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

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

tune

Resh approaches Salmook and crouches down, staying a respectful distance away. He lowers his hood, trying to appear less menacing. “Hey, little one…” His voice is gentle, which is strange coming from a man like him. “Are you okay? I saw someone shove you into this bush.”

Naveil glared down at where he'd left Salmook not even 5 minutes ago. Can't stay out of trouble to save his life, can he?
He gave a frustrated grumble, but he made to move to help. Instead, he climbed further up the tree.
He'd reach the canopy and get a view of the surrounding area – that was the plan, at least. Salmook came second.

Salmook wanted to scream, but he couldn't. His throat locked. He couldn't speak. What would Naveil do? He'd help, wouldn't he?
Why wasn't he helping now?
He barely unstood what the stranger had said to him. He didn't like it here. He wanted to go home.
He shook his head to whatever they had just asked, hoping it would get them to leave him alone.

Killué walks quietly over to Salmook, looking concerned.

"Hey, are you okay?" they ask quietly, their voice soothing and concerned. They were closer than Resh was, but weren't too troubled by this.

Resh looks worried, but says nothing. I’m scaring the kid. Of course I am, I scare kids all the time back home. He looks down, and he seems guilty.

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.