[PoE] [Gift] There’s Never Too Many
I’m participating in the Secret Santa over on the Pillars of Eternity fan discord server (which is filled with amazing, hilarious, and loving members of the PoE community). I was fortunate enough to pull @dokusama-artblog as my target intended recipient, and their watcher shares many a favorite with mine, so hopefully this little vignette does justice. Happy holidays, friend!
Notes: I did have to make some assumptions about Bo’uc’s ship here. I’ve defaulted to The Defiant since it’s canonically every Watcher’s first ship. I also couldn’t find more explicit details about Bo’uc’s canonical run, so there are some creative liberties here and there. Hope you don’t mind! <3
Warnings: Minor Forgotten Sanctum spoilers, general Deadfire shenanigans.
“Really, the smell is starting to carry and I’m sure I’m not the only one taking issue with it,” the elf crossed his arms before noticing a stray piece of hay that had woven its way into his hair, picking at it delicately before flicking it to the ground.
“You’re the first to complain. Edér is quite happy with the arrangement,” Bo’uc crossed his arms in abject defiance of Aloth’s accusation, and the reaction was immediately for the wizard to throw his arms up in exasperation. The death godlike remained unfazed.
“OF COURSE HE IS,” noting how swiftly his voice had risen, Aloth cleared his throat and attempted to regain his composure. “I’m fairly certain that the notion of ‘too many animals’ is an entirely foreign concept to meadowfolk as a whole,” he mumbled, casting his glare over to the blonde man who was kneeling in the Watcher’s proclaimed ‘menagerie,’ vigorously rubbing the stomach of a lounging pup. It wasn’t an entirely accurate name for the partition of crates, barrels, and spread hay that had become home to over a dozen (and growing) cats, dogs, pigs, and even a couple small bears. He was also fairly certain there were a few creatures in there that simply shouldn’t be.
‘Oh gods, it’s looking at me again,’ the oddity known as Retina was peering over a pile of debris at him again. He’d made no direct contact with the creature (in fact, having tried to ignore its presence entirely), and yet he always felt it watching. Of course, when it was literally made of eyes, he’s not sure how much he could fault it.
“Do you hate animals, Aloth?” Bo’uc turned towards the other man, pointedly watching his response.
“Well, not explicitly, but-”
“Then you shouldn’t mind their presence aboard my ship,”
“That’s not- it’s just- I can’t even think clearly when every inhalation is some measure of manure and unwashed fur!” Aloth was at his wits’ end. Really, it wouldn’t be half as bad if his bunk (another generous term for his hammock) wasn’t directly adjacent to the new “addition.”
“Perhaps you might spend more time above deck then?” Bo’uc offered, and Aloth narrowed his eyes. Now he was just being intentionally disregarded; this wasn’t an argument he was going to win.
“Sea spray isn’t exactly kind to the pages of my grimoire. At the very least, might I arrange a swap to the further end of The Defiance?”
“Sure, if you want to sleep on hard tack and tar,” Bo’uc chuckled and Aloth was fairly certain he was the only one in on the joke. Letting out a grunt of frustration, the wood elf marched over to his hammock, lifting it from the rings that secured it to the wall, only to discover it sagged suddenly with unexpected weight. As the pile hit the deck floor, it meowed, and he dropped the ends with a final, flippant gesture.
“I can, and will, get revenge for this,” he promised darkly, and Bo’uc stared mutely at him, amused despite his face showing no signs of it. “On both of you!” he raised his voice as Edér approached the conversation, brushing fur off the bottom of his tunic.
“What was that all about?” he looked curiously after Aloth’s retreating form, reaching down to pet the black-and-white cat curling around his legs that had since extracted itself from the disheveled hammock.
Bo’uc gave only the slightest hint of a smile, turning sidelong to regard Edér, and crossing his arms again.
“Nothing a few more pets won’t fix,”
