[SE] Living Treasures

"You'll tell it to me... won't you?" The story, the tale of the curse that Jiao had mentioned and then waved off with no further details. No one since had told him any more than that, and it had been part of why he'd been so hesitant to brave the portals. A land of eternal winter. A cursed land. And a Forest filled with Hidden - with Fae - who wanted nothing to do with him on three counts.

That magical number that held such power.

And if Rance stayed to tell him that tale then maybe he'd stay to share others? Maybe he'd stay longer than a night, longer than a dream this time?

He was drawing in the warmth, the feel of his friend, nestled close against him, but the questions that followed caused his throat to close up, eyes squeezing shut as he swallowed hard. Hotaru had offered to help him through the portals, and if he had...

The memory of green-grey eyes and that winsome smile sent a shiver through him and he realized belatedly that he was naked, soaking Rance through with his wetness. Awkward heat washed through him even as cold dread curled in the pit of his stomach as he tried to pull away, blinking away the sting of fresh tears as he realized how close they must have been, only to have missed each other...

"N... no." The stutter was back in his voice as it shook with realization. "I n- never... I was too s-scared of them. I've been here the... the whole time. And at... the festival, yes." His heart hurt and he didn't know what else to do but turn away from the ravenkin, seeking his clothes, some sort of armor to hide his vulnerability and pain behind.

"Were you... did you... were you there, too?" A question he knew he shouldn't have asked, dreading the answer to it even before the last words left his lips.

“Yeah, of course. As much as I can. Wouldn’t leave you blind.” Not when Kel would feel the strangeness even more keenly than Rance had. Would see the way color had seemingly been leached from the plant life and ache for them, even if they weren’t his trees to worry about. Even the promise of relaying those stories to his friend heralded so strongly back to their shared past that it felt like something unknotted in his chest.

When Kel pulled away, Rance was reluctant to let him go. Would he vanish again if he did? Would Rance wake, alone in his room at the bar, with all of this having been a dream? He loosened his embrace, letting Kel go, though a part of him was ready to lunge forward should it look like Kel might disappear. It was that fear which kept his gaze on his friend and not -- for once -- the sight of his naked body. Only when Kel began collecting his clothing, bending over and revealing angles that a friend shouldn’t be staring at did he lift his eyes up. His gaze landed on the cloud mantas, though this time he barely paid them much real attention.

Kel had been scared of the portals? Had he found no one to reassure him of their safety? No reason to explore the lands beyond? Then again, compared to Torchline, all the other lands might seem like bizarre hellscapes to the natives. And Kel sounded so shaken -- how much of that was because of fear, and how much from the emotion of their meeting?

If only Rance had stayed in Torchline a bit longer. Explored the port, or the forest. He and Kel might have met so much sooner. Instead, he was left with the ache of regret as Kel confirmed that he’d been at the festival and asked if Rance had as well. Gaze still on the mantas, one hand plucking absently at his wet shirt, he replied, “Yeah. I... made a lantern for Morgana. In case the candle I lit wasn’t enough to reach her.” Of course, there was a good chance that nothing he did would reach her spirit again, but the candle and the lantern had at least soothed his own heart a bit.

He'd been blind for so long now that the relief he felt at having someone who understood was almost painful. Kel nodded gratefully against Rance's cheek, a half-inaudible Thank you whispered in his friend's ear.

The innocence of their embrace couldn't last forever, however much he wanted it to. The realities of the world intruded, and the compromised position Kel had found himself in, naked and soaked to the skin. He was quick to grab for his clothing, giving himself a barely-adequate toweling off with the cleanest corner of his dirty tunic before ducking into the fresh one and pulling on the roughly-woven loose linen pants. He kept stealing glances to the side, trying to keep Rance in sight, afraid that if he looked away too long or at all that the other man would vanish as suddenly as he'd reappeared in Kel's life.

There was real pain, then, at hearing how close they had been. If only he'd been brave enough to walk into the center of things instead of staying on the outskirts of the festival. If only he'd actually looked at those attending instead of losing himself in his own misery. If only... If only he'd...

"I made one for mhamo Rowan. Candle, too," he said, voice small as he stood again and went to rejoin his friend. His bundle of dirty clothes were under one arm, but he reached out the other tentatively to twine his fingers through Rance's, as they'd done as children. Just that much. Just that little bit of contact to reassure himself that it wasn't an illusion. Or at least, that if the ravenkin started to disappear again that he'd take Kel with him. Surely the old dryad who had been a true grandmother to him had a branch in their finding each other again.

The mantas drifted ever-closer, the young one curious and the mother vigilant but calm as they sang and foraged over the tide pool rocks. "They... it's true then?" he asked sadly. "That we won't ever... ever see them again? Not even in the Ghost Queen's halls?"

The gratitude was hardly necessary, but Rance understood. It didn’t matter if one could find their way around a place if they knew nothing about the dangers to expect. Passing along news of changes and dangers of the world beyond Kel’s boundaries had always been a part of Rance’s stories for his friend, even when they were young. He would go with his mother or father to market or help out on a job, then tell Kel everything as soon as they returned. So the idea of recounting everything about the Grounds felt so natural that he couldn’t even conceive of not doing so.

Had he not been so caught by the thoughts of missed opportunities and the chance that his friend might vanish again, Rance might have appreciated the view that was Kel’s back. Instead, the moment passed without any tempting thoughts and the conversation shifted to a festival for the dead and what their future might hold.

Here’s Kel’s voice closer, Rance lowered his gaze, foregoing the sight of creatures that would have been fascinating had his focus not been so entirely on Kel. The corner of his mouth pulled tight in a small frown of sympathy. They’d both done their mourning in the wrong season, it seemed. But it was comforting to know that there was someone out there who understood his rooftop ritual. He squeezed the hand that tangled with his, definitely not feeling ‘too adult’ for the comfort the gesture gave. Especially not when Kel asked his next questions.

His frown twitched into a wince. “I was told there’s no gettin’ back to our world. That the portal that brought us here is one-way.” He sighed, the breath huffing out his nose, as he brought his free hand up to rake through his hair. He met Kel’s eyes as he continued, “Fuck if I know if our gods can reach us here at all. What I’ve read and heard says we’d go to their death god's -- Mort’s -- realm instead.”

Rance had always been his eyes and ears into the world beyond the forest, his favorite and most trusted lens on a world he would never see. It was second nature to rely on him now, the scout and skald that brought the world back with him, painted with words and rude anecdotes about the places he’d been and the people he’d met. There were others, of course, passing minstrels, the caravan guards, or the occasional individual traveler who might tell a few stories in the tavern over a mug or three of ale or whiskey, but few spoke to Kel so candidly. He was a local, a ‘mark’ if he wasn’t careful, or just plain different enough that he got little more than vague news of lands and politics he had no connection to.

Rance told him… well. Everything, but connected back to their own lives and people, the connections they had and the history they’d shared.

He felt a little better once he was dressed, a little less vulnerable, both physically and emotionally. He was still glad when Rance accepted his hand and held it tight, as careful and caring as they’d been ten years before, a world and a lifetimes away. It helped a little at the confirmation that they were stuck; Jiao had said as much. Hotaru had said the same. Hearing it from Rance made it true, though, and what was worse was the loss not only in this life, but in all others to come. ”I haven’t… heard much about Mort,” he admitted with a shiver, stepping closer to his friend’s side as he bit his lip. ”I don’t know… so much still, about this world. But I… I have a house now. It’s still… there’s still a lot to do on it, but it’s coming together.”

There was a flash of movement in the underbrush near the cloud mantas, a flicker of something sleek and tawny that disappeared back into the shadows before the eye could quite focus on it, but the pair continued on oblivious, enjoying the tropical winter as much as Kel had been.

“I’ve read a little about Mort. Know a bit more about his herald, since that’s who the Festival of Lights was for.I need to read more, Sanctuary has a library!” Rance shook his head to refocus himself on the more important details of what Kel had said. “Later -- you have a house?” Rance’s frown melted away as his brows rose in surprise, instantly distracted from the serious thoughts of what might not be waiting for them in their afterlives. “Here in the forest? Did you find it or build it?” The former would have been more likely had Kel been in the Grounds, but here, Rance assumed, there would be less empty husks of buildings with long dead owners.

Rance missed the swift creature, gaze trained more on Kel than on anything around them. Though now that the initial shock of finding Kel was starting to calm down, he was able to appreciate the warmth of the air. Particularly since he was still better dressed for the cold of a Hollowed Grounds Deepfrost and not balmy Torchline.

Kel nodded at the mention of the herald, one he had also heard a little of thanks to the unseasonal festival, but at the mention of a library his lips quirked into a fond smile for his friend. Books were not, by and large, very popular within the Grove. The paper produced from trees felled in their prime to make them were considered wasteful and potentially cruel since there was no way of knowing if a dryad’s tree had been sacrificed in the making. Still, he knew that this particular ravenkin had a fondness for them as fonts of knowledge and tales, and he squeezed Rance’s hand gently in support.

The questions that came at his admission brought a flicker of pride to the young man and he straightened his spine, giving a bashful grin. “In the jungle, yes. Town was… too crowded. Too noisy. Too… dangerous. I built it. Well. With help.” One friend and one friendly acquaintance, at least. ”You’re welcome to come see it if… if you need a place to stay.” The offer was shy but hopeful, even as Kel’s hand stayed wrapped firmly around Rance’s, unwilling to let him go now that they were reunited. It would be a tight squeeze for two, but they’d make it work the way they always had before.

Lost in their reunion, the hunter was also oblivious to the approaching danger until it was too late. A sharp keening rose in the air as a tawny leopard pounced from concealment to bear the smaller cloud manta to the rocks. Its mother circled and swooped helplessly above, trying to distract the feline but unequipped with any claws or fangs to drive it from her offspring.

The pride Rance could see in Kel’s expression and body language answered his question even before Kel actually replied. Of course he built it, Rance would have been surprised if the guide had been able to tolerate living in a town crowded with humans for long. However the portal might have changed their physical makeup, it hadn’t changed their minds or hearts. “I was actually lookin’ for a place to stay when I stumbled on you.” There was no doubt in Rance’s mind as to whether or not Kel meant it. They’d known each other too long for that even to be a question. “You might not want me crowdin’ your space the whole time, though. Week and a half is a lot. But I definitely want to see --”

The sharp sound of the baby manta being downed jumped Rance. He physically started, shoulders jumping and eyes widening in surprise as he whipped his head toward the alarm. It took only a heartbeat to see what was happening, then Rance was shifting into raven form -- without the swirl of a feathered cloak, Kel might notice -- and flying at the leopard, his bow dropping to the beach beside Kel. An angry croaking cry and flapping and clawing at the big cat’s face. It wasn’t something he would have done months ago. Like anyone who had lived a portion of their lives amongst beasts, he knew that ayoung animal becoming prey was nothing but the cycle of life. But something about the cry kicked something in Rance’s chest and impulse had him attacking before he’d given the action any thought.

Kel's eyes were already lighting up with hope at the initial admission that Rance was looking for someplace. What better place than with an old friend? One who desperately needed something - someone - familiar and friendly with so much strangeness in the shifting world around them. LongNight was coming soon, with all the mystery and mysticism around it, and as much as Kel valued his privacy it would be nice to have someone to stay with him through the week--

Before he could hurry to reassure his friend that he was never a 'crowd' the manta caught their attention. Kel drew in a sharp breath, hating to see the graceful little beast wounded by the golden predator, but before he could move Rance was already a blur of shifting skin and black feathers - where was his cloak?! - and doing something incredibly stupid and incredibly brave and nothing at all that the Grove-born hunter would have expected of his pragmatic friend.

The bow dropped, catching his attention anew and he started to reach for it, but he had no arrows at hand. He'd come to bathe, not hunt, and all he had was his knife.

And his aim.

He snatched a rock from the tidepool instead of the bow, throwing it past Rance to strike the leopard on the shoulder and distract it from finishing off the little manta. The cat snarled and retreated a step at the unexpected strike, and before it could pounce back on the stunned prey a raven had flown in its face, startling it further.

Even as Rance was flying at the leopard, he had a moment where he was almost questioning his actions. Beginning to think that he shouldn't be diving at a fucking predator ten times his weight. He barely registered something was shooting past him, hitting the cat and making it flinch away from its prey with a yowl of pain. And then Rance was on him, all beating black wings and aggressive croaking cries.

The leopard ducked away, ears plastered back in shock and irritation at the sudden attack. Irritation which quickly became anger, defending its right to the prey it took down from the potential competitor trying to steal its meal. It lifted a paw to strike at Rance, claws out and splayed wide, lips drawn back from fangs as it snarled.

Don't think so, you flea spotted fuckin' sonuva-bitch, get your claws off the kid and find somethin' else to hunt! Of course, neither animals nor Kel could hear his tirade, except for his continued avian admonishments. Rance pulled back as the leopard swiped at him, though only to circle low above the big cat's head, ready to dive again should the cat resume its attack of the calf. And above them, the mother circled as well, cries of distress for her child filling the air.

"No!" Kel saw the impending attack and began to run, bare feet traveling over the rocks and shells of the tide pool in a scramble that left a half dozen shallow cuts even through his calluses. He didn't notice them, hurrying as fast as he could instead to close the distance between himself and the scuffle occurring a little ways away. He couldn't hear Rance's angry challenge to the cat, but he could see him narrowly avoid the swipe of the clawed paw. His heart was in his throat for his friend, and the cat was both angry and bewildered at the unexpected aggression from the big black bird and the large human crashing towards it.

It backed off a step, then another as Kel yelled and grabbed another stone, tossing it wildly and getting a lucky strike in on the leopard's head. It yowled and backpedaled into the underbrush, disappearing into the shadows and sun dapples beneath the jungle's edge as the former wind-spirit came panting up to the ledge where the calf lay. It shifted and began to push itself up a little woozily, green fluid welling from the scratches the cat had left in its rosette-spotted hide as the mother descended to meet it, keeping a wary eye on Kel and Rance both.

"Rance! Are you hurt?" As much as he wanted to check on the mantas, Kel's first instinct was to look the raven over for any injuries his friend might have sustained with his heroics.

He heard Kel's cry, of course, but din't really register it, focused entirely on the danger he'd put himself in. Dodging and swerving out of the way was more challenging when there was no potential feedback across the attuned bond, something he'd started getting used to feeling when fighting against and with other animal-kin.

What he did react to, however, was the continued attacks against the beast. Another stone, some shouting, and it had had enough.

Only when the leopard disappeared into the trees did Rance wheel around. A moment after Kel shouted his worried query, the raven swooped down. He slowed his descent and transformed in midair, stumbling forward a step to catch Kel is a quick, breathless hug. "Yes, I'm okay. Fuck, that was stupid of me," he ended with a shaky chuckle giddy with the adrenaline rush. "Thank you for havin' my back, even when I'm an idiot."

No matter what, Kel was Rance's touchstone, a bright star in his life. Rance couldn't imagine a world in which he didn't know Kel. Two souls destined to intertwine, whether in bright, sparkling moments, or for eternity. For the week of darkness to come, they would share stories and warmth, both physical and not. Joy and laughter would fill what, for some, were days of sadness and terror. But for Rance and Kel, it would be a time of happiness that they could hold tight, no matter what the future held.

~ fin <3 ~