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.

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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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The shocked expression gets a small, amused giggle out of him. “I know, I’m pretty spry for my age. Won’t be breaking my hip anytime soon.” Really, it was always fun when people reacted like that, better than reminding him that he needed to start acting his age. Which might make sense by human standards, but he really wasn’t that old by fae standards.

“Well, Mr. Combat Badass, you need to realign your priorities a little there. If you’ve got time to be worrying about me, you’ve got time to be finishing this cider and tell me more about this Ignis fellow of yours.” Because, really, Caelan was pretty sure he had this all well in hand. He’d been avoiding people while he was sneaking back and forth to the docks for months now. Surely a bear in the city was going to be easier to avoid. Why waste time when they could talk about more fun things?

For humans this was absolutely an insane age. So yeah, give him a break. You’re almost ten times his age.

“I mean, what do you want me to say about him? He’s kind. I... told him why I drank.”

Something he hadn’t even fully detailed for Caelan.

Which, if Nida pointed that out, Caelan would be quick to inform him that meant that he was ten times the man’s elder and he should listen to him. Which is not true, no one should ever listen to the Selkie. Not unless he was running a heist, and actually in a more serious and capable mode.

The mention of why Nida drank, or didn’t he supposed, was one that gave him pause. Head tilting slightly, definitely more than a little curious. “Did you...? Can’t say I know that one myself.” Not that he’d felt like he needed to press, he just respected that Nida didn’t want to be around alcohol for serious reasons. So when he was around, the whisky bottle was tucked away.

A pretty big deal, considering Caelan was prone to drinking often. Though this was more because he enjoyed the flavour. He couldn’t really get drunk off the stuff, not without far more than the bottle sitting in his cupboard. Human alcohol wasn’t as strong as that which was fae made.

“Do you want to?” Nida asks. Having one person to fall back on, even if things go sideways, is good. One person who knows the story, who will know when to look out for Nida. A second, though... would probably be better. Back in the last two worlds he’d had a few. Now, without his brothers and the boss, he didn’t know.

“Would be a lie to say I haven’t been wondering about it.” He responded, leaning back in his seat and getting settled in for what he presumed was going to be a bit of a long one. “Not that you have to, but if you wanted...? I’d be interested in knowing.”

Well then, he supposed it was time for this. Nida threw back his cider and started to remove his bracelets. This was all better with a show and tell. After a few layers of them were removed, he removed the leather bracelets that covered the most space. There. Scars.

“Short version? In the course of my life I fell in love with a guy. Or I thought I loved him. He manipulated me for years, not that I knew it until I found out that he betrayed our home and had been foiling a mission I’d been on with him for a long time. I was forced to kill him, and it nearly killed me. And afterward, I had a hard time facing myself. So I tried to end it. Woke up instead back in the first world that kidnapped me, my wounds healed. I was certain I was dead back in my own world, hated myself, feared that my boyfriend there would never want me as I was and... just fell into the bottle. And in the last world, after my boyfriend was taken from me, I feel right back there.”

Caelan watched as Nida removed his bracelets. At first he was just slightly confused... It didn’t take long for it to hit though, he’d seen stuff like this before. He knew very well what was coming before the leather bracelets were removed. Not that it helped when he saw the scars, his eyes lingering on the marks before he forced himself to look away. The story just... It made him sad for Nida, and more than a little angry.

Again, Caelan held grudges against those who did wrong to people he cared about pretty quickly. “Fuck... Nida, I knew you’d been put through the wringer before you wound up here, but...” He was putting his glass down, the relaxed posture gone as he leaned forward to fix his friend with a serious look.

It was no wonder the man was so nervous about trusting this Ignis guy... To be truthful, the idea that something bad could happen made him nervous. Because Caelan had gone and gotten attached to people, and Nida was one of those people. “I’m going to tell you something right now, Nida. If you... find yourself feeling that pull again,” He be it the bottle or worse, “You can come to me. If someone pushes you that way, you come to me. I’ll take care of you, and I’ll take care of them.” No, he won’t embellish on that. He took a deep breath, trying to reign back a little of his emotions. “You’re family, that means something to me.”

“Curse more and you’ll sound like my brother,” Nida offers, a sad smiles on his lips as he let his thumb roll over the ragged scars on one wrist. He knows how it looks. It was bad.

“Syeira, she... she told me I’m not dead back home. One day I might go back there. I hope this feeling doesn’t overwhelm me again. But that’s part of my problem with worlds like this. They break you down, and you lose all your support. I started drinking again when my boyfriend disappeared, and it only got worse after we learned that those disappearances usually meant that the AI in charge of the place was killing people and replacing them. So I don’t even know if the guy I loved was dead or just went home.”

He continued to pray for the going home. He deserved that. The man he had loved deserved to go back into the arms of his fiancé or whatever. For now he just... sighs.

“You’re definitely the biggest part of my safety net, By-The-Way. So don’t you dare get hurt and take that from me. But this is part of why I’m scared. I know I’m not as strong as I try to show myself as.”

“Oh, I haven’t even begun to curse yet, lad.” He responded, flapping a hand. Wait till he’s well and truly riled up. He made quite the spectacle of himself.

He listened though, getting a little distracted at the mention of Syeira... She kept seeing seals and the bear both since before the reports were released, and it was starting to get a touch unnerving. Not that he’d be mentioning that little detail to Nida. The guy seemed pretty stressed... And the last thing he wanted was to add to that.

Besides, he could use it as a possible warning to just keep his eyes peeled when he was out. He was more than prepared to make sure his existence in this place was continued!

“Listen, I told you I was going to be careful, so I’m going to be careful. I already do what I can to avoid getting spotted by humans when I’m doing my selkie-thing. Adding a bear to the list isn’t that much more considering, really. I’m afraid you’re rather stuck with me for a while at least. I’ve got too much trouble to cause, Nida.”

“Damn Smush-Face,” Nida smiles. Strangely he can accept this. A lot. The man is clearly experienced.

“I hope you keep safe, right? I’ll do my best as well. But I know I will have to be careful with my work too. And with Ignis.”

Caelan grinned, crinkling his nose a bit for good measure. “That I am, so don’t forget it.”

He nodded though, “I’ll see that I will, you’ll see that you will. Then we’ll have another bottle of cider when this is all blown over and you can tell me all about your future plans with Ignis. It’ll be grand, I might even have a new composition to commemorate the occasion by then.”

If something else happened... He’d take care of that in his own way, too.

How did his life in a world he didn’t belong in get so full and busy? Laughing softly under his breath, he relaxed against the chair. “I swear... Between you, the kid, and a few other people? I’m not sure I’m going to have time to get in trouble, anyway.” Such a lie... he always had time to get in trouble.

“Future plans,” Nida parrots. Oh man, e really just... He wants the chance at a future. He just needed to know what to do with all this hope and fear in his heart.

“I swear if you embarrass me by composing music in my honor, I’m going to pay you back, selfie. And please don’t put me in a position where I have to go to my boss about you. I’d hate it.”

Tilting his head and gesturing towards himself in mock dismay, he huffed lightly. “Embarrass you? Nida, a personal composition is an honour. That’s fair rude of you!”

Grin creeping onto his face he added, “Besides that, it’d be a gift. You don’t ‘pay me back’ for a gift.” Yes, he knows what Nida meant by pay him back... He’s having fun, sue him. His nonexistent lawyer will see you in court.

Now the subject of the Captain makes his face shift into a comical grimace. “I’d never expect you to do that, that’d put you in a difficult position. Besides! I can handle the great ‘Captain Khannar’ myself.” The mischievous glint is back in his eye, making law enforcement feel like fools is one of his favourite past-times over the years... Sorry Nida, one day this was going to probably happen and it was hard to say which way the chips would fall.

Is it rude though? Come on, Caelan, with their silliness, it could just be a joke. But no, he knows better than that. He knows Caelan means it in all the best ways.

“Yeah I think I need to make sure the boss doesn’t know that I’m friends for you. Because eventually he’s going ot notice you and it’s going ot make things harder for me.”

Honestly, if Caelan ever did compose something for a friend, it would be beautiful... Music was something he took very seriously, it was probably the only healthy outlet for his many emotions he had.

“Listen, I intend to keep him in the dark about me for quite some time. Most of the time, law enforcement doesn’t even know my face back home. At least none that are still alive.” He paused, shrugging a little. “I mean, they died of old age, of course. Again, I’ve been around long enough for a few of them to kick off. The point stands, I’ll hold off him knowing about me for as long as I can. Maybe he never will!”

Doubtful, considering he’d now been seen as a seal by three people in a few months time; and two more knew he wasn’t human. “I’ll make sure the trouble doesn’t land on your doorstep, you can deny knowing anything if it helps. I’d rather it that way? I wouldn’t mention you by name, even if I did end up in a pinch. I can handle myself pretty well by now, and if I get caught it means I got sloppy and I deserve it.”

The problem was that Nida would probably fess up about it, just to stress that the other man should not be kept in irons. He wishes he could explain things, but he doesn’t know that he should.

“We’ll look out for each other. It’s what we do.”

Probably best that he didn’t say anything now. Caelan would get mad if he thought Nida was going to risk his own standing with Khannar just because he went and did something stupid. As it was, the comment gets a slightly stern expression.

“We do... That much is true. But we do it smart, yeah? No need to go inviting trouble on yourself, if you don’t have to. I know what I’m doing. I’ve got almost 200 years of experience up here, remember?” He tapped his temple lightly, even if some of those two hundred years he’d been a very small, very round seal pup. That wasn’t the point.

“You know, I would think that something that lived as long as you might have had an extended childhood. For all I know you’re, like, twelve.”

Yep, teasing is a safer place to be.

Caelan laughs at that, a loud and bright sound that was so very different from the serious expression he’d worn moments before. “Twelve? Definitely not, Nida. Have you met a twelve-year-old? I most certainly am not a child.” He chuckled, still so very amused. “If you need a reference, stick around long enough and you’ll see one coming through that door.” He tossed a small nod at his doorway.

“Not that you’re entirely wrong, our aging process is different from yours. Slower, I guess...?” He shrugged a little, “Hard to explain though, and it changes if I end up landlocked for too long.”

“I’d say I’m intrigued, but I really don’t want to know more about your vulnerabilities,” Nida admits. “But man, you sure act childish sometimes, my little friend.”

He made a sound at that, high and shocked. “Correction, Nida, I’m a free spirit and I know how to have fun. Also, I’m only slightly shorter than average.”

Grabbing his glass, he shrugged lightly, “Even if I did act a little childish sometimes, it comes in handy. People underestimate you when they don’t take you seriously.” He snorted a little, “I can’t even tell you how many times a job went off without a hitch because they thought I was just some silly noble without any common sense.”

Oh no, he sees himself as short too. Nida chuckles and tries not to laugh. He cares about his friend, and really needs to tease him more.

“I’m wondering how much common sense you have, my friend.”

Caelan gently nudged Nida with his foot, tone playful as he laughed again. “You’re out for blood tonight, you are. It’s not going to be any damned bear that gets me. It’s going to be you and your sass that does me in!”

Folding his arms and tilting his head as though he were considering something, he added a moment later, “And just enough common sense, to answer your question.”

“I’m full of good energy. I’ve been very well fucked recently,” Nida counters with a great, awed smile. “Which means I’m on maximum sass. My sass circuits are fully charged.”

Answer to his question is the best he can do.

Laughing, he shook his head a little. Seriously, it was just so good to see Nida this happy. “Damned right they are, it shows.” He reached out and poked Nida’s cheek teasingly, “Look at yourself, your face is going to freeze that way, and I for one support it.”

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CW: referenced suicide attempt, alcohol abuse

Re: CW: referenced suicide attempt, alcohol abuse

Re: CW: referenced suicide attempt, alcohol abuse

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