Characters: Astrid Beck, Luc Brenatto, Caleb Widogast
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A flash in her periphery is her only warning before a crossbow bolt appears out of nowhere. Just in time, Astrid flings up her shield, a follow up spell dancing on her finger tips, every sense alert.
Had they been found? Where there others? Who had-
"Wow, that was so cool!"
The high chirp sounds from her right, and half hidden in the leaves, she spots the head of the small halfling boy.
With a soft curse, Astrid lets the disintegrate spell fizzle.
"I can see you, you know," she snaps angrily. She ignores the responding "aww" with a roll of her eyes, and forces her quickened breath back under control. No child in Blumenthal would have been able to get away with such behaviour.
She sighs and leans back against the tree, idly spinning her dagger in her hand. The muscles of her underarm are tense, the unreleased arcane energy crackling through the crystals. Sure, the child might have been harmless, but another Volstrucker could sneak up at any moment. She wouldn't put it past her late master to have prepared a fail-safe, and given her fellow Volstrucker orders in case Bren proved more than they could handle. Master Ikithon always had a plan. He should not be underestimated, even with his hands bound and his voice silenced.
The dagger is light as it dances between her fingers. The aasimar protecting Ikithon would not be able to stop her if she forced her way inside. Only Caleb's soft but persistent whisper had stayed her hand thus far. But as she dragged up years and years of pain for her testimony, killing the source of her anger became harder and harder to resist.
She clenches her hand around the hilt, her knuckles turning white. One tiny cut and the world would be rid of him forever. He had taught her well. If she positioned it just beneath the collar, she could-
"Can you teach me that?"
Astrid flinches. The kid is standing in front of her, his wide gaze trained on the dagger.
"Mom only showed me how to shoot," the kid pouts, shifting from one foot to the other, his toy crossbow hanging limply in his little fist.
Astrid runs her hand through her hair and glances around. Sadly, there are no other adults are in sight to distract him.
"Has your Mom even used a dagger?" she huffs.
The boy nods eagerly, voice filled with awe.
"Mom had a dagger, but it was cursed! It ate her alive, and she almost died!"
Astrid grunts non-committally. It is hard to tell if the boy is telling the truth, but the story seems in line with the Mighty Nein's shenanigans.
"Have you ever fought a monster?"
Astrid blinks at the change of topic. Involuntarily, her mind flashes to the man locked inside the house. She pushes the thought away and rakes her memory for a suitable situation as the kids keeps staring up at her.
"I fought an ogre once," she admits.
The kid frowns.
"What's an ogre?"
"A very big man."
His face falls in disappointment.
"But my Mom has fought many of those," he whines. "That's boring!"
"Well, was your Mom only seventee-"
Astrid snaps her mouth shut, cutting off her own indignant retort.
What is she doing? Feeling upset that a four year old does not deign her monster 'cool' enough? It had been her first real mission, and she and Wulf had won through a clever use of a lightning bolt, which had triggered an avalanche. But she is a Volstrucker. They do not argue with children.
A tiny hand pats her own.
"Don't worry," the boy chirps. "You'll fight cool monsters someday too!"
Before she can reply, he darts away. As she stares after him, dumbfounded, she almost misses Caleb, who is approaching with two bowls. He glances at the boy and back at her.
"He likes you," he mutters with a soft smile.
Astrid shrugs, and for a second Caleb stares down at her.
"Ehm, Caduceus has made us some food. If you want."
Tentatively, he hands her the bowl, pointedly ignoring the dagger. Astrid slips it back into its sheath, refusing to feel self conscious, and takes the bowl.
"Danke," she mutters. The food smells good, as always. Caleb sinks down into the grass next to her, and she takes a tentative bite from what looks like to be an aubergine.
"You are good," Caleb says after a moment of silence. "With him"
Astrid raises an eyebrow and Caleb shrugs.
"You did not scare him away," he amends.
Astrid scoffs.
"You did not teach him proper fear."
Caleb chuckles. "Ja, that is true. He is a menace."
They both pick at their food, both glancing everywhere but at each other, until Astrid can't take the silence any more.
"Why are we here?" she blurts out.
He frowns, turning towards her. "You know why-"
"Not that. Why are we here?"
She gestures at the Grove. Down near the patch of destroyed plants, Wulf is holding a shovel, accompanied by the drow. The drow is wearing colourful mittens. Wulf is wearing a straw hat. Trent Ikithon is locked inside the house, being spoon-fed by a firbolg.
"This is ridiculous."
It comes out as a whine. A plea. Pathetic, she thinks, but she can't stop tears burning behind her eyes.
The firbolg has joined Wulf and the drow, holding flowers to replace the ones that died.
"Ridiculous, yes," Caleb mutters, following her gaze. "But that is life."
But Caleb's expression is not one of happiness. He looks at them with wistful longing and apprehension, and Astrid wants to scream. Because if he does not understand this, he who crashed back into her life, disrupting everything - if he can't show her what she is supposed to do, then how can she deal with it on her own?
Be Bren! she wants to yell at him. Be the boy who made me laugh. Who held me during the night and who kissed me until we were both breathless. Be the boy who was happy.
Instead, his voice stutters as he recounts Ikithon's experiments. Instead, he buries his head in the halfling's shoulder, whole body shaking. Instead, his gaze lingers on the drow, uncertain and prepared for disappointment.
Astrid takes a shuddering breath. Ikithon would have berated her for showing even a little emotion. Instead, she feels a brush against her palm as Caleb slips his hand in hers. He is watching her again, gauging her reaction.
She thinks of pulling away. They can't be what they were, the three of them. Too much has changed. Too much is steeped in regret. But she is so tired. And is she not allowed this one little comfort? So she rests back against the tree and closes her eyes, one hand clutching her waist and the other clenched in Caleb's.
Their fingers are still entwined when Jester bounces towards them to summon them for dinner. Caleb stands first, but before she can miss his touch, he holds out his hand to her with a small smile.
She swallows, before letting him pull her to her feet. He keeps holding on as they are submerged in the whirlwind that is the Mighty Nein, and they sit next to each other during dinner, Wulf having joined on her other side.
As the sounds wash over her, Astrid finally relaxes. The group is loud and overwhelming, but their clamour drowns out the sceptical voice inside her head. The expositor nods at her from across the table, expression serious. The halfing woman is recounting another one of their adventures to her awestruck child and exasperated husband.
"Astrid, I made my hair look like yours!"
Jester grins at her.
"Sehr schön," Astrid answers.
"Caleb, was that good? I assume it is good!"
"Ja, it was."
Astrid shakes her head as Jester turns her attention to the half-orc. Caleb squeezes her hand, and with a huff, she meets his small smile with her own.
It won't be the same as before. But maybe, with Ikithon truly locked away, they could plant something new.
Astrid was HAPPY but SURPRISED to have Bren/caleb come back into her life.
I am curious about the surprise specifically. And think that’s why she’s helping him. Let me explain.
The first time she saw him, when he came to her alone, I believe she was thinking that he had moved on in a sense. Like, ‘he’s going to just leave again and pursue his own interests. I miss what we were to each other but he has moved on while Wulf and I are stuck here under Trent. It doesn’t make sense for him to want to come back to this.”
but then Caleb came back. He agreed to dinner with them and Trent. She saw him and his family not be under trent’s thumb, and actively subverted what he tries to do to manipulate caleb. And I think that made her want even more to be out from under Trent’s thumb, and perhaps this instance began a shift in her perspective. “Race you to the top” vs “he’s an old man and eventually, he will die.” Something to wait for becomes something to race towards. And I do agree she has her own goals, she likely wants a spot on the assembly or some other seat of power, but I do think she has a strong motivation to get out from under Trent’s control. Maybe that is even her STRONGEST motivation.
Then Caleb comes back AGAIN, after it is presumed the Nein took down Vess in some capacity when he reached out to her specifically, she said, knowing he is being watched, THANK YOU and came to him and followed through when he asked.
Basically, she sees him doing BOLD things in the face of The Assembly and Trent- things that SURPRISE her- and I think her seeing him and his friends make these bold moves inspires her to do the same. Sure, she’ll go behind Trent’s back to get the Sanitorium’s plans, sure, she’ll warn the Nein that Trent is on his way to chase them.
Bren got himself out from under Trent’s thumb. Maybe he’s showing her and Wulf how to as well.
Happy Thursday! The Blumendrei Discord is organizing to celebrate our favourite wizard polycule from Critical Role with a series of prompts:
• Monday, April 5th: Dance // Tyrant
• Tuesday, April 6th: Flower // Redemption
• Wednesday, April 7th: Memories // Flame
• Thursday, April 8th: Vice // Wish
• Friday, April 9th: Scars // Home
• Saturday, April 10th: Recover // Secret
• Sunday, April 11th: Time // Hands
If you wish to participate, all you need to do is tag your posts with #blumendreiweek on Tumblr and Twitter. We look forward to reblogging your work!
Okay but it's Gotta be this tho right?? Like.. hello shoujo anime
@witchy-and-dorky ;u;
They’re in love y’all ;u;
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I will say tho like.. im still soft for these two:
"Just know there are eyes on you"
Hey so the acting in this scene was INSANE right! This may be one of my new favourite episodes yet! ;u;
THERE HE IS FELLAS
THE BOI
aahh i love himm
Like im just proud of them?? And the tension in those few eps was rly juicy and i was all about it tbh
It was a good time.
Murder and all.
1. Earrings! Earrings go wiggle.
2. That half burned candle in Essek's room at the outpost. I think one person clocked the implication of Essek lighting a candle in the arctic bc he is Yearning.
*thinks about how liam said in talks yesterday TWICE that the 9th level represents hope and possibility for the future and how that parallels with how he told essek he does not trust him but he does hope for him, and also how the 9th level, like beau said, is a contrasting parallel to memory and the past, and how he asked aloud to himself in Astrid’s room if he can trust her or not, because he knows his past love and fondness for her might be coloring his point of view AND how many complicated feelings Caleb must be feeling is right now and how he probably does not want to be having bc right now, as liam said, he is in improv mode and having to put his personal goals aside for the benefit of goals that are larger than his and how expanding his worldview is something that veth taught him to do and how, as liam said, he is feeling guilty that he is looking back and wishing for simpler times and how that validated SO MUCH of how i see his relationship with ‘Nott’ Veth bc he feels weird about his relationship with her ever since he learned she is a wife and mother and how they acted together was, like, as each other’s person, but Veth had people she was trying to get back to and Caleb’s growth involves accepting that he CAN’T go back to the people he wants to (especially his parents) and how Caleb is dealing with ALL OF THIS OUTSIDE OF HIS CONTROL and HE LIKES BEING IN CONTROL. AND I JUST LOVE ALL OF THE LAYERS OF CALEB BC HIS PATH IS ABOUT BROADENING HIS GOALS IN A WAY THAT HAS MOVED HIM FROM LAWFUL EVIL TO TRUE NEUTRAL AND NOW APPROACHING CHAOTIC GOOD AND i LOVE HOW HE IS PORTRAYING THAT WHILE STILL BEING TRAMATISED AND AFFECTED BY HIS PAST HE IS STILL BECOMING A FORCE FOR GOOD*
