seen from China
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seen from Spain
seen from Australia
seen from Malaysia
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seen from Malaysia
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seen from Chile
seen from Malaysia
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WoK: Prime Chapter 74
Some inktober pictures with a random zandalari girl and my troll Talnah
I wish you would write a fic where... Emin shuts the fuck up
A/N: We talked about something like this once, enjoy! :3
Word Count: 965
It was a quiet day, the type of day where Emin wrote Xyron’s name multiple times on a piece of paper followed by a piece of paper that simply said “bitch” and throw it at the tiefling’s head type of day. Every now and again he caught his fingers dancing towards one of his earrings, or his eyes drifting to the time. Gods what he wouldn’t give for a twenty foot skeleton emerging from the crust of the earth or an elder god hellbent on destroying everything in its path.
Emin started to let out small huffs of annoyance. Being a reaper wasn’t supposed to be boring. He was usually always busy, but today he didn’t even have paperwork to fill out.
“Emin,” Xron said slowly.
The elf perked up and poked his head over the wall that divided the two of them, a wide smile spread across his face. “What up my dear work husband?” he asked, faux honey dripping from his voice, “world ending artifacts? Rogue reapers? Ah! Don’t tell me it’s-”
“You’re getting on my nerves,” the tiefling muttered, eyes not lifting from the scroll he was looking at, “Stop your bellyaching and get off of your desk.”
Emin huffed and plopped into his chair, and it slowly rolled and hit the back of his work space. “So what are you reading?” he asked, drumming his fingers against the armrests. Another sigh made its way from Xyron’s space.
Xyron was starting to believe nothing would ever be able to keep the elf quiet, he would spend the rest of his days in the office listening to Emin’s chattering. Even if he needed to devote 100% of his focus to a project Emin would be right there, chattering his ear off.
Speaking of which, Xyron’s eyes slowly glanced from the parchment he was reading towards his left shoulder which was now being occupied by said elf.
“I can’t read it.”
Taking one hand, the tiefling shoved Emin’s chair and sent him rolling out of the small space. “Emin. I swear to whatever god is listening-”
“Ah! Hold that thought Xyron!” Emin’s hands went flying up to his ear. Finally something was happening! Sure he shouldn’t call people at work, but there wasn’t anything saying other people couldn’t contact him. “Gotta take this Xyron, we can continue after!”
He stopped at a red gem and his smile widened. Sure Talnah made a pretty bad habit at calling him at work (usually at not so good times) but this time he couldn’t be more relieved. If she hadn’t called, he was pretty sure he would have died of boredom at his desk.
“Hey Princess!” he chirped, “You missin me already? Ah that’s alright, I’d miss me too. So whatcha been doin? Goin to the market? Went out in the woods? Listen to Ea shit talk about me? Don’t hold back now, you can tell me everything.”
There was hesitation on the other side of the line. Just as Emin was about to continue prodding, a small voice perked up from the other end of the line, “Oh I um… I’m fine… Doing fine. I almost got shot.”
“What.”
“Oh you know… Ea angered some cultists… She punched their leader in the face…. And I almost got shot-”
The girl was about to continue when a portal ripped into the space beside her, Emin stumbling through, “WHAT.”
Talnah smiled sheepishly, slowly taking her hand from the necklace around her neck. The two of them stood in a small alcove, both Robin and Ea’s voices ringing from the main room, grabbing whatever treasures they could find. Her robes were a little tattered, and there was an angry scratch on her arm from where the arrow had grazed her.
“Well… I mean, I’m fine, and the baby’s fine… Everything turned out okay,” she chirped. When Emin didn’t respond, she shrunk a little bit, “I… You left this at the house today… And I figured I could do something to help. After all you’re always so tired and this would be one less thing you would have to worry about!”
Emin grabbed the small parchment, eyes flying over the words, eyes only widening when he realized what mission the tiefling had stumbled across.
“Emin?” Talnah asked. She reached up and gently tapped at his cheek, tried to pull the parchment out of his hand, and even tugged at one of the hoops dangling from his ear. Eventually, she seemed to get his attention by tugging at his cloak a few times.
He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say, only thinking of what could have happened. “Talnah… This is one of those kid sacrificing cults. You know like baby murder and shit. Like the ‘Hey, let’s kidnap new mothers and offer them to our ever hungry god’ type of people. You- You’re-” All he could do was gesture at her.
“Well… I mean…. We’re the only two that know.”
“Talnah.”
“Hey, I’m fine, nothing bad happened,” she said, taking his hand, “I just wanted you to know that we’re fine… I gotta get back to the girls now, but I’ll see you after work okay?”
In the meantime, Xyron was enjoying the silence that Emin’s absence brought. He saw the flash of a portal and a parchment fluttered to his desk.
“All taken care of,” he heard Emin mutter. Xyron waited for the chattering to begin once more, but it never came. After a few moments of the odd silence, He stood up and went to peak into Emin’s room. The elf was sitting at his desk, brows furrowed, hands folded over his mouth, and eyes transfixed on the wall. With a shrug Xyron went back to his desk to enjoy the long awaited silence.
Interlude, Ea and Emin: Months
AN: Que and I did another fic together! This one is a companion to Interlude, Ea and Talnah: Months . Hope you like it! It took us a while, but it was fun to do! ~Rue
Word Count: 4505
Emin was absolutely ecstatic, giddy even.
He’d been on the earring nonstop with Jacar and Claire ever since Talnah gave him the okay to break the news.
Pregnant.
Through some miracle the Raven Queen had allowed him to take a bit of time off for the occasion—unless an emergency came up. His coworkers even got him some balloons and a terribly cheesy card as congratulations.
“I’m so happy for you Emin,” Jacar’s voice buzzed through the line, tired and worn from all the performing that he and Ea had been doing. “Tell Talnah I say congrats.”
“You can tell her yourself when you get up here J-Dog,” Emin said, “besides, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you and Claire. Gods when did we all get so busy not looking for our next meal?”
“Too long.”
I can’t wait to see you— Oh!” Emin interrupted himself, “No telling Ea alright? Tal wants to tell her herself when she gets here.”
“Of course Emin,” Jacar sounded like he didn’t know whether to chuckle or grimace. “She had to travel back home for… something anyway.”
“Really? What for?”
Emin had heard that Ea had come from somewhere and that was about the only information he’d gotten on the subject. That and a very nasty look from Ea when he asked. He was partially convinced at this point she had come from space.
“Yeah, she didn’t say what for, but I couldn't tell her if I wanted to.”
There was a long silence then, and Emin felt a little guilty for bringing it up. He and Talnah both knew that they’d have to cross this bridge eventually—he’d certainly suggested they just never mention it. Like one would from a very conservative grandmother, but Ea was his wife’s sister and he supposed that technically made them inlaws.
Why couldn’t he have fucking normal inlaws?
“Just be careful when you break the news to her…”
“Come on Jacar, don’t worry. The worst she could do is kill me.”
*******
There was a flash of red and Emin’ back hit the mansion wall, bricks digging uncomfortably through his cloak, as a surprisingly strong arm held him in place by the throat. He blinked. Once. Twice. A third time—just for good measure. When his vision cleared, the stunned expression plastered on his face slowly melted into a cocky grin.
"Well hello to you too Ea."
She just snarled in response, dark lips curling back to reveal impossibly sharp teeth. The horns that curled around her head cast threatening shadows across her face. He’d forgotten just how dangerous Ea could be when she wanted to.
Emin knew Talnah had been worried about this—watched her pace around the home all day, tail twitching as she practiced what she was going to say to Ea.
All the oddly strained expressions fit so poorly on her face that it would have been cute had it been literally any other situation. Pale fingers fidgeted with her wedding ring, glancing to him for reassurance before repeating the cycle no matter how he consoled her.
Of course he knew Ea would react terribly; he knew this, he just didn't care.
She hadn't exactly been fond of him when he started getting cozy with Talnah in the beginning. And while they had gotten a bit closer over the years, all that progress seemed to have evaporated just a few seconds ago.
He was foolish to believe that it would have changed anything.
"Ea please…"
Emin could hear the anxiety in Talnah's voice. The quick glance he caught of her face confirmed it. Robin looked more exasperated than anything.
He couldn't blame her.
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you alone with her," Ea's voice was a growl.
His chest tightened up a bit despite himself. There was nothing to be afraid of; she wouldn’t dare maul him in front of Talnah….probably.
“Now Ea—”
“Stuff it you cocky piece of shit.”
The arm against his throat pressed closer.
Honestly, Emin thought this level of anger was a bit of an overkill. He had expected her to slap him, maybe twice— a good punch to the jaw even. Some amount of yelling about his inability to properly support any living creature other than himself (and even that was questionable at times, he’d admit).
But this even caught him a little off guard.
However, that didn't mean he wasn’t going to add fuel to the fire.
"I guess you shouldn't have been slacking on guard duty three months ago," he sneered, as he gripped her wrist in his and alleviated some of the pressure with little effort.
He took a little pride in being able to sneak around Ea in the Well House, and he was most certainly going to use that to get a rise out of her. He watched her lips curl back even farther as she actually gnashed her teeth at his neck.
His smirk only widened, "But hey we got hitched so everything is just peachy now, right?"
Emin was honestly surprised no one really questioned them with how fast they put things together. Then again they had some “divine help,” Talnah's wealthy family— and it was Talnah. If there was one thing he knew about his wife, it was that she was a hopeless romantic and would definitely have wanted to say her vows ASAP regardless of their current situation.
It only made Ea's glare harden, “Does this seem peachy to you?”
Her eyes had actually begun to glow disconcertingly and Emin was fully prepared to have his life source snatched from him at that moment.
But there was one thing standing between Ea and ripping his throat out.
"Ea please," Talnah's voice was pleading this time as her hand laid on Ea's shoulder, "Why don't you come inside?”
Ea grunted again and made no move to release him.
“I can make you some tea? Maybe some snacks too, you must be hungry."
"Even if you're not I am." Robin huffed and grabbed Ea by the braids, dragging her across the lawn. "She won't let us touch anything until you come inside, so you can save Emin's murder for another day."
Ea yanked her hair out of Robins hand and stared hard into her sister’s dark eyes. Talnah placed a small hand on her shoulder and Emin watched as their silent conversation unfolded. It always creeped him out when they did that.
It was sudden, the shift in Ea’s stance, her shoulders slumped and with one last look thrown Emin's way, she turned and walked towards the mansion.
Talnah let out a sigh of relief, gesturing for Robin to go ahead of her, then she turned to Emin.
“Please try to stay out of trouble with Ea,” she asked softly.
Gods he wished he could promise her he would.
*******
Emin had decided to go out with Jacar and Claire to do some celebrating and to catch up. He invited Talnah to come with them, but she declined saying she had some paperwork her parents needed her to look over. They were preparing her to take over Moonbright soon.
Whatever soon meant.
Talnah told them all to have fun and to call her if they needed anything. She also assured Emin that Ea would be keeping her company while she worked, so she wouldn’t get lonely.
The nice thing about living in a fancy town was the fancy pubs, and that's where having inlaws with money was also helpful. Of course he didn’t use a lot, just enough to have some fun.
“So, did Ea give you hell or did she let this one slide?” Claire asked, her mug clanging against the counter.
Emin finished off what little was left in his own cup. He felt fantastic. The ale made his insides all warm and fuzzy, plus the added perk of having friends around to keep pouring him more was always a welcomed feeling.
“Eh, you know how it goes— shetriedtokillme-- the usual,” he shrugged leaning against the counter. “You’re lucky she has a soft spot for you J-Dog. No one’s gonna fuck with you ever again.”
“Do people usually?” Jacar asked, nearly toppling off the stool-- which he totally didn’t have to climb onto—as he rose to get another round.
“You do have a tendency to make innkeepers irrationally angry with your presence alone,” Emin replied cheekily.
“I think you’re talking about yourself again.”
Claire chuckled, “When is he ever not?”
“Good point,” Jacar quipped as he passed around the newly full mugs, “but you’re right, I’d be lost without her. Did I tell you about this new piece she’s working on? It’s an epic in song form about all of our adventures but written as a fairytale, I’ve said she should have it published—”
The alcohol was clouding his brain and made it hard to pay attention, so he let his mind wander for a bit as Jacar prattled on.
He’d never tell her this, but Emin was glad Jacar had Ea. It helped him rest a bit easier at night knowing there was something willing to rip out any number of throats to protect him, and the fact that she always made Jacar a very happy man was a bonus as well.
They stayed in the pub for a few hours longer. Emin listened as Claire talked about Sembia and Jacar continued to gush about his travels with Ea and their songs. All the while, he thought about how he couldn’t wait for his kid to experience it all.
They’d go to Jacar’s performances, get to watch as his best friend and Ea danced around on the stage, tiny flames dancing all over them their nimble fingers played fantastical duets. Who would have guessed a lute and a bagpipe could harmonize so well together.
And then they’d visit Claire in Sembia for snowball fights, complete with forts and special enchantments to keep them warm so the game could last as long as possible.
His kid was going to have the best life.
They already had the best dad, and then who didn’t want a wide array of questionably related aunts and uncles on the side!
Jacar, Emin, and Claire— all at varying degrees of intoxication—helped each other wander back to the Vellaam estate. Technically his estate now, Emin supposed.
Well, he wasn’t getting used to that any time soon.
It seemed that just yesterday he was working as a waiter in big manors like that, trying to scrounge together enough tips to maybe get a room for the night. And now—now he was some noble’s husband.
Well, not just any noble.
After saying his ‘good nights' and ‘I love yous,’ Emin slipped into his room.
“Hey Princess! You gotta hear this joke Jacar just told me. It—”
Emin stopped abruptly as Talnah turned to face him. She had tears in her eyes, leaving soft tracks down her cheeks. He made his way over to her and wiped some of them away.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Talnah’s gaze drifted to the side, “Just something Ea said earlier…” she trailed off, obviously trying to hide her turmoil and failing miserably. “I didn’t think she would be happy for me, but I never expected this …” she said.
Then those big yellow eyes looked up at him like twin harvest moons and he felt a pang deep in his chest.
“I feel like there’s this rift between us now and I don’t know how to fix it,” she wrung her hands nervously. “I just wanted us all to be together again, but we’re now it’s like stepping on eggshells any time we talk.”
“Tal, I’m—”he began but stopped when she looked back down at the floor.
“What do I do?” she whispered softly.Emin wrapped his arms around Talnah and held her tightly. She nuzzled into his shoulder and sniffled.
“Hey, everything’s gonna be okay.” She grumbled, evidently unconvinced so he continued, “Ea loves you, like really loves you. I mean to the extent that it kinda weirds me out sometimes—” he was cut off by horn gently poking him in the face and the best glare Talnah could manage.
“Okay, okay, but really, the stuff you went through together? There’s no coming out of that without a serious kind of bond.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” She mumbled into his shirt.
“And our kid is gonna be so kick ass that even Ea won’t be able to deny it,” that earned him a laugh and he smiled at the sound, “It’s all gonna work out, alright?”
Emin pulled away and wiggled his ears, causing the large collection of earrings to jingle like bells on Candles Night. Talnah let out another giggle and finally smiled up at him once again.
He reached for her necklace, twisting the beads between his fingers, “Just call me the next time you need me, alright Tally?”
If this was the game Ea wanted to play, then he’d give her hell right back.
*******
“You should be keeping a closer eye on your wife,” Ea said, as she passed Emin.
He stopped and turned to look at her.
What was she talking about? Was something wrong?
“Is she alright?” Emin crossed the short distance between them and grabbed Ea’s shoulders,“Did something bad happen?”
Anything could happen at any moment.
It didn’t help that he started noticing little things: fatigue, lack of energy and appetite—all normal, he was assured, but it was hard to see Talnah so drained and pale.
Ea shook her head and leaned against the wall, “I caught her in the nursery again, casting spells all over the place, moving furniture...”
He gave her a confused look and she huffed, clearly annoyed, “Listen I get you’re not a midwife, but pregnant women can’t do that shit.”
Emin glared, “Talnah’s been worn out recently but it’s not like I’m going to lock her in her room or something—”
“No, you dumbass!” Ea yanked hard on one of his ears and yelled into it, “Strenuous work can hurt the baby!”
He pulled out of her grasp, “What?!”
“Yeah, so I’d go in there and explain it to her cause she’s too anxious to listen to me or Robin.”
Ea shoved him in the direction of the baby’s room and he relented, turning his head over his shoulder, “How the hell do you know all this?”
“This isn’t my first rodeo, cowboy…” she mumbled and gave one last harsh shove before rushing down the opposite end of the hall.
“Ea! What does that even mean?!”
She stopped, peaked around the corner of the next hall. He golden eyes glowed eerily in the dim light making her look even fucking creepier.
“I’ve done this before, how could I be more clear?”
“When??” The elf cocked his head and his brow furrowed in confusion. What the fuck was she talking about? He regretted asking when she pulled her head back behind the wall, “Ea!”
She peered at him again,“We have ... traditions back where I’m from that could help.”
“Where are you from again?” He didn’t trust the expression on her face, mischievous and degrading at the same time.
“None of your business,” she spat, then a grin crossed her face, “Gods I can’t imagine you being a dad.”
There was something about her words that rubbed him the wrong way. His mouth twitched a bit, “What do you mean by that?”
“Do you seriously think you’ve got what it takes? Maybe you should have thought about the implications of your work and general emotional state before getting into this mess.”
“It’s not a mess.”
“Oh really? You don’t know anything about childbirth, I can only assume you know nothing about children, never mind the responsibilities that go into being a noble,” Ea was slowly approaching from the end of the hall, sharp, white teeth bared, “and what happens when those earrings start going off day and night again? Is Talnah going to raise the little shit on her own, ‘cause you were barely here before—”
“I might be new to this but that doesn’t give you the right to—” He advanced on her too, actual rage coursing through him now, but she interrupted, unphased.
“If anything happens to her it’s your fault Emin, and you know that.”
“Well nothing is gonna happen!” He shouted, toe to toe with her now, “Then we’ll have an awesome kid and you’re just going to have to deal with it! Maybe you’re just jealous Ea! Jealous that we’re happy—that I make her happy!”
Ea stared up at him, face blank. He opened his mouth again, but a small hand gripped his shoulder. Emin whipped around, still fueled by the heated conversation only to find a frightened looking maid. behind him.
“Sir, please, lower your voice,” she said softly. “You’re disturbing Lady Vellaam.”
Ea shook her head and nudged him towards the nursery again before stalking back down the hall.
Emin couldn’t help but feel guilt start to eat away at his stomach. He nodded towards the maid and started walking away.
“I’m going to be the best dad,” he whispered to himself before pushing open the door.
*******
To say Emin was pissed would have been an understatement.
To say he was only mildly surprised would not have been.
Apparently those traditions Ea had spoken of were, for the most part, strange, violent, dangerous, or some combination of the three (although some of the calming tea’s Robin had helped her make were quite effective).
Honestly, Emin also couldn’t help but feel hurt. Even if Ea wasn’t happy about the kid, he didn’t think she’d put it all on Tal.
He’d talked to Robin about it. Emin didn’t talk to Robin often, but he figured this could be an opportunity for him to talk to his wife’s other sister.
Especially since she seemed to also be a little miffed about the situation. He didn’t want to drink. All he could do was rub his temples and growl about his frustrations.
"I mean, it is Ea. She's never exactly been nurturing," Robin shrugged. Even though she was giving reasons in Ea's favor—somewhat—she seemed tired.
"But to go this far?" Emin grumbled, lifting his head from his hands, "Come on Robin, I know she doesn't give a rat's ass about me, but Talnah? It's Talnah's kid too, and she's over the moon! Why can't Ea just let this be?"
"To be honest, I think she’s reacting as well as anyone could have expected, but I don't disagree with you…" Robin said softly. Her eyes darted towards the floor, "It isn't fair to Talnah, not to mention annoying for everyone else."
Emin nodded and rubbed his eyes. He was just upset and tired and, frankly, done with Ea's shit. His wife had the patience of a saint. He didn't know how Talnah did it without constantly wanting to throw her from the roof.
“Emin,” Robin snapped her fingers in front of his face.
“Sorry, I was fuming.”
She nodded and leveled him with a look, “She might be going about this the wrong way, but Ea does have a point.”
He gaped at her, “What?”
“Obviously neither you nor Talnah actually thought this through,” Robin tugged at the intricate braids in her hair, “Ea’s right, it was kind of irresponsible and you should make sure you’re actually prepared to give up the life you had before.”
Emin sighed, “It’s easy to forget, but I’ve been around for longer than you can comprehend.” He stood, leaving Robin on the garden bench and walked back towards the manor, “I know what I’m doing.”
******
He knew it was taking a long time to decide on a name, but when Talnah told him she’d already found one, Emin couldn’t help but be a little hurt.
Especially after he’d found out who chose it.
“So you named him.”
Ea seemed a little surprised by the elf’s presence. It was late, and they were probably the only two up right now. Slowly, the tiefling nodded, “Talnah asked me if I knew any names. I just gave her the first one that came to mind… didn’t think she’d actually want to use it.”
“Cascius…” Talnah said it was the name her parents had given their biological son.
Ea nodded and he stared at her blank expression before speaking again, “What does it mean?”
There was silence for a while. Despite Ea’s cool exterior, Emin could tell she was quickly trying to decide on what to tell him.
The only question was if he’d get the truth.
She shrugged after a moment, “No idea, it’s just a name.”
Liar.
But then again, Emin had never really been fully honest with Ea either. He wondered idly, who had more to hide.
“Well if you ever find out, let me know.”
Emin turned his back on her and contemplated the name again. It did roll off the tongue nicely and Talnah seems attached to it. Maybe it was because it was her brother’s old name, or maybe she was just happy Ea had willingly participated in their child’s life in some way.
Names were powerful. And with the little he knew about Ea, she did seem like the sort to have a knack for naming.
*******
Ea was muttering something about a goat.
Strangely enough, that was what stuck with him through all the chaos.
Gods would she never shut up?
Robin was currently doing her very best to keep him and Ea as far apart as possible, whipping her ankles with thorny brambles anytime she said something instigatory.
He made a mental note to thank her profusely after this was all over. There was little doubt that either he or Ea would start something if they got too close.
He was worried.
He was stressed.
He was afraid.
Completely frozen, all he could do was sit uselessly and hold Talnah’s hand while she shrieked into his ear.
Then, before he knew it, a cleric was placing a small squirming ball in his arms. The ball made tiny grunts and coos and the softest whimpers.
Everything he did was so... tiny.
“Mister Vellaam, can you hold him while I check over a few things?”
Emind nodded. It was all he could do as the cleric started their work.
Big yellow eyes looked up at him.
“Hey little guy,” he chuckled, finally finding his voice, “Woooooah look at your ears! They’re huge! And you have your Mama’s eyes… Just… I…. Look at you.”
He was even better than Emin could have ever imagined him being. In all of his years and millenia of being alive, Emin had never felt anything quite like this.
When the cleric stepped back and wiped their hands, he approached Talnah, placing the infant in her open arms.
He wondered if Ea was holding her breath too…
“He’s perfect, oh he’s more than perfect,” Talnah sniffled. “Hello my little Cascius, hello.”
“I guess I should say ‘welcome to being a dad’ Emin,” Robin said punching his shoulder.
His chest swelled as he leaned closer. He was a dad. He could feel the tears pricking at his own eyes as he reached for Cascius’ tiny hand. Everyone else parading over just seemed to disappear, even Jacar’s voice seemed like a distant sound. As far as he was concerned, it was just the three of them.
He didn’t notice that Ea had slipped from the room.
*******
The night air seemed sweeter than usual.
Emin decided it was probably the euphoria running through his veins. He’d been told to leave Talnah alone for a bit by some of the midwives, figuring that both she and Cas were exhausted and needed rest.
So here he was on the balcony drink in hand and the bottle close by. There wasn’t anything wrong with a little private celebration.
He had just taken another sip when he heard the balcony door open.
“I wondered where you ran off to,” Ea’s gruff voice cut the night air like a knife, “You weren’t with them.”
“You went to check?”
Nothing.
There was something unspoken in the air, it felt dangerous. Emin had been around long enough that he knew it was better not to ask, he did anyway,“Was she still awake? Did she talk to you?”
“Yes…to both.”
“Aaaaaand?”
Silence.
“You’re drunk.”
“Not yet.”
More silence.
Emin took another sip, “But if you want to believe I won’t remember what you say next, be my guest.”
He couldn’t help but grin as he saw Ea stand next to him and snatch the bottle. He could always get more.
She took a long drink before speaking.
“I can be his aunt, but I won’t be a good one,” she mumbled, and smacked him on the back of the head when she saw his smug smile.
Emin thought about her words for a moment, he hadn’t really expected anything less of Ea, so he shouldn’t be surprised.
“Did you see his feet?” he asked.
“Why would I care about his creepy little feet?”
He shrugged, “Tal said you mentioned something weird about having normal feet. Is it one of your things from home or—”
“Yeah,” Ea responded abruptly, her gaze transfixed on something far beyond anything he could see, “I noticed.”
Then she went silent again. Emin didn’t push the matter, there was a lot he didn’t understand about Ea or her past. He wondered if he’d said something he shouldn’t have, but continued to sip at his drink. She never said much to him anyway, but when she did it was usually shocking.
“Do you want to remember us?”
Emin sputtered on his drink, “Excuse me?”
“Do you want to remember us?” Ea’s voice was cool and even, eyes boring into Emin’s soul, “All of us will die before you, so will you want to remember us after we’re all gone, or will choose to forget?.”
Silence prevailed once more. Emin swirled his drink slowly, staring into the liquid as if looking for answers in the cup.
“Well maybe you,” Emin’s voice came out playful, a smirk gracing his lips, “But all of this? Yeah. I think it’d be worth remembering for the rest of my life. My son, Talnah, Jacar, Claire, Robin, Phryn and K’Thriss, Sildar, Korv, hell—even you are the closest thing I’ve ever had to a family ever. No one would want to forget how that feels.”
Turning his head, Emin searched Ea’s expression for any little clue to her thoughts. She was steadfastly expressionless, but she couldn’t quite hide the twitch of her lips into a small smile
Emin grinned back at her and raised his glass.
“To new adventures?”
“Eh, it’s a reason to drink.”
The silence prevailed as they toasted the future and stared up at the night sky. It was soon broken by Robin and Jacar pounding out on the balcony, angrily declaring that he always left the humans out when drinking.
So the four of them drank, and laughed, and loved, and everything was finally okay.
"Shadra is inside of everyone who tells lies." "Are you telling me you're a liar?" "...I'd NEVER lie...."
Through the Nursery Window
A/N: Let me have my happy sappy, slice of life, family stuff okie? Okie. Thank. ~Rue
Word Count: 866
Talnah woke up with a start. Her sleep schedule had been a mess ever since she started adventuring and became even worse now that she had Cas. Part of her wondered if she'd ever have a peaceful night's sleep ever again. Her legs swung to the side of the bed and a robe was flung around her shoulders. She supposed Emin still hadn't come home yet. She'd come to realize that some of the Raven Queen's missions took longer than others, but she always found herself smiling when she felt a familiar weight crash onto the other side of her bed even if snoring followed. He’d be back soon though, he always was.
Part of her knew she should probably try to go back to bed, she herself would usually scold people for not taking care of themselves, but Talnah didn’t believe there was a point in trying. Maybe she could be productive instead! After all, Cascius hadn’t started crying yet, if she hurried she could make it to the nursery before he got too loud.
Quietly she rose from the bed, pushed back the curtain surrounding it and crossed the hall. Once she got to the nursery door, she hesitated. Something felt off. She thought she could hear noises coming from the other side of the door. Panic gripped her heart as she threw open the door, ready for a fight.
“Woah! Hold it!”
The words came out as a hushed whisper as a hand flew to her shoulder.
“He’s sleeping Princess.”
Talnah looked towards the open window then to the hand. A sigh left her lips, “Dammit Emin. Can’t you enter the nursery in a way that won’t give me a heart attack?” While part of her was a little frustrated, she couldn’t help but smile when that smirk crossed his lips.Then she looked down at his other arm and her heart melted. Her little Cascius was indeed fast asleep.
Talnah’s fingers danced over his forehead, brushing a stray curl back into place. Cas let out a few tiny whimpers, his nose and ears twitching before he turned to snuggle into Emin’s black cloak, his tiny first grabbing some of the dark material. Every now and again his ear would twitch or make a small noise, but to Talnah he was the most perfect little angel she could have even been blessed with. She swore she could stay up all night and just watch him sleep. She hand’t noticed herself leaning into Emin. Oh she couldn’t be upset when Cas was looking like that in her husband’s arm. “Oh Emin… He’s so precious,” she cooed, “Maybe we can sleep in here tonight, just so I can keep looking at that precious little face.” She looked up at Emin with hopeful eyes. Part of her knew Emin had a hard time saying no to her when she made a certain look. But she didn’t do it on purpose… all the time.
She caught the tiniest of smirks on the elf's face before he leaned over to peck her lips. "Only for a little bit. Then we put Chicky here in his crib and head to bed so you can get some sleep for once Princess."
"Hypocrite."
Talnah knew Emin's sleep schedule, it wasn't anything to brag about. But her comment certainly didn't stop the second peck that came her way.
Emin helped her sit down as both parents watched their son. Talnah was still leaning over Emin's shoulder, her tail draped over her hip. She didn't notice her eyes getting heavy, or the fact that most of her weight was being put on Emin.
The Reaper had snuck his way into the nursery through the window before, this was just the first time Talnah caught him. He just liked checking up on his little chick. Plus he was already awake, so if Cascius needed anything, he could take care of it before his little chick woke up his wife. He watched as Cas slept in his arms, his tiny body rising and falling with each breath. Some of his golden curls fell into his face, and his little tail would twitch whenever that would happen. He was too cute, and Emin felt a swell of pride whenever he looked at him. However, he should be getting to bed.
"Alright Talnah. Ti-"
Well. It looks like Cas wasn't the only one who fell asleep. Talnah's head rested against his shoulder, her white curls cascading down like a waterfall, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks.
Emin chuckled quietly to himself. Slowly, he lowered Talnah to the floor before walking over to the crib. He laid Cas down along with a single raven feather and a kiss on his forehead. He wouldn't be able to be around every hour of the day, but he could leave little tokens behind.
Once he was sure Cas was comfortable, he went over to Talnah, picked her up, and walked out of the nursery. Talnah only shifted slightly as he tucked her in and placed a kiss on her cheek. Finally he could collapse himself. Sleep would feel nice. He could only hope it would be uninterrupted until late in the morning.
New Feelings
A/N: Just a little fluff I wrote a while back, I hope you enjoy!
Word Count: 841
Emin was odd, there was no denying that. An elf that spent most of his time drinking life away so that he could forget. Talnah wished he wanted to remember, but she understood why he didn't want to.
There was something else about him that vexed Talnah though. This something seemed far below the surface, and she couldn't reach it…. Yet. She found him intriguing. Well, she found many people intriguing especially when they were from far off places with stories to tell.
But there was something odd about Emin. There was something special about Emin...
Ever since that night… The night they retrieved the World Carver…. When he saved her life, Talnah knew that she’d forever be grateful to Emin. Why wouldn’t she be? If it hadn’t been for him, she probably wouldn’t be here right now. But slowly, those feelings started evolving into something more. At first, she brushed off her want to be around him as nothing more than curiosity to know more about him. Then that “curiosity” developed butterflies and warm, pink-tinted cheeks. It got to a point where Talnah couldn’t ignore it any longer.
Growing up, Mama and Papa had always read her fairytales. The knight saved the princess, they fell in love and lived happily ever after. The end. It was picture perfect, it was magnificent, it was what Talnah had always wanted. Well… In a way… It was also how her life was supposed to pan out. She was nobility, raised to inherit her parents ‘work, fall in love, get married, have children, and continue the cycle. It was expected of her and Talnah never had a problem with it. However, unlike the fairytale princesses, Talnah wanted to go out and see the world and explore. Thanks to a letter that Talnah was never meant to see, she got her wish, but nothing had panned out the way it was supposed to. None of the fairytales could have prepared her for this.
She especially didn’t expect to meet her knight while she was saving the world, and she certainly didn’t expect it to be Emin.
Her knight had been drunk in a dingy bar when she first met him, struggling to make ends meet. She never thought that he’d be the one to save her life, but he did. Talnah couldn’t say that he didn’t have a charming personality or that he wasn’t attractive. In fact, he was both. Talnah had always heard that elves were beautiful from many people of many races, and she had seen a few elves herself, but Emin definitely proved them right. She thought that Emin was very beautiful, especially when he laughed or smiled. Those moments were when he was most beautiful.
Talnah knew she was in trouble.
She had no idea how to express these feelings, the books never taught her that, and she knew that Mama and Papa’s love had been at first sight for both of them. She’d always wanted what Mama and Papa had and what she read in the books, but it was getting to the “happily ever after” that she was struggling with. After all, what if Emin didn’t feel the same way? He was so handsome, had such a wonderful personality, and he was so affectionate towards his friends…. They were all qualities that made her heart flutter. But Talnah saw her self as rather plain. She wasn’t gorgeous like Ea, and she wasn’t as smooth as Robin was when it came to flirting…. Talnah was just Talnah.
Despite her doubts, Talnah still fussed over the elf. She was never angry about him leaving unannounced, but she would be miffed if he skipped meals or didn’t sleep. Taking matters into her own hands, Talnah would make sure he got food and some sleep. If she could, she would try to make him small things to take with him when he left. If anything, it gave her a little sanity.
Sometimes she would find him and sit with him while he ate, or just sit with him when he wasn’t eating just to experience those warm fuzzy feelings. Sometimes she would make tea. Sometimes Talnah would learn more about Emin. Sometimes they just talked about little things. It didn’t matter what they did, Talnah just liked being close to him.
Emin made Talnah feel safe.
Emin made Talnah feel comfortable.’
Emin made Talnah happy.
Emin made Talnah smile.
Emin was a light in Talnah’s life especially after Shadowfell and all of the events that had followed. She still didn’t understand why Ea and Robin would sometimes snicker and give her looks, or why Emin choked on his food sometimes when they spoke, but Talnah didn’t care.
Despite everything that had gone wrong in the past and everything that could still go wrong Talnah was happy. No matter what the future had in store for all of them, Talnah could be safe for a moment. She could still have these little warm, fuzzy feelings. She could still have good things in her life.
Haunted by Living Nightmares
A/N: So as you all can probably tell, Que and I just had a very intense session of D&D with our friend @carlllzzz (Robin) and @je11oprodigy (our DM who bring us pain suffering sorrow the greatest happiness on planet earth). So without further waiting, enjoy some more angst!~Rue
Word Count: 1166
Talnah bolted up in a cold sweat. She gasped for air as if she had been drowning and was struggling to fill up her lungs. After moment, the tiefling finally caught her breath, and she looked around. Ea was fast asleep as was Reina. There one human friend has a scroll covering her face. It appeared as if she had fallen asleep reading something. What that something was she didn’t know, but she couldn’t really spare the energy to think about what the text was either. But where was-?
“Mrow.”
There she was.
Talnah looked over at the druid. She had no idea why she was a cat again. Had she seen something? Someone? Talnah would prefer a something over a someone… She didn’t want them to …. to….
“Mrow?”
“No no…. I’m alright, just a nightmare… I’ll be fine,” Talnah said, trying to sound cheerful. But it was hard to sound cheerful when you had a dead man’s blood on your hands…. Talnah had believed she could save Melech. She believed that there was still hope for him. She believed that they could make him happy. Instead he was dead. She couldn’t do anything for him. The best she could do was leave him in his clocktower. Something he seemed to love….
Talnah was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice Robin hop onto a fallen log. Her silver eyes illuminating softly in the dark world of Shadowfell and keeping steady watch over them all. Talnah curled up around herself and held in a few whimpers. Nothing made sense. Shar didn’t seem to like her… But she hadn’t done anything! And that drow woman, the one with the pretty name, she’d refused to talk to Talnah as well. Then there was Melech, the lonely, betrayed, bitter tiefling in the tower. The one that had been scorned by Rhylor, he was dead because of them, not to mention Ea almost died. The vision of her face being burnt with acid still ate at Talnah’s memory. It was one of a few terrors she saw when she closed her eyes. It would have been her fault too. She froze. She had frozen up and it almost cost Ea her life. All because she felt sorry for a man and didn’t want to harm him….
An entirely different issue was the owl… man…. thing. No one else could see him! At least, she thought it was a him. Was she actually going crazy? Gods what was she supposed to do? Was there any spell she could cast that would get rid of him or was he a friend they should keep around? Talnah thought there was still good in everyone, something she still believed, but she was now realizing that not everyone could be saved. For some, it was already too late. But that still didn’t mean they deserved to die! Especially not by her hand! Yet here she was, crying over a dead man she barely knew, crying over the thought that her friend had almost died. Crying because…. Because she wanted to go home. She wanted to open her eyes, have this all be a bad dream and be with her family.
She missed home so much, more than she ever had before. Slowly, she glanced up at the three stars in the sky. Were her parents outside tonight? Were they watching the stars and wondering where their daughter was and if she’d come home? How terribly did they miss her? She meant to write to them before she got sucked into Shadowfell…. Surely they’d be waiting on a letter…. A letter, that may take a very long time to arrive… If something happened to her here, in Shadowfell, they would never know. They’d be waiting on a tiefling that was never coming home.
That thought was the one that made her lungs grasp for air violently. She was starting to feel sick again, and thinking about downing the alcohol in her bag no matter how much it burned. Surely a pain like that could numb this pain, would feel better than this pain. Another sob tore through her, echoing through the night. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. All she could do was cry, and cry, and cry, and cry. What else could she do?
In the middle of one of her sobs, she felt something warm and fuzzy nestle in between her arms, and a larger body move closer to her. Her breathing was still shallow and quick, but they seemed to soften.
“Stop crying,” Ea’s tired voice grumbled, “It’s not going to get you anywhere.”
Talnah sniffled and looked up at Ea, a tiefling whose upbringing was extremely different of her own, a tiefling who didn’t seem fazed by death.
“You wanna get home right?” Ea asked, meeting Talnah’s gaze, “Then move past what happened. It works. Lock it away. Don’t dwell on it. Remember, put it in the Vault in your head and it’s gone. You lock it up and it never comes out. Ever.”
Talnah wiped her eyes and nodded. With Robin in her arms, she nestled closer to Ea, snot and tears getting all over the red tiefling’s clothing. Talnah could feel her tense before relaxing once more and letting out a sigh. Her thoughts were still racing, but she fought Ea’s corroded face and Melech’s lifeless body into the back corners of her mind, running as far away from them as she could. As Ea said, they were “In the Vault.”
“We’re getting back home,” she said softly, “We’re getting back to Sildar, I’m going to see my family, and we’ll all be alive.”
“That a girl!” Ea smiled, “Now you’re thinkin’ right. And what else are we gonna do?”
What else? What else was there? Wasn’t that the end goal for them?
“We’re gonna kick Rhylor’s sorry ass for sending us on this dumb mission,” Ea said.
“And for everyone he’s screwed over,” Talnah giggled.
“You mean everyone he’s double fucked over.”
“Mrrrower!” Robin mewed in agreement. Her tail swished back and forth looking up between the two tieflings and purring.
Then, Ea seemed to remember something, “Oh yeah. And Gobo. Can’t forget that bitch.”
At the mention of the tiny rat goblin’s name, Robin hissed and dug her claws into the dirt. Talnah laughed. Gobo was an entirely different story.
A yawn could be heard from the other side of Ea, and Reina sat up, scroll plopping in her lap. “Why are you guys still awake? Did I miss story session?” she yawned. Robin immediately perked her head up from in between the two tieflings to look at Reina, and sent a wink her way… Or what could be considered a wink for a cat.
“You didn’t miss much,” Ea said, “Promise.”
“Alright, but I’m gonna be looking for stories tomorrow!”
Talnah smiled. They could do this. She could do this.
Everything would be okay.
After all:
What was a fairytale without a happy ending?
