forum "Loud Thieves, Clumsy Princesses, Kleptomaniac Witches and Pyromaniacal Knights"

Started April 25, 2023 by @lord-of-the-carnival group

tune

Naveil was almost above the canopy. He could feel the breeze, the openness, the freedom, almost.
"PATO! HELP ME!"
Stars above. He groaned loudly, not that anyone could hear him.
It's not that he didn't care about the kid. Of course he cared. Otherwise, he'd've left Salmook in a ditch by now.
But the kid was clingy. Clingy like snow on a branch, like a fly on a carcass, like a… he was running out of comparisons.
He begrudgingly dropped from the tree, landing neatly on his feet.

Salmook sniveled and risked a glance at the strangers. There were three now. Three?!
What did they want him?! They was all confusing-looking… like they were trying not to be scary, but it wasn't working.
Like they were all wearing slightly melted masks. He wiped at his face instinctively, unaware he had even been tearing up.
Naveil wouldn't want him to cry. Naveil would just look at him funny until he stopped, like he didn't understand how faces could leak.
Salmook made himself looked at a stranger, the one who'd spoken to him first.
His throat still clenched, and his words sounded like two rocks scraping together.
"I… yeah I'm a- sniff Fine. I'm fine."

Resh risks a glance back at the child. “I… I can leave, if you want. I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice is lowered to nearly a whisper as he speaks.

Juni lightly touches Resh’s shoulder, silently telling him she was going to go elsewhere. She flares her wings and flies up to a nearby tree, hiding within the foliage.

Harper looks back at the scene with the child when he yelled. I probably shouldn’t get involved. Hope he’s alright though… She shifts on her feet, before moving to a place with a few less people around her. She sits down in the grass, placing down her spear next to her.

Naveil pushed past Resh. Big brute. Should've minded his own business.
He stood above the kid disapprovingly. What was he supposed to do with Salmook?
Complete and utter dead weight in every sense of the word. But he couldn't just leave him.
"Quit it, or I'll give you a reason to cry."
…That came out wrong. Naveil winced.
"You know what I meant. Stop crying."

Resh flinches slightly and quickly stands up. “…Sorry. I… I’ll just leave now.” He turns and flies into the same tree Juni is in. You fucking idiot, what were you thinking- He sits next to Juni.

Juni narrows her eyes at Naveil. This didn’t seem like the right way to treat a scared child… she watches the interaction from her perch, leaning against Resh comfortingly when he sits next to her in the tree. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Resh.”

Asani was still hiding. nobody seems to have noticed her… exept for aibhe, who was too overwhelmed to respond to anything anymore.

Salmook forced himself to breathe regularly. He wiped his eyes until they stung, and he kept them closed.
He had to reason with himself to stop sniffing. That's just how Naveil helps. It's ok, and it was ok, and it'll always be ok.
Salmook felt Naveil's grip on his arm, and he was on his feet getting dragged along again.
He didn't know where. Everything was still blurry.
"I'm sorry, Pato."
Naveil didn't respond.

Naveil's behaviour does not sit well with Killué.

At all.

So, being the kind kid that they are - that's also severely intolerant of people being assholes to other people around them - they let Naveil off with a warning.

"Stop being a jackass." they say politely but bluntly.

Naveil glanced at the forest-vomit creature, his chest heaving in exasperation. Another "ouch-ow" from Salmook.
"Quiet. You're fine." Naveil grunted.
Salmook nodded obligingly and hushed himself. That was the one of the few good things about the kid – a sort of unquestioning loyalty that Naveil appreciated. He looked back towards the forest-vomit… did it call itself Keelball?
"Jackass? That's new. The kid's fine, if that's what you're harassing me for."

Killué's eyes narrow and their tail swishes slightly, a sure sign that bad times were about to be had.

"Your definition of 'fine' seems to be a little skewed." they reply. "Crying and clear indications that you're hurting someone such as an 'ow' or an 'ouch' or even a sharp breath makes even the stupidest people stop and think, 'am I doing the right thing?'"

Salmook drew closer to Naveil. He didn't like it here. Why was he here?
This is how Naveil always was. And it kept them both safe, didn't it?
He wanted to reason with the strangers. He felt fine, just a little sore in his arm.
But Naveil had told him to be quiet, so that's what he'd do.
With his free hand, he plucked a few shellfruits from his pocket and cracked them in his teeth. It made him feel a little better.

If looks could kill, Keel-something would be laying in a pool of blood right now. Naveil shot daggers at them, somewhat perturbed by the height difference, but defensive either way.
"So you're calling me stupid, then?"
He glanced back down at Salmook. The kid was chewing on a few berries he'd had on him before he got warped here. They locked eyes for a moment, and Salmook strained a smile.
Alright, bad example. He huffed and returned his attention to the forest-vomit.

Killué, being Killué, was not perturbed by Naveil's stare - they didn't know enough to be afraid of death, and honestly, they might not care anyways.

"Currently, yes." they say.

Naveil scoffed. Well, at least they were honest.
He let go of Salmook's arm, and the kid stared up at him in complete and utter confusion. He gave his newly-freed arm a little shake, and he put the hand in his pocket. Still cracking on the shellfruit, he murmured a "thanks," but it was unclear who he meant it to.
"There. Happy? Happy enough to mind your own business?"

(lol- alright, i do get the annoyance of having to write multiple POVs)

"Actually, no, I'm not very happy." Killué replies. "Because this doesn't change the fact that you were being unkind in the first place."

Unkind? Unkind?
Did this thing know where he was from? Of course not, Naveil answered himself.
Just look at them. They were probably from someplace cushy and safe, like this forest, even.
"Where we're from," A matter-of-factness was seeping into his tone, "kindness gives you nothing besides issues."

"Where I'm from, a slight mishap can and will end up with hooks embedded into your cold, dead flesh with bits of you being auctioned off for gourmet seafood dishes. But I still do my best to be kind, despite heving nearly lost my tail." Killué says darkly, turning so Naveil can see the milky white scar that disturbed the patterns of the tail. "Because kindness can save lives. So if you'll excuse me, I'll continue to not mind my own business so long as you're being an insensitive, rude, inconsiderate jackass."

Naveil rolled his eyes. They talk a lot, don't they? It took a few moments for it to really sink in.
"So you're… hunted, then?"
That… changes things. Not by much, but at least they've some common ground. His main question was how exactly would that make anyone kinder? This thing's sense of self-preservation was all wrong. He snorted.
"I'm keeping the kid as fine as I can. He doesn't need a blizzard's worth of eyes on him."

"Yes, I'm hunted. Sirens and siren half-breeds-" (they think they're a full siren, as a matter of fact; just as a note, lol) "-are highly valued for their tails, feathers, and meat." Killué nods.

"Yes, but he also needs kindness. You're 'raising' him to be cold and inconsiderate, two traits that will get him killed deader than if he were kind. Be kind to the higher ups, and they'll protect you. Be rude to them and everyone else, and you'll wind up dead or worse." they say.