily messages from Jester just isn't the same.
Sprinkles: enjoys his first few weeks of peace. Actually starts putting on weight (Caduceus is feeding him). And then terror when Jester remembers he exists.
Iâm not gonna get into big morality debates but I understand that a big concern regarding Essekâs redemption seems to be his lack of guilt over his actions except when it comes to them possibly hurting the M9 which Iâve often seen contrasted with Calebâs actual guilt over his past and wish for redemption.
Hereâs the thing, though, Caleb wasnât always like that.
Early campaign Caleb was admittedly selfish, in the fact that:
a. He was single-mindedly moving towards his Big Goal and everything else was secondary.
b. His regrets regarding his past were about how it affected Him and His Family. It was about hurting ppl he loved and losing them as a result.
c. His goal was never justice or revenge, not even redemption. What he wanted was to âfix itâ. To undo it. Thatâs not the same.
Now, Caleb has grown a lot since then. Arguably, thanks to being loved by the M9 and loving them in return. Ever since the Iron Shepherdâs arc, his focus shifted towards helping and supporting the group, finding a family in them and becoming a better man thanks to them.
It was only after that journey that now heâs able to look back and talk about rooting out evil and protecting other children and dismantling the system that broke him. He doesnât yet see himself as redeemable (as he told Essek) but his goals are no longer those of a selfish man. Not all of his goals, at least.
Essek is, at this point, early campaign Caleb. Without some of the self hatred, of course, but you can see that the way his choices may hurt the M9 does weight on him. Iâm convinced that if any of this came back to hurt THEM, heâd pretty much find himself in the same place as Caleb did before âfurious with himself and desperate to fix it/save them. At least, by what we have seen, I do believe his love for them is genuine.
Judging Essek now is possible, itâs probably even necessary. But more importantly, I think we should not lock the character in a morality box. Heâs going through a journey, like every member of the M9, and has been given the opportunity to change and grow through their love and support. If Caleb had been judged at the beginning of the campaign (sad boi feels aside) he wouldâve probably come closer to this âunredemableâ lense that Essek is getting. The thing is, people arenât static. They change and learn and grow. Letâs hold back judgement and enjoy the road to who Essek will choose to become.
