The Tsaritsa's Reclusive Scribe

An indie headcanon-based Fatui Harbinger Alhaitham Event : N/A

[reclusivescribe]

The Eighth Fatui Harbinger ; Archos

At the age of twenty-two, Alhaitham abandoned his post as Sumeru Academia's scribe and Acting-Grand Sage. Not because of stress, or because he did not uphold the rules, but because he grew weary of the erasure of knowledge.

Alhaitham has always had a keen mind, and did not support the idea of history and knowledge, even if it is dark and gruesome, being buried. And so, he left. Disappeared without a trace. Well, except for an apology letter to Kaveh followed by monthly envelopes filled with money with no return address.

He's joined the Fatui Harbingers, and climbed the ranks to the Eighth spot. Alhaitham the quiet scribe of Sumeru Academia is no more, now replaced by a cold man with sunken eyes and a multitude of rings on his fingers.

Alhaitham is no more, now he is known as Archos, the ruler of knowledge and protector of buried history. His new goal is to make all of Teyvat aware of the misdeeds of the Archons and Celestia, and who better to join than the Tsaritsa?

It's Mun Kori, hi. I made a Fatui Alhaitham blog. Basically, his goal is to uncover history and the tragedy of Khaenri'ah and the other events that have been covered up by Celestia. He's colder here, more analytical, but he does still care. He sends Kaveh a good portion of his earnings as a Harbinger, but other than that no one knows where exactly he is, only that he's left Sumeru.

This blog is obviously not canon, and I am basing his behavior off my own headcanons. He is in fact gay here, as are most of my blogs, but his affection is hard to earn. OC x CC and CC x CC ships are allowed, and each will have their own tag and timeline.

Suggestive and NSFW content are in fact allowed, but only if the pairing has become comfortable enough for that.

This blog is also cross-over friendly, as are cross-over ships. Just ask beforehand!

If you have any questions, my main blog is @awhiteroseinblood !

Edit one: So I decided that there will be multiple verses for this Alhaitham, but there will not be a verse where he doesn't join the Fatui bc that's the whole point

Tag List ;

[Ruler of Knowledge] : In Character responses to starters and anonymous asks

[Piqued Interest] : Self-Promo tag

[The Shadow of Whom he Once was] : Open thread tag

[Mun Kori] : OOC Posts

[The Eighth harbinger ; Archos] : Interactions with Fatui Members

[Just Alhaitham ; Beneath the Coat] : Interactions with people of Sumeru

[Never Stagnant ; Ratio's Student] : HSR-verse Alhaitham

[Eight-Winged All-Seeing Seraphim] : Halovian HSR-verse Alhaitham

[The False Ascension ; Archon of Intelligence] : Dendro Archon/False God Alhaitham verse

[Devil of Three Sins ; Downfall of Churches] : Demon Alhaitham verse

[Down in the Deep] : Merfolk verse

[Arabian Nights] : Eremite verse

Relationships ;

[Descent of the Fifth ; The Traveler from the Stars] : @orderguided / Sunday

[Polycule of Hell ; What the Hell Happened?] : Self-explanatory tag.

[Kaveh ; My Light in the Barren Dark] : @timewxven / Kaveh

[Ancient Catboys From Sumeru ; What is This Sentence?] : @loki-ft-other-ocs-too / Loki

[Whiskey on the Rocks ; Gallagher | Pandemos] : @crossroadsglade / Pandemos/Gallagher

[Haunting Beauty ; The Graveyard's Fae Lightkeeper] : @skeletonjigsaw / Flins

[Collecting Men Like Pokemon ; Morax/Zhongli] : @teyvatiannights / Zhongli

[Hello Professor ; No I'm Not Staring at Your Biceps Sir] : Veritas Ratio / @crossroadsglade

Links ;

Shipping

Verses

AO3 Collection

[reclusivescribe]

the desert... he doesn't know why he's here. admittedly, he hates it with a passion - but the puzzles and the fact that it is interesting has drawn him in, despite the... weather.

sunday's stumbling at this point, throat dry and head pounding, not wanting to run the risk of using hydro and leaving him with even less energy. he sticks to the shade around one of the huge sandstone structures, but by now it's making no difference. he scribbles something incoherent in his notebook, and half-trips to his knees.

he doesn't know, of course, that just around the corner of said sandstone structure is an eremite camp, but that's for him to find out... posthaste.

— @orderguided

Aquila was preparing for his camp's journey to the nearby oasis for resources when one of his scouts came back to tell him of a man spotted nearby, suffering dehydration. He immediately sets his map down and makes his way to where the man was spotted.

When he sees Sunday's crumpled form in the sand, he approaches and offers out his waterskin.

[orderguided]

his head is ringing a little, and he blinks rapidly until his eyes focus.

they focus on a particularly hot man. ah, he must be dreaming, but he attempts to wet his lips (and fails, because his tongue really is dry) anyway. “ apologies, ” he says, hoarsely at first, and then he repeats it again after managing to gather up some water in his mouth from god knows where. the last bits from his shrivelling brain, likely. “ i- sorry, ” he says again, and then attempts to stand up.

except, he lost his cane somewhere in the sand a while back, and so he falls again quite quickly. “ um. sorry. i wouldn't want to impose, ” sunday continues, with eyes dead set on aquila's tits and then the waterskin and then his tits again. “ if you haven't got too much, that's alright. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"Take the damn waterskin." Aquila sighs as he hauls Sunday to his feet and holds his waist to keep him from falling again.

"Drink the damn water, we have more at the camp." And then he's just carrying Sunday to the camp, where he set him down inside a medical tent to be tended to.

[orderguided]

ah... may the aeons strike him down for thinking such things. sunday curses himself mentally, and then takes the waterskin with a, “ you have my thanks. ” his voice cracks. perhaps he should just die. instead, he drinks a little of the water.

and- ah! oh, he is up™. he blinks vaguely for a second, head spinning harder than it was at the start, and sort of lets himself be carried around like a ragdoll. he might be about to pass out, actually. he's not entirely sure, but his skin feels surprisingly cold and clammy.

[reclusivescribe]

"You're lucky my scouts found you before you just shriveled up and died." Aquila sighs as he wets a cloth and presses it to Sunday's forehead.

[orderguided]

“ ah... i'm sure it would have been fine, ” he says, like he doesn't have the constitution of a piece of tissue paper in water. “ but – thank you, ” sunday continues anyway, words slightly blurring together for a moment before they mostly recover.

“ apologies – do you mind if i ask your name? ” he asks a moment later, before realising he should probably offer his first. names are a weird thing when you're pretending to be fae, anyway. “ please, call me sunday. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"You may call me Aquila. It is a pleasure to meet you Sunday, despite the circumstances." Polite and hot? Demos should meet this man immediately.

"And well. Tell me that you'd be fine in the desert when you aren't actively sweating enough to fill a river."

[orderguided]

demos can wait. he needs this man carnally. sunday hums with a polite smile and a small incline of his head anyway. “ the pleasure is all mine, of course, ” he answers. “ aquila. i cannot believe the pleasure would be yours anyway; all i have done is cause an inconvenience, after all. ”

“ better i'm sweating than i'm not, ” he retorts. “ if i'm sweating at least that means i don't have heatstroke. ” from what he knows, people with heatstroke simply do not sweat. it's actually pretty impressive he hasn't got heatstroke yet, actually. on closer inspection (please inspect him closely he'd love it) he's wearing at least five layers, and those are the only visible ones.

[reclusivescribe]

"If I did not want to help you, you would've been left in the sand." Aquila looks at Sunday with some disappointment.

"You're wearing five layers in this heat? Are you trying to die?" Hm please yell at him more- What was that? Wind's really strong today.

"How comfortable are you showing skin? You won't survive the heat in this many layers."

[orderguided]

“ ...ah... good point. ” his big eyes blink for a second, before he settles slightly. only slightly, though. (he tries not to think about how dr ratio told him he should get therapy, because then he would start thinking about dr ratio's arms and then he would start thinking about aquila's arms. which are right there. oh, aeons.)

pin him against the wall and be angry at him, or something. goodness. the wind is getting stronger, apparently. “ i prefer to have more layers on, ” he says, wringing his hands slightly - as if that fact wasn't obvious. at his question, he answers, “ i, ah - not particularly, ” sunday's face twitches slightly uncomfortably for a moment, but he is really fine. “ but i can take a layer or two off if needed. ” pause. “ ...also, it's seven layers. you can't see a couple of them. ”

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila wasn't sure if he wanted to rip the clothes off this man himself or sigh and look at him placatingly.

"At least take the thicker layers off. I've got no clue how you survived this long in seven layers when I overheat in one."

How. Sir you have your tits out and you're hardly wearing anything more than a loincloth and a headband.

Gods, Aquila could probably throw Sunday around like a ragdoll.

[orderguided]

“ ah... yes, sir, ” he says instinctively, before blinking rapidly and turning slightly pink. whoops. “ uh. i mean. yes. i will. i shall do that. ” please throw him around like a ragdoll. in xipe's name, those abs.

sunday debates for a second, before unbuttoning his jacket and taking that off. and then he takes off his waistcoat. and then he manages, somehow, to take off his undershirt without taking off his shirt. it's quite impressive. he's now in four layers, and he's feeling really quite naked. “ ah. should this be alright? ” he's still wearing gloves, but he won't be taking those off.

[reclusivescribe]

Would it be too soon to say that Aquila found Sunday incredibly cute? Because this man was downright precious.

"Yes, that'll work." Aquila nods, satisfied.

Then, quieter: "Good boy."

[orderguided]

ah? ah. for a moment there, sunday short-circuits, the wings around his face fanning out momentarily (and a single loose feather drifting to the floor). in his head, he's screaming quietly. outside of it, the only show of emotion is a singular twitch of his eye and the fact that his halo starts humming slightly louder.

“ ah. um. thank you? i, ah. um. ” what is he even meant to say. “ uh. do you have any more water? if that's alright. of course. ”

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila had sharp ears, he had to have them if he wanted to hear attackers from afar.

But he doesn't say anything about it, simply hands Sunday another canteen of water.

"Indulge yourself, we have all day."

[reclusivescribe]

the desert... he doesn't know why he's here. admittedly, he hates it with a passion - but the puzzles and the fact that it is interesting has drawn him in, despite the... weather.

sunday's stumbling at this point, throat dry and head pounding, not wanting to run the risk of using hydro and leaving him with even less energy. he sticks to the shade around one of the huge sandstone structures, but by now it's making no difference. he scribbles something incoherent in his notebook, and half-trips to his knees.

he doesn't know, of course, that just around the corner of said sandstone structure is an eremite camp, but that's for him to find out... posthaste.

— @orderguided

Aquila was preparing for his camp's journey to the nearby oasis for resources when one of his scouts came back to tell him of a man spotted nearby, suffering dehydration. He immediately sets his map down and makes his way to where the man was spotted.

When he sees Sunday's crumpled form in the sand, he approaches and offers out his waterskin.

[orderguided]

his head is ringing a little, and he blinks rapidly until his eyes focus.

they focus on a particularly hot man. ah, he must be dreaming, but he attempts to wet his lips (and fails, because his tongue really is dry) anyway. “ apologies, ” he says, hoarsely at first, and then he repeats it again after managing to gather up some water in his mouth from god knows where. the last bits from his shrivelling brain, likely. “ i- sorry, ” he says again, and then attempts to stand up.

except, he lost his cane somewhere in the sand a while back, and so he falls again quite quickly. “ um. sorry. i wouldn't want to impose, ” sunday continues, with eyes dead set on aquila's tits and then the waterskin and then his tits again. “ if you haven't got too much, that's alright. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"Take the damn waterskin." Aquila sighs as he hauls Sunday to his feet and holds his waist to keep him from falling again.

"Drink the damn water, we have more at the camp." And then he's just carrying Sunday to the camp, where he set him down inside a medical tent to be tended to.

[orderguided]

ah... may the aeons strike him down for thinking such things. sunday curses himself mentally, and then takes the waterskin with a, “ you have my thanks. ” his voice cracks. perhaps he should just die. instead, he drinks a little of the water.

and- ah! oh, he is up™. he blinks vaguely for a second, head spinning harder than it was at the start, and sort of lets himself be carried around like a ragdoll. he might be about to pass out, actually. he's not entirely sure, but his skin feels surprisingly cold and clammy.

[reclusivescribe]

"You're lucky my scouts found you before you just shriveled up and died." Aquila sighs as he wets a cloth and presses it to Sunday's forehead.

[orderguided]

“ ah... i'm sure it would have been fine, ” he says, like he doesn't have the constitution of a piece of tissue paper in water. “ but – thank you, ” sunday continues anyway, words slightly blurring together for a moment before they mostly recover.

“ apologies – do you mind if i ask your name? ” he asks a moment later, before realising he should probably offer his first. names are a weird thing when you're pretending to be fae, anyway. “ please, call me sunday. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"You may call me Aquila. It is a pleasure to meet you Sunday, despite the circumstances." Polite and hot? Demos should meet this man immediately.

"And well. Tell me that you'd be fine in the desert when you aren't actively sweating enough to fill a river."

[orderguided]

demos can wait. he needs this man carnally. sunday hums with a polite smile and a small incline of his head anyway. “ the pleasure is all mine, of course, ” he answers. “ aquila. i cannot believe the pleasure would be yours anyway; all i have done is cause an inconvenience, after all. ”

“ better i'm sweating than i'm not, ” he retorts. “ if i'm sweating at least that means i don't have heatstroke. ” from what he knows, people with heatstroke simply do not sweat. it's actually pretty impressive he hasn't got heatstroke yet, actually. on closer inspection (please inspect him closely he'd love it) he's wearing at least five layers, and those are the only visible ones.

[reclusivescribe]

"If I did not want to help you, you would've been left in the sand." Aquila looks at Sunday with some disappointment.

"You're wearing five layers in this heat? Are you trying to die?" Hm please yell at him more- What was that? Wind's really strong today.

"How comfortable are you showing skin? You won't survive the heat in this many layers."

[orderguided]

“ ...ah... good point. ” his big eyes blink for a second, before he settles slightly. only slightly, though. (he tries not to think about how dr ratio told him he should get therapy, because then he would start thinking about dr ratio's arms and then he would start thinking about aquila's arms. which are right there. oh, aeons.)

pin him against the wall and be angry at him, or something. goodness. the wind is getting stronger, apparently. “ i prefer to have more layers on, ” he says, wringing his hands slightly - as if that fact wasn't obvious. at his question, he answers, “ i, ah - not particularly, ” sunday's face twitches slightly uncomfortably for a moment, but he is really fine. “ but i can take a layer or two off if needed. ” pause. “ ...also, it's seven layers. you can't see a couple of them. ”

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila wasn't sure if he wanted to rip the clothes off this man himself or sigh and look at him placatingly.

"At least take the thicker layers off. I've got no clue how you survived this long in seven layers when I overheat in one."

How. Sir you have your tits out and you're hardly wearing anything more than a loincloth and a headband.

Gods, Aquila could probably throw Sunday around like a ragdoll.

[orderguided]

“ ah... yes, sir, ” he says instinctively, before blinking rapidly and turning slightly pink. whoops. “ uh. i mean. yes. i will. i shall do that. ” please throw him around like a ragdoll. in xipe's name, those abs.

sunday debates for a second, before unbuttoning his jacket and taking that off. and then he takes off his waistcoat. and then he manages, somehow, to take off his undershirt without taking off his shirt. it's quite impressive. he's now in four layers, and he's feeling really quite naked. “ ah. should this be alright? ” he's still wearing gloves, but he won't be taking those off.

[reclusivescribe]

Would it be too soon to say that Aquila found Sunday incredibly cute? Because this man was downright precious.

"Yes, that'll work." Aquila nods, satisfied.

Then, quieter: "Good boy."

[reclusivescribe]

the desert... he doesn't know why he's here. admittedly, he hates it with a passion - but the puzzles and the fact that it is interesting has drawn him in, despite the... weather.

sunday's stumbling at this point, throat dry and head pounding, not wanting to run the risk of using hydro and leaving him with even less energy. he sticks to the shade around one of the huge sandstone structures, but by now it's making no difference. he scribbles something incoherent in his notebook, and half-trips to his knees.

he doesn't know, of course, that just around the corner of said sandstone structure is an eremite camp, but that's for him to find out... posthaste.

— @orderguided

Aquila was preparing for his camp's journey to the nearby oasis for resources when one of his scouts came back to tell him of a man spotted nearby, suffering dehydration. He immediately sets his map down and makes his way to where the man was spotted.

When he sees Sunday's crumpled form in the sand, he approaches and offers out his waterskin.

[orderguided]

his head is ringing a little, and he blinks rapidly until his eyes focus.

they focus on a particularly hot man. ah, he must be dreaming, but he attempts to wet his lips (and fails, because his tongue really is dry) anyway. “ apologies, ” he says, hoarsely at first, and then he repeats it again after managing to gather up some water in his mouth from god knows where. the last bits from his shrivelling brain, likely. “ i- sorry, ” he says again, and then attempts to stand up.

except, he lost his cane somewhere in the sand a while back, and so he falls again quite quickly. “ um. sorry. i wouldn't want to impose, ” sunday continues, with eyes dead set on aquila's tits and then the waterskin and then his tits again. “ if you haven't got too much, that's alright. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"Take the damn waterskin." Aquila sighs as he hauls Sunday to his feet and holds his waist to keep him from falling again.

"Drink the damn water, we have more at the camp." And then he's just carrying Sunday to the camp, where he set him down inside a medical tent to be tended to.

[orderguided]

ah... may the aeons strike him down for thinking such things. sunday curses himself mentally, and then takes the waterskin with a, “ you have my thanks. ” his voice cracks. perhaps he should just die. instead, he drinks a little of the water.

and- ah! oh, he is up™. he blinks vaguely for a second, head spinning harder than it was at the start, and sort of lets himself be carried around like a ragdoll. he might be about to pass out, actually. he's not entirely sure, but his skin feels surprisingly cold and clammy.

[reclusivescribe]

"You're lucky my scouts found you before you just shriveled up and died." Aquila sighs as he wets a cloth and presses it to Sunday's forehead.

[orderguided]

“ ah... i'm sure it would have been fine, ” he says, like he doesn't have the constitution of a piece of tissue paper in water. “ but – thank you, ” sunday continues anyway, words slightly blurring together for a moment before they mostly recover.

“ apologies – do you mind if i ask your name? ” he asks a moment later, before realising he should probably offer his first. names are a weird thing when you're pretending to be fae, anyway. “ please, call me sunday. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"You may call me Aquila. It is a pleasure to meet you Sunday, despite the circumstances." Polite and hot? Demos should meet this man immediately.

"And well. Tell me that you'd be fine in the desert when you aren't actively sweating enough to fill a river."

[orderguided]

demos can wait. he needs this man carnally. sunday hums with a polite smile and a small incline of his head anyway. “ the pleasure is all mine, of course, ” he answers. “ aquila. i cannot believe the pleasure would be yours anyway; all i have done is cause an inconvenience, after all. ”

“ better i'm sweating than i'm not, ” he retorts. “ if i'm sweating at least that means i don't have heatstroke. ” from what he knows, people with heatstroke simply do not sweat. it's actually pretty impressive he hasn't got heatstroke yet, actually. on closer inspection (please inspect him closely he'd love it) he's wearing at least five layers, and those are the only visible ones.

[reclusivescribe]

"If I did not want to help you, you would've been left in the sand." Aquila looks at Sunday with some disappointment.

"You're wearing five layers in this heat? Are you trying to die?" Hm please yell at him more- What was that? Wind's really strong today.

"How comfortable are you showing skin? You won't survive the heat in this many layers."

[orderguided]

“ ...ah... good point. ” his big eyes blink for a second, before he settles slightly. only slightly, though. (he tries not to think about how dr ratio told him he should get therapy, because then he would start thinking about dr ratio's arms and then he would start thinking about aquila's arms. which are right there. oh, aeons.)

pin him against the wall and be angry at him, or something. goodness. the wind is getting stronger, apparently. “ i prefer to have more layers on, ” he says, wringing his hands slightly - as if that fact wasn't obvious. at his question, he answers, “ i, ah - not particularly, ” sunday's face twitches slightly uncomfortably for a moment, but he is really fine. “ but i can take a layer or two off if needed. ” pause. “ ...also, it's seven layers. you can't see a couple of them. ”

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila wasn't sure if he wanted to rip the clothes off this man himself or sigh and look at him placatingly.

"At least take the thicker layers off. I've got no clue how you survived this long in seven layers when I overheat in one."

How. Sir you have your tits out and you're hardly wearing anything more than a loincloth and a headband.

Gods, Aquila could probably throw Sunday around like a ragdoll.

[reclusivescribe]

the desert... he doesn't know why he's here. admittedly, he hates it with a passion - but the puzzles and the fact that it is interesting has drawn him in, despite the... weather.

sunday's stumbling at this point, throat dry and head pounding, not wanting to run the risk of using hydro and leaving him with even less energy. he sticks to the shade around one of the huge sandstone structures, but by now it's making no difference. he scribbles something incoherent in his notebook, and half-trips to his knees.

he doesn't know, of course, that just around the corner of said sandstone structure is an eremite camp, but that's for him to find out... posthaste.

— @orderguided

Aquila was preparing for his camp's journey to the nearby oasis for resources when one of his scouts came back to tell him of a man spotted nearby, suffering dehydration. He immediately sets his map down and makes his way to where the man was spotted.

When he sees Sunday's crumpled form in the sand, he approaches and offers out his waterskin.

[orderguided]

his head is ringing a little, and he blinks rapidly until his eyes focus.

they focus on a particularly hot man. ah, he must be dreaming, but he attempts to wet his lips (and fails, because his tongue really is dry) anyway. “ apologies, ” he says, hoarsely at first, and then he repeats it again after managing to gather up some water in his mouth from god knows where. the last bits from his shrivelling brain, likely. “ i- sorry, ” he says again, and then attempts to stand up.

except, he lost his cane somewhere in the sand a while back, and so he falls again quite quickly. “ um. sorry. i wouldn't want to impose, ” sunday continues, with eyes dead set on aquila's tits and then the waterskin and then his tits again. “ if you haven't got too much, that's alright. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"Take the damn waterskin." Aquila sighs as he hauls Sunday to his feet and holds his waist to keep him from falling again.

"Drink the damn water, we have more at the camp." And then he's just carrying Sunday to the camp, where he set him down inside a medical tent to be tended to.

[orderguided]

ah... may the aeons strike him down for thinking such things. sunday curses himself mentally, and then takes the waterskin with a, “ you have my thanks. ” his voice cracks. perhaps he should just die. instead, he drinks a little of the water.

and- ah! oh, he is up™. he blinks vaguely for a second, head spinning harder than it was at the start, and sort of lets himself be carried around like a ragdoll. he might be about to pass out, actually. he's not entirely sure, but his skin feels surprisingly cold and clammy.

[reclusivescribe]

"You're lucky my scouts found you before you just shriveled up and died." Aquila sighs as he wets a cloth and presses it to Sunday's forehead.

[orderguided]

“ ah... i'm sure it would have been fine, ” he says, like he doesn't have the constitution of a piece of tissue paper in water. “ but – thank you, ” sunday continues anyway, words slightly blurring together for a moment before they mostly recover.

“ apologies – do you mind if i ask your name? ” he asks a moment later, before realising he should probably offer his first. names are a weird thing when you're pretending to be fae, anyway. “ please, call me sunday. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"You may call me Aquila. It is a pleasure to meet you Sunday, despite the circumstances." Polite and hot? Demos should meet this man immediately.

"And well. Tell me that you'd be fine in the desert when you aren't actively sweating enough to fill a river."

[orderguided]

demos can wait. he needs this man carnally. sunday hums with a polite smile and a small incline of his head anyway. “ the pleasure is all mine, of course, ” he answers. “ aquila. i cannot believe the pleasure would be yours anyway; all i have done is cause an inconvenience, after all. ”

“ better i'm sweating than i'm not, ” he retorts. “ if i'm sweating at least that means i don't have heatstroke. ” from what he knows, people with heatstroke simply do not sweat. it's actually pretty impressive he hasn't got heatstroke yet, actually. on closer inspection (please inspect him closely he'd love it) he's wearing at least five layers, and those are the only visible ones.

[reclusivescribe]

"If I did not want to help you, you would've been left in the sand." Aquila looks at Sunday with some disappointment.

"You're wearing five layers in this heat? Are you trying to die?" Hm please yell at him more- What was that? Wind's really strong today.

"How comfortable are you showing skin? You won't survive the heat in this many layers."

[reclusivescribe]

the desert... he doesn't know why he's here. admittedly, he hates it with a passion - but the puzzles and the fact that it is interesting has drawn him in, despite the... weather.

sunday's stumbling at this point, throat dry and head pounding, not wanting to run the risk of using hydro and leaving him with even less energy. he sticks to the shade around one of the huge sandstone structures, but by now it's making no difference. he scribbles something incoherent in his notebook, and half-trips to his knees.

he doesn't know, of course, that just around the corner of said sandstone structure is an eremite camp, but that's for him to find out... posthaste.

— @orderguided

Aquila was preparing for his camp's journey to the nearby oasis for resources when one of his scouts came back to tell him of a man spotted nearby, suffering dehydration. He immediately sets his map down and makes his way to where the man was spotted.

When he sees Sunday's crumpled form in the sand, he approaches and offers out his waterskin.

[orderguided]

his head is ringing a little, and he blinks rapidly until his eyes focus.

they focus on a particularly hot man. ah, he must be dreaming, but he attempts to wet his lips (and fails, because his tongue really is dry) anyway. “ apologies, ” he says, hoarsely at first, and then he repeats it again after managing to gather up some water in his mouth from god knows where. the last bits from his shrivelling brain, likely. “ i- sorry, ” he says again, and then attempts to stand up.

except, he lost his cane somewhere in the sand a while back, and so he falls again quite quickly. “ um. sorry. i wouldn't want to impose, ” sunday continues, with eyes dead set on aquila's tits and then the waterskin and then his tits again. “ if you haven't got too much, that's alright. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"Take the damn waterskin." Aquila sighs as he hauls Sunday to his feet and holds his waist to keep him from falling again.

"Drink the damn water, we have more at the camp." And then he's just carrying Sunday to the camp, where he set him down inside a medical tent to be tended to.

[orderguided]

ah... may the aeons strike him down for thinking such things. sunday curses himself mentally, and then takes the waterskin with a, “ you have my thanks. ” his voice cracks. perhaps he should just die. instead, he drinks a little of the water.

and- ah! oh, he is up™. he blinks vaguely for a second, head spinning harder than it was at the start, and sort of lets himself be carried around like a ragdoll. he might be about to pass out, actually. he's not entirely sure, but his skin feels surprisingly cold and clammy.

[reclusivescribe]

"You're lucky my scouts found you before you just shriveled up and died." Aquila sighs as he wets a cloth and presses it to Sunday's forehead.

[orderguided]

“ ah... i'm sure it would have been fine, ” he says, like he doesn't have the constitution of a piece of tissue paper in water. “ but – thank you, ” sunday continues anyway, words slightly blurring together for a moment before they mostly recover.

“ apologies – do you mind if i ask your name? ” he asks a moment later, before realising he should probably offer his first. names are a weird thing when you're pretending to be fae, anyway. “ please, call me sunday. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"You may call me Aquila. It is a pleasure to meet you Sunday, despite the circumstances." Polite and hot? Demos should meet this man immediately.

"And well. Tell me that you'd be fine in the desert when you aren't actively sweating enough to fill a river."

[reclusivescribe]

the desert... he doesn't know why he's here. admittedly, he hates it with a passion - but the puzzles and the fact that it is interesting has drawn him in, despite the... weather.

sunday's stumbling at this point, throat dry and head pounding, not wanting to run the risk of using hydro and leaving him with even less energy. he sticks to the shade around one of the huge sandstone structures, but by now it's making no difference. he scribbles something incoherent in his notebook, and half-trips to his knees.

he doesn't know, of course, that just around the corner of said sandstone structure is an eremite camp, but that's for him to find out... posthaste.

— @orderguided

Aquila was preparing for his camp's journey to the nearby oasis for resources when one of his scouts came back to tell him of a man spotted nearby, suffering dehydration. He immediately sets his map down and makes his way to where the man was spotted.

When he sees Sunday's crumpled form in the sand, he approaches and offers out his waterskin.

[orderguided]

his head is ringing a little, and he blinks rapidly until his eyes focus.

they focus on a particularly hot man. ah, he must be dreaming, but he attempts to wet his lips (and fails, because his tongue really is dry) anyway. “ apologies, ” he says, hoarsely at first, and then he repeats it again after managing to gather up some water in his mouth from god knows where. the last bits from his shrivelling brain, likely. “ i- sorry, ” he says again, and then attempts to stand up.

except, he lost his cane somewhere in the sand a while back, and so he falls again quite quickly. “ um. sorry. i wouldn't want to impose, ” sunday continues, with eyes dead set on aquila's tits and then the waterskin and then his tits again. “ if you haven't got too much, that's alright. ”

[reclusivescribe]

"Take the damn waterskin." Aquila sighs as he hauls Sunday to his feet and holds his waist to keep him from falling again.

"Drink the damn water, we have more at the camp." And then he's just carrying Sunday to the camp, where he set him down inside a medical tent to be tended to.

[orderguided]

ah... may the aeons strike him down for thinking such things. sunday curses himself mentally, and then takes the waterskin with a, “ you have my thanks. ” his voice cracks. perhaps he should just die. instead, he drinks a little of the water.

and- ah! oh, he is up™. he blinks vaguely for a second, head spinning harder than it was at the start, and sort of lets himself be carried around like a ragdoll. he might be about to pass out, actually. he's not entirely sure, but his skin feels surprisingly cold and clammy.

[reclusivescribe]

"You're lucky my scouts found you before you just shriveled up and died." Aquila sighs as he wets a cloth and presses it to Sunday's forehead.

[reclusivescribe]

While the desert sands can hold many mysteries and lead to anything happening or being discovered, the last thing one can expect is to see a snow white owl flailing about in the waters of an oasis. But that is exactly what eremite Alhaitham has stumbled upon on this lovely day

@crossroadsglade

Aquila had a very distinct feeling that there was definitely not supposed to be owls in desert, so he slowly approached the bird and knelt down to the owl's level.

"You are definitely not supposed to be here."

[crossroadsglade]

“Are ya going to get up or are you just going to stay on the floor?” He asks, looking at Aquilia through the corner of his eye

[reclusivescribe]

"I'm getting up, just let me move this scorpion." He plucks it out of the sand by the tail and flings it outside, then stands up and dusts the sand off him.

[crossroadsglade]

He nods, crossing his arms as he watches Aquilia get up. He stays silent, leaning to the side slightly to stare at the other’s ass

[reclusivescribe]

Look. Aquila has a nice ass. And nice legs. And back. And he was basically showing off his tits constantly. He was just nice to stare at in general.

[crossroadsglade]

He doesn’t say a word, just admiring the view. Listen, sometimes you just gotta appreciate the beauty in life. Though I am sure Aquilia has something to say at the blatant staring

[reclusivescribe]

"Can you maybe not stare at me like you're going to eat me alive?"

[crossroadsglade]

“Don’t look good enough to eat then”

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila turns bright red at that and immediately turns his back to Gallagher.

[crossroadsglade]

He chuckles a bit, going over to Aquilia “Getting shy now?”

[reclusivescribe]

"Shush. I'm not shy, and I don't lie with men I've never met."

[crossroadsglade]

“We have technically have met, even if I was quite feathery.” He grins

[reclusivescribe]

"Well I hardly know anything about you, so I wouldn't count that. Usually when you meet people you have a few conversations before hooking up."

[crossroadsglade]

“Mm, I could probably make a simple dinner and we can chat over it”

[reclusivescribe]

"Fine." He gave in easily, he wasn't one to say no to food.

[crossroadsglade]

He grins and leaves the tent to go make a simple meal. He knows where everything is at this point from his time watching as an owl

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila takes the privacy given to fully wake himself up and also put on his clothes because he was literally naked from the chest up and he would rather have something on than nothing.

[reclusivescribe]

While the desert sands can hold many mysteries and lead to anything happening or being discovered, the last thing one can expect is to see a snow white owl flailing about in the waters of an oasis. But that is exactly what eremite Alhaitham has stumbled upon on this lovely day

@crossroadsglade

Aquila had a very distinct feeling that there was definitely not supposed to be owls in desert, so he slowly approached the bird and knelt down to the owl's level.

"You are definitely not supposed to be here."

[crossroadsglade]

“Are ya going to get up or are you just going to stay on the floor?” He asks, looking at Aquilia through the corner of his eye

[reclusivescribe]

"I'm getting up, just let me move this scorpion." He plucks it out of the sand by the tail and flings it outside, then stands up and dusts the sand off him.

[crossroadsglade]

He nods, crossing his arms as he watches Aquilia get up. He stays silent, leaning to the side slightly to stare at the other’s ass

[reclusivescribe]

Look. Aquila has a nice ass. And nice legs. And back. And he was basically showing off his tits constantly. He was just nice to stare at in general.

[crossroadsglade]

He doesn’t say a word, just admiring the view. Listen, sometimes you just gotta appreciate the beauty in life. Though I am sure Aquilia has something to say at the blatant staring

[reclusivescribe]

"Can you maybe not stare at me like you're going to eat me alive?"

[crossroadsglade]

“Don’t look good enough to eat then”

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila turns bright red at that and immediately turns his back to Gallagher.

[crossroadsglade]

He chuckles a bit, going over to Aquilia “Getting shy now?”

[reclusivescribe]

"Shush. I'm not shy, and I don't lie with men I've never met."

[crossroadsglade]

“We have technically have met, even if I was quite feathery.” He grins

[reclusivescribe]

"Well I hardly know anything about you, so I wouldn't count that. Usually when you meet people you have a few conversations before hooking up."

[crossroadsglade]

“Mm, I could probably make a simple dinner and we can chat over it”

[reclusivescribe]

"Fine." He gave in easily, he wasn't one to say no to food.

[reclusivescribe]

While the desert sands can hold many mysteries and lead to anything happening or being discovered, the last thing one can expect is to see a snow white owl flailing about in the waters of an oasis. But that is exactly what eremite Alhaitham has stumbled upon on this lovely day

@crossroadsglade

Aquila had a very distinct feeling that there was definitely not supposed to be owls in desert, so he slowly approached the bird and knelt down to the owl's level.

"You are definitely not supposed to be here."

[crossroadsglade]

“Are ya going to get up or are you just going to stay on the floor?” He asks, looking at Aquilia through the corner of his eye

[reclusivescribe]

"I'm getting up, just let me move this scorpion." He plucks it out of the sand by the tail and flings it outside, then stands up and dusts the sand off him.

[crossroadsglade]

He nods, crossing his arms as he watches Aquilia get up. He stays silent, leaning to the side slightly to stare at the other’s ass

[reclusivescribe]

Look. Aquila has a nice ass. And nice legs. And back. And he was basically showing off his tits constantly. He was just nice to stare at in general.

[crossroadsglade]

He doesn’t say a word, just admiring the view. Listen, sometimes you just gotta appreciate the beauty in life. Though I am sure Aquilia has something to say at the blatant staring

[reclusivescribe]

"Can you maybe not stare at me like you're going to eat me alive?"

[crossroadsglade]

“Don’t look good enough to eat then”

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila turns bright red at that and immediately turns his back to Gallagher.

[crossroadsglade]

He chuckles a bit, going over to Aquilia “Getting shy now?”

[reclusivescribe]

"Shush. I'm not shy, and I don't lie with men I've never met."

[crossroadsglade]

“We have technically have met, even if I was quite feathery.” He grins

[reclusivescribe]

"Well I hardly know anything about you, so I wouldn't count that. Usually when you meet people you have a few conversations before hooking up."

[reclusivescribe]

While the desert sands can hold many mysteries and lead to anything happening or being discovered, the last thing one can expect is to see a snow white owl flailing about in the waters of an oasis. But that is exactly what eremite Alhaitham has stumbled upon on this lovely day

@crossroadsglade

Aquila had a very distinct feeling that there was definitely not supposed to be owls in desert, so he slowly approached the bird and knelt down to the owl's level.

"You are definitely not supposed to be here."

[crossroadsglade]

“Are ya going to get up or are you just going to stay on the floor?” He asks, looking at Aquilia through the corner of his eye

[reclusivescribe]

"I'm getting up, just let me move this scorpion." He plucks it out of the sand by the tail and flings it outside, then stands up and dusts the sand off him.

[crossroadsglade]

He nods, crossing his arms as he watches Aquilia get up. He stays silent, leaning to the side slightly to stare at the other’s ass

[reclusivescribe]

Look. Aquila has a nice ass. And nice legs. And back. And he was basically showing off his tits constantly. He was just nice to stare at in general.

[crossroadsglade]

He doesn’t say a word, just admiring the view. Listen, sometimes you just gotta appreciate the beauty in life. Though I am sure Aquilia has something to say at the blatant staring

[reclusivescribe]

"Can you maybe not stare at me like you're going to eat me alive?"

[crossroadsglade]

“Don’t look good enough to eat then”

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila turns bright red at that and immediately turns his back to Gallagher.

[crossroadsglade]

He chuckles a bit, going over to Aquilia “Getting shy now?”

[reclusivescribe]

"Shush. I'm not shy, and I don't lie with men I've never met."

[reclusivescribe]

While the desert sands can hold many mysteries and lead to anything happening or being discovered, the last thing one can expect is to see a snow white owl flailing about in the waters of an oasis. But that is exactly what eremite Alhaitham has stumbled upon on this lovely day

@crossroadsglade

Aquila had a very distinct feeling that there was definitely not supposed to be owls in desert, so he slowly approached the bird and knelt down to the owl's level.

"You are definitely not supposed to be here."

[crossroadsglade]

“Are ya going to get up or are you just going to stay on the floor?” He asks, looking at Aquilia through the corner of his eye

[reclusivescribe]

"I'm getting up, just let me move this scorpion." He plucks it out of the sand by the tail and flings it outside, then stands up and dusts the sand off him.

[crossroadsglade]

He nods, crossing his arms as he watches Aquilia get up. He stays silent, leaning to the side slightly to stare at the other’s ass

[reclusivescribe]

Look. Aquila has a nice ass. And nice legs. And back. And he was basically showing off his tits constantly. He was just nice to stare at in general.

[crossroadsglade]

He doesn’t say a word, just admiring the view. Listen, sometimes you just gotta appreciate the beauty in life. Though I am sure Aquilia has something to say at the blatant staring

[reclusivescribe]

"Can you maybe not stare at me like you're going to eat me alive?"

[crossroadsglade]

“Don’t look good enough to eat then”

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila turns bright red at that and immediately turns his back to Gallagher.

[reclusivescribe]

While the desert sands can hold many mysteries and lead to anything happening or being discovered, the last thing one can expect is to see a snow white owl flailing about in the waters of an oasis. But that is exactly what eremite Alhaitham has stumbled upon on this lovely day

@crossroadsglade

Aquila had a very distinct feeling that there was definitely not supposed to be owls in desert, so he slowly approached the bird and knelt down to the owl's level.

"You are definitely not supposed to be here."

[crossroadsglade]

“Are ya going to get up or are you just going to stay on the floor?” He asks, looking at Aquilia through the corner of his eye

[reclusivescribe]

"I'm getting up, just let me move this scorpion." He plucks it out of the sand by the tail and flings it outside, then stands up and dusts the sand off him.

[crossroadsglade]

He nods, crossing his arms as he watches Aquilia get up. He stays silent, leaning to the side slightly to stare at the other’s ass

[reclusivescribe]

Look. Aquila has a nice ass. And nice legs. And back. And he was basically showing off his tits constantly. He was just nice to stare at in general.

[crossroadsglade]

He doesn’t say a word, just admiring the view. Listen, sometimes you just gotta appreciate the beauty in life. Though I am sure Aquilia has something to say at the blatant staring

[reclusivescribe]

"Can you maybe not stare at me like you're going to eat me alive?"

[reclusivescribe]

While the desert sands can hold many mysteries and lead to anything happening or being discovered, the last thing one can expect is to see a snow white owl flailing about in the waters of an oasis. But that is exactly what eremite Alhaitham has stumbled upon on this lovely day

@crossroadsglade

Aquila had a very distinct feeling that there was definitely not supposed to be owls in desert, so he slowly approached the bird and knelt down to the owl's level.

"You are definitely not supposed to be here."

[crossroadsglade]

“Are ya going to get up or are you just going to stay on the floor?” He asks, looking at Aquilia through the corner of his eye

[reclusivescribe]

"I'm getting up, just let me move this scorpion." He plucks it out of the sand by the tail and flings it outside, then stands up and dusts the sand off him.

[crossroadsglade]

He nods, crossing his arms as he watches Aquilia get up. He stays silent, leaning to the side slightly to stare at the other’s ass

[reclusivescribe]

Look. Aquila has a nice ass. And nice legs. And back. And he was basically showing off his tits constantly. He was just nice to stare at in general.

[reclusivescribe]

While the desert sands can hold many mysteries and lead to anything happening or being discovered, the last thing one can expect is to see a snow white owl flailing about in the waters of an oasis. But that is exactly what eremite Alhaitham has stumbled upon on this lovely day

@crossroadsglade

Aquila had a very distinct feeling that there was definitely not supposed to be owls in desert, so he slowly approached the bird and knelt down to the owl's level.

"You are definitely not supposed to be here."

[crossroadsglade]

“Are ya going to get up or are you just going to stay on the floor?” He asks, looking at Aquilia through the corner of his eye

[reclusivescribe]

"I'm getting up, just let me move this scorpion." He plucks it out of the sand by the tail and flings it outside, then stands up and dusts the sand off him.

[reclusivescribe]

While the desert sands can hold many mysteries and lead to anything happening or being discovered, the last thing one can expect is to see a snow white owl flailing about in the waters of an oasis. But that is exactly what eremite Alhaitham has stumbled upon on this lovely day

@crossroadsglade

Aquila had a very distinct feeling that there was definitely not supposed to be owls in desert, so he slowly approached the bird and knelt down to the owl's level.

"You are definitely not supposed to be here."

[crossroadsglade]

The bird flails around some more before it just, climbs Aquilia to get out of the water, though it is surprisingly careful with its talons. Once out of the water, the owl’s whole body shakes, not to dissimilar to a dog shaking off water

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila leans away from the water and gently scritches behind the bird's head.

"You're quite lost, aren't you? How'd you get all the way out here?"

[crossroadsglade]

The bird leans into the scritches, cooing softly. Honestly, it looks like a wet muppet with how waterlogged its wings are. Red eyes stare at Aquilia, not offering any answers to how it got there.

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila feels a bit of pity for the poor thing and is already walking back towards his camp, and once he does arrive he towels the owl off until its feathers are dry again.

[crossroadsglade]

It’s surprising how much fluffier and larger the owl looks once dried. Aquilia also learns that quite a bit of the owl’s flight feathers are just, gone. The owl coos softly once dried, climbing up to Aquilia’s shoulder to nuzzle his face. It’s been far to friendly to truly be wild. Had someone been cruel enough to release their pet to the desert to fend for itself?

[reclusivescribe]

"I really hope you aren't someone's pet. And no wonder you were just flailing, most of your flight feathers are gone." Aquila scritches under the bird's chin this time and blows it a kiss. He's always been fond of birds.

[crossroadsglade]

It gets comfortable on Aquilia’s shoulder, nuzzling him. It honestly seems more likely it was someone’s pet sadly with how friendly it is. It coos softly at the blown kiss, immediately starting to preen his hair

[reclusivescribe]

Well. It looks like he has a pet bird now.

"Time to bring you back to camp, the scouts will love you." And he was very much correct, as soon as he returned to camp, the younger scouts immediately ran up to him to fawn over the owl.

[crossroadsglade]

The owl just coos, preening Aquilia’s hair some more. When the scouts ran over, the snowy owl puffed up a little before relaxing. It cooed a bit, leaning down to let some of the scouts pet it

[reclusivescribe]

"You're quite sweet, aren't you? I still wonder how you got all the way out here though." Aquila murmurs to himself as he kneels for the scouts to have a better reach to pet the owl.

"Don't pet its wings, at the very least." He warns when one of the younger scouts reach for the snowy owl's wings, firmly but gently redirecting her hand to pet the top of the owl's head.

[crossroadsglade]

The bird just coos, sometimes nipping at fingers when someone was a little too rough. Otherwise, it was a perfect sweet heart as the scouts satisfied their curiosity. The only shocking thing to happen is when the owl jumped from Aquilia’s shoulder, shakily gliding at a desert mouse and catching it

[reclusivescribe]

"Oh dear. Hey, maybe don't do that again?" Aquila picks the owl back up with no small amount of worry and dusts off its feathers.

"That was terrifying."

[crossroadsglade]

The owl doesn’t reply, biting into the body of the mouse it had caught. It wiggles, hiding its prey in its wings as it starts to eat

[reclusivescribe]

"Well, at least you can feed yourself."

[crossroadsglade]

For the next few days, a routine of sorts forms with the bird occasionally trying to hunt, which results mostly in ungrateful crashes, and it just hanging on Aquilia as he does whatever he does. Though, one the fourth night, something changes. Aquilia awakes to someone moving around in his tent

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila immediately woke up. He was a light sleeper as is, and hardly anyone had a reason to come into his tent unless it was an emergency. So, still bleary with sleep, he grabs his sword and gets up to drag the intruder onto the sandy floor and pin them there.

"Who the fuck are you?"

[crossroadsglade]

Gallagher yelps a bit as he is dragged down, groaning a bit as his back hits the ground. There were some snowy white feathers in his brown hair. “Well hello to you too.” He groans

[reclusivescribe]

"Why the hell are you in my tent? Where did you come from? Who are you?" Aquila was wide awake now, incredibly confused, and definitely ready to throw someone into a lake if it came down to it.

[crossroadsglade]

“Not answering the first question. Second question, Snezhnaya. Third question, Gallagher.” He says, perfectly calm for someone who is being pinned. He turns back into his owl form for a moment, wiggling out from underneath Alhaitham

[reclusivescribe]

Alhaitham just stares at the spot where the man was, staring dumbly at the owl who had just escaped him.

"What. The fuck."

[crossroadsglade]

The owl ignores him, straightening his feathers. The owl then turns back into Gallagher, stretching a bit

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila is various levels of confused. And a bit flustered. Because oh wow.

[crossroadsglade]

Gallagher runs a hand through his hair, letting out a huff. Despite the layers of clothing he wore, Aquilia can immediately definitely see the buttons of the brunette’s shirt lightly straining to conceal his tits

[reclusivescribe]

Because Aquila was raised better than that, he looks away and stares very firmly at the ground. Oh look, there's a scorpion. His now.

[reclusivescribe]

While the desert sands can hold many mysteries and lead to anything happening or being discovered, the last thing one can expect is to see a snow white owl flailing about in the waters of an oasis. But that is exactly what eremite Alhaitham has stumbled upon on this lovely day

@crossroadsglade

Aquila had a very distinct feeling that there was definitely not supposed to be owls in desert, so he slowly approached the bird and knelt down to the owl's level.

"You are definitely not supposed to be here."

[crossroadsglade]

The bird flails around some more before it just, climbs Aquilia to get out of the water, though it is surprisingly careful with its talons. Once out of the water, the owl’s whole body shakes, not to dissimilar to a dog shaking off water

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila leans away from the water and gently scritches behind the bird's head.

"You're quite lost, aren't you? How'd you get all the way out here?"

[crossroadsglade]

The bird leans into the scritches, cooing softly. Honestly, it looks like a wet muppet with how waterlogged its wings are. Red eyes stare at Aquilia, not offering any answers to how it got there.

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila feels a bit of pity for the poor thing and is already walking back towards his camp, and once he does arrive he towels the owl off until its feathers are dry again.

[crossroadsglade]

It’s surprising how much fluffier and larger the owl looks once dried. Aquilia also learns that quite a bit of the owl’s flight feathers are just, gone. The owl coos softly once dried, climbing up to Aquilia’s shoulder to nuzzle his face. It’s been far to friendly to truly be wild. Had someone been cruel enough to release their pet to the desert to fend for itself?

[reclusivescribe]

"I really hope you aren't someone's pet. And no wonder you were just flailing, most of your flight feathers are gone." Aquila scritches under the bird's chin this time and blows it a kiss. He's always been fond of birds.

[crossroadsglade]

It gets comfortable on Aquilia’s shoulder, nuzzling him. It honestly seems more likely it was someone’s pet sadly with how friendly it is. It coos softly at the blown kiss, immediately starting to preen his hair

[reclusivescribe]

Well. It looks like he has a pet bird now.

"Time to bring you back to camp, the scouts will love you." And he was very much correct, as soon as he returned to camp, the younger scouts immediately ran up to him to fawn over the owl.

[crossroadsglade]

The owl just coos, preening Aquilia’s hair some more. When the scouts ran over, the snowy owl puffed up a little before relaxing. It cooed a bit, leaning down to let some of the scouts pet it

[reclusivescribe]

"You're quite sweet, aren't you? I still wonder how you got all the way out here though." Aquila murmurs to himself as he kneels for the scouts to have a better reach to pet the owl.

"Don't pet its wings, at the very least." He warns when one of the younger scouts reach for the snowy owl's wings, firmly but gently redirecting her hand to pet the top of the owl's head.

[crossroadsglade]

The bird just coos, sometimes nipping at fingers when someone was a little too rough. Otherwise, it was a perfect sweet heart as the scouts satisfied their curiosity. The only shocking thing to happen is when the owl jumped from Aquilia’s shoulder, shakily gliding at a desert mouse and catching it

[reclusivescribe]

"Oh dear. Hey, maybe don't do that again?" Aquila picks the owl back up with no small amount of worry and dusts off its feathers.

"That was terrifying."

[crossroadsglade]

The owl doesn’t reply, biting into the body of the mouse it had caught. It wiggles, hiding its prey in its wings as it starts to eat

[reclusivescribe]

"Well, at least you can feed yourself."

[crossroadsglade]

For the next few days, a routine of sorts forms with the bird occasionally trying to hunt, which results mostly in ungrateful crashes, and it just hanging on Aquilia as he does whatever he does. Though, one the fourth night, something changes. Aquilia awakes to someone moving around in his tent

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila immediately woke up. He was a light sleeper as is, and hardly anyone had a reason to come into his tent unless it was an emergency. So, still bleary with sleep, he grabs his sword and gets up to drag the intruder onto the sandy floor and pin them there.

"Who the fuck are you?"

[crossroadsglade]

Gallagher yelps a bit as he is dragged down, groaning a bit as his back hits the ground. There were some snowy white feathers in his brown hair. “Well hello to you too.” He groans

[reclusivescribe]

"Why the hell are you in my tent? Where did you come from? Who are you?" Aquila was wide awake now, incredibly confused, and definitely ready to throw someone into a lake if it came down to it.

[crossroadsglade]

“Not answering the first question. Second question, Snezhnaya. Third question, Gallagher.” He says, perfectly calm for someone who is being pinned. He turns back into his owl form for a moment, wiggling out from underneath Alhaitham

[reclusivescribe]

Alhaitham just stares at the spot where the man was, staring dumbly at the owl who had just escaped him.

"What. The fuck."

[crossroadsglade]

The owl ignores him, straightening his feathers. The owl then turns back into Gallagher, stretching a bit

[reclusivescribe]

Aquila is various levels of confused. And a bit flustered. Because oh wow.