RP:He Killed Younglings: Part Two

This is a Warrior's Guild RP.

Summary: Khitti and Brand take an unscheduled trip to Frostmaw for some alone time, but they're eventually found by Clyde, who is not at all happy by the antics during their last meeting.

The Spear Room, Frostmaw Tavern

Khitti || It had been a few days since Khitti and Brand’s trip to Frostmaw. Drargon had just stared at them as Khitti told the frost giant his name and asked how much the rooms were nightly now that things had been redone within the past few years. There’s no way that this could be the same Khitti and Brand that had stayed there years ago. The ones that were either moping around or arguing with one another or frakking at all hours of the day or night. And he’d certainly not forgotten about the dark mark left on the wall or the window that had been broken by that kid, of whom Khitti had yelled at not long before the child returned with his angry mother. Drargon looked between the two for what seemed like forever. Maybe he shouldn’t have had that tenth flagon of ale for breakfast. The frost giant rubbed his eyes as Khitti waved a hand at him, “Hello? Are you okay? We’ll take whatever room you’ve got… so long as it’s not the weird one with the statue of my brother, okay?” His brother? There was only one Lionel. And there was only one Khitti who was his sister. And there was only one Brand who was her husband. But… this was not them? They looked similar but… “Uhhhh,” Drargon said, as he looked through his reservation book, “The Spear Room is available. Fifty gold a night. Includes food and all that.” He was trying so hard to move things along. But no matter how much he hoped, he wouldn’t be able to forget about how weird this was. Khitti had paid for the first several nights, with the intent of paying for more later, depending on how long they stayed.

Khitti || That was then. And now? Now Khitti was sprawled out in bed looking like some weird naked hieroglyph, his arms and legs haphazardly placed this way and that way somehow as he slept face down on the bed. It had been another long night of experimental sexy time with Brand and he was rightfully exhausted by it. This Khitti was no different from the real Khitti when it came to sleeping. You’d think he was well and truly dead, if it wasn’t for the fact that if you stared at him long enough, you could see him breathing and moving just ever so slightly because of it.

Brand, however, had been awake for a while. She had heated herself a bath, filled it with her favorite bubble mix (strawberry and peach scented, of course), and settled into the tub for a nice long soak. By now, though, most of the bubbles were gone and the water was getting cold. Her fingertips were shriveled. She should really get out… but that would require moving. And she was so comfortable, dammit.

Brand || Finally, the water got so frigid that she had no choice. Sighing, she pushed herself out of the tub, dried herself off, wrung her hair out as much as she could, and dressed herself in one of Khitti’s oversized shirts. It was oversized on her, at any rate -- it fit Khitti just fine. Brand secured the bottom two buttons and let the rest of it hang loosely about her, just enough to warm her and somewhat protect her modesty while she set to work on her hair. At its current length, brushing out bad tangles could take -hours-, which was why she only ever wore it loose when she was washing it. Afterwards, it was immediately back into the braid, and then the braid knotted into an elaborate bun or twist or whatever struck her fancy that day. She’d wait until she was almost finished to wake Khitti for the day. No sense in rousing him any earlier if he’d just end up waiting hours for her to be ready to go anywhere.

Khitti || Unfortunately for Brand, she wouldn’t get very far in dealing with her hair before Khitti woke up. The vague scent of peaches and strawberries coming from the bathroom managed to wake him up just enough that he was aware of the lack of a Brand in bed. He tossed and turned a little bit as she got out of the tub, got dressed and went to deal with her hair. Unfortunately for Brand (again), her husband was up and out of bed, sneaking up behind her, and shoving his face in her freshly washed air before she had a chance to get it back into a braid. He was just inhaling it like some sort of weirdo and gathering her hair into his arms as gently as possible. “This is mine now. Sorry. Gotta confiscate it. It smells amazing and looks too nice.” Khitti crouched down a little and put the pile of hair on top of his head. As if Brand really needed a reminder that her husband was strange as hell. It didn’t last long though. He plucked her brush out of her hand and disappeared into the other room for a moment. He came back with pants on, two chairs, and the brush, and instructed her to sit in one chair, while he sat in the other and started to brush her hair. Khitti went slowly, starting from the bottom and working his way up. He might be a dudebro, but he’s not a heartless dudebro.

Brand blushed as Khitti showed up behind her, and was still blushing as Khitti set to work on her hair. They’d sit in a comfortable wordlessness for a while, with only the crackle of the fireplace and the sound of brush bristles running through hair to fill the silence. Brand was watching Khitti in the mirror, a light smile on her face and butterflies in her stomach, but Khitti seemed fully focused on the task at hand. Finally, she’d tilt her head over the back of the chair, just far enough that she could look him in the eye, upside down. “I love you. You know that, right? I feel like I don’t tell you enough.” And in a way, that was true; Brand would never have gotten so mushy over so small a thing before the transformation. But she felt her emotions so -keenly- now, and almost couldn’t help but vent them. Perhaps it was the old part of her that made her flush red again and look away in embarrassment, even though she couldn’t possibly remember that part of her existed. “I mean. You’re a jerk sometimes. But even then, you’re -my- jerk.”

Khitti stopped what he was doing and stared down at Brand. Something felt… off. A tiny part in his brain screamed at him, telling him that Brand doesn’t say ‘I love you’. And when it did happen, the real Khitti would get a little emotional about it, since Brand really only said once in a blue moon. She knew he had other ways of showing it though, with bringing her food or whiskey, or just listening to her, like he’d always done, even if he didn’t really recognize it as such. And she never judged him for any of it, but it was nice to hear those words now and then, just to make sure he still felt the same way. The knowledge of it all was still somewhere deep in the recesses of this Khitti’s brain. The connection Khitti had with Brand was so much so that not even Viera’s magic could fully get rid of it. Sorry, Viera, not even you can screw with fate.

Khitti searched Brand’s face as she looked at him and then just sort of eyed the back of her head once Brand turned away again, trying to find answers to the weird feeling of wrongness he was getting, but received nothing in that regard. The emotion that usually came with those three words being said, however, bubbled up now as it had in the past and Khitti tried his best to quell it, wondering where that feeling too came from. “I love you too,” he said quietly, trying to mask those feelings as he got back to brushing her hair. Soon it was finished, and he even braided it for her, but then allowed her to pin it up as she wished. Khitti stood up, pressed a kiss to the top of Brand’s head, and went back into the other room to make tea.

Brand picked up on Khitti’s… she’d call it emotional shyness, for lack of a better way of putting it. But to this version of Brand, this was just how Khitti was. The mushy was sometimes -too- mushy for him, unless it was during sex. Brand tried to be accommodating, but sometimes the feelings just overwhelmed her and she had to say something. Khitti preferred showing his love in other ways, and that was fine. There were many ways to show you loved someone, and Khitti did so every day. Brand knew this. She knew this, and yet she still wanted more. And so she secured her bun, got dressed, and then followed Khitti into the other room. She slid between him and the tea-in-progress, then stood on her tiptoes so she could wrap her arms around his neck and give him a quick kiss. “So, what’s the plan for today? -Do- we have a plan for today? Or are we just gonna...” she walked two fingers up his chest, smiled coyly, and let him infer the rest of her meaning.

Khitti wanted to drown his emotions in tea, Brand! He smirked somewhat down at her and shrugged, “Well, the plan right now had been to get some tea, but -someone- has gone and interrupted that with her rather attractive self. But no, no real plan. I didn’t think about the fact that we would, you know, need our winterwear for this place. So we probably shouldn’t stray too far from the inn…” And by that he meant, they should keep each other warm by staying her and well… doing what she was implying. He leaned down to kiss her, and held her waist to keep her steady until he was done with her. As per usual, it didn’t take Khitti long to get in “the mood”. Brand made that incredibly easy--she didn’t even need to act coyly like she was now! There was just -something- about her..

Khitti || He eventually lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around him and he could carry her the short distance across the room while still kissing her. They got so close! They’d reached the bed and Khitti started taking off those pants again and then…! Then there was a lot of pounding on the front door. This wasn’t normal knocking like, say, from a frost giant. This was angry pounding on the door with both fists and shouting and swearing and mentions of the Warrior’s Guild being a bunch of thieves and all that. Drargon was still rather weirded out by KhittiBrand’s current forms that he just… let it happen. Maybe he was dreaming. Or maybe he just didn’t want to be involved in whatever strange issues they’d gotten themselves into now. Khitti looked down at Brand, crimson brows furrowed in concern and confusion, and just mouthed “What the f---”. He eventually sighed, released his wife, and re-buttoned his pants. And then he put on his shirt. He even put on his shoes. The guy just kept going at it on the door and Khitti took his time. He braided that long bit of hair he had just as he always did and ran his fingers through his bangs. Khitti was taking a page out of Brand’s Book Of Taking Forever To Make Oneself Look Nice, you see. He got all ready, winked at Brand on the way to the front door, opened said door, and found none other than Clyde.

Khitti || Clyde unfortunately didn’t get to say much of anything before Khitti grabbed him by the throat, spun him a little to the right, and choke-slammed him against the wall just outside the room. “Hi, Clyde. You seem distressed. Maybe try some of that beer you love so much. I don’t fancy getting Drargon’s nice new flooring all bloody, but I will if I have to.” It wouldn’t be the first time, even if Khitti didn’t remember -that- part of her and Brand’s stay here years ago. “Especially if you upset my wife.” Khitti leaned over just enough to catch sight of Brand. “Peach, are you upset? Even just a little? Please say ‘yes’.”

Brand || Khitti was hot when he was angry. It made Brand all the more frustrated with the interruption -- nevermind that he was only mad -because- of the interruption. But some part of her knew that Clyde’s presence here probably meant that her magic had failed somehow, and knowing exactly how would surely help her improve at it. Sighing, Brand rose off the bed and came to stand next to Khitti. “Yes. But… let him speak. I’m curious to hear what he thinks we’ve done.” Brand put on her Mom Voice now and addressed Clyde, even as he was still wrestling for breath. “Now, Clyde. I’ll not have you tarnishing the reputation of the Warrior’s Guild without good reason. When my husband lets you go, I expect you to calmly and politely explain why you’re here. And then we’ll all get to the bottom of what I’m sure is just a big misunderstanding.” With a saccharine smile, she nodded for Khitti to release him.

Khitti || Brand’s husband frowned, pouted, and eventually let Clyde go with a heavy sigh. But, not before pulling him away from the wall and shoving him back up against it again juuuust in case he got any ideas. He took a few steps away from the drunk, crossed his arms over his chest, and just stared at Clyde. Clyde cleared his throat, somewhat grabbing at his neck as if that’d undo the minor damage Khitti did there. “You… You tricked me! That dragon head wasn’t dead! It ate my cats! And my cow! And then it disappeared!” Khitti cast a side-glance down at Brand. Hopefully she wouldn’t take this news of her magic going well… a bit chaotic badly. “Well, Clyde. The dragon wasn’t real because -your- dragon wasn’t real. It’s not our fault some idiot going through a midlife crisis because some kid outdrank him in front of a bunch of ladies and couldn’t accept it and decided to delude himself into thinking something crazy. And thought to himself ‘hm, I’ll try to pull a bunch of people from the Warrior’s Guild to help!’. When we have more important things to do.” Clyde gasped. The shock of it all! Was it really all a lie?! “I-I don’t believe you! I saw the dragons! And my dead younglings! You’re going to make this right!! Or you don’t get the money OR the whiskey!” Khitti sighed again. “Fine. You know how we’re going to do this?” Clyde stared at him, wide-eyed, somewhat with fear. “N-no?” Khitti just shrugged. “A drinking contest.”

Brand looked sidelong at Khitti. However her magic might go wrong, she knew it eating things it wasn’t supposed to wasn’t likely to be possible. “It ate your cats? Sorry, Clyde, but I think you just got so drunk you hallucinated again.” That’s totally a thing that could happen. Brand knew from experience, even this version of Brand. She liked to drink. But when Khitti mentioned the drinking contest, there was the briefest, faintest look of alarm on her face before she managed to mask it. Hopefully Khitti had been too busy challenging Clyde to notice it. She’d been trying to figure out the right time to tell him that she -- well, now certainly wasn’t that time. “You two have fun with that. I’m gonna have to sit this one out. As much as I’d love to, my stomach hasn’t been feeling right lately and I’d rather not upset it more than it already is.” Well, it wasn’t a lie, exactly…

Khitti || “Clyde, be a dear and go tell Drargon to get the beer ready,” Khitti said, offering the man an eerily polite smile after all of that roughing up. Clyde slunk away downstairs, too chicken to run away entirely or try to come up with some other sort of challenge. It’s not like he could fight anyway in the state he was in. Once he was gone, Khitti turned to Brand with a frown, putting a hand on her cheek, “Are you okay? It’s not like you to turn down a drinking challenge.” When Brand really put her mind to it, she could even outdrink Khitti! “I don’t plan on drinking though. If you’re up to it, I’ve got a plan.”

Brand turned to give a quick kiss to the hand on her cheek, then smirked up at Khitti. “I just said I -wasn’t- okay, weren’t you listening? But no, I’ll be fine. Probably ate too much spicy stuff again. Or something.” Or something, indeed. “Let’s hear this plan of yours, but better make it quick.”

Khitti squinted at Brand. Squinted really hard. It was clear he was suspicious. He looked like he might be considering something. Like maybe he was going to scoop her up and carry her into the room, shut and lock the door, and pretend Clyde doesn’t exist (or let Drargon deal with him). But, thankfully for Brand, he doesn’t. “Alright, fine,” he said, with an audible sigh of defeat. But he was still suspicious. He’d just nicely interrogate her later. While doing naughty things to her. Or something. “I need you to make it look like I’m drinking and getting drunk. I need to go as long as he can and then win when it looks like he’s going to pass out. Or puke. Whichever comes first. The last drink I’ll take can be real. But, I don’t want to -actually- get drunk. Because apparently my wife and I have something to talk about.” Yep, still suspicious.

Brand just gave him her best innocent look, complete with batting eyelashes. She’d learned from the best, even if she couldn’t remember when Khitti had pulled the same moves. “What? A girl’s allowed to not drink for once in her life. Unless you -want- me to throw up all over everything and be miserable for the rest of the day. And you know that would mean we wouldn’t be able to continue with what we were doing before we were so rudely interrupted. You wouldn’t want -that-, would you?” Without waiting for an answer, she raised herself onto her tiptoes and gave Khitti another kiss, then led the way downstairs to where the drinking ‘contest’ would take place. “Alright, Clyde, Drargon -- we’re ready when you are.”

The Frostmaw Tavern, Main Room

Khitti scowled at Brand, in a very Brand-like fashion. Well, in a Dude!Brand-like fashion. You know the one. And he scowled at her again as she headed downstairs to get things underway. -Something- was up and he’d figure it out. Then again, he said this about the strange things Dominic had said not too long ago too, but -that- still hadn’t happened yet either. He wandered downstairs part-way, lurking on the staircase as he watched his wife in confusion. For being pretty smart, he was also incredibly dense right now. He’d blame Clyde for this later on and bill him for emotional damages. Or something.

Khitti || As if Clyde really needed to be frightened further, he’d get another scare as Khitti shadowstepped from the staircase to just next to where Clyde had been seated. “Are you ready to be so utterly destroyed that your family’s future generations will never speak of you because you shamed them so much?” Clyde just squeaked. Khitti would take that as a yes. Khitti seated himself finally and reached over to the middle of the table, taking a glass of beer from his side of the alcohol line-up. Clyde did the same, except he spilled a little of his beer because he was shaking so badly. When Brand had signaled somehow that the illusion was in place, Khitti pretended to start drinking. But, he didn’t. Between him and the table, Khitti conjured up a tiny portal to the Shadow Plane and ever so carefully poured the beer in there. This carried on for several rounds.

Khitti || Meanwhile, in the Shadow Plane, the gloomgluts in the Mountains of Madness had stopped engorging themselves on anything that walked. A strange liquid was falling from the heavens and after a bit of confusion, one was brave enough to try it--and loved it. This led to much fighting amongst them over who was drinking the next few rounds of beer and thus, the Great Beer War for the gloomgluts had begun. There would be no historical texts telling of such, nor would it last longer than like twenty minutes, but the slaughter that would be found afterward would confuse the denizens of the Shadow Plane for centuries.

Brand was having fun with this. So much fun, in fact, that she’d transformed her dress into a stereotypical cheerleader outfit, complete with pom-poms. While one of her illusions did all the work of funnelling the beer elsewhere, this one was purely for her own entertainment. She whooped and hollered and chanted every game chant she could think of, which mostly boiled down to, “Khitti, Khitti, he’s our man! If he can’t do it, no one can!” along with a lot of fancy twirls and leaps. Like most cheerleader uniforms, the outfit didn’t leave much to the imagination -- a strategic choice she’d made to throw Clyde further off his game and put an end to the charade that much faster. Every once in a while, she’d “accidentally” hip-check him (HUH-CHA!) while doing her dances. Once he’d had enough to drink, surely such a move would distract Clyde enough to send him tumbling from his chair, ending the contest and making Khitti the clear victor.

Khitti || Clyde thought he was winning! He was so drunk, but it looked like Khitti was too. Clyde wondered to himself, with his six brain cells, just where the hell that beer went inside that stick-thin body. Between all this wondering and Brand’s hip-checking and bouncing around in that extremely revealing outfit, Clyde’s head was spinning. Okay, so it was probably mostly the beer. But! He was tied with Khitti so far! Just one more! Surely Khitti was as far gone as he was. Clyde’s eye was caught by Brand again and he just stared at her, mesmerized. It didn’t take long for him to fall out of his chair thanks to all that twirling.

Khitti, on the other hand, was perfectly fine. He resisted the urge to punch Clyde’s lights out for staring at his wife for so long, but Clyde seemed to have knocked himself out anyway. To break the tie, Khitti actually physically drank this one last beer--just enough to get a bit of it on his breath, in case someone thought he might be cheating. The whole inn erupted into cheers and Drargon cleared the table, starting with throwing Clyde outside to wake up in a mound of snow. Khitti bowed ever so gracefully several times, picked up his wife as he was wont to do, and hauled her cute butt upstairs.

The old Brand would have hated being picked up so much, probably because he viewed it as emasculating or some such thing. But this version of Brand had no such hangups. She loved it, in fact. It was exhilarating to be literally swept off her feet by the one she loved. Like a fairytale story, wrapped up in the strong, caring arms of her knight in shining armor. Only, there was no armor and Khitti was less of a knight and more of a… badass mage/rogue type? Well, whatever he was, Brand thought it was hot. So she allowed herself to be carried all the way up the stairs and into their room, where Khitti could shut the door and dump her on the bed and they could resume the kind of stuff they’d been up to when Clyde had first interrupted them. Only now, she was in an even showier outfit than before. Hopefully it would have a similar effect on Khitti to the one it had on Clyde, and she could avoid any more probing questions for the day. Hopefully. But knowing Khitti, maybe not.

Khitti did deposit Brand onto the bed and he gave her The Look™. The one that said ‘I know you’re not telling me something’. But, that was all Brand would get for now. She hadn’t even needed that outfit, to be honest. She could be wearing ten layers of clothing and Khitti would still get the urge to rip all of those clothes off. Things would go according to Brand’s plan. And the next day, Khitti had seemingly forgotten the whole situation regarding Brand’s little secret. Knowing how Khitti got when frakkery was afoot and his need to find out what it was, it had likely been Viera’s doing. Or maybe he was getting old and that one beer did him in. But probably not.