Fair-Weather'd Days

To the south of Corone was a quaint town. Normally, it was a quiet place, with nary a sound but the occasional squeak of a mouse or muttered “good morning”. But today, this town was not quiet.

This was the Dewsbury Harvest Festival, the celebration of a year’s fruitful agriculture. Literally, fruitful; Dewsbury was a settlement built on orchards, on the products of its trees and bees. All around were temporary stands selling honey, apples, pears, and goods baked out of those three things. There were games on every street corner. Decorations of faded green, white, and yellow ornamented the town. There were streamers and banners, but most striking were the glass baubles hung overhead. They were tied to tree branches, looped around street lanterns, and sold expensively on street corners. Local lore held that whispering a secret into one would keep the secret safe until the day the bauble broke.

In the midst of it all was a blindfolded woman, a white-cloaked drakari, and the little brown sparrow that perched on his head.

They walked hand in hand through the crowd, as Aynur had insisted. It was a reasonable request. Neither she nor Varin had any wish to lose each other in the crowd. That was, the Drakari often asserted himself, the main reason for this touching. There wasn’t any other reason for it. Her skin was warm and soft against his scales, as it always was. He was used to it by now.

Traveling with Aynur was a pleasant experience. It had been more than a month since the two had met, and they had begun to get along rather well as they skipped from place to place. He found himself almost -- dare he say -- relaxing around her. Aynur never pressed him for anything, and he was hoping he was doing the same for her.

“It smells good here,” she murmured above the chattering, laughing crowd. “I smell spices, and sweet foods, and… smoke?”

Varin’s snout wrinkled. He smelled it too. “There is a bonfire a few streets down,” the drakari explained. “That, and there is a good deal of cooking going on today.”

A relieved smile lit up Aynur’s soft berry-pink mouth. “I see. Thank you.”

Over time, Varin had become used to acting as a spare pair of eyes for his new friend. Her ability to see the auras of living things seemed to be more of a hassle than it was worth in crowded venues. “It is no issue. Ahh… Where would you like to visit first?”

“Oh, I’m not at all sure,” Aynur said, adjusting the blindfold wrapped snugly around her head. “What is there for us to to do?”

The pair ducked out of the way of an oncoming cart and floundered their way onto an empty bench. Varin took the opportunity to catch his breath. Navigating crowds was not his forte. Among all these throngs of people, he became a clumsy oaf. His tail and wings were often in the way of someone else, causing a stumble that he would have to mumble an apology for before scooting onward.

The way Aynur’s hand always went to her mouth to hide a petite smile seemed to suggest that she found it… cute? No, amusing. That was the word.

“What is there for us to do?” he pondered for her, rubbing a wing against his arm. “Quite a bit. I see some games lining this block. There is one, with a bell rigged to it, that I think is a test of strength? Another has bottles, and I believe one is supposed to knock them over. A game of ring-tossing exists too. There is also a stand filled with those lovely glass-bubble ornaments I described to you earlier. They seem to be for sale, if you want one. It would be nice if we visited one of the food stands as well.” Involuntarily, his forked tongue flicked out to run along the outside of his lips. “I do not know about you, but I would appreciate one of those powdered apple fritters if I have the money for it left.”

Arie bent over to chirp something into his ear.

“Yes,” he confirmed with a snort, “and seedcake for you.”

Aynur’s smile was dreamy. “Ahh…baked fruit, that sounds lovely. I also want to play that strength game with the little bell.” She turned to his general direction. “I quite like the sound of bells, it’s like a song, let’s do that.“

“Good! Then we shal-” Varin began, only to choke on his sentence.

For a moment, there was a gaze among the crowd that struck him as all-too-familiar. Glittering blue eyes winked at him, slitted, from under a deep hood. Something about the set of them was not quite right -- not quite human. He wondered...

“Varin?” Aynur gently shook him by the arm. “Is something amiss?”

Seconds trickled through Varin’s claws as he froze, staring out at the familiar face. Arie was stomping up and down on his head, her unusual way of showing him concern. He rubbed his eyes and peered back into the crowd. The phantasm was gone. “Nothing,” he told his ladyfriend and his bird with a shake of his head. She probably felt his hand quiver. Shaking it off, her stood up, Aynur following after. “I thought I saw… nevermind. Let us visit the strength game and enjoy our day, hrmm?”

Aynur was concerned, there were often times when Varin fell silent or went rigid from something. Generally someone coming in too close, or muttering the wrong thing, other times he had been the cause of a fall or trip. For someone so bulky he definitely was more the type to shy away. Aynur didn’t mind, she never usually did when it came to his silence. It was… peaceful, and she felt some form of unspoken bond between the two, words did not always need to be shared. But there was something amiss. The way his hand trembled in hers, the worried twitters that came from Arie, and the deep inhale and pause of breath. He almost seemed as though he were afraid. If Aynur didn’t have her blindfold on, she’d be able to read his emotions, but she also felt that often, it was an invasion of privacy.

Instead of pressing him, Aynur stood, pulling Varin from the bench with a smile. Deciding that whatever bothered him, she would do her best to alleviate it. “Yes, lets! I want to hear the bell chime, do you feel it may also relieve stress to smash something hard with a hammer?”

Aynur heard Varin snort, then snigger. “Yes, I suppose it would.”

His tone still sounded guarded, but Aynur was relieved she had managed to hear some sort of laughter from him. It always made her feel… what was it… warm? It was a pleasant warmth, and coupled with the golden hue that his aura took on lately, it made Aynur want to spend more time with him. At that, she stepped in closer, gripping his arm tightly as he lead her through the crowds. Aynur felt the leathery brush of his wing against her skin, and she knew he had wrapped it around her. That coupled with the warmth of his scaled skin against her own, it was comforting. "Almost as comforting as the orb of Alkieh." She thought to herself.

“I already feel safe around you, you do not have to do that, but I very much appreciate it.” Aynur turned toward the direction of Varin and gave him a warm smile.squeezing his hand tighter to show that she was just as much there for him as he was for her. She didn’t see his reaction, but Arie twittered excitedly and she could hear him shoo her away, to the point where the flutter of feathered wings tickled Aynur’s shoulder. “Aww, is he being mean to you?” Arie nipped affectionately at Aynur’s cheek.

Varin sounded indignant, defending himself. “She is the one who- ah...nevermind. Here, we’re here.” Varin sounded somewhat flustered, and it was as though the unease of the moments before were gone. “Did you want to try?”

“Yes!” Aynur nodded enthusiastically as she was carefully lead a few steps forward then right.Varin handed her a rather heavy mallet. “I shall step away in a few moments, and when I say go, you swing down as hard as you can, straight down.”

“Got it!” Aynur said, gripping the mallet tight. It felt like wood, and was slightly sticky. Varnish? Or remnant sweat of previous users. She was thankful of his ever thoughtful words and guide, with her blindfold on the world around her was black, but she enjoyed it just the same. Aynur swung high.

“You sure your...girlfriend isn’t gonna injure anyone like that?” a man said. If Aynur was being more attentive, she would have heard it, but she was too focused on holding the hammer tight, breath stilled in her small chest.

WHACK!

Aynur bought the mallet down hard, she felt it bounce off of something, but heard no ding. She heard a short whistle rise then fall. “Ahhh…” She said, exasperated. “How did I do?” She felt a rush, such a rush! That was fun! The heaviness of the mallet, the gentle bounce as it hit its target, the way her heart beat hard against he chest. Aynur's smile widened.

This was a fantastic day.

The ‘girlfriend’ comment that had come out of beefy, mustachioed human running the game made Varin’s tail curl shyly and his cheeks redden. Arie chirped in a sultry way, teasing him as she always did. He might have gone off on a flustered tizzy about how, no, they were merely traveling companions of the “somewhat close” variety. But, the great THWACK of Aynur’s swing distracted them all.

Vweeee-ooooo. The whistle rose and fell.

“Well,” Varin told her, twiddling his fingers together, “you, ahh, made it to nearly a fourth of the way to the top. I mean, that is, I believe that is a decent enough amount of the pole, but-”

“No prizes for you,” the strength man said, chuckling back at the little cloth animals lining the shelves behind him. There was an immense selection in various colors and sizes. All were soft. All were tantalizing. Varin, against his better nature, almost wanted one…

“Ohh.” Aynur sagged in disappointment. The hammer fell from her arms, which had been shaking from trying to hold onto its great weight.

Coin changed hands. Strength man grinned and turned to take a good, hard look at Varin. The drakari knew there wasn’t much to look at. He was short, slightly on the stocky side (by human standards), and about as intimidating as a swooning daisy. An easy mark, to the outsider’s eye. “Say, you want to give it a go for your girl?” the strength man whispered to him. “She seems real sad there.”

Still red about the snout, Varin nodded. “Why not?”

Gently moving Aynur aside, he picked up the hammer that she had been struggling with not a moment before. His mouth curled in disgust as he wiped clean the sticky handle. Varin tested its weight with a few quick practice swings. It didn’t feel all that heavy to him; humankind had fairly low standards for strength, he supposed.

Making sure that none were in his way, Varin grounded his stance, took aim and swung.

THWANK! The rubber-coated mallet head made contact with the plate, and splintered off of its handle. DING! the bell rang, loud and clear. CRACK! A large split appeared in the hull of the bell, splitting it near in half. VWOOOO-ooooo. The whistle slid downward. A moment of stunned silence ensued.

“Oh oh, oh no,” Varin sputtered, dropping the hammer -- rather, the handle. “My apologies, I did not mean t-”

“It’s fine,” the strength man managed to croak out, staring stunned up at the cracked bell. “I can- I can still run the game. Gonna be a fine tale to tell my son.” He waved vaguely to the stuffed animals. “Go… go get your lady a prize.”

The Ding! Aynur squealed in excitement, she jumped up and down and almost barrelled Varin over. “You won! You won!” She wrapped her arm around his, stumbling into his chest. She placed her palms on his torso to balance herself, beaming up at him. Aynur normally shied away from such things, but she was comfortable with the Drakari. “What happened, what was that cracking noise?”

“Your boyfriend broke the bell - and the hammer- but, no worries. As I said, it’ll be a good tale to tell. Now pick a prize.”

Aynur tilted her head, did she hear him right? Boyfriend? What exactly was that? What an odd phrasing. Varin was a male, and was indeed her friend, but it was a strange way to point it out. “Boy...friend?” She turned to Varin who grew tense in her grip. He shuffled away.

“Ah. Prizes. YES. Aynur, they have one that looks like Arie.” He gently took her by the shoulder and pushed her into the direction of the plushies. She felt him reach over her and press something soft and fuzzy into her hands. It was about the size of a watermelon. Aynur played around with it, turning it to and fro. She could feel tiny button eyes, and a wooden beak. Aynur grinned. “I feel it! But Arie is softer!”

The bird, as if on cue, gave an indignant chirrup and ruffled her feathers, nipping at Aynur’s ear. “Nothing could replace you.” Aynur crooned as she reached up to gently scratch the top of the spoilt avians head.

“I am glad you enjoy it.” Varin said, he sounded like he was smiling. That was good.

“Yes, I adore it.” Aynur hugged it tightly to her chest. It was like a fuzzy pillow.

Today was a glorious day, Aynur could feel the warm sun on her face, the happy and cheerful banter of other people. Varin was close to her, Arie nuzzled on her shoulder. They leisurely strode away from the bell, once again hand in hand. “I believe it is your turn, boyfriend. What do you wish to do?” Aynur asked innocently. Believing the word to be a term of endearment and nothing more.

Quote:

---

Bonus text;
Varin stared at the girl all innocent like, fuckin sun shining on her and shit, making her look like she was glowing, his birb. His darm birb was all loving up on her and nestling into her. What was this doki doki in his chest? WHAY WAS THE DOKI DOKI SO STRONG IN HIS KOKORO?

AMARI WROTE DAT NOT ME.

---

“B-boyfriend?” Varin stammered as she took him by the arm. He stood still as the crowd moved around them, his wings twitching shyly around himself. Was this what she really thought of him, or was she merely teasing? Teasing! Teasing! It must be. Arie must have rubbed off on her! Varin wrapped one wing around himself, as if to hide himself from everything. “I mean, we should approach the food stand with the fritters,” he mumbled, ignoring Arie’s triumphant twitterings.

“Yes! Let us go, Boyfriend Varin,” Aynur said enthusiastically, clutching him tightly with one arm, the other holding the plush bird.

Muttering something under his breath about how how was fairly sure that term was being used completely out of context -- though, he admitted that Tradespeak could be elusive to him at times -- Varin guided her through the crowd.

~ § ~ § ~ § ~

They were on the same bench as earlier. Though there was a chill on the autumn winds, Varin found the sunlight warm, and relaxing. There were fewer people here, which allowed Aynur to remove her blindfold. The two sat, shoulder against shoulder, relaxing and enjoying the moment of peace. Varin had his cinnamon apple fritters -- they were delicious -- and he had laid out a petite peanutbutter-seedcake on a napkin next to him for Arie to pick at.

Varin wasn’t as concerned as he used to be about the lack of space between him and the healer. “Would you like a fritter?” he asked quietly, offering her the little basket of pastries.

She rebuffed him with a shake of her head and a warm smile. “They’re all yours.”

Happy to acquiesce, closed his eyes and went back to munching his warm delights. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his scalp. Not a strong tug. Not a painful tug. A light hand. Someone was touching his hair, running their hands through the thick of his tangled tresses. Varin’s apple fritter nearly caught in his throat. The unexpected touch was sending shocked shivers down his spine.

“Your hair is undone,” Aynur observed as she continued to tease his hair. “It is not supposed to be braided?”

She was right; his hairties had fallen out at some point in the day, the weavings had unwoven, and the drying daisies had dropped off. Varin shrugged, holding a claw to his reddening muzzle. He… liked the touch. It felt calming, almost. Why? “Ahh, well. Arie does it up, you recall. I mostly ignore my mane unless it begins to get in my way,” he mused, forked tongue licking crumbs from his lips. “We have done so much skirting from place to place, and then with the strength game. It must have become undone from all the moving about we have done today.”

Arie glanced up and warbled at them in annoyance, clinching her wings tightly to her side.

“I know you worked hard on the braids,” Varin replied dryly. “My apologies.”

The bird rolled her whole head dismissively and dove back into her cake. At the same time, she was peeking up at his mane, perhaps wondering if she should join in the braiding. Aynur’s hands continued to twist through his tresses...

“Your hair may need some conditioning. I hear argon oil is good. Do you think we should pick some up today?” Aynur felt him stiffen at her words as she gently continued to work her fingers through his hair. She realized that, maybe, that was rude. “Oh… I’m sorry, that was rude.”

“No- It is fine. I just… thought of… nevermind.”

Aynur squinted, staring curiously at him. As he spoke, and then trailed off, a new colour appeared around his form. “Pink?”

“What!?” Varin sounded alarmed.

“Sorry, I do not mean to pry, but you have pink tinges around you. Ah… your aura that is. It looks kind of… nice, it is not something I am familiar with. Here… uh… Arie?” Aynur turned her attention to the bird, feeling a little flustered. Arie popped her head up from the cake, full cheeks and feathers covered in seed and crumb. “You have wonderful tastes. Would you be so kind as to fetch some flowers for his hair?” The bird swallowed, then looked down at the cake, back to her, then to the cake. She chirruped. “Don’t worry, we will ensure no one touches it.” With that confirmation Arie gave another chirp, and fluttered off.

“I am amazed she can still fly after eating so much.” Aynur said with an amused smile, leaning over Varin to watch the little brown bird flutter off. Pressing herself into his back.


Varin snorted, then touched his hand to his nose, as if embarrassed. “I am amazed that she gets anything done at all, what with her preoccupation with food and lus- ahh, indecent… things.”

Aynur finished braiding his hair, and using a thin strip of leather pulled from her handbag, she tied it up neatly, and shifted next to her companion. “Vairn, if you do not mind, may I be so bold as to say I’ve...really enjoyed our time together these past few months. I enjoy your company, and I enjoy Arie. I’m learning many new things.”

She paused to pull out the orb of Alkieh from her bag. “I feel… somewhat guilty, am I shirking my duties and responsibilities. Sometimes, the orb grows warm, and I feel I am doing good. Other times, it's a different warmth…” Aynur lowered her gaze, turning the luminescent glass in her hand. “It feels almost angry, but - I do not want our time together to end right now. Is that so wrong?” She glanced back up at Varin. His ember-orange eyes fixated on her, catching his gaze, she smiled. “I think I found my answer.”

Aynur gripped the orb tightly, bought it to her lips and pressed them to it. “I will guide your will, Lord Alkieh, do not fret.” Aynur placed the orb back into her bag. She settled herself back against the bench, resting a head against his shoulder as she watched the few people go by.

She furrowed her brows as she noticed one who looked… his aura’s colours were red, and black, and nothing else. “Varin… may I have my blindfold please?”

That orb…

Aynur’s “Lord Alkieh” always made him supremely uncomfortable. It was, as far as he was concerned, the most unsettling version of a pet rock one could have; a pet rock that told you what to do and how to feel. Sometimes, he had the odd feeling that it was- well, that perhaps it was staring at him. As if it were a giant eye, and it found his very presence ugly and distasteful. It wasn’t as if it was an unheard of reaction to him, but he didn’t like that it was coming from a rock of all things…

“Mmm? What?” he asked, still a bit dazed by the appearance of Aynur’s demon-rock-from-Soervia’s-most-hellish-collection, even after she had put it away.

A silver laugh fell from Aynur’s lips. “My blindfold, please,” she repeated patiently, holding out her hand. She tilted her head to the side. “Are you doing alright?”

“Yes, I assure you.” Careful not to move and disturb Aynur’s half-complete work on his hair, Varin produced the blindfold from the folds of his robe and handed it over. His mouth twisted into an uncertain frown as she tied it back over her face, shrouding her electric-blue eyes from sight. “If I may ask, what do you want it for?”

“I saw something unpleasant, it happens sometimes. I do not wish for it to sour an otherwise perfect day.”

Varin almost nodded, before he remembered that she could no longer see. “I understand,” he said softly.

All the same, he couldn’t help but glance aside into the thin crowd. His pupils narrowed with a fear he didn’t want to speak aloud, and his heart quickened a few paces. Unpleasant? If Aynur found something “unpleasant”, he believed her. Yet nothing seemed to be out of place. Nothing that he could see, anyway. A few other people loitered around the street, eating festival food and chatting merrily. The games were still roaring in success. There was a small group of cloaked figures that seemed a bit aloof from the festivities.

He wanted to worry; he felt as if he very much needed to be worried, but he was finding it difficult to further summon the emotion. Aynur’s soft hands were running through his hair again, blindly wrapping up the braid. The gentle, rhythmic touch was overriding his sharp survival instincts.

Or perhaps he was overreacting. Varin’s nose twitched, and he closed his eyes, allowing the moment to seep under his scales.

“Chirrup!” came self-righteously from overhead.

Varin scoffed and glanced up at Arie, who struggled with a beakful of bright orange flowers. “Welcome back,” he greeted stuffily as the bird swooped down into Aynur’s lap. She spat out the flowers and twittered something sarcastic his way. “I love you too,” he muttered back with another scoff.

Love.

That was an interesting concept for Aynur. She knew Varin spoke to Arie, whose clawed feet were happily tapping away at Aynur’s dress, and the words were not for her, but they piqued her interest. “Varin…” She began, “What is love? I know what it is, but how do you define it?” Curiosity fuelled Aynur’s question. It was something that was never discussed, she was always told that someone in her position were to keep themselves pure, for when their lord Alkieth returned.

The drakari’s mouth open and shut uncertainly for a moment as he formulated a proper answer. One could hear his teeth click together. “Well, if we were to speak of it in a technical manner, it is an intense feeling of deep affection. Perhaps, a strong platonic, or familial, or, ahh, romantic attachment to something other than oneself,” he mumbled. “Is that… is that an acceptable answer?”

It was. “So in a sense… I love the orb of Alkieh, it’s something… someone I have a deep feeling of honour towards.” She wasn’t sure if it was the same thing.

She could feel Varin shiver. “Honour and love are very different. Serving my master in Suthainn was supposedly an honour, but I did not love him.”

“Mmmm….” Perhaps Aynur didn’t understand it as well as she thought. Arie was busy, flying back and forth from Aynur’s lap to Varin’s hair, shoving twigs and flowers between his braids. At least, that’s what Aynur assumed was happening, it felt like it, and it sounded like it. She chanced a peek from under her blindfold and saw Varin. “You do not look comfortable with this conversation.” She grinned, “You are a golden pink hue.” He went to lift a paw to cover his face, but Aynur caught it in her own hand. “Don’t. It is a nice colour.”

She caught herself staring at him, and he at her. Although, his gaze drifted away every other moment. Aynur carefully shifted the blindfold back over her eyes, but not before reaching for the plush toy. Varin was right. It looked just like Arie, albeit rounder and bigger.

“If you’re tired, we can rest. We have had a busy day.” Aynur swung her legs over onto the bench, and rested her head in Varin’s lap. It wasn’t the first time she had done this. The first time was an accident, she had fallen asleep after a long journey, but she remembered how comforting it had felt, and this time, it was no different.

“What do you wish to do after this?”

After this? Varin stared down at Aynur’s head, resting on his lap, trying to come up with something he’d want to do. Nothing came to him. The day seemed perfect as it was -- in the moment. Dinner was a thought, but Varin knew he didn’t really have the coin left to buy them anything exceptional. He still had some fritters left, at least, squirreled away away in his robe pockets for later. His tail flicked contentedly. Mostly, he drakari just couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than what he had right now.

Aynur made him feel warm in spite of the chill. She hugged her cloth Arie-clone and sighed contentedly.

The real Arie, meanwhile, was glaring with beady blackberry eyes down at her stuffed likeness. Giving no prior warning, she hopped huffily off of Varin’s shoulder and onto the toy. With an imputent hackling of her tail feathers, the sparrow reached forth to rip one of its button eyes off. Varin bit his tongue in surprise. “Arie, no,” he said stiffly through clenched teeth, giving her a cross stare. “That is not yours to destroy!”

The bird flapped a wing dismissively at her. Defiantly, she plucked out the other eye. Plink, it sounded as it hit the bench.

“Ssssss,” Varin hissed halfheartedly at the mess. Cotton filling poked out of the holes where the eyes once were. “You know what? Fine. I’ll fix it later.”

Glaring at his happy avian friend as she scampered back up onto his head, Varin sighed and rubbed his forehead. Sometimes, his little companion’s misbehavior gave him headaches. “I’m sorry about that,” he murmured to Aynur.

Aynur breathed, almost mumbled. “Mms’okay.” She rolled her body in toward his, one hand squeezing the plush fake-Arie. Had she even noticed what happened?

This was. Well. This was closer than he was, even now, used to being to his new friend. “A-Aynur,” he stammered back. “I still feel- I should apologize for-” For what? Arie’s behavior? But Aynur was already okay with that. He had the odd impression that there was something he needed to apologize for, but he wasn’t sure… Maybe it was this odd quivering in his chest. It felt right, yet, impure. “I am sorry, but, I think… I might like you too much. I have always been told that, well, perhaps I should not find a mate. The other castes of my lands, they are all above me. And the other sentients, humans and elves and the like, they are beneath me.” Gently, he reached out to brush a curl of brown hair back from her forehead. “But, when I am with you, I feel as if I have an equal.”

In reply, Aynur gave off a small, nickering snore. Varin blinked, and felt embarrassed, his face warming. She had been asleep the whole time.

“Nevermind,” he murmured, giving her hand a squeeze. “We can discuss it another time." She squeezed tightly back.

Name of Thread: Fair Weather'd Days
Type of Judgement: Workshop Submission

Rewards:

VarWenn receives:
1430 EXP
195 GP

Aynur receives:
1248 EXP
156 GP

Inclusive of Althanas Day rewards 3x.
Workshop Submission, cost 2 AP, taken from Aynur who submitted judgement request.

"Dragonborn had a well-known dedication to honor, but how deeply rooted this trait was remains debatable. However, all dragonborn tended to view all living things, even hated dragons, as deserving of courtesy and respect. To dragonborn, honor was more than a word and was often considered more important than life itself."
Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, James Wyatt (June 2008). Player's Handbook 4th edition, Dungeons and Dragons.

“Words make you think. Music makes you feel. A song makes you feel a thought.”
― E.Y. Harburg

All rewards have been added.