forum "This was NOT how I thought this day was going to go." (Closed)

Started December 26, 2022 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

Farah was shocked as she felt Ōn’nyosh's hatred of Andreas, but she noted the surprise on everyone's faces when she made the first move and agreed to play. She inhaled and lifted her chin. "I am willing," she said simply. "And if I wanted to cut off his balls, I would've done it by now. But I appreciate your offer."

With that, she lifted her hands up to Ōn’nyosh's shoulders and massaged them lightly. Her lips moved slightly as she counted, and when she reached ten, she yanked her hands away and let out a shaky breath. "Alright," she murmured, looking anywhere but at Ōn’nyosh. "Someone else go now."

Kle rolled her eyes and reached for the dice. She flung them with reckless abandon, and when it landed on Kiss and Neck, her eyes lit up. The woman lowered her lips to Andreas's neck and began to kiss heatedly. Farah immediately looked away. Andreas tilted his head back and groaned with pleasure. The moment lasted longer than the ten seconds.

(I actually rolled for Ōn’nyosh’s result, lol)

---

“You may say you’re willing, but you’re not completely,”Ōn’nyosh commented.

He chuckled at her next words. At the very least, she’d appreciated his offer. That was good enough, for now.

Ōn’nyosh stayed still, his head tilted forward enough that his hat completely obscured the unusual shyness in his eyes from Andreas and Kle. His shoulders were tense, very tense, both from his concern for Farah and his rage at Andreas.

When Farah moved away, Ōn’nyosh glanced at her with that continued concern. He then turned away and lifted his head, his eyes stern as he watched Kle. He didn’t give a shit about their privacy. Just watching this woman so eagerly touch Andreas pissed him off more.

“Fucking amateurs. It takes you longer than ten seconds to finish that? Seriously? And, was that groan even real? Truly, you two are putting way too much effort into it. Fucking idiots. By the way, you never said how the winner is determined,”Ōn’nyosh said.

He grabbed the dice then and rolled, having no patience to watch Andrea go next. Bite and Lip. Ōn’nyosh couldn’t help a chuckle.

“Fucking vampires. They’re always haunting me somehow,”he said with a snicker. Ōn’nyosh then turned to Farah, and his gaze became gentle.

“I will not force myself upon you,”he said.

(Damn, you’re method 😂 I didn’t for Farah’s specifically to start out slow)

Farah had noticed the tenseness of Ōn’nyosh's shoulders, and she kept glancing over at him, trying to read his emotions.

Kle eventually drew her lips away from Andreas’s skin. “He’s no fun, Andreas,” she moaned. “His assholeishness is killing our mood. Does he have to be her partner? We could go pick out some cute guy sitting at the bar for her instead."

Farah couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Kle was talking about recruiting some stranger she never met to play this obscenely sexual game with her. He would have his hands and lips all over her body. She shuddered at the disgusting thought. And sure, Ōn’nyosh was a stranger, but at least he was respecting her boundaries.

"Absolutely not,” she said as Ōn'nyosh rolled the dice. She inhaled sharply at the result.

Andreas noticed her action and smirked. “It’s more about how the losers are determined. The couple that won’t go through with one of their actions loses.”

Farah turned his words over in her head and met Ōn’nyosh’s gaze. She was surprised by the gentleness of it and his words, but she nodded. “You aren’t. I am willing,” she replied, repeating her words from earlier. With that, she tilted her face towards him and closed her eyes, waiting for the moment to come. Her heart was racing.

(Oops, lol. Well, now there’s a bit of chaos in the game. And, Ōn’nyosh is already a chaos incarnate, so yeah, lmao!)

---

Ōn’nyosh’s eyebrow rose in disdain at Kle’s words.

“Seriously? She’s an even bigger bitch than you, Andre-ass. Besides, Kle, your partner’s asshole is far bigger than mine. It needs to be to take in all the attention he’s getting from the old dragons,”Ōn’nyosh snorted.

Ōn’nyosh heard Farah’s sharp inhale and suppressed a sigh. His eyes then locked on Andreas, glaring.

“You know continuing to withhold information from all the players is a bad move in Narsenshard, right? It is practically blasphemous, particularly since this world is full of merchants and jesters getting fat off of gamblers and sightseers. Makes me tempted to bite your lip instead of Farah’s,”Ōn’nyosh commented.

Farah’s words nagged at him. Ōn’nyosh knew she wasn’t. He knew she would gladly quit if she had another option. Considering that, he didn’t understand why she wouldn’t just break Andreas’ legs and drag him back to her homeworld. The bastard deserved it, that was for damn sure.

Ōn’nyosh quickly pushed aside those thoughts though, so he could focus on the task at hand. He grabbed his hat and thumped the edge of it on his arm. It shrank from a hat into a comb. Ōn’nyosh then stuck it in a hidden shirt pocket.

Afterward, he simply leaned forward and kissed Farah. Then, he, very gently, bit her bottom lip, holding it almost delicately between his teeth. There was no desire in his actions, no hunger at all. It was more like he was trying to reassure her.

Counting in his head, Ōn’nyosh released her when ten seconds passed. That gentleness in his eyes remained as he leaned back, but when he turned to Andreas, it vanished into another glare.

He then casually flicked his wrist, a card popping out of his sleeve and into his hand, then lazily threw the card at Andreas. It lightly bounced off his forehead and landed on the table, face up.

Curious what it was, Ōn’nyosh grabbed the card and looked at it. It was a green, diamond-shaped gem, with the word ‘Jade’ written on all four edges. He burst into laughter.

“I hit you with an Ace of Jade. That’s fucking hilarious!”

(I rolled for this one. Both Andreas and Farah. I think what I got was surprisingly appropriate for each of them 😉)

Andreas glared at Ōn’nyosh and gripped Kle's hips so hard that she yelped. "Andreas!"

The man let her go and curled his fingers into tight fists instead. "Would you shut the fuck up? I've never even met a fucking dragon, dickhead. And you fucking wish you could bite my fucking lip."

Farah did her best to keep from smirking at the entire exchange. She was glad that Andreas was finally getting his, in the form of Ōn’nyosh. But as much as she wished to use… different methods of getting Andreas back to the Otherworld, she was too noble of a woman to do so.

She gasped quietly, only for Ōn’nyosh to hear, as he kissed her and took her bottom lip between his teeth. Farah kept her eyes closed and focused on trying not to breathe too hard. It seemed to last much longer than ten seconds, but maybe that was Farah's sped-up counting.

Finally, he pulled away, and she exhaled slowly. The way he had taken her lip… it was hardly considered a bite. But Andreas and Kle didn't need to know that, or they might make them go at it again.

When she opened her eyes again, a playing card was bouncing off of Andreas's forehead. He swatted at the thing, but it was too late. It had already landed on the table, much to Ōn’nyosh's delight.

"The Ace of Jade?" Farah asked, curious as to what it was. "I've never heard of such a card before. What exactly does it mean?"

Andreas had his eyes narrowed at Farah. "Stop encouraging him."

She cast a withering glare at him. "You have no say over my actions, Andreas. I'm not some puppet you can make obey you."

Kle frowned, but she reached for the dice and passed them to Andreas. Eager to get moving with the game, he rolled. The dice clattered across the table, stopping with the next command. Suck. Surprise.

"Oh thank God," he said, eagerly tugging Kle's shirt down to expose her upper chest. Again, Farah quickly looked away, her face bright pink with embarrassment as Andreas left a large hickey on Kle's breast. "Your turn, Far," Andreas remarked, nipping at the mark before pulling away.

The nickname made Farah's composure snap. "Don't call me that," she hissed, betraying the most emotion in her words and expression since she'd come to Narsenshard. Her lithe fingers snatched the dice, and she tossed them onto the table again, praying for something other than Suck.

Kiss. Lips. She froze for a moment before looking to her game partner. "You're alright with this, Ōn’nyosh?" she asked quietly.

(Lol!)
(‘Stop encouraging him’. Lmao! That’s been uttered so many times, and it never works!)

---

Ōn’nyosh’s eyes narrowed slightly when Kle yelped. So, Andreas really could be abusive, even when his anger was aimed at someone else. Nice to know that he had another reason to hate the fucking guy.

“You already said that. And my answer’s still ‘no’. And, it’s truly shocking that you haven’t met a dragon yet. Narsenshard is fucking full of dragons! Hell, the Bank of Naskeni is led by a damn dragon! Oh, I do wish. Because I intend to bite the fucker clean off!”Ōn’nyosh retorted.

Farah’s gasp seemed to echo in Ōn’nyosh’s ears, but he made sure not to react to it. He didn’t want to overstep her boundaries, and he also still wanted to reassure her that he would respect those boundaries regardless of their current situation.

Ōn’nyosh grinned at Farah, still snickering about the card. He then showed it to her, completely ignoring Andreas’ comment. He snickered at her words though.

“Jade is one of the suits. There’s also Amethyst, Topaz, and Black Onyx. Jade is usually for Luck. Amethyst for Clarity. Topaz for Fortune. And, finally, Onyx for Strength. So, basically, you can say that I just stole all of Shit-Beard’s luck,”Ōn’nyosh explained with a laugh.

Ōn’nyosh watched Andreas, snorting at his outburst.

“God? Which one? The shiny virgin idiot or the vile, old hunchback whose entire body is, literally, made of shit?”Ōn’nyosh asked.

He continued to shamelessly watch, but he also studied every move Andreas made. It was like the man was desperate, almost in an overdramatic way. Was he always like that? Or was it just because of Ōn’nyosh’s irritating antics that he was so in need of distraction? Maybe Ōn’nyosh could make him a little more desperate, just enough to make the man snap and give Ōn’nyosh reason to fuck him up.

“You know, if you’re that desperate to get in somebody’s clothes, why not find you a better whore? Naskeni is full of brothels.”

Ōn’nyosh gazed at Farah in mild surprise at her tone. He made a mental note never to call her ‘Far’, if any nicknames at all.

He then saw what she rolled and looked at Farah with the same gentle look as before.

“I think it’s obvious by now that I’m a whore with women. But, I have one rule. As long as you are willing, I always will be,”Ōn’nyosh replied softly.

Farah studied the card with interest and listened to Ōn’nyosh's explanation about the suits. "Interesting. In the Otherworld, we use First World playing cards with suits of Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. But don't get too excited. It's not like he had much, to begin with."

Andreas growled slightly. "Shut up, Far," he snapped, trying to entice her on purpose.

She inhaled sharply and clenched her jaw to keep from responding with an angry outburst. The amount of restraint she was showing was incredible. But it was this control that had led her to become the most powerful fairy currently in the Otherworld.

As she calmed herself down, Farah glanced briefly at Ōn’nyosh as he questioned which god Andreas was referring to. "He isn't speaking of your deities," she explained. "It's a First World religion."

Kle's eyes widened slightly at Ōn’nyosh's suggestion. "I'm not a whore, you asswipe," she snarled. "And Andreas would never go to a brothel if he has me. I let him get in my clothes whenever he wants!"

Farah arched an eyebrow. "You're saying that like it's something to be proud of."

The girl glared at Farah now, taking in her appearance for seemingly the first time. "And you? You've got a stick so far up your ass that you could be anyone's puppet. I'll bet that you're probably still a virgin, and you won't even kiss him like you're supposed to," she jeered, pointing to Ōn’nyosh.

Farah's normally docile temper flared up. She tensed visibly at Kle's degrading remarks, but she didn't make any motion to stand up. Instead, she wordlessly leaned toward the jester and pressed her soft, warm lips against his.

“Hmm… Intriguing set of suits. Well, if he had so little, then he has none now,”Ōn’nyosh said with a chuckle.

“Fuck off, Dragon-Fuck-Toy,”Ōn’nyosh immediately retorted to Andreas, even though the man had been talking to Farah.

Ōn’nyosh noted the amount of restraint Farah had. It was interesting, but he was also aware that it came at a cost. He didn’t want to get caught at the wrong end of her wrath. Which explained why Andreas wasn’t attacking Ōn’nyosh yet.

“Really? One god for a religion? That’s pitiful. Let Falbahaddon meet this ‘God’. He won’t last two minutes in the funky fucker’s presence. And, I honestly hate to say that. Falbahaddon is a creepy motherfucker! And, I know that for a fact because I’ve met him!”Ōn’nyosh replied.

“You know you just described yourself as the sheer definition of a whore? You know that, right? Or, are you just that big of a dumbass whore?”Ōn’nyosh asked Kle.

“Says the woman who has Dragon-Fuck-Toy’s tiny-ass stick shoved so far up her ass that she can’t see how much of a whore she is,”Ōn’nyosh commented.

He was too busy coming up with more insults in his head to notice Farah’s approach until she kissed him. Ōn’nyosh blinked, but didn’t fight it. And, even though he was tempted to eagerly kiss her lovely soft lips back, he held himself in check. He still didn’t want to overstep, and he had been caught a bit off guard by her kiss, so he wasn’t sure what her attitude was with it.

Kle jutted out her bottom lip and turned back to Andreas. "I'm not a whore, am I?" she asked quietly.

Andreas cast a sharp glare at Ōn’nyosh and looked back at his girlfriend right after. "No, baby. He's just a dick."

Meanwhile, on the opposite couch, Farah was in turmoil. Between Ōn’nyosh barely kissing her back and Kle's comments playing over and over in her head, the fairy broke away immediately when the ten seconds were up. They barely even had a chance to kiss properly.

Kle reached for the dice as Andreas gave a low boo. "That was barely even a kiss! With all that talk about putting on a show, I hoped for something a bit nastier than that. When did you decide to become celibate?" His eyes narrowed on Farah. "I think Kle was right. Tell us, Farah. Are you a virgin?"

The woman said nothing in response and gave nothing away with her expression. She was clearly unmoving, but inside, she was pulsing with emotions that wanted to be let out. Farah stubbornly held them back.

“You are a whore. I am a dick. And, your ass is waiting for me,”Ōn’nyosh replied, pointing at Andreas.

Ōn’nyosh could tell Farah was upset. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but he knew that Kle was a major component. And, possibly himself as well. Fuck, this farce needed to end.

Ōn’nyosh’s eyes became a vicious glare as Andreas spoke. Farah was holding her tongue quite well, but Ōn’nyosh didn’t have that amount of discipline. Nor did he have the patience to deal with people like Andreas.

“Tell me, Fuck-Boy, is this all a show just for you? Just a way for you to torment Farah and watch her squirm? Hm? If so, why didn’t you say that in the first fucking place? I’m a goddamn professional asshole. If you wanted a show, you should’ve just asked!”Ōn’nyosh hissed.

He stood and moved over to Andreas’ side, putting one knee on the couch and leaning toward Andreas. He flicked his wrists, two cards appearing, and held them out toward Andreas.

“Pick one. If you get an Ace, I sit down and this farce continues. If you get a Joker, then… well, why spoil the surprise? There always needs to be a wildcard,”Ōn’nyosh bade, his tone showing no room for refusal.

Andreas narrowed his eyes. "How do I know that you don't have two Jokers?" he demanded.

But before he had a chance to pick, Farah abruptly rose to her feet. "You were right. I shouldn't have done this," she said, her words directed to Ōn’nyosh. "And you shouldn’t have been forced into this because of my stupid insistence to play in the first place. I apologize." With that, she hurried from the room.

But not before Andreas could throw one last dig at her retreating back. He gave a low whistle to catch her attention, then spoke. “Hey, Far. Is this why you and Silva split? Because you couldn't please him in bed?"

Farah whirled around, her eyes darkened with anger. "That's a low strike, even for you, Andreas," she snapped. Still, she would not let lose her magic. “And how dare you speak of him that way? He was your friend."

"Until he fucking stabbed me,” Andreas snarled in reply. Kle’s expression became clouded. Clearly, she knew none of this.

"Bastard!" Farah swore, her emotions only rising higher the longer she fought with him. "You betrayed us! You stayed loyal to Rosalind after she gave the order to murder an entire civilization!"

“What a hypocrite you are, Farah Dowling,” Andreas growled, sitting up and pushing Kle off his lap so he could stand. The poor girl looked more confused than ever. “It was your magic that did it!"

Farah was frozen with shock. The pain and regret reflected on her face. After all that she'd done to try and forget, it was all being thrown back in her face. By Andreas of all people.

Finally, she couldn't hold herself back any longer. Her eyes glowed silver-blue, and Andreas was flung back through the air. Kle screamed as he hit the wall and fell to the floor, wincing as he pushed himself back up. Her eyes continued to glow as, for a moment, she tapped into her air magic and sucked the air from Andreas's lungs. The former Specialist gasped for breath, holding his throat and scowling at Farah. She maintained her poisonous glare and exhaled heavily. Her magic receded, and Andreas sucked in a panicked breath. He coughed violently for a moment, a worried Kle at his side. Finally, flushed and adequately humbled for the moment, he met Farah's eyes again, which had turned back to their natural brown.

"I hope someday you'll realize what your actions allowed," she spoke through gritted teeth. "And the effect it had on others. This isn't just your world, Andreas. Other people matter. And not just the whores you spend the entirety of your waking hours with." With that, she turned around again and stormed out of the room, not looking back.

(Lol)

---

“You don’t, until you pick one,”Ōn’nyosh said with a grin. In truth, both cards were indeed Jokers.

Farah’s words startled Ōn’nyosh out of his attempt to fuck with Andreas. He quickly recovered though, and was glad Farah was getting out of this horrible situation. Andreas then decided to put one last word in.

If it wasn’t for Farah’s reaction, Ōn’nyosh would’ve decked him at that moment. But, instead, he listened and watched closely to the pair, learning quite a few things.

He then watched in surprise and fascination as Farah magically threw Andreas into the wall and sucked the air out of his lungs until he nearly suffocated. Farah then spoke and left. Ōn’nyosh nearly followed her, but paused. He hadn’t made his contribution yet to wrecking Andreas’ day.

Casually, Ōn’nyosh strode over to Andreas, staring down at him with a sadistic grin.

“We were never formerly introduced, were we? You know my name, yes, but you don’t know who I am, or what I am. You’re about to find out,”Ōn’nyosh cooed.

Then, like a striking snake, Ōn’nyosh brutally stomped on Andreas’ groin. And, while the man was dealing with that pain, he grabbed his chin with one hand and held one of his eyes open with the other. Ōn’nyosh then spat with shocking accuracy right into his eye, holding the eye shut for a moment before releasing Andreas and stepping back.

“I am of a race called the Ssuthorai. And, what you are likely only learning now, is that my race has venomous spit and blood. My venom, in particular, attacks muscles, making them rot away. If enough gets in your bloodstream via a cut, you die. But, in your case, you’ll only lose an eye, and about half your face. There’s no cure, either. And healing potions can’t repair that sort of blindness, or replace anything that falls off. Have fun!”Ōn’nyosh casually explained.

He then grabbed the comb from his pocket, thumped it against his arm, turning it back into his hat, and walked out. Then, with the door to the private room still open, Ōn’nyosh called out to the tavern.

“My fellow tavern hounds! I have discovered a woman-beater in this room, with proof in the form of his idiot girlfriend. Check her hips and breasts, he left marks. Do with him what you will! Just keep in mind the rule of ‘maim, don’t kill’. And, mind his eye, it won’t last long.”

Ōn’nyosh then casually headed for the bar. Within moments, a group of six half-drunk, and now pissed off, construction workers entered the private room, blocking Andreas in. All of them were big, and all of them were used to bar fights. Andreas would be extraordinarily lucky to escape unscathed. Which was exactly why Ōn’nyosh had announced his presence to the tavern.

He ordered a half glass of whiskey, his usual, then downed it in a single gulp. After that, Ōn’nyosh paid the bartender for the drink, then paid him for the likely damages to occur in the private room. Then, he went searching for Farah.

Andreas writhed with pain, crying out with agony and rage, and Kle's eyes widened with fear. She scrambled to get away from Ōn’nyosh and whimpered when the six men entered the room.

Farah was still furious as she pushed her way through the tavern. She couldn't decide if she wanted a drink, if she wanted to strike someone, or if she just wanted to leave. The fairy eventually decided on the latter, despite aching for the relief of alcohol, and made her way to the doors of the wretched place.

Once outside, she took a deep breath of air that wasn't stale with the scent of bodies or beer. This wasn't what she came here for. It was to retrieve something for the Queen of Solaria and return with it within maybe a day. Not this.

Not discovering the thing she had to retrieve was not a "what" but a "who." Not the "who" being Andreas of Eraklyon. Not being tormented by a sexual dice game and having to make moves on a complete stranger while simultaneously trying to maintain a grasp on her pride. Not suffering verbal insults only to quit. Not being reminded of her failed relationship.

Not reliving the most traumatic day of her life.

Farah closed her eyes tightly, but after a moment, she opened them again and took another deep breath. She refused to cry here, in the middle of this strange city, because of Andreas and his skanky girlfriend.

"Gods help me," she whispered, feeling the overwhelming need to release her magic after using it against Andreas. That was a release for only a fraction of the emotion she felt. Now her magic wanted to go from a trickle to a roar. It took an incredible amount of self-control, but she restrained it. It was eating her up inside.

Ōn’nyosh had already figured that Farah had left the tavern. Stockist’s Bay wasn’t the sort of place a woman like Farah would linger in, especially after what Andreas had done. So, it was actually pretty easy to find her, considering that she was on the tavern’s porch.

Her eyes were closed for a moment, then they opened. He then heard her whisper as he drew near to her and he snorted.

“The gods are idiots. They won’t be of any use.”

He moved to stand beside her, leaning on the front railing of the porch. He avoided her gaze for a moment, sensing her anger and the magic that radiated off of her. He hadn’t realized how powerful she was until now. Then, he glanced at her, his gaze soft and patient.

“You look like you need to hit something. I could show you a few places nearby where the mayor and his ilk don’t mind. Though, if you want to avoid me for the rest of eternity, I get it,”Ōn’nyosh said.

A moment passed, then Ōn’nyosh turned to her again.

“On the bright side, Andreas won’t be a problem for a while. By the time he walks out that door, if he’s even able to walk, he’ll likely be half dead from beatings, and he’ll be missing a chunk of his face, thanks to me. I hate people like him, and so do the laborers around here.”

Ōn’nyosh then straightened and took out a metal flask from one of his many hidden pockets. He took a swig from it, wiped off the lip of the flask, then closed it. He then glanced at Farah once more.

“Want a sip? It’s only wine, but it’s better than nothing,”Ōn’nyosh offered.

Farah jumped in surprise when she heard someone snort behind her, and the shock coursing through her body sent a crackle of electricity through the air. She whipped around, then relaxed a bit seeing it was only Ōn’nyosh.

"Not your gods," she replied softly, gripping the railing again and looking out over the bustling streets. So many people… and Farah hated crowds. She inhaled slowly to calm her anxiety and continued. "The gods of the Otherworld. Though as many times as I've spoken to them here, I don't think they can hear me. Not with all that's happened since I've arrived."

She was aware of his presence as he moved beside her and eventually looked over. She didn't look back at him, yet, keeping her eyes trained on the buildings in the distance.

But when he spoke, Farah turned her head and met his gaze. Did she really look as upset as she felt? She was usually better at hiding her emotions than that. But the emotions Andreas had stirred up inside of her had been feelings she hadn't felt in sixteen years.

"No," she replied, quietly. "I don't want to avoid you." Though as the words passed her lips, Farah was shocked by the truth of them. As vulgar and rude as Ōn’nyosh was, he had been respectful to her and defended her against Andreas. And they'd technically shared a kiss, even though it was only their lips touching lightly for ten seconds. Not even a real kiss.

Farah's eyes widened at Ōn’nyosh's words. Sure, she hated Andreas for what he'd done at Aster Dell, but… well, she supposed seeing him half-dead would be more of what she would've expected to find anyway. Saul told her that he had killed Andreas at Aster Dell. Ran him through with his blade.

At his offer, Farah reached for the flask and took a long drink. Longer than she should've. But the alcohol was a relief, even if it was only for a moment. She wiped the lip and extended it back to him.

"Thank you," she murmured, looking away from him again. "And I don't need to hit anyone. I just need to release my magic. It comes from my emotions, and right now, I'm overwhelmed." She hadn't meant to tell him all that, but she supposed he must already have questions he was itching to ask her, especially after all that Andreas had said before she'd left.

An eyebrow rose at the sight of the electricity. Ōn’nyosh then chuckled.

“My apologies if I startled you. I have a tendency of being a sneaky bastard,”he commented.

He shrugged at her words.

“The way I see it, gods are gods, regardless of the world they govern. And, all of them are idiots,”he replied.

It was good to know that she didn’t want to avoid him. It was even soothing. Particularly after the nonsense Andreas had put them through.

Ōn’nyosh watched patiently as Farah had a good, long drink. He didn’t mind. He actually preferred whiskey for this sort of situation, but, while he was still near Farah, whiskey was a bad idea. For one, it took a lot of booze for Ōn’nyosh to actually get drunk. Two, once he was drunk, he typically didn’t remember what he did. And, from what several bartenders have told him, when he was drunk he became incredibly mellow, but wouldn’t shut up about his bedroom fantasies.

“Of course,”he replied, taking his flask and stashing it in a pocket.

“I get it. Pretty much it’s the magical equivalent of needing to hit something,”Ōn’nyosh said dramatically, chuckling as he tried to inject some humor into the moment.

Even though Ōn’nyosh was indeed curious about some of the things Andreas had mentioned, he had long ago learned, the hard way, that there was always a time and place for questions, and to not ask beforehand. And, right now, especially by Farah’s own confession that she was overwhelmed, he knew it wasn’t time.

“So, do you want to wait until Shit-Beard is dragged out? Or do you want me to show you one of the places where we both can express our upset emotions without the possibility of being imprisoned?”Ōn’nyosh asked with a grin. From the tone he used when he mentioned imprisonment, it was clear that he was speaking from experience.

(Okay… so like, now we have to make them get drunk 😂😅)

Farah smoothed part of her hair down as she correctly figured it was frizzing out after her magic was released. A touch of static energy still clung to her skin, and her eyes glowed silver-blue as she lifted her palm up and created a little ball of lighting with the residual electricity crawling over her skin. She let it stay for a moment, hovering over her skin, as she maintained focus and effort to control it. But after a few seconds, she dispelled the magic, and her eyes returned to their natural brown.

"No need to apologize," she said simply. "I… I'm not used to being startled." With her words, the realization occurred to her that she had indeed let her guard down in this strange city. Because of Ōn'nyosh.

She cut him a brief glare before sighing and shaking her head. "You can see it however you please. I believe that our choices cause the gods to look down on us with either favor or disdain. And… I suppose my poor choices are catching up to me here. What with all that has happened to me since I stepped through the gateway."

Even as she drew the flask from her lips, Farah felt the need for more. Typically she only ever consumed a few drinks in the company of close friends after a stressful day. But now, she found herself craving the relief a strong bottle of alcohol could bring her.

The fairy woman laughed dryly at his comparison. "I suppose you're right," she admitted, glancing over at him with a small smirk. "And I don't care what happens to Andreas. As long as I can find him again and he remains alive until I bring him back to the Otherworld and present his sorry person to Luna. Then I would care to never see him again."

Farah's eyes studied his face before she pushed off of the railing and stood with her shoulders squared toward him. "You have my intrigued attention. Where exactly is this location?"

(Oh fuck, lmao!)

---

Ōn’nyosh watched her for a moment, utterly fascinated by her eyes and her control of the electricity.

Ōn’nyosh shrugged nonchalantly.

“Well, I think there’s a flaw somewhere in that philosophy. Otherwise, how do you explain me being favored by all three Narsenian gods? I insult them every moment I get, and they still like me. I just don’t fucking get it,”Ōn’nyosh replied with a laugh.

“You don’t curse much, do you?”Ōn’nyosh suddenly commented.

“Anyway, in that case, I’ll just go in here real quick before Anten and his boys throw Andreas out the door,”he immediately added.

Ōn’nyosh then wandered to the door, only to be met by the biggest of the six that had gone after Andreas.

“Oh, how convenient. Hey, Anten. Before you finish what you’re doing, I have a favor to ask. Could you lock ol’ Shits-For-Abuse in that room he was in? He’s going home later,”Ōn’nyosh asked the big man.

Anten rose an eyebrow, but Ōn’nyosh quickly retrieved a pouch from his satchel, handing three platinum coins to the man.

“That’s for locking him back in the room…”

Ōn’nyosh then handed him two more of the coins.

“That’s drinks for you and the boys…”

He handed him a last coin.

“And, that’s drinks for everybody else.”

Anten looked at the coins sternly, then at Ōn’nyosh. He then burst into laughter.

“Fuck! You try too hard, Ōn’nyosh!”Anten burst.

Ōn’nyosh gave a small bow and grinned mischievously. Anten laughed even more.

“Alright. Fellas, put the bastard back in his room. We’ll spare him this time,”the big man called to the other five, who were currently dragging Andreas around.

They all snickered and casually dragged Andreas back into his private room, locking him inside. Anten then saluted Ōn’nyosh and headed toward the bar. Ōn’nyosh saluted back, then turned to Farah with a laugh.

“I love construction workers,”he commented.

He then grinned mischievously at her posture.

“The training yard for the city militia. It’s about a fifteen to thirty minute ride from here, with the fast horses at least. And, it’s fucking massive,”Ōn’nyosh replied with a grin.

“I could show you where it is. We can express our anger on some not-so-real people, then come back for a few drinks… if you want, of course… then, I can help you remove Shit-Beard from the city,”Ōn’nyosh added.

Farah's lips pulled into an amused smirk as she studied him. "They favor you?" she asked, not bothering to hide the surprise in her question. "Well… I'd quite like to hear their reasoning for that."

Her expression seemed to dull a bit with sadness and regret as she continued. "The Otherworld's gods clearly do not favor me. I've committed too many wrongs in my life, and I don't have enough time to make them all right. And so now, I'm suffering the consequences."

The fairy looked a bit surprised at his random comment, but she shook her head. "Ah, no. Not particularly," she remarked. "But I don't mind it if that's what you're implying. I have other friends who curse plenty enough for me."

While Ōn'nyosh dealt with Anten and made sure Andreas stayed put, Farah was pulled back into memories of the Otherworld. Memories before her entire life had been upended. Memories from when she was happy. It had been so long.

Farah focused back on the present moment in time to see Ōn'nyosh return Anten's salute before the latter disappeared inside. She arched an eyebrow, noting his grin as he took in her stance, but she didn't say anything more until he described the training yard. However, her eyes betrayed a bit of excitement hearing the words "training yard." It reminded her, again, of more memories. Some pleasant, some… not.

"That all sounds brilliant," she replied, casually incorporating her "yes" for both riding to the training yard and coming back for drinks in the same sentence. Though she did worry about the fifteen-to-thirty minute ride. It was plenty of time for Ōn'nyosh to formulate and ask his questions. Though she didn't infiltrate his mind, the fairy was nearly 100 percent positive that he had them. Who wouldn't after experiencing the exchanges between her and Andreas?

"Shall we set out now? I'm not sure how much longer I can hold myself back from expressing my…" Farah curled her fingers into fists at her side before relaxing them. Despite the raging emotional storm inside of her mind, her expression remained remarkably clear and calm. "Anger," she finished.

Ōn’nyosh burst into laughter at her question.

“Yeah. And, so would I!”he replied, still laughing.

He quickly composed himself as she continued talking. Concern grew in his eyes.

“Farah, just because you have committed wrongs, doesn’t mean the gods will look at you any differently than the millions of other people around. You wonder why I call them idiots. They can never make up their fucking minds. ‘Oh, favor this guy.’ ‘No, that guy.’ ‘Shut up, you. It’s this guy.’ And, in the end, there’s a fucking divine war over some fucking mortal dumbshit who isn’t even aware that their soul is being fought over by a bunch of immortal toddlers that don’t want to share a toy. So what, if they favor you or not? What difference does it make? We’re just ‘mere mortals’. We can make our own lives, whether the gods give two fucks or not,”Ōn’nyosh said.

He shrugged casually,”Just curious. I know I fucking curse a lot. So, sometimes I forget that other people don’t curse as much as me.”

Ōn’nyosh noted her excitement when he mentioned the training yard. So, she was professionally trained. That meant she knew exactly what she was doing, with her magic, and likely with her hands as well. Intriguing…

“Wonderful!”

He watched her closely, trying hard to keep a few fantasies from rising in his head. He might have to volunteer to suffer her wrath at some point. Just as long as he survived, though.

“Of course. I understand that concept quite well. Come,”he said with a snicker, waving for her to follow him. He headed over to his horse, climbing on easily, then headed away from the tavern.

He went back to the large street where they’d turned into the Industrial District, but instead of turning left and going back the way they’d come, he turned right. It was a straight shot to the Army, or Militia, District. He then took a left before they went into the depths of the district, and, after only a twenty minute ride from Stockist’s Bay, they came to a huge training area.

Equipment was scattered all across the area, with small buildings here and there for storage, and to allow those training to have a break. Otherwise, the place was just loose soil and open ground, with trails to make it easier to navigate. A few people were about, but not in any large numbers.

“The Training Yard, milady,”Ōn’nyosh announced with a humorous accent.

Farah's features softened with shock at his words. "I-I… I suppose it doesn't make a difference," she murmured, stammering over her words. "I never thought of it that way before."

Though her expression quickly turned back into its naturally distanced look before she rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes," she muttered, shaking her head. "I'm very aware of that."

The fairy followed his lead easily and mounted her horse again. Her thighs were immediately reminded of their soreness, and Farah bit back a wince. She was pleased with both the efficient timing and the lack of questions. Though she was wary and still prepared for them to come later.

Once she dismounted, Farah tied her horse up and stepped into the training grounds. She barely heard Ōn'nyosh as her eyes swept the area. They began to glow, and at once, a vicious wind picked up and snapped around the open space. After a few seconds, it died down, and Farah looked over her shoulder at Ōn'nyosh with a smirk and an excited glint in her eyes.

"This will do. What shall it be first?"

Ōn’nyosh shrugged lightly, the gentleness from earlier appearing in his eyes.

He then laughed at her next words.

“I love the eye roll,”he said, laughing even more.

Ōn’nyosh dismounted and tied up his horse as well, wandering into the training yard. He then watched Farah start up a powerful wind. He glanced at Farah with a slightly wary look.

“I pity the poor bastard that gets slapped by you. Unless it’s me, then I don’t give a fuck,”Ōn’nyosh commented with a snicker.

He hummed at her question, then shrugged.

“Wherever you want, I guess. This place is huge. We could be here all day before seeing the whole place,”he replied with another shrug.

Farah noted the wary look he shot her way. It made her even more eager to show off her abilities. What Ōn'nyosh had seen was barely a quarter of what she could do with her magic.

His comment only seemed to entice her further. "Are you volunteering?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

Without waiting any longer, Farah's eyes swept over the area again and changed to silver-blue again. In the middle of the opening, a small flower began to grow. It sprouted in the middle of the dust where greenery would be otherwise impossible to grow without magic. She focused on the blossom, returning to the emotions she'd felt when Andreas had been trying to cut her down. But instead of letting herself be allowed to feel small, Farah channeled her anger into something bigger.

The flower grew higher and higher until it was a tall stalk in front of their eyes. It twisted and looped around itself as it spiraled upward quickly thanks to Farah's urgency to get out her remaining anger. She was curious as to whether or not Ōn'nyosh was talented with a blade. Taught by Rosalind, Andreas, and Saul, Farah had been molded into a fine swordswoman, and she hoped to challenge Ōn'nyosh to a friendly duel. But with her magic still aching to be released, it wouldn't be a fair fight. She had to let at least most of it out first.

Once the stalk was tall enough for her liking, Farah narrowed her eyes and subtly curled her fingers into fists at her sides. The plant began to quiver before incinerating from the inside and exploding flaming greenery across the arena. Quickly, Farah threw up a barrier to protect herself and Ōn'nyosh from getting burned. Any material that came their way bounced off of the protective barrier, and once everything settled on the ground, Farah lowered the barrier.

However, as a result of burning from the inside, the pieces began to catch the rest of the arena ablaze. Farah's stern expression never wavered as she looked skyward and gathered moisture from the air. She manipulated it into raindrops which fell as a simultaneous sheet over the parts of the arena that were on fire to put it out. Finally, she brought the pieces of her stalk under the ground and buried them soundly so no evidence was left of her magic except for a few char marks on the walls.

Her magic receded, her eyes turned back to brown, and she straightened up with a smile. The burden of her anger was gone, at least for the time being it was. "Brilliant," she murmured. "That feels much better."

Ōn’nyosh looked at her, a bit surprised by her question.

“Am I volunteering to get slapped? Sure. Though, you might get more than you bargained for. Particularly depending on where you slap,”he replied with a chuckle.

He then watched Farah use her magic, awestruck. The flower was beautiful, then it was exploding in an inferno. Warily, he watched the fragments, ready to dodge them. But, he discovered it wasn’t necessary. Farah had put up a shielding barrier to protect both of them. Then, she was calling on rain to stop the fires. All with seeming ease.

“Fucking shit. How powerful are you?”he burst as her magic receded.

Ōn’nyosh had seen plenty of magicians use their magic before. But, not many could manage what Farah had just done. She was certainly unique.

Farah's expression didn't change, but when she looked away from him, a light blush appeared on her cheeks. She didn't want to be thinking the way Ōn'nyosh was influencing her to think.

But she incorporated it into the release of her magic, letting go of her embarrassment, anger, and irritation in one fell swoop. Farah was even slightly breathless after her demonstration. It had been a while since she'd called that many different kinds of magic all at once.

The fairy looked over at Ōn'nyosh at his exclamation and question. "I'm the most powerful fairy in the Otherworld," she answered simply and quietly. Her eyes appraised him as she tried to figure out how much of a threat he posed to her now that he knew of her strength and power.

Ōn’nyosh watched her turn away, eyes narrowing slightly. He knew she was hiding her reaction, but he didn’t push it. Instead, he couldn’t help a sly grin.

When she finished, he noticed how breathless she was. It was inspiring, and it took little effort for his thoughts to drift into other ways of making Farah breathless. Fuck, she was a fine woman. Her answer only fueled his attraction to her. Gorgeous and powerful. Ōn’nyosh couldn’t think of a better combination.

“Well, I don’t know the Otherworld, but damn. That actually explains a lot. Though, for fuck’s sake, please tell me that you don’t know a blue reptilian asshole named Lucitius. He’s extremely powerful as well, but, unlike you, he’s equally fucking annoying,”Ōn’nyosh said.

Farah arched an eyebrow. "No, I'm afraid I'm not familiar. Is he from this world?"

Maybe it was Farah's slight fatigue from using immense amounts of her magic, maybe it was the stress relief of letting out all of her negative emotions, or maybe it was just that Ōn'nyosh had earned a small amount of her trust. But whatever it was, the next words came out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"If you wanted, you could come with me," Farah offered. "Back through the gateway. You could help me make sure Andreas gets to Luna, you could explore a bit and meet some of my friends, and then you could go back."

Ōn’nyosh breathed a dramatic sigh of relief.

“No. Lucitius is technically a roaming demigod, or whatever the fuck. He created a reptilian race, and there’s a few tribes living on Narsenshard. Trust me, you don’t want to meet him. He’s a fucking asshole, and he’s fucked in the head too. His wife can barely handle him. At least… I think she’s his wife. I don’t know really know her. I just know ol’ Shit King of Lizards,”Ōn’nyosh replied.

His eyebrow rose at her words and he chuckled.

“I’d be honored to join you, especially if it means getting rid of Shit-Beard. And, I’m always up to exploring new places,”Ōn’nyosh replied with a smile.

“Though, we still have plans for drinks after this. And, depending on how drunk we get, I do have a room at a particularly good inn where we could sleep it off. I’m fine with sleeping on the floor if you don’t want to share the bed. I’ve slept on worse,”he added.

Farah shook her head and laughed softly at his description of Lucitius. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I trust your judgment," she murmured, glancing at him again.

And she returned Ōn'nyosh's smile at his acceptance of her offer. "Of course," she added, referring to their drinks. "I didn't forget. That sounds fine, but I'm not sure we'll be needing it. It won't be necessary." Rather, she hoped it wouldn't be necessary. She just wanted a few drinks to relax. She didn't intend on actually getting drunk.

"Are you skilled with a blade?" Farah asked suddenly, turning to face him and arching her eyebrows in an unspoken challenge.