aterat | Logs for October

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Logs for October

Who; Caelan and you!
What; Phone troubles, pillow forts, discussions on the weird goings on, and a seal in the tub
Where; Red building, and the docks.
When; End of September / Early October
Warnings; Mentions of nudity (Not descriptive, shape changing just doesn’t work with clothes), references to alcohol abuse (marked in thread with Nida), references to suicide (marked in thread with Nida)

What Do You Mean It’s Not Water Proof?

Caelan was experiencing some very obvious levels of confusion and frustration as he wandered up from the docks post swim that evening. His hair was still dripping and damp as he walked, eyes glued to the tell-phone that was looking rather... Less functional than it was meant to be. He hadn’t even bothered to button his shirt all the way, after the damn thing slipped out of his pockets and into the water when he was getting himself dressed and presentable by human standards.

At first, he’d only been annoyed because he’d had to stop what he was doing to fish it out of the water. Now he was doubly annoyed because the screen wasn’t lighting up. It was like the damn thing didn’t have any life in it...

Weird and very inconvenient if he had anything to say on the matter.

Which he was... At length, muttering under his breath and his accent growing a touch stronger than usual as he forgot himself. “The bleedin’ hell kind of joke is this? Really? Give the man who spends copious amounts of time near the water something that up and dies just because it gets a little wet. Can’t handle your drink at all, can yah? You finicky little box of nonsense.”

Speaking of a drink, he had a feeling he was going to need one very soon. Between that weird energy pulse a while back, the nightmares and now this? He was willing to admit he might need several.

A Fortress Fit for a Princess

Caelan wasn’t asleep when a mist slipped under his doorway, he’d come to expect at least one interruption a night since a few prior when something exploded somewhere and released a shockwave of mysterious energy. It had upset a whole lot of people (him included, for all he said he wasn’t bothered). Holly had become the most frequent guest, especially when the nightmares had begun.

Tonight he was ready though, and hoping to get the kid to talk a little more rather than the sullen insistence that she was completely fine and whatever other absurd excuses she came up with for her visit that night. Because honestly, she wasn’t the only one having nightmares, and he was starting to worry more about what they actually might have meant.

Hard to tell though if there were any connections or similarities if you weren’t talking.

Thus, tonight he was more than prepared for the visit. The living room space in his apartment had been entirely disrupted, cushions and pillows moved to the floor along with some of the chairs from the dining area, the sheets from his room and the pillows for good measure. All because he’d gotten it in his head that he was going to try one of those ‘Pillow Fort’ things that Holly had mentioned once or twice in one of her super-fact-filled-rambles.

When Holly materialized into a solid form again, she would be greeted by the sight of a very large, very chaotic looking fortress of pillows and blankets. If she ate food, there would have been all manner of sweets and snacks. Unfortunately, as happy as he was to make sure she could feed safely, he wasn’t confident in grabbing a random person off the street for her to snack on.

Someone would be bound to ask questions if they saw him lugging an unconscious body up and down the stairs... right?

So... No snacks, only a structure that was only slightly stable, but magnificent to behold (in his personal opinion).

Splish-splash

If there were any human creation that Caelan favoured over any other (aside from motor cars, they were fun) it was most decidedly the bathtub. A place to soak and relax at the end of a long day? A place where you could safely just splash around or doze off for a little nap without worrying about a predator?

It was brilliant. A private bath was practically a requirement when he was staying somewhere on a job. It wasn’t a replacement for the ocean by any means though, it did little to quiet the call in the back of his mind. It was, however, the nicest substitute on days when the call wasn’t loud, and he couldn’t be fussed with sneaking down to the shore.

Even the Lighthouse he’d purchased had a nice one installed, despite the fact that the ocean was just down the cliff side.

So after he’d finished a day busking in the market he hadn’t taken long to run a nice hot bath, grabbed his pelt, and slipped into the water like the delighted seal he was. It wasn’t as though he didn’t have the time, he wasn’t expecting any company for a while yet. Usually his visitors tended to show up slightly later.

Wildcard!
Have something you want the seal boy for in particular? Throw it at me! Also, if anyone wants something specific in a starter they should let me know. I can totally write one. <3

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“Yeah, there might be a small dinghy or something that’s sea worthy. I’d say we could just swim out, but most humans have a hard time keeping up in the water.” Not that he’d let a human drown, especially one he liked. “I’ll take a gander next time I’m down at the docks. Maybe see if any of them would do with a quick patch job. I definitely would have an easier time showing you myself, not enough fish next to shore to do anything particularly impressive.”

And really, Caelan was a show off at heart. If he was going to do something, he was going to at least make it interesting.

A small part of him is touched by the thoughtfulness of his own safety, and it shows a little on his face. “You know most humans take a look at a selkie or any other fae, and just want to take what isn’t theirs? No thought or cares beyond that.” He grinned a little, “Seems like you’re a rare exception. Like I said though, it didn’t mess with me. I was paying attention, so you should be safe to do it whenever you need.”

"Yes, I can see how a sea-creature would swim better than a human," Nida laughs.

Of course it sounds like the man is a bit of a showman, which Nida is amused by. But the suggestion that people would just take earns a sneer from Nida.

"I only take what isn't mine when I'm hired to do work like that. And frankly, I prefer not to do that."

Caelan was always a showman, it was one of the things that made his group so successful. Keeping the mark’s attention where they needed to be instead of where it should have been to prevent the crime.

Which was why he smiled at the man’s frankness over not taking what didn’t belong to him. “Yeah? Well, it’s refreshing. Half my time back home is spent taking back things that humans helped themselves to. It’s a mess... More of a mess than I thought when I started, but now I’m here so.” He shrugged in an exaggerated motion, dramatic and more than a little put out. “If more people would be like you, then I’d be out of a job but...”

But his life would probably have turned out very different very early on.

Edited 2020-10-08 00:08 (UTC)

"If more people were like me, I would be out of a job," Nida agrees, grinning.

Don't mind him, he really enjoyed his own joke. And, with his own food finished, he picks up the dishes to go and clean them.

"People are a weird thing to process, aren't they? You can rarely expect what they will be."

The joke gets an easy laugh out of him, “Then you’d need to find a new one, whatever would you do?”

He does fall silent for a moment as Nida moved away from the table, turning in his seat to watch. People were weird things to process. Human and fae alike. After so much time, the only thing he’d figured that neither were particularly better than the other. Both were capable of good and bad at the same time, oftentimes from the very same person.

“You got that right, they never cease to surprise. Which is probably not entirely a bad thing, I’d get bored otherwise?” That said... “But there are things about them that are safer to wary of... I think it goes without saying, you’re a smart lad, but you know you can’t tell anyone about this, yeah? You’re currently one of two people who knows about me properly.”

Just you and the twelve-year-old vampire, Nida. A couple people knew he wasn’t human, but not this much. So he was trusting the guy. Maybe he didn’t have much of a say in it now, but the point that he was going to trust him remained. “There are... certain rules that go along with being what I am, and it’d a problem if people who were more familiar with selkie-lore found out about me. Worse than the iron ‘allergy’ anyway.”

"Spy, remember? Hording my knowledge is important, especially since my boss isn't around."

Whatever the important things were about being him, Nida didn't care. This man was his friend, and he was going to protect him.

He smiled a little wryly at that, “Yeah, you’d be a poor excuse for a spy if you just went around spilling secrets. Which, given what I’ve seen of you thus far? I would find it shocking.” No, if they were in his world, he was reasonably sure he’d have wanted Nida as a contact in his network...

Tapping on the table and humming a couple notes for a minute, he finally settled on his last bit of sharing. Holly knew, and it wouldn’t hurt to have someone else in the know... Just in case someone less trust worthy happened upon it. “So, one last bit of knowledge. A bonus, if you will.” He said this with a light, almost joking tone. Honestly, it just felt better to make light of it.

Sounded less serious that way, “Selkies are tied to their skins. I know it looks separate, but it’s really not. What happens to it, damages and such, does happen to me as well. Also, if someone takes it from me, I can’t go back to the sea. I’m then tied to land and the person who has it. Don’t ask me why that is, I don’t know. Guess someone figured we’d be too much to handle otherwise.” He ended with a little dramatic sweeping gesture at himself.

Nida is very good at what he does. The fact that he even told Caelan he was a spy was, you know, very carefully calculated. Still, he looks very concerned to hear Caelan telling him this. He moves forward to put his hands over Caelan's mouth.

"No. Don't tell me anything more. Please. Fuck. You could get HURT!"

He arched a brow when Nida covered his mouth, dark eyes staring rather curiously. That was a stronger reaction than he had expected... It made a stark contrast from the light tone Caelan had been using to paint the picture. Lifting a hand, he nudged Nida’s away from his face with a small sigh. “Yeah, I could get hurt. That’s why I’m telling you?”

Folding his arms lightly, his expression drew into a small line. So much for trying to act like it wasn’t that serious. “I don’t know who might show up here that knows all of that already, It’s common enough knowledge where I’m from. If I slip up around the wrong person... I’d rather have someone I can trust know the signs that something is off.” And frankly? The fact that Nida had responded that way, with some genuine concern, was a pretty clear sign.

“But yeah, I won’t say more on the matter if you prefer.” The selkie shrugged, getting the message. He pushed himself up from the table, moving away finally to find his violin to fuss with.

“What you’re telling me means giving me a way to hurt you,” Nida counters, his voice doing nothing to hide his very clear concern. “Giving someone a means to hurt you is never a good choice, Caelan. Oh Hyne, how can you trust me with this? I’m a mercenary. An assassin and spy. I could choose to destroy you.”

“You could do that, yes.” He responded, drawing the bow across strings with a frown, then adjusting the tuning of the violin. “But to be fair? If that was your intent, you could have done that when I decided to start leaving my window unlocked. It would have been quick and easy for you.” He said, drawing the violin bow across his own neck lightly. It was dramatic, yes, but Caelan usually was.

“I can trust you because you’ve had ample occasions to prove yourself untrustworthy since I met you.” He put the bow down, plucking at strings lightly instead. “You could have ignored me on the docks when the guard was wandering by, you could have questioned far more when I fed you half truths about my magic, you could have killed me in my sleep many times over the last month.”

Tone thoughtful, he continued. “Instead, you warned me. You let my words go and gave me a small demonstration of your abilities, which if we were enemies would be silly. You offered to help me out with sewer explorations to keep me out of trouble. You gave me company and brought me food instead of a hurting me. You also expressed concern over my diet once you learned what I was so I wouldn’t get hurt.” Don’t mind the small, soft laugh that escaped at that, Nida. “If you wanted to destroy me, you sure are taking your damned time. The last who intended to? They certainly didn’t wait this long to try.”

Well, that’s all very good points that Nida can’t really argue against. Especially against a full grown man who can decide what he wants for himself. Still, Nida looks worried.

“Please promise me you won’t be nearly so free with this information among others. I... you’re my friend, Caelan, and it has been so hard to try opening up when these worlds keep hurting me. I’d hate to lose you.”

He sees the worry. Hate to lose you... Fuck, doesn’t that just strike a chord with him that he hates to have struck... He can practically see two specific faces frowning at him in a similar fashion over some stupid decision he’d made.

Finally, he put the violin down entirely. Caelan truly disliked having to take things like this seriously, but being flippant or joking about his own weaknesses would only make light of Nida’s concern and upset the guy now. Dammit...

“Yeah... Yeah, I promise you that. I only ever tell people I believe I can trust. Like I said, the only people who know what I am now are you and one other person. A couple people... did something, know a little but not a lot.” He shrugged, those two had been very strange occurrences. “Besides that, as much as I’m needed at home? I’m reasonably certain I’m not going anywhere, not anytime soon.” Caelan added the last with a little smile, hoping it helped.

“Well, if someone tries to give you trouble, let me know,” Nida says, voice firm and concerned. He wants Caelan to know that he has every intention of taking care of the guy. “We’re... I don’t know. Friends? Family? Either way, we take care of each other.”

And he grins at the other man. Because he wants the guy to understand this is serious, but it doesn’t have to be THAT serious.

Considering Nida’s words carefully, he felt something more than a little soft and warm in his chest at the very firm words before he nods with a grin. “We are that, and we certainly do.” He doesn’t specify which they are, because friends where he came from? They were family, better than in a way... And you didn’t leave family high and dry.

“So don’t forget that it goes both ways.” He added with a lighter smile, some of that joking tone bleeding back in as he continued. “I’m very good at being a petty pain in the neck when I want to be.” And he got very petty when those he cared about her slighted or troubled in some way.

Goes both ways? How lovely. Nida smiles and nods.

“You’ve always been a pain for me. I don’t mind it. You remind me a bit of my brother. Well, sorta brother. But yeah, it’s going to be good.”

He smiles and moves to offer the man a hug.

The tease gets a quick laugh out of him, absolutely delighted by it. “I’m always proud to be a pain! I’ve been told it comes naturally to me. So, it bodes well that you don’t mind.” Nida’s ‘sorta brother’ sounded like an interesting fellow then, and admittedly... Nida wasn’t entirely dissimilar to another member of his group. Between the joking flirting and the very firm insistence that he’d help if something came up? Yeah...

The hug offer is accepted with an easy embrace, something that honestly comes naturally to him after so many years in a group as close as the one he’d built. It is good, very good... Because it would be a lie to say he hadn’t been feeling a tad adrift without them, and it was nice to know that maybe there were people like that here as well.

“Yeah, you’re just like him in some ways,” Nida agrees. Can’t generate the name or the faces, but he likes it. Likes that this man cares for him. And that he’s allowed to care.

The hug is a good one, and he just holds the man as close as he can. IT’s nice.

“I’ve got your back,” he promises. “What more can there be than that?”

“Yeah? All the best ways, I’d hope.” He chuckled a little, “I admit, I wish I could introduce you to my own little group. I think they’d like you.” And the hug is very nice, Nida should get used to it. Being ‘family’ meant Caelan was very prone to random hugs and nudges and the like.

Caelan was often accused of caring too much, it made him make decisions that weren’t necessarily smart... Took the riskier jobs or raised more hell than necessary when a friend was in a bind. “We’ll have each other’s backs, you mean. But yeah, there’s nothing more to be said than that.” He grinned a little, Caelan was loyal to a fault once given reason to be, you could be sure he’d be serious about keeping the promise himself.

Oh. Being liked was something Nida really did wish he could experience more often. It felt... nice. Hyne did he ever miss belonging to people.

“If I could, I’d introduce you to mine. But they could show up and I might well walk past them without realizing. So I guess I’ll have to depend on you and yours”

Caelan couldn’t help the small frown at that fact. It had to be disheartening and lonely to simply have to accept such a thing. Not knowing faces or names of those you cared about, he couldn’t imagine forgetting any of his crew...

The selkie nodded though, “Well if I have the chance, you can be sure I will.” Strange things happened after all, it was weird enough he was here... Why not the others at some point? He smiled though, “But for now, I’m afraid you’re stuck with me!”

"I don't think that's being stuck," Nida muses with a smile. Don't mind him, Caelan, he just thinks you're good.

Finished with the cleaning he returns to the table to put things down.

"I know it might be asking a lot, but thank you. For caring about my wellbeing."

Good? Nida, don’t slander him like that. He’s got a reputation as a miscreant, a rogue, a thief, and a pain-in-the-ass to maintain here.

Caelan blinked a bit, a smile playing at his lips at the very idea that he needed thanks for caring about Nida’s wellbeing. “No thanks necessary. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t care about the wellbeing of those who’re important? You’re as good as one of my group now, Nida. Family, you said, right?” Uh... Yeah that did kind of mess with his image, but that was beside the point.

Clapping his hands lightly with a grin as he settled on the sofa. “Now why don’t you just make yourself comfortable, I’m in the mood for something a little more lively and we both know you’re going to hear me whether or stay here or go back to your apartment.”

Make himself comfortable? Nida laughs and finds the couch to flop onto. It's fine. He doesn't mind listening. Please let him listen.

"You're going to entertain me? How kind of you. What a good brother."

“Well, you provided dinner, so I believe it’s up to me to provide the show.” He responded with a laugh, plucking up his violin again and checking the strings. With a few more adjustments, he began to play something rather lively.

He would always be happy to have an audience, happier still that it was Nida. It was just very nice to be able to let go a little more. Even if Caelan showed very little restraint in his life, there was something a little more freeing about not needing to keep up appearances. What with there being so few people who knew him properly, because he was trying to be careful, he was always hiding in a way. Focusing on glamour, wearing gloves, watching over his shoulder and feeding the curious sorts half truths. This? This was a nice treat.

“I wanted to ask you before,” He started a moment later, the piece still bouncing along “Are there nothing like the fae in your world? I mean, there’s Siren obviously, but I was wondering about it since our last conversation.”

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