Hey, Chase. That’s longer than your usual one or two word titles. Shh. SHHHHH.
In which Koteus finds himself surrounded by his loved ones and has a real normal one about it.
Inspired by I lost my gloves yesterday.
[doc]
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Even Divian had to admit, seeing the sorry state that the once proud pair found themselves in over the last handful of sweeps was… Alarming. Almost enough to shake his own resolve, as rooted as it was. To call it a bittersweet reunion would be an understatement. He wouldn’t wish the crushing weight of the guilt on their shoulders on his own worst enemy, couldn’t imagine how heavy it all was.
Somehow, though, in the name of the holidays they managed to pull themselves together for the festivities. Anyone not looking too closely might even mistake Koteus and Kleihe for their old selves as the former sat on the floor distracting the children from trying to run in and out of the kitchen, the latter having an animated discussion in a language that tasted like home with people until very recently he’d been convinced were dead or otherwise out of his reach. Divian was not anyone, though. He could see that they were tired.
Fingers of hands left idle for too long tapping along the floor rhythmically, a perfectly timed laugh to mask a yawn. A moment of eye contact between the pair that communicated nearly imperceptibly something that only the other would catch.
They couldn’t just relax, no matter how many members of their family, new or old, were involved. It would take some force to get them to drop their guard.
To allow themselves to feel something. Anything.
Divian knew from experience; Koteus would be the easier target of the two.
Not in front of everyone though, that would be a disaster. Too many variables to keep account of from the more sensitive occupants of the hive to the children. It wasn’t until the end of the night that he found his opening. Closer to the start of the day really, everyone was either headed to their rooms or already there when the sun started to drag its overwhelming presence up above the horizon. All except one. He’d counted on it.
Once he was done tucking Cailen in, he followed the delicate sound of metal beads knocking off of wood and marble back down to the kitchen on the pads of his feet so as not to betray his ploy. It would be nice to catch him with his guard somewhat down. As underhanded as that may have seemed. Drastic times call for drastic measures and all that.
From the doorway, Divian watched as the violet blood moved on from the island, and cleanest countertop he’d ever seen, to the stove from which he wiped away the suds of whatever cleaning product he’d assaulted it with to reveal a surface that held his near perfect reflection. More wiping, more cleaning. Divian's heart ached to see him like that, compulsive habits that were almost completely buried during their time on Toltegan seemed to return with a vengeance. And he’d fostered those rituals over the last however many sweeps uncontested.
“I think it’s clean, Koteus.” He said gently, watching him move to reorganize a cabinet of dishes.
“Almost done.” Came the response, immediately guarded as Divian expected.
“Are you?”
“Nearly.”
“Let me give you a hand then. Get you into bed with Lorinn, I’m sure he’s missing you.”
“No.”
Divian sighed and stepped fully into the kitchen. Of course, the obsession was less about the kitchen being clean and more about exercising control over the space. Often was this the case with higher castes, he’d never been surprised to find a seadweller dying to be the master of a space. It didn’t much fit Koteus and his typical demeanor though.
“Come now, didn’t you receive that arm for the project you were commissioned for? Some rest will do you good.”
“I said no, Finnis.” This time as he responded, he stood a little straighter, broadened his shoulders even, in a subconscious bid to remind him whose title was colonel, a rank he himself never felt properly described him, and who was only the crew therapist. A reminder of the difference in caste between them, some form of primal defense mechanism.
“I think that you need to take a break.”
Silence.
“Come on, it has been a long night. You can get back to it in the evening.”
More silence.
Something in the cabinet cracked. Divian advanced slowly, studying the body language of the behemoth as he did. He knew Koteus didn’t have the heart to hurt anyone, that it was only peacocking. On the same hand, accidents can happen.
“It has to be good enough, Koteus. Come on.”
“You’re fucking intolerable, did you know?” His voice wavered, he stood stockstill.
“Mhm. I’ve heard that. I think from your mouth.” Divian paused. “What was it again? Korste misplaced some tools, sent you on a tizzy of reorganizing ‘the whole damn ship, if I have to.’ Very early on into our meeting. Really told us a lot about the young man whose job it was to lead us into the great unknown. The violet blood and his crew of mid and low bloods.”
“Shut up.”
“Consensus was that he wasn’t so bad. Just a guy forced to do a job he didn’t want. Didn’t want to boss us around, but it was out of his control. What could he control? The shelf the socket wrench sat on, how far away the different diagnostic tools lived from each other.”
“Fuck’s sake. I was there, Divian. You’re not saying anything new or that I don’t know!”
“Well, it isn’t really my job to tell you things that you don’t know.”
Crunch. The sound of whatever dish he gripped crumbling in his hand. Koteus growled at the new mess in the cabinet. At the lack of control he had over himself.
Emotions were the worst for him in this state.
Standing right behind him, Divian watched his shoulders shake from the tension. “Come now, let me help you.”
“Fuck you.”
”Mhm, I know.”
Koteus whipped around to stare down at him, his locs jostling restlessly from the movement, the beads that clung onto them bouncing off any and all nearby surfaces.
Divian only smiled sadly.
“Really. Fuck you! You think that just because you come back that you’re going to automatically set the world to rights? Are you insane? People died, Finnis. Do you understand? People I was responsible for, that didn’t listen to me or Kleihe.” A riot fully out of his control.
He balled his hands into fists at his sides, but made no other moves toward the therapist he loomed over, everything from that night to today washed over his features in a kaleidoscope of emotion. Pain, frustration, sadness, anger. They all flashed in the twitch of his eye, in the furrow of his brows. He was visibly shaking by the time the dam broke and tears escaped containment.
”I know.”
“You know. Then we got back here, stripped of home and family. Death would have been too good for us, we needed to suffer for our incompetencies. Isn’t that fucked up?” A bitter laugh. “Even then, somehow, we found normalcy. We found Dawn. Have they told you about her? It has been the talk of the hive these last few weeks.”
Koteus gestured broadly, Divian nodded.
“She was amazing. Spectacular. A free spirit that couldn’t be put down no matter how volatile Alternia was. Dawn… She faced the horrors head on, life could be an adventure. She saved us from ourselves. Do you know what it’s like to have one of the most important people in your life rotting in the bed next to you and not being able to do anything about it because you’re rotting at the same rate? Do you?”
He didn’t wait for an answer.
“She saved us from ourselves and we couldn’t even,” He choked on a sob that clawed its way out of his throat and accepted the offer when Divian reached to lead him to take a seat at the table. “I couldn’t stop her from leaving that night. I couldn’t protect her, every fiber in my being screamed for me to go out the door right after her and drag her back in if I had to. I didn’t do anything. Like I never do anything. It was out of my hands.”
Koteus leaned forward in the chair concealing his face behind a veil of his hair as he finally stopped fighting back the tears. His shoulders shook between each desperate sob as he used his left hand to massage the right.
Sure, it was what he set out for since the night began, but it was hard to watch. Divian frowned and rested a gentle hand on his back. After an eternity of Koteus sobbing in silence, the behemoth took in a shaky breath.
“And how am I meant to feel sorry for myself when there are still people depending on me to be okay?”
Rubbing his back in circles, small and slow, the jade blood couldn’t help but see that same young man from so many sweeps ago sitting before him. Thrust out into a cruel world with only the task to make it crueler in front of him. Forced into shoes far too big, far too soon. There was a lot to be said with going through such forced development, but nothing that would be helpful right now.
Small steps.
“How long do you think you can go on in survival mode like this? Does it feel sustainable?”
Silence. Koteus took a moment to catch his breath.
“Obviously not.”
“Would it kill you? To let us carry that load with you, Koteus? It isn’t just the two of you anymore.”
“I know. I don’t,” another shaky breath. “I don’t know if I can.”
“We’ll work on it. It may never look perfect again, but we’ll work on it.”
Koteus lifted his head to look at him for a moment, he looked like he’d aged a hundred sweeps in the last ten minutes, but he forced a sad smile. “It won’t be easy.”
“Ah,” Divian shook his head, wrapped his arm around his shoulders, and shifted into a language that sounded and tasted more like home. “It does not have to be easy, but that does not mean it cannot be done.”
Koteus nodded slowly, then suddenly pulled him into his arms to bury his face against his chest. He gasped through another world shattering sob, but said nothing else as Divian patted his back quietly.
Fortune Teller, as her name states, has acts that primarily focus on cartomancy and tarot readings, but she also has another act pertaining whip tricks and tight rope (simultaneously)
Her relationship with the rest of the circus members is familial in the sense of her being the 'mom friend' and wine aunt of the group. They aren't blood related, but she treats them as her family. She essentially acts as a caregiver, helping keeping things organized alongside Ticket Taker and Jester... She is also known to harshly scold the problematic reckless members, but she also provides a supportive shoulder.
She calls the MC/YN "little mouse" regardless of gender. She is snake themed, so it only makes sense that she would nickname the player after a snake's primary prey item~
A quote from her actually:
"Some days I can be very proud of them and their achievements. Others, I want to rip their heads off, clean up their skulls, and make them into an ornate new goblet for myself so that they have *something* in their heads that isn't stupidity~🍷"
Once upon a time, she *did* have a husband and beautiful baby boy during the circus' travels... but that's lore for another day 😉 ✨
Let's just say they aren't around anymore and as a result, FT has a hard time getting attached to people outside of the circus again. We love giving our ocs trauma, amirite? /silly
So!! With that being said, if she had a romance route, she would be very very *very* hard to pursue. It would take a lot of effort and not messing up- Hell, even being the lucky receiver of her gilded gold ticket means you really REALLY have to catch her eye.
As for some things she likes... One of the hobbies she has pertains to the circus' travels!
For each location they set up (per state or country), she collects unique, hand-crafted journals as well as bottles of wine.
Each specific journal contains the place and date it was purchased, a tarot reading for how successful their time in that location will go, what wine she bought alongside it + a review of it, and every single reading she does for her guests.
She also includes personal readings, a few diary entries, some general daily matters, and the like.
Bonus fun fact: She will also go by the name (Aunt/Auntie) Divian, or Divvy! This is usually only limited for those she considers family or that she has interest in. (yes, she will also accept "mommy")
I made Fortune Teller for tfc.... but damn, she's so multi-fandom-able that she already has a Dandy's World version concept and I'm HEAVILY considering a Kingdom of Marionettes version too-
She wouldn't be too different, keeping her fortune teller role... really only just changing to be a puppet...
I already have her alternate name of "Divian" which would go with the role of 'diviner'..... It's just too easy-
