RP:Are You There, Selene? It's Me, Brand
This is a Devout's Guild RP.
Summary: Khitti is still doubting his place amongst those that follow the gods and Brand takes another step to solidifying her own.
The Apartment Above The Bakery, Cenril
Khitti || “Dominic! It’s time to go! Don’t you want to see your friends at the guild hall?” There was a rather large amount of loud squawking coming from within Dominic’s room in the apartment as Khitti tried to shout at him. He didn’t hear him, of course. Because squawking. Khitti sighed heavily and opened the door to his room and… “Look, sprout, you can be a chicken again when your dad and I come back. I promise, okay?” A small black chicken let out sad ‘buh-kaw’ and went off to find Brand so he could be changed back, while Khitti tended to the rest of Dominic’s flock.
Khitti || “Etta. Locutus. Kevin. Are -you- ready to go?” Henrietta ruffled her feathers at Khitti and Locutus let out a short crow. But there was no Kevin. “Kevin? KEVIN.” There were a lot of splashing sounds coming from the washroom connected to Dominic’s room, however. “Oh no…” The instant Khitti set foot into the bathroom, the derp of the flock squawked loudly from its throne--aka, the toilet. “Not again. Damn it, Kevin!” Khitti’s shouting spooked Kevin--poor Kevin had no idea what was going on at all!--and the chicken vacated its watery throne and flapped its way over Khitti’s head and on out the door to rejoin its flock. Khitti was covered in toilet water, of course. He wasn’t pleased with this.
Khitti || To make things worse, there was a knock at the front door--a very specific knock, from a very specific islander with heavier black eye makeup than Khitti typically wore. “Ugggghhhh.” Hopefully Brand was dealing with Dominic, because now Khitti had to go let Camina in. And he did. And was promptly laughed at. “The chickens again?” Camina said, doing her best to keep a straight face. “Yes. The chickens,” Khitti said, plucking a couple wet feathers off of his clothes. “Dominic should be ready in a minute.” Hopefully.
Brand || Sure enough, Brand would eventually appear carrying Dominic, the wondrous boy-turned-chicken-turned-boy-again. It was nice to get more practice with her new magicks, but… she still couldn’t shapeshift herself, and she’d tried almost every day since her second failed attempt. Part of today’s outing was to pray for guidance on this problem, and part of it was to give thanks for Selene’s ongoing protection. Things could be worse, after all. Things could be much worse. She could be drenched in toilet water, like Khitti.
Brand || “Kevin got you again, hmm?” she asked, and planted a smooch on Khitti’s arm, in the first dry spot she could find. Dominic reached out as she did this, so Brand hefted her burden onto Khitti. “You want to be wet, too? Okay, be my guest.” Dominic, thankfully, had adapted just fine to the new chapter of strangeness in the Herzegler’s lives. He seemed satisfied to know they weren’t under the sway of the ‘bad lady’ anymore, even if Brand still ‘looked weird’ all the time and Khitti still ‘looked weird’ a good portion of the time. Plus, there were perks that most kids could only dream of, like being a chicken or a firefighter’s cart whenever he wanted.
Khitti shoved Dominic at Camina almost immediately. Dominic was fine with being passed around and his gleeful cackling proved as much. “Alright, he’s ready.” The trio of chickens waddled up behind Khitti, stepped around him, and stopped at Camina’s feet like the completely well-behaved beings that they were. Khitti scowled at Kevin. Kevin blinked up at him, one eyeball at a time. “Camina, you’re the best, I love you, if I wasn’t already married, I’d marry you,” Khitti said all of this rather deadpan as he sent the half elf off elsewhere. It was the usual ritual: Khitti would offer thanks and apologies for having turned Camina into a babysitter for now, during the times when Dozla had to keep an eye on the ship. But right now, Khitti was rather annoyed, and sighed as he turned around and headed into their bedroom. “Brand, I need your help. Otherwise this is going to take forever.” Camina just blinked innocently at Brand and headed out the door--except it wasn’t very innocent because she could be heard cackling as she went down the stairs.
Khitti || Grumbling about chickens and possibly eating them when Dominic wasn’t home could be heard coming from the bedroom as Khitti tore off what had been a nice new clean shirt! He’d already been ready to go and now they had to wait. Hopefully not long though. “Okay, so. I need you to wash my hair. With your magic. Otherwise we’ll be here for at least another hour. I really do not want to walk into the temple of the ocean goddess -and- the water god covered in -toilet water-.” He looked kind of desperate right now. “And if you’re feeling generous, you could even dry it too, but it’s not necessary.” Look, he'd even gotten the soap to help actually clean it too!
Brand || “With my magic…?” Brand wasn’t sure how illusion or shapeshifting magic was supposed to -- “Oh. Right. -That- magic.” Yes, that magic. Elemental magic. The magic Brand had always had. Duh. She’d been spending so much time lately practicing the new stuff, she’d almost forgotten about the old.
Brand put her magic to work, and soon Khitti’s hair and face were as clean and fresh as they could be. One prolonged blast of hot air later, his hair was dry -- albeit a bit frizzy from the heat. Brand got up on her tiptoes to braid it, then whirled him around to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “My handsome man, all nice and clean,” she said with a wink. “But you can go as a woman if you want, you know. -You- at least get a choice.” Weeks of trying and failing to shift herself, even the tiniest bit, were starting to get awfully frustrating. Khitti had spent plenty of time lately in guy mode -- out of solidarity, perhaps? -- but it just wasn’t the same for Brand to know she had no other option.
Khitti smooched Brand back, hugged her, and spun her around a bit. “You’re the best.” He went to find a new shirt as she questioned him, a shrug given in response. “I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment and it was incredibly obvious when I was at that damned Mage’s Guild meeting. I don’t need people I don’t know or don’t talk to in private like that asking me questions. If it isn’t Viera, it’s Xicotl, and if it’s not Xicotl it’s Caluss, and if it’s not Caluss, it’s the goddamn runes on the moon doing things it isn’t supposed to. And if it isn’t any of them, it’s the gods.” Khitti was starting to sound a bit like Brand used to. “I’m perfectly content to go to a place I’ve been to before and not look like how I usually do when I go there. I don’t need Selene and Zaytor’s followers trying to help me with things that they can’t help with.”
Brand || "Fair enough," Brand said with a shrug. "We're going there for me, anyway -- they don't need to get distracted with you. I guess I didn't really think about the fact that they'd probably know you." The old Brand had avoided anything religious or spiritual unless absolutely necessary, so Khitti's activities in that arena had gone largely ignored until recently. "Well, we should get going before Camina can change her mind about watching over our little ball of chaos." After giving Khitti one last kiss, she led the way out.
Selene and Zaytor's Temple, Rynvale
Khitti just sighed as he let Brand go out the door first, only to follow her a moment or so later. The journey from apartment to ship and from Cenril to Rynvale was uneventful. Khitti led the way from the docks to the temple that sat not too far away, in the shopping district. He stopped just outside, eyeing the ground. "I hope you find what you need in there," he said with a faint frown, echoing Brand's sentiments from years before, when they went to Cyris' temple. Khitti would just... linger there or something, looking pensive and worried and a tad cynical. He felt like he should not be there. Not with the doubts he had and the questioning he was doing of late. He felt like he should not be anywhere near any of the temples or even his own guild's headquarters.
Brand looked at Khitti in surprise -- clearly, she’d expected him to go in -- but decided not to argue the point. Alone she went, suddenly feeling quite apprehensive. Once inside, she stood only a few steps within the entryway and looked around, lost. It looked peaceful enough to be a place of worship, sure, but amongst others who clearly knew what they were doing here and how to get around the sprawling temple, she was struck by the feeling of being an imposter amongst those truly faithful.
Khitti || Only a minute or two would pass before Khitti eventually went in. It felt wrong, but Brand needed support. She -had-, after all, went to Cyris’ temple with him years ago. This still felt different though. There wasn’t going to be a fight with Facilier’s minions. Selene was not temporarily going to grant Khitti holy magic, like Cyris had with Brand. It was just going to be Brand talking to Selene, who’d apparently been there for Brand all these years, and… Khitti with a whole lot of nothing to show for all the things he’d been doing for his own gods. He could not rid himself of this jealousy he had of Brand when it came to this situation. How did this even happen? How did things get so massively turned around? He couldn’t even entirely blame it on Viera. Had he done something wrong? Was this because of Tenbatsu Kaji? If so, then why would Delisha and Vakmatharas be upset about that? Sigh. There were too many questions and absolutely no answers and it only further served to frustrate Khitti.
Khitti found Brand looking entirely lost and felt even worse about not going in with her from the beginning. He walked up behind her, put his arms around her, and frowned. “I’m sorry.” A kiss was planted on the back of her head and he’d eventually release her. “It’s this way,” he said, pointing northward up the temple’s long corridor that ended with two giant statues of both gods. “And then to the left. Zaytor’s is to the right.”
Brand || “Oh,” Brand said quietly, savoring the embrace for a moment before setting off in the direction of Selene’s room. She was trying so hard to avoid drawing attention, for both their sakes -- and she almost succeeded. Almost. They were nearly to a threshold when an unoccupied priestess spied them and headed their way, robes swishing with every step. Brand tried not to look panicked as the inevitable approached.
Brand || “Hi!” said the priestess, oblivious to the body language of the two she was confronting. She looked very young, perhaps nineteen or twenty, and had an expression of unbridled cheerfulness. “Haven’t seen you around here before. Can I help you with anything?”
Khitti took Brand’s hand as they headed towards the Selene’s area… and then -she- showed up. Khitti couldn’t help it; he outwardly cringed, squeezing Brand’s hand somewhat. “Hiiii… Felicia,” Khitti put on his best customer service face. It didn’t help though because the priestess looked incredibly confused. Why? Because how the hell did Khitti know her name? It just so happens that Khitti has dealt with her before. But not as a guy. And Khitti temporarily forgot that he was indeed a guy right now. You can be sure that he was screaming on the inside. “Oh, uh, sorry. No we’ve not met, but we were told to come find you.” Yes. Sure. We’ll go with that. Think Khitti. Whyyyy did you have to come look for her? “For uhhhhhh… OH. For some incense maybe? Annnnnd a bowl of sea salt?”
Khitti || Felicia just stared at Khitti for a moment, but then her entire face immediately lit up, “Why didn’t you say so sooner?! Of course I can get those for you!” And she did. She’s gone, Brand. For now. “Yeah, uh, thanks! Bye, Felicia,” Khitti called after her. When she was entirely out of sight, he let out a huge sigh of relief. “Oh dear gods, I forgot she existed. I should’ve just made you go talk to Sargaso or something instead of coming here. He’s a paladin of Selene.” Alas, they were already there though. “Go go. Before she comes back,” he said, lightly smacking Brand’s butt to get her moving.
Brand didn't particularly want help, but felt a little guilty in the face of the girl's obvious enthusiasm. Luckily, Khitti saved the day before Brand could act on the feeling, and they escaped (for a time, at least) into Selene's area. Once there, Brand stopped short of the statue, summoning up the nerve to approach. She looked at Khitti… looked back the way they came… back to the statue… then pulled the seashell and gemstone offering she'd brought out of her pocket and walked the rest of the way to Selene's stone feet. She didn't speak aloud, but knelt and placed the offering at the statue's feet before staring up at the statue's face in prayerful silence.
Khitti watched Brand as a pang of sadness made itself known. How many times had he done this very thing? How many times had he spilled his own blood into Delisha and Vakmatharas' offering bowls? He sighed and turned away as Brand prayed. Thankfully he did, because he managed to catch Felicia's approach. Khitti brought a finger to his lips, asking for silence, just as she went to open her mouth. Felicia blinked and nodded, then handed over the bowl and the sticks of incense. Khitti took them and sat down beside Brand. Both sticks were stood upright and leaned against one another before Khitti put a thumb and forefinger against the tops and lit them.
Khitti || "So, I'm really bad at meditating when I try to speak to my three, but this seems to help," he said in a whisper. The lotus blossom and jasmine incense's smoke swirled up into the air. "Just close your eyes, breathe in and breathe out. Listen to the ocean." By that, of course, he meant the sounds of the sea coming from the enchantments in the room. "Relax and focus. If she's been with you this entire time, she'll hear you."
Khitti || Those were things that Khitti should really be telling himself too, but that was usually the way of things with #JustKhittiWisdom. He always did have problems listening to the things he spouted off to other people. Despite this, he still attempted it, though he attempted to speak to all of them at once. 'Are any of you even listening to me? What did I do wrong? If Cyris is mad at me, then why won't anyone else say anything? Am I just not worthy enough? Haven't I done enough to warrant a reward, to just let me know you're still there? I don't know what to do to change things. I don't know how to please you. I don't know what you want of me anymore.' Tears welled up in Khitti's eyes, compelling him to keep them closed for longer, in hopes that they didn't spill over. 'Why is this so easy for Brand after all the hate she showed you? Why...?' The tears came anyway, despite Khitti's best efforts.
Brand || A long time passed with Brand lost in prayer, long enough that the incense burned out and long enough that Khitti had plenty of time to collect himself before Brand would have a chance to see. Regardless of if he did or not, though, the first thing she did when she emerged from her worshipful silence was to take and squeeze Khitti’s hand, looking at him with hope in her eyes. “I think she heard me. I mostly just talked about how things were going, apologized for not believing in her or any of the other gods for so long, and asked her to keep watching over me. I asked her to watch over you, too. I’m not totally sure, but… I think she said yes.” She wrapped Khitti in a tight hug. “I told her how much you’ve been struggling with the other gods, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to try. I asked her if she would take care of you like she does for me, and that was when I saw a glimmer of light up by the crown of her statue’s head. I looked down after, and my offering was gone. I think that was a yes. It has to be, right?”
Khitti had long since wiped his eyes, but the somber look in them still remained. Brand’s hand squeezing woke him from his thoughts, as he had been lost in watching first the incense and then the waves of the sea around them. “You didn’t have to do that… This was about you--for you--not me.” But Khitti still seemed grateful and gave her hand those three squeezes. He looked to where Brand had left her offering, noting that it was indeed gone. “I think you’re right though. I’ve never had that happen to me.” He sighed somewhat, but shook his head and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I’m proud of you. You didn’t have to come here and I know you were nervous.” He paused a moment, his facing scrunching up a bit in thought. “Do you… want a statue of Selene? For your grotto? It doesn’t have to be as big as this,” he said, motioning to the statue in front of them. “It could even be something small, in case you don’t want to leave it there. The ones at the guildhall are made of bronze… but it doesn’t have to be that either.”
Brand || “Yeah, something small or medium-sized for the grotto is a good idea. This place looks nice and all, but I think in the future I’d prefer somewhere more private. And I’m never gonna be one of those people who wants to spend all their time talking about how great the gods are with other people.” No offense meant to Felicia, but her sunny personality was a -bit- much. Brand made sure the coast was clear of the eager young priestess before turning to leave. “And, I know it was for me. Trust me, -most- of that time was about me. But you’re kind of a part of me too, y’know? It’s hard to be happy when you’re unhappy. I wasn’t going to create the opportunity to do something about it and then just -not-.”
Khitti shrugged. “I wanted you to come here at least once. Just to see it, at least.” It -was- much nicer than Cyris’ temple (sorry, Cyris, but it’s true; minimalism isn’t always great). He looked down at their still joined hands as he thought over the things she’d said. He nodded a little in response, then turned and hugged her. “All of this feels so weird.” That’s it. That’s the only way he could describe it. Weird. Well, maybe surreal too. How could either of them predict that this would happen to them? Even Viera could not have foreseen this. He held her for a bit and eventually stood up, offering a hand to Brand to help her up. “What now?” While the question pertained mostly to the present, Khitti wondered what -was- going to happen now? They could no longer go back and yet Khitti was too hesitant to move forward like Brand had said they would have to.
Brand led the way out of Selene’s area, still holding Khitti’s hand. “Well, show me where I can get one of the statues, for starters. And then it’s back to the ship, unless you can think of anything else you want to do while we’re here in Rynvale.” She’d taken Khitti’s question to be much more immediate than he’d meant it, but she also began thinking further into the future as they made their way back into the main area of the temple. “I’ll have to try shapeshifting again, once we get back to the ship. If I still can’t do it, it may just be something Selene can’t or won’t help with. If that’s the case… I think we start planning to see Viera again. I’ve got Lionel working on some things related to the shapeshifting thing, but if I’m honest I’m not expecting him to turn up any leads that will actually help me. He knows we might be seeing her soon, and I left him with a plan that should help us out if Viera fraks with our memories again.”
Khitti raised a brow at the mention of Lionel and smirked, “And what sort of plan is that, exactly?” He motioned in the direction of the blacksmith’s building and led Brand there, “This way.” Once they reached it, Khitti headed in first and looked around a moment. “Ah, over here.” He nodded at a selection of statues of Selene, Zaytor, or both of them together, all of which were made of various metals. “If you’d rather have made of some sort of stone or crystal though, we can sort it out later.” He eyed the likeness of Selene’s counterpart, the god of freshwater. “It’s too bad Zaytor doesn’t seem to call to me. These two are the only pair out of all of the gods. Everyone else is usually worshipped as a trio or alone.” He stared a bit longer and eventually shrugged, “I don’t think I’m the type he’d take interest in anyway.” Khitti looked to Brand then, waiting for her decision. “There is some place I want to go after here. It’s a bit of a walk, but I can just shadowstep us there instead. Especially so you can save your energy to try to shapeshift again.”
Brand || "It's better if you don't know the details," Brand said with a sigh. "But the short of it is that Lionel has letters I wrote with the truth of everything that's happened in the past few months, with instructions for when and where to send them if things should go awry." As she spoke, she examined several of the statues and settled on one with a blue-silver sheen, not much bigger or heavier than Dominic. "This one should be easy enough to carry. Where is it you want to take us?"
Khitti frowned at the lack of a real explanation. Weren’t they supposed to be getting past keeping secrets, despite the fact that maybe it was better that they didn’t know? But, he said nothing about it, nodded in response, paid for the statue, and headed outside anyway. “Some place we haven’t been in a while.” On instinct, he went to go and pick Brand up and stopped short. Oh. Right. “Are you… uhhh.” He couldn’t quite find the words and fumbled over them as he tried to form a sentence properly. “Am I… um.” He started blushing, got frustrated with it, and then just forced himself to come out with it. “Are you okay with me picking you up? I-It’s uh… fine if you’re not now. I get it.” Before all of this Viera stuff, it had been literal years since she’d picked Brand up. Not since she was a vampire. And back then… Brand did not enjoy it all that much. “I can… just hold your hand and do it that way. It’s not like I haven't done that a million times anyway.” He frowned again, scratched the back of his head awkwardly, and shifted his attention elsewhere. Making eye contact felt weird after asking a question like that.
Brand caught that frown and knew well enough what it meant -- she’d seen similar reactions from Khitti a hundred times before. But if anything, she’d already said too much; the more people who knew about the plan, the greater the risk that Viera could mindfrak someone into exposing the plan and rendering it useless. Still, she knew Khitti hated her keeping secrets from him, even if it was for a good reason. As she followed Khitti outside, she resolved to tell him the details once the danger was over with.
Brand || And then… Khitti asked his question, and Brand blushed at least partially because Khitti was blushing. It’s not awkward until you make it awkward, dammit! “Uhh, yeah, that’s fine. It’s… it’s kind of nice, actually.” And now she was blushing even harder. Dammit. “You don’t have to ask next time. You can just do it.” The old Brand -definitely- would have never been okay with this.
The Volcanic Menagerie, Rynvale
Khitti was all awkward, Brand. You knew this before you got married. Khitti, in fact, only blushed harder when he realized Brand was now as well. Welp. In an attempt to break the cycle of the two of them blushing for all of eternity, Khitti merely said, “ ‘kay,” and carried on with things. What are they blushing for? Khitti doesn’t know. He’s got amnesia now. The good kind, not the Viera kind. He scooped her up and started shadowstepping towards the west side of the island, heading out of the town entirely, past a certain orchard, and onto the beach. It would probably be clear to Brand rather soon where they were going: the spot where they got married. “Just, y’know, let me know if you suddenly don’t want to do that anymore,” he said once they reached the place and set her down. Khitti took a few steps away from Brand and eyed the volcanic activity nearby and the part of the ocean that it flowed into. “We missed our anniversary.” So he wanted to come here, even just briefly, to at least acknowledge that date’s existence, though it’s many months past. It was clear he was upset about it, but couldn’t really say it. He couldn’t even cry about it now, though perhaps he might’ve if he was in his female form.
Khitti || “I had started making plans with Camina… It was supposed to be a surprise. We were going to go to the Belt--those islands she’s from and it was just going to be us. No Dominic. No guilds. No Tranquility. No obligations. Just a long stretch of islands with private beaches and alcohol and cheesecake. At some point, when Viera had hidden you away and made me forget about you, a letter came to confirm our room for a hotel there. I just… ripped it up. Didn’t respond because I had no idea who the hell Brand was and why I’d go somewhere like that with them. I imagine they likely took that as I was cancelling,” Khitti said. “Of course, I yelled at Viera about it, one of the times I broke through her magic, but it didn’t phase her. She just looked eternally inconvenienced as usual.” He turned around and shrugged at Brand. “I’m not as upset about it anymore… I think… but I don’t know if she even realizes how much she screwed up. She probably doesn’t even care.”
Brand didn’t know what to say, so instead she took Khitti’s hand and gave it the usual three squeezes as she looked out at the view. The volcano bordered by the ocean seemed almost a metaphor for the ways Brand had changed these last several years -- fire surrounded by water, death surrounded by life, liquid fire changing form to stone and then having its edges smoothed down by the crashing of the waves. “We picked a good spot,” she said finally, resting her head against Khitti’s arm. “I’m sorry we missed it. I think some good came from it too, at least -- not that that excuses Viera.” If anything excused her, Brand thought, it was the fact that Brand had been awful to her first. Technically, Viera hadn’t been the one to start this terrible cycle.
Khitti nodded. “Yeah, it’s not all bad. I just… wanted to explain why I brought us here, heh. I can’t help but think of things that happened or didn’t happen and should have during all that time. It wasn’t even a very long time, I guess, but it still felt like it to us.” He returned those three squeezes, offering her a faint smile. “There’s always the next anniversary anyway. We should be grateful that it was just that and not Dominic’s birthday. He very much wants a tattoo--not that I’m going to give him a permanent one--and uh… he would not let us hear the end of it if he did not get his chicken-themed birthday party again.” One last look at the lava was taken before Khitti turned and started slowly walking back a bit towards the direction of the city. “Where do you want to try shapeshifting? The ship? The apartment? Your grotto? Maybe you need somewhere more relaxing than a floating wooden box stuffed with a hundred people,” he said with a smirk. Once she made her decision, she’d get scooped up again and Khitti would head back to the ship. He wouldn’t go back the way they came though. Nope, he’d take a shortcut right over the ocean via some well placed patches of shadow-ice along the way.
Brand considered the threat their child posed when upset. “Yeah, we definitely dodged a tough scenario there. Dominic seemed to know what was going on the whole time, too -- although I don’t know how. I feel pretty confident in saying Viera -tried- to alter his memories, but couldn’t for some reason? I doubt he’d be able to tell us, unfortunately, and I doubt Viera would be willing to tell us even if we get her to help in any other way.” She shrugged, unable to sort the thought out any further. “We might as well go to the grotto. We can bring the statue there when we go, too. Two birds, one stone.”
Khitti || “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but our kid is weird. Possibly weirder than the two of us. But… maybe it’s possible that one of the gods is watching over him as well. Maybe Viera tried, but Cire wasn’t having it. To be considered a “neutral” god, I imagine that mass of tentacles and eyeballs must have some limits. Plus, Dominic is literal chaos most days. That’d just go against everything Cire is about, really, if Viera wiped his memories,” Khitti said.
Brand's Grotto, Cenril
Khitti || Eventually, they got to the ship, much to the surprise of some of the crewmembers, considering the way Khitti came from. And after that, they got back to Cenril and headed to the grotto without incident--and probably with some more carrying of Brand because Khitti really enjoyed it. It definitely tapped into that need to protect Brand that only got worse once they had their genders messed with.
Khitti put Brand down and sat down on the ground. And then he just straight up laid down. “Okay. Maybe I did too much of that. I have not exactly been using my magic lately to its fullest extent like I was months ago.” He didn’t seem to regret it though; he just needed a small break before Brand went ahead and tried again. “You know how I used to tease you about being old? I’m sorry,” he said with a smirk. Khitti was definitely feeling like more and more his age of late--maybe even a couple years older after all the damage his body takes from the crazy fights the guilds seem to find themselves in.
Brand spent the time Khitti was resting on figuring out where exactly to put her new statue. She eventually picked a spot close to the back of the grotto, as centered as possible from the point of view of anyone walking in from the entrance. After giving it a satisfied nod, she joined Khitti on the ground and started making a sand angel, much like Khitti had the last time they were here together. "Okay. I'm ready whenever you are. No rush, though. I know how old men need their rest." She was smirking at him as she said this.
Khitti rolled over and pushed himself up just enough on his hands so that he could lean over her and kiss her. “Is that what I am now? Because I don’t even know anymore.” He didn’t seem particularly bothered by it, just vaguely amused and probably also slightly confused. To emphasize this lack of bother, he kissed her again. And then one more time for good measure. “Alright, go ahead,” he said, with regards to the shapeshifting. “Before I end up starting something else that will ultimately defile your sacred space.” Yes, he was definitely implying what you think he was implying. With one last kiss, he sat up fully, giving Brand space to try to shift back again.
Brand || "Well, I guess you could be -older-." Brand was only teasing, but the thought led to a sudden realization. "Which I guess technically means I could shapeshift you -younger- too. I'd say we've just unlocked the secret to eternal life, but I doubt it's anywhere near that simple. Like it'd probably only be skin deep or something." Still, she'd tuck the thought away for another time, just in case it came in useful later. Maybe it was something to ask Viera one day, if the right circumstances for asking about such silly, impossible things ever came about.
Brand || They kissed, and eventually Khitti was ready. Brand waggled her eyebrows at his insinuation, but the only action she took was to close her eyes and concentrate. She took her time with it, making sure she was in the right headspace for shapeshifting and that everything was as it needed to be before she made her attempt. But even still... she tried, and she failed. As before, her form rippled and spiked but refused to change. The pain rampaged through her insides, as strong as ever -- if it was more tolerable than before, it was only because Brand was getting used to it. She lay, breathless, on the sand. "That... that was it. If I was... was ever gonna get it... on my own... it would have been then." As much as she hated to admit defeat, it almost felt inevitable at this point -- like she shouldn't have expected any other outcome.
Khitti || It was less the 'old' part of that and more the 'man' one that Khitti had been referring to, but now wasn't the time to continue the conversation. A frown made itself know as Brand was unable to shift yet again. "Shhh," Khitti said, so Brand could catch her breath, a hand moving to her abdomen. It was his turn to concentrate now, as he conjured up that same healing magic from before. Instead of being focused into one area though, he tried to have it radiate out from that spot to the rest of Brand's body as an attempt to soothe her pain.
Khitti || "I'm sorry," he said with a heavy sigh. There was nothing he could do to help Brand at all and he hated it. "I guess it would seem as though fate is telling us to do something again, and it's not this." Was it fate though? Or were the gods meddling again? When she felt well enough, he laid down beside her again, wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "We'll find Viera, okay? Aside from a ride out of there, I'm sure she won't say no to a new dress and shoes. You can't stay warm with illusions." Or could you? That was a type of magic Khitti knew nothing about.
Brand || “We’ll do our best,” Brand said. Her eyes were closed and she kept one hand to her stomach after Khitti was done with his magic, massaging the areas where it hurt the most. “...Y’know, it bothers me most that I don’t know why it’s not working. As far as I can tell, I’m doing everything right. If I wasn’t stuck like this without a choice, or if I at least understood -why- it was happening, it would be less frustrating.” She finally opened her eyes and placed her free hand to rest against Khitti’s cheek. “I’m glad I have you, at least. Imagine me dealing with this alone. Not to even mention that I -would- have died without you -- even if I’d somehow survived, I don’t think I would have known who to talk to about it. I guess I could talk to Selene, but Selene doesn’t really talk back, obviously. My crew are great, but I’ve noticed none of them really knows what to say to either of us about the whole thing. It’s like they’re pretending they don’t see it or that it’s not strange out of some kind of… I dunno, misguided sense of politeness? And this isn’t the kind of thing I think I would have dealt with well alone.”
Khitti || “It just… feels like we were meant to go to her. Just like I don’t think I would’ve been able to get my vampirism cure from anyone else besides Facilier. And if we’re not meant to get it from her either, then we’ll figure something else out. There are those Catalians that've been helping the Warrior’s Guild,” Khitti said, frowning. “And as for your crew… this is just how they’ve always been, but I guess you’re just now seeing it, because it’s only just now affecting you. Plus, they did have their minds altered too by Viera.” The way the crew was… it was nothing new to Khitti. They -had- always been this way. Always shied away from weird things that involved Khitti. They didn’t even want to help her when she’d shown up nearly dead thanks to Emrith--Brand had had to yell at Lennier to deal with it. “Just… try not to think about them so much. They’re not what matters right now. Let the ship do its thing and we worry about what we need to worry about.”
Brand || “I don’t know that it works like that.” Then again, if gods were real, then perhaps fate was, also. “And if it does, that raises all sorts of other questions. But I guess we can’t know either way, so there’s no point in worrying about it. You’re right about the crew, in any case. If you’re also right about Viera… maybe that’s actually a good thing. If there’s such a thing as fate, it wouldn’t make sense for me to survive Viera’s earlier attempt to kill me, just for us to die when we go back to her. We should still plan for the worst, though.” Sighing, Brand brought herself to her feet, then stretched out a hand to help Khitti, as well. “Do we want to head home now? How much longer did Camina agree to keep Dominic for?”
Khitti just sighed as he was helped up. “I don’t know what you want me to say,” he said, obviously frustrated. “Look at all the other things that've happened that were foretold by some sort of prophecy or vision we’ve come in contact with: the one about me in the Shadow Plane literally knew when and where I was born and that I’d “upset the balance” of things and I did and our kid looks exactly like he did in that vision. The only thing that didn’t come true was me turning into a lich and murdering all of you and being depressed about it until the end of time--and that was likely thanks to Onyx. Well that and the whole thing with those twins. I’m not saying you or anyone else can’t change their fate--because I’m pretty sure Viera changed ours--but how is it so hard to believe when you’re so certain the gods exist now? How is that any different?” One of Khitti’s hands moved somewhat to motion towards the sea, “We’re in a different reality already. It happened at the archipelago. Dominic and I were supposed to be burned at the stake and you were made to watch and get your head cut off and everyone was just supposed to be dead. But it didn’t happen because of that timeline’s Rilla and Penelope.” There’s another sigh and then a shrug. “She was taking him for the night, because I wasn’t sure when we’d get back.”
Brand || “Those are all good points. I guess my question is, ‘is it still fate if you can change it?’ …But that’s probably a better question for the philosophers than for you or I.” Brand just shrugged and shook her head. “Regardless, we know what we have to do.” She almost turned to leave, but thought better of it and knelt to pray at her new statue of Selene. It would be a significantly shorter prayer than the one she’d had earlier at the temple, and soon she would rise to her feet again and begin to lead the way out of the grotto.
Brand || As they began the walk back toward their apartment, Brand took Khitti’s hand in her own. “I just asked Selene to keep an extra close eye on us when we go to Viera. Every little bit helps, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back here again before we make that trip. We should try to go tomorrow, if we can. Or at any rate, the sooner, the better. And we’re child-free for the night, sooo…” Brand definitely hadn’t forgotten what Khitti had said earlier, before she’d tried shapeshifting again. Her smirk proved it.
Khitti just shrugged again, this time a little more exasperatedly. It was probably karma for all those times Brand tried hammering things into Khitti’s head and it only served to frustrate Brand more. As Brand prayed, Khitti just looked around the area again, a wave of awkwardness rushing over him. He had no specific place to pray to any of the gods he supposedly worked with. Maybe that was the problem? Maybe he needed to find some place to call his own, like Brand had.
Khitti || The thought process he was on brought about a slight frown, but it soon went away just as quickly as it had shown up as Brand finished and they started walking back. The thoughts, however, did not cease. What sort of place should he pick? Wandering around and sitting in a forest for a few hours always ended up being calming for Khitti, but there were so many in Lithrydel… how was he to choose? And did it even make sense to be there? He eventually nodded at Brand in regards to finding Viera and smirked at the part about being child-free for the night. “It’s probably for the better that we are, considering this strong craving for whiskey I just got.” And yes, Brand, they would also do that thing Khitti had mentioned before. But first, the whiskey, so he could stop thinking for a while and actually enjoy it all.
The Apartment Above The Bakery, Cenril
Brand || It was an uneventful trip home, thankfully. Brand was lost in her own thoughts and failed to notice Khitti wrapped up in his. She was more than happy to mix some drinks once they arrived, and she bustled about in the kitchen, humming to herself as she poured this and that into the glasses. Soon, she had just the perfect drink crafted for the two of them, and she handed Khitti’s to him with a smile. “Is there something we should toast to? Or do you think this is more of a drink-fast-until-drunk night?”
Khitti took his drink and sipped it a bit before finally replying, “The latter, I think.” He’d still been thinking, all that time that Brand had been mixing the drinks. He took another sip and contemplated on things a little longer. That signature pensiveness of Khitti’s was likely obvious, even in this form, but before Brand could even ask about it, Khitti had questions of his own. “How did you find that grotto? Did it just… call to you or…?” He hesitated a little, then drank a bit more instead of continuing with his questions.
Brand || “Gods, I don’t even remember. It was forever ago. Like, before I had the Tranquility. Before I’d gotten to know you, even.” Brand’s gaze traced patterns on the ceiling as she tried to recall. “I think it was just something I’d stumbled upon on one of my many wanderings. Early on, I didn’t really have a place to stay, so I just kind of went from place to place doing odd jobs and resting wherever and whenever I could. When I found the grotto, I kept it as my place to sleep for a while, whenever I was in the area.”
Khitti || That long ago? It wasn’t even something recent? “Ah,” Khitti said. His crimson brows knitted themselves together and another frown made itself known. The rest of his drink was drained and the now empty glass set on the coffee table, before he sunk further into the couch, his legs just sort of haphazardly out in front of him and halfway under the table. “I guess I don’t really have a place like that. Maybe that’s my problem. Anytime I go somewhere to ask one of them for help, it’s always at one of the temples or in the guildhall. Maybe there’s too much interference. Or something.” But if that was true, then why did Selene hear Brand in Rynvale?
Khitti || “I always sort of felt safer in the woods, than I did in, say, House Dragana--sometimes even the inn in Frostmaw. I was like that at home too. Some kind of argument would happen with Lydia or my mom and I’d just run away into the woods for a few days. My parents knew where I was and didn’t bother looking for me after a while. But just saying that my equivalent of your grotto is a forest feels too broad. There’s too many of them. There’s not one in particular that feels -special- to me.”
Brand finished her drink and moved to sit next to Khitti, cuddling him from the side. “Well, you can probably eliminate anything in Vailkrin or Frostmaw. One’s too full of spiders, the other’s too cold. Is there anywhere here that has a forest that reminds you of the ones in Dhavislaav? That would be the one I would pick, if I were you. Something that feels like home, assuming you have any attachment left to it at all.”
Khitti smirked at Brand, “The cold is a good point, but I’m pretty used to the spiders now. Need I remind you who saved who from them?” Khitti hadn’t forgotten about that, of course. He went silent for a moment and thought about it. Which one was most like home? “Fog Forest, in Rynvale. There's a reason why my village's name translates to ‘Dusk Falls’,” he said, side-eyeing the floor. “Vailkrin’s too magical. The Deep Dark Forest in Sage is too damn dark. The Dead Forest in Venturil is too dead. Gualon is too swampy. Larket’s is too wolfy. Frostmaw’s too cold.” Were there any others? “But, I also don’t go to Rynvale all that often. There’s a little matter of there being an ocean between me and that island and I’m not gonna constantly ask you to take me there when you’ll likely eventually go back to your job. It’s just not as accessible as your grotto is. I can’t just go there every day if I need to.”
Brand just laughed. “You’re being very ‘me’ about this, you know. The Tranquility does supply runs back and forth from Rynvale damn near every day. It’s our most frequent job by far. It wouldn’t be a problem to get you there when you needed.” Just to emphasize that her teasing was meant in a loving way and not a harsh way, she gave Khitti a few kisses on the cheek. Then she rose up from her seat and went back to make more drinks. “I doubt either of us has low enough tolerance to get drunk off one drink anymore, even as strong as I make them.” A bit longer, and she’d be back with two full glasses. “Here.”
Khitti || “Yeah but--” Khitti sighed, accepted Brand’s kisses, and decided it probably wasn’t best to argue. When she returned with the drinks, he put an arm around her waist and pulled Brand closer so he could rest his head on her shoulder. “It’s probably not needed--the whole getting drunk, I mean. Talking is helping…” Sort of. It helped enough at least that he didn’t feel like getting blackout drunk like he had earlier, just to make all of this stupid overthinking go away. “What if going there doesn’t help?”
Brand || “Then we’ll figure out another way. We always do, don’t we?” She got about halfway through her second drink when she realized she was starting to feel warm in the face. She’d taken a couple extra shots while making their drinks the first time, but surely it couldn’t -- oh. Uh oh. She buried her face in Khitti’s shoulder and giggled. “Y’know, I just realized. I’ve been throwing back drinks like I always do, but I don’t think in this form I have the same tolerance as I’m used to…” Brand was starting to feel the effects, a little too much, a little too fast. Whoops.
Khitti || “Viera didn’t really drink all that much either when she had a hold of your body,” Khitti said with a smirk. The new drink was promptly chugged in an effort to catch up to Brand--or at least get a lot closer than he was. The glass was then slid onto the table and all of Khitti’s attention Brand, who, for once in her life, could technically be classified as ‘white girl wasted’. “Oh no. You’re so drunk. I don’t think you’ll be able to walk into the bedroom. How very, very sad for you.” This was all said in a rather dramatic, yet deadpan tone with an extremely sad face to accompany it. “I guess we’ll just have to stay here.” Cue the kissing that likely would’ve happened sooner if Khitti had not been brooding so much.
Brand giggled some more. Once she’d started, it was hard to stop. “Oh no,” she said between kisses. “Whatever shall we do? Wait, I know.” She pulled herself away from Khitti and stumbled back into the kitchen, where she filled a handful of shot glasses. She somehow brought them back to the couch without spilling them, then gave most of them to Khitti, keeping one for herself. “Okay, big boy. This is how you drink like a man.” Cue even more giggling. “You’ve probably gotta drink three of those for every one I drink just to keep up, if your tolerance is anything like mine used to be.” She clinked her glass against his before gulping down her shot, then giggled some more. Yep, definitely white girl wasted.
Khitti || Damn it, Brand. Khitti wasn’t done kissing you yet. What the hell. He watched her wander away to grab more alcohol and then come all the way back with way too many shots. Should they really be getting this drunk if they were going to attempt to find Viera the next day? He also wasn’t quite sure how to respond to these things Brand kept saying either. Did Brand prefer Khitti this way? Should he just never change back? Or was it just some sort of weird side effect from Brand being in her current form for as long as she has been. Khitti resisted a frown and just played along instead, “Uh huh… I see.” He picked up his first shot, downed it as he eyed Brand with a faint smirk, tipped the glass upside down and set it on the table. He then proceeded to do the same with a second one, then pulled Brand close again. “You keep drinking like that and you’ll have quite the hangover when we go find Viera.”
Brand || “Oh riiiiiight. That’s a good point. Okay, no more drinkin’. I shwear.” Brand took Khitti’s hand in her own and made it a pinky promise. “Besides, I guess we’ve got sommat better to do, don’t we?” She kissed Khitti some more, meanwhile trailing her hands down to undo buttons and zippers. Tomorrow, they’d find Viera. But tonight… tonight, they had other plans.