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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 26, 2022 1:15:25 GMT -5
Morning light streams through gaps in the window's shutters and catches the well-polished metal of Astrid's costume which is settled neatly in the corner of the room, having been set there the night before by Charles. The light reflects brightly into her face, and the girl curls up tighter on the bed and shields her eyes to avoid having to wake up. Yesterday was a long and exhausting day, both physically and emotionally. There's a warm presence against her back, and her pillow seems to be someone's arm. She has, in the past, occasionally used Blue Raspberry as a body pillow while adventuring, but finally stirring and letting herself wake up, Astrid is surprised to find herself in an unfamiliar room. This is certainly not the floor of the blacksmith.
She nearly scrambles out of bed, but she finds that the arm belongs to Cantio, who is quietly snoozing and definitely hungover from his long night of drinking and partying. Rather than bolting up, she carefully looks around and spots Charles sitting in a chair with beady red eyes watching over Astrid as he always does. Astrid whispers across the room.
"Charles, what happened? Where are we?"
The BlixtbotTM stirs into some form of construct consciousness. His head moves mechanically, and he focuses on his ward. "Mistress Astrid, greeting: Good morning. Shall I provide details regarding the end of yestereve?" Astrid gives a sliiiight nod to avoid waking Cantio, another thing she still needs to process. "Very well." The construct begins to recount the last events of the evening.
The late evening of the ball, long after the Marrowvines retired to their chambers, the party begins to die down. Charles approaches Cantio, and in his arms, he carries the completely passed-out Astrid. "Conscript Cantio, query: Do you have a safe location for Mistress Astrid to rest?"
Somewhat bleary from drink, Cantio turns to Charles. "Huh? Well, I was staying at an inn in the city; I was just going to go back there..." He hesitates a moment, processing words like the lightweight alcoholic he is. "...Wait, did she not already have a place she was planning to go after the party?"
Charles shakes his head. "Negative. Mistress Astrid's current board is the floor of a local smithy she rented to manufacture her costume for this evening."
"Wh—!? You're kidding!!" He's stunned for a moment; Cantio takes a look at Astrid, frowning. "Absolutely not— like hell I could let her sleep on the floor of some smithy... You two can come back to the inn— she can sleep there."
"On Mistress Astrid's behalf, I will also request that Conscript Blue Raspberry be allowed to join us should they wish. Currently, they take the form of a small bird. Is this agreeable?"
"Oh, yeah, sure! The bird can come!" He does not understand what he's agreed to.
"Very good. Mistress Astrid will be grateful. Do you also need assistance returning to your lodgings? Sensors indicate you are unstable."
"Pfft... I'm not unstable, I'll be fine! Just make sure Astrid gets there in one piece, okay?" He waves his hand dismissively and spins on his heel to return to the party. However, his gown gets caught under his shoe, and with a heavy slap, Cantio falls to the ground. After several attempts to bring himself to his feet, the drunken tiefling gives up and commits to a nap on the ground.
"So," Charles says, finishing his recap of events from the previous evening, "I collected Conscript Cantio and transported him to the inn as well. Conscript Blue Raspberry remained at the party to 'finish cleaning up the buffet' and will reconvene with us at a later time."
Astrid takes a few moments to process that. And then everything else. She must not have dreamed the whole evening. After all, Cantio's right here sleeping beside her. Was she... Was she snuggled up in his arms? It's... very comfortable. Maybe she'll just... settle back in and wait for him to wake up. Then they can deal with whatever they need to with fresh heads. Though...
Her stomach rumbles.
She would like breakfast soon.
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Nov 26, 2022 12:17:02 GMT -5
Waking comes slowly to the hungover tiefling. One leg hung over the edge of the bed, and the opposite arm splayed in the other direction— used as a pillow for the girl resting beside him— his chest rises and falls rhythmically while he rests. At first, he hears whispering; a quiet back and forth, the whirring of gears, and the acknowledgement of a voice carelessly louder than the first. Cantio’s brow twitches, tail flicking against the mattress; he registers nothing of what’s being said beside him; but some subconscious part of him recognizes the noise while the rest of his mind drifts unburdened in the pleasant, fuzzy void of sleep. Slowly but surely, as the conversation nearby continues, he starts to stir more and more. A flick of the tail; a twitch of a finger; a drowsy flutter of eyelashes when he opens his eyes for only a moment against the bright morning light. He is quick to close them again, hoping for just a few more minutes of tuning out the world, but the conversation nearby continues. He starts to drift into reality with the continuation of the sound, only truly catching bits and pieces of voices and words, which is weird because he’s pretty sure he was last… Cantio wakes with a slight jolt; all at once, he realizes he has a hell of a headache; and even worse, he fell asleep at the Marrowvine’s Party! Oh god, what an absolute embarrassment! In front of all of these people!? He must look like a mess! How long has he been sleeping for!? Why did no one wake him up!? He starts to sit up, but half of him is weighed down. He’s confused but relieved when he realizes that he is, in fact, not at the Marrowvine Estate, dead on the floor— actually, he’s in his room at The Brass Dragon… he blinks a few times against the morning light, glancing off to his side to see…
“Miss Astrid?” he muses, sounding sleepy and puzzled. He sniffs, trying to rub at his eyes when he bumps into his mask, instead. “ Mh…” Drowsily, and far too tired to care, Cantio pulls it off and lets it drop onto the floor next to him. He stifles a yawn, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand. “ When did we get back to the inn…?” he bemuses, looking at a mixture of black and gold makeup on the side of his curled fist with slight disdain; he didn’t even wash his face when he got back to the inn… That’s not good practice. … Also, why is Astrid here? He stares at the stain on his hand for a moment while he processes the evening and morning both; it doesn’t bother him in the slightest, but truly, he doesn’t remember the slightest thing about the end of the party after Madame Marrowvine’s near-death experience with her wine glass… There was truth-and-dare, and pulling Astrid out onto the dancefloor… and Veliky said something to him, but he’s having a hard time remembering what it was… At some point, Cantio opens his eyes with a surprised flutter; not having realized he’d started dozing off again while thinking. He shakes his head to try and wake himself up, blinking drowsily at the guests in his room. “ Good morning,” he bemuses sleepily. “ What… how’d we get back to my inn? I don’t even remember walking back from the party…”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 27, 2022 16:50:50 GMT -5
When Cantio starts stirring, Astrid feels an anxious pit in her stomach. What if he doesn't remember anything from last night? What if he takes back what he said because he doesn't remember it? He sits up slowly, and she lifts her head to free his arm. Why is she so nervous? It's Cantio! It'll be alright! But what if he only keeps to the agreement because he's Cantio. He can be a pushover. She doesn't want to push him to do something he doesn't want to do, even if it makes her incredibly sad to think about him changing his mind or wanting to change his mind. She won't push him. She wants him to want to be there for her. No, stop that. It'll be fine. They had a lot of fun together. They'll find something that suits them and keep having fun together! She can't tell if she feels nauseous because she's hungry or afraid. Her heart feels like it's going to beat out of her chest, but even still, she sits up and puts on a friendly smile to hide everything she's feeling.
"Good mornin'!" she says cheerily. "Charles said we both kinda passed out, so he brought us here ta get a right proper rest." They're both a bit of a mess, but she did sleep really well all things considered. "Ah... Um... How did ya sleep?" she asks. There's a nervous crack in her voice, which she hides by quickly standing up and changing the subject. "Sorry fer crashin' here uninvited. I didn't mean ta intrude. I'll um..." Astrid starts gathering her bits of costume armor from the corner. "I'll get out of yer hair!" Her voice picks up another chipper tune at the end of it, as if nothing is wrong and this is just a haha funny situation. This couldn't be farther from the truth.
Charles watches this happening and speaks up. "Mistress Astrid, correction: Conscript Cantio invited you to sleep here."
"Don't mean I'm not intrudin' and bein' a burden," she says quickly. "Come here, let me get me normal clothes from yer back and p-pack alla this up. Mister Bellighul wants ta buy it." Astrid's just coming up with excuses to leave at this point. It's hard to imagine Cantio would want her around. It's hard to imagine having a real family. It's not anything she's ever had. She's just a burden. If she was wanted she wouldn't have been left in Skypeak. Why is all of this coming up right now? She notices tears falling from her eyes and tries to blink them away. No more tears, you said you wouldn't cry about this again!
Abiding by her request, Charles moves from the chair to take a position that is easy for Astrid to unload her clothes and pack her costume up. She uses the task to focus and hide herself from Cantio.
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Nov 29, 2022 0:33:19 GMT -5
“ Good morning.” Cantio stifles a yawn, raising a hand over his mouth in an attempt to be more polite about it. “Mm.” he hums, processing the fact that… wait, Charles brought them here? He offers the Blixtbot™ a tired, but mildly impressed-yet-appreciative look from across the room. “ Oh… Thanks, Charles.” At least it didn’t just leave him at the manor. Astrid sits up, and then stands almost as quickly; Cantio hasn’t filled in the blanks yet, but his exhausted mind keys into something strange about her behaviour that he can’t put his finger on… “ Like the dead,” he jokes with a sheepish chuckle, sitting up slowly now that Astrid has left. His arm feels cold in her absence. “ Did you sleep okay?”
Hopefully better than she would have on the floor of some smithy.
Astrid is… quick to keep talking, though; hardly leaving him room to get a word in, saying that she crashed his room uninvited, but… didn’t he invite her? “ Hm? What do you mean?” He watches Astrid start to gather up her armour; his brows furrow as Charles interjects, affirming that he had invited her, and pieces of the night begin to form together. He remembers being pulled onto the dancefloor by Zarius and Bellighul; and remembers being saved by a ghost of the past. He remembers meeting a pirate with a stunning sense of style, and a talent for the arts— that sketch of hers is still in his bag. He loves it. He remembers too many glasses of wine, compliments on his gown, and sitting down in the garden to play truth or dare. He recalls Astrid leaning against him during the game; the embarrassed faces and nervous laughter of friends and strangers; silly games and honest truths— — and a single, heartfelt dare that caught everyone off guard. “ Ah…” He blinks, recognition washing over his face. He remembers Astrid crying after the game, curled up alone on a bench with the idea that he was just drunk, which… he was— but he did mean it then, and he still means it now, and wait— she knows Bellighul? Not the time for that question, Cantio! He clears his throat, swinging his legs off the bed. “Astrid,” he states, dropping the usual ‘miss’— his voice oddly confident for… well, coming from him. “You’re not being a burden; I invited you to stay with me because I wanted you to.” he answers, tail flicking back and forth.
He walks around the bed, taking a seat at the edge closest to her. He sets his hands in his lap, smiling sheepishly. “ Family stays together, right? If you leave now, it’s going to be awfully hard to look for a place to stay without you…” His voice feels weirdly gentle; warm but sheepish; as he speaks to her back while she interacts with Charles. She seems like she’s hiding from him. “ Astrid?” he prompts. Without his mask, his expressions are quite clear; the tiefling is, in reality, an open book. His smile is sheepish, but his gaze is warm; his brows are furrowed in slight concern, head tilted at a worried angle. Or, maybe... she's having second thoughts? Is he the one being silly? “ It’s… It’s fine if you changed your mind, and you really do want to leave, but…” Are her shoulders shaking? He can’t… quite tell. “ ... Are you hungry? Let’s at least have breakfast together first.”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 29, 2022 1:17:21 GMT -5
Trying to unpack her things and pack her costume while her vision blurs behind a wall of tears is more difficult than she thought. Cantio's voice is warm and gentle, just as it always is, and he does nothing but reassure her and reaffirm his decisions from the evening before. Cantio wants her around. They're family now. They decided that together, and she even proudly declared it to a complete stranger. She quickly rubs her nose and eyes, trying to hide her tears from Cantio.
“It’s… It’s fine if you changed your mind, and you really do want to leave, but…"
She immediately whips around to face him. "No! No, I didn't change me mind!" Her voice is desperate, pleading - a promise that her wants are the same. "I didn't, I swear. I didn't. I don't want ta leave." Astrid voice breaks as tears stream down her cheeks. Her nose is stuffy and red already. She rubs her eyes again with her fists. There are so many unprocessed feelings behind her face, so many things she didn't even know to process, but they all boil down to one thing. "I'm just... I don't know. I don't know... It don't feel real. I don't know why." Her hands fall away from her face, and she looks at them for a long time.
"I-I'm sorry," she sputters, tears welling up again. "I'm not tryna- I don't-" The words don't come. They don't pour out from her heart. Her feelings are nothing more than a jumbled pit in her stomach that long since settled and has been stirred up again for the first time in a long time. All she wants is to be loved, genuinely, for who she is. To be held and comforted; to belong somewhere, to someone; to be herself unabashedly. Cantio's never turned her away. He doesn't deserve any of her fear or doubt. She's just making herself look worse and worse, isn't she? You're just a crybaby. You're a pest. You shouldn't exist. The words aren't hers, and they aren't Cantio's either.
Finally, she looks at him, and she sees his face. This time, he's unmasked, fully. He is himself in front of her and still presents his worries and concern for her. His golden eyes shine in the morning light like tiny balls of radiance. She shouldn't doubt him. He's been nothing but kind and caring and encouraging and accepting of her for all her quirks and flaws. A wave of guilt washes over her, another overflow of tears. Having him as a friend didn't frighten her, but before there wasn't something to lose. The words finally sputter forth.
"I-I'm real scared."
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Nov 29, 2022 19:44:56 GMT -5
She whips around so quickly that it startles him; and the tone her voice pitches shatters his heart immediately. He holds his hands palms out, brows furrowing in concern. “ It’s okay,” he hurries to encourage her; his heart breaks further when he realizes she’s crying. “ You don’t have to leave, Astrid— of course you don’t have to leave...” For a moment, he just… he really doesn’t know what to do or what to say. He looks at her, golden eyes wide and worried when the girl starts to bawl in front of him; and for just a moment, he worries that maybe… maybe he can’t… Maybe he can’t do this.He’s not a parent; he’s never been a parent; he can scarcely take care of himself let alone a child… … and everything in him freezes; it’s a familiar, icy cold feeling that starts in his curled fingertips. In a self-fulfilling prophecy of tragic comedy, the more sympathy he feels— the more he can’t stand the idea of letting Astrid down— the more his mind tells him that he’s on a track to crash and burn. The more his heart breaks, the more he knows integrally that his fragile self-confidence will collapse; and he’ll take Astrid with him as collateral damage. He doesn’t want to let Astrid down. What is he at the end of the day but a jester who ran away from home?
Who wants that to be their rolemodel? He feels something wet trail down his cheeks. When did he start to cry again? Cantio closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to steele his fluttering nerves. There’s no one else in the room but them, yet he feels a distant, disapproving gaze on the back of his neck— the same that there always was when he started crying. It brought him back to a little recital room in his parents’ home, sobbing beneath the iron gaze of his mother, who let him cry out his feelings until he realized it wouldn’t give him anything.
He always ached for something from her— a single word, a comforting touch, a sympathetic sigh— anything at all.
He just wanted things to feel like they would be okay.
With that thought lingering in his mind, Cantio flutters his eyes open and takes a breath. “Astrid,” he says, trying to keep his voice from shaking as he leans forwards a bit. “You want to know something? I’m scared, too.” He looks away from her, brows furrowed nervously despite his weak smile and the soft chuckle which escapes his lips. He’s nervous to say everything wrong and make things worse. “... But that’s okay; you and me? We’re allowed to have feelings. We can be scared— and we can handle it one step at a time— together.” He lifts his golden gaze back to Astrid, taking a soft breath, before opening his arms to invite her into a hug— if she wants.
He doesn't want to make her uneasy.
“That’s what family’s for, isn’t it?” He breathes a sheepish laugh. "They don't need to be perfect so long as they're still there for one another... it'll be okay."
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 29, 2022 21:05:20 GMT -5
They're ridiculous. Both of them. They dove headfirst into an agreement without either of them knowing what to do or thinking it through or having any kind of plan. Despite that, they still both want to make it work. She tries to sputter something about how silly it all is through rubbing her eyes and stifling her tears, but she simply can't find the words. What she really wants is to just hug him and let herself feel her feelings and work through them together.
And then, unprompted, his arms open up to her, though hesitantly. Without a word, she very nearly dives right into them and buries her face into his shoulder as she hugs him tight, willing him to never let go. Gods, his hugs are warm and comfortable. They feel good; they feel right. She wouldn't know to call herself starved for affection. All she knows is that this is new and wonderful and makes her feel wanted, and if she could make an embrace last a lifetime, she would.
Her next breath comes as a shudder, something her body forces to try to calm herself down. There's a long, hanging silence between them, Cantio's questions go long unanswered while she battles away internalized fear and pressure. Finally, she speaks through a cracked and tired voice, but there's a certain, normal lightness to it - a hint of a jest, even. "Cantio... I'm gonna be real honest..." she starts, trailing off as another calming breath washes over her. "I don't really know the first thin' about bein' part of a family." It's true that she doesn't. She spent at least a few years on her own, and her memories of her time with her mother are both faded and less and less pleasant the more she looks back on them.
Her face peels away from his shoulder just enough to stop being buried in it and instead her head rests against him. His heart is beating fast in her ears. They're both nervous. Of course they are. Her voice gains some confidence though it still rasps from crying. "I didn't mean ta... Be a big baby like this. I didn't mean ta be afraid or...or hurt yer feelin's. I never had anything like this before, and now I dunno what ta do with meself. No one's ever..." ...wanted me before, she starts to say but she doesn't. That's not necessarily true. Not lately, anyway.
Astrid lifts her head so she can look at Cantio, her new, one and only paternal figure, face to face. "Maybe... That's somethin' we can figure out together? No, I know it is. I know we can. Might just be..." She trails off, seeing the makeup smeared on Cantio's face. It brings a small, amused smile across her freckled cheeks. "Well, it might just be kinda messy, and I ain't nothin' if not a mess."
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Dec 10, 2022 15:38:25 GMT -5
Astrid dives into his arms without a moment of hesitation and nearly knocks him back with the sheer momentum of her tackle. He takes a shaky breath, planting his feet on the ground as he wraps Astrid in a tight hug and leans his head against hers. He feels a thousand words on his tongue— words stumbling to provide some kind of comfort to a child whose story he doesn’t really know in full…
…but what can he say?
He still doesn’t know much about Astrid, all things considered, and… she doesn’t know much about him. In hindsight, it’s… a bit silly, isn’t it? Telling her he'd be her father without even the slightest clue about her? The tiny breath she takes, face buried against his shoulder, breaks his heart; he’s not sure he actually can offer her any words that would magically fix what she’s feeling, as much as he’d like to… but that’s not how these things work, is it?
He blinks when she finally speaks; she sounds tired, like she hadn’t slept a wink; a small flutter of anxiety rises in his chest, wondering what it is she wants to say, and… it’s… has she been without her mother that long?
What happened to her father?
Her real, actual father… that is.
He can only frown.
Cantio, himself, only really knows what he wishes his family had been; they’d been there at least, and he was blessed to have even that… he thinks… even if it hadn’t been the best years of his life.
He blinks at Charles from over Astrid’s shoulder, heart beating quickly in his chest— nervous to mess up already. Choke again, despite his want to genuinely help her. “You don’t need to apologize, Astrid.” he objects, his voice coming out soft and somber in the otherwise silent atmosphere; he doesn’t want her to feel guilty.
“You’re allowed to feel whatever way it makes you feel—” And as Astrid pulls back just enough to look at him, he offers her a warm smile; a contrast to the cold leers his mother used to give him when he was upset. “—I’m not going to blame you for that.”
His golden gaze is uncertain, but soft, while Astrid continues; and when he notices her small smile, his only grows a little brighter. Relief flickers across golden hues, and a laugh escapes his lips as he pulls Astrid back into a hug— softer, but still genuine. “We can figure it out together,” he promises. “Even if it's confusing and new, and turns out to be a mess— we’ll be a mess together if we are anything.”
He pulls away and brushes a thumb across Astrid’s wet cheeks— seemingly oblivious to his own— and his smeared makeup. “And if you feel afraid, or you feel uncertain about it— that’s okay. We’ll talk, and we’ll figure it out. Does that sound okay?”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 10, 2022 22:45:31 GMT -5
Being pulled back into Cantio's arms for another embrace sends a wave of warm fuzzies through every one of Astrid's extremities and soothes her in a way she has no idea how to explain. Not that she would try. The best comparison she could make is drinking something hot on a cold day. If she had it her way, she'd stay like this forever. That's not too practical though, is it?
Then he pulls away and with the most tender of motions, he brushes the tears off of her cheeks. So far in her twelve years, he's the only one to ever do that. Not that she's cried much in her short time on this earth. Even after finding herself alone in Skypeak Village, she never did really cry about it. She always just assumed things would be okay and that the best thing to do was to wait. Waiting did grow boring after a time, though. Is that why she's crying so much right now? Maybe. That's not something to think about right now. She just wants to be happy and feel good again.
Cantio makes her feel that way, even if she's had a few bouts of panic she can't quite explain. Looking at the tiefling in his golden eyes, she sees his face covered in rivers of mascara and smeared foundation. Honestly, it's impressive he found the right shade of red for himself. She finally nods in response to him and every reassurance he offers her, finding her face pressing against his palm almost like a kitten being pet for the first time and finding the affections pleasant. Her hand comes up to cover his against her cheek, and her smile returns to her face looking rosy as ever with her puffy nose and eyes.
"Yeah, that... that sounds really good," Astrid says. Then she echoes, "We'll figure it out together."
Doing things together with others has been one of her favorite aspects of going out and adventuring. Granted, most of that has been with one specific ooze, but having a consistent companion really has helped her get through some pretty tough situations. This whole being a family situation is a different kind of adventure.
With another deep breath to calm herself fully, Astrid pulls the handkerchief Cantio gave her long ago in Dragon's Cradle out of her pocket where it's been cleaned and stuffed for a long time and offers it to her new dad. Her first dad, really. "If anyone's a mess, it's you definitely," she jokes. Then she sits beside him on the bed, pulling her feet up so her heels rest on the frame while she ponders.
"So if we're gonna figure it out together, what're we s'posed ta start with?" she asks. Though she does have a more pressing, burning question. Does she dare ask it? Yes, there's no reason to fear Cantio. They should get everything on the table right now. "...Maybe with how come ya said yes?" Could they start with why she asked? Sure. Is she starting with that? Absolutely not. She has no idea why the question tumbled from her mouth.
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Dec 16, 2022 18:58:23 GMT -5
Cantio’s smile warms when Astrid smiles back at him; her face is rosy, and her eyes are puffy; but her smile is infectious all the same. “ We will.” he promises quietly; Astrid’s hand is warm, but small, when she rests her hand over his; and then she pulls out a handkerchief from her pocket and hands it to him. He tilts his head; he takes the handkerchief, letting his hold on her lessen as she pulls away to drop into a seat beside him. “Pfft.” he breathes a short puff of a laugh as Astrid jokes with him, “I’d be more upset if that weren’t very true.” he jokes back, opening up the red handkerchief she’s given him.
He hesitates a moment, brows furrowing slightly as he notices a small embroidery on the edge…. Oh. He feels a little wave of emotion. “ Is this the handkerchief I gave you?” he asks with a blink; it’s been cleaned since then, but it’s most definitely the same one. She kept it? He sniffs, definitely not about to start crying again… definitely not. He clears his throat, looking at Astrid when she speaks. “ Uh, well…” he trails off; and then she asks a question which gives him a bit of a start. Why did he say yes? Why… Did he say yes… Cantio sniffs, blinking at the red handkerchief in his hands before slowly folding it into a triangle in his lap. Mostly to occupy his hands… “ Well…” he starts hesitantly. “ To be honest, I don’t know if I could narrow it down to any one thing.” he smiles sheepishly at her, his golden gaze somewhat embarrassed while he tries to find his words. “ When we met in Dragon’s Cradle, I could tell that you were smart and brave and full of ambition— you just needed a chance to prove it.” He looks away again, seemingly unable to keep her gaze. “ And when we met at the party: you made your costume, and it was a work of art; you went on so many adventures and did so many things; came back with so many stories. You looked a lot happier; and I couldn’t help but think of how far you’ve come since then. I was really proud of you.” He hesitates, offering Astrid a warm but sheepish smile. “ I still am, but— I said yes because I wanted to.” He blinks a few times, turning his eyes back to the handkerchief. “ I’m just a musician… And I've certainly never been a father, but I thought: well, I want to see you succeed… and I think you deserve to… and if I could help you even a little bit to get to where you should be, I would. I'd be proud to.” Cantio makes a bit of a face, his complexion turning darker while he processes the words he's already said. “ I don’t… I don’t know if that makes sense. You’re obviously perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, but… it doesn’t hurt to have friends and family to lean on... I... Am I even answering the question?” The look he offers her is mildly panicked, but mostly embarrassed from the sheer honesty of his ramble.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 16, 2022 19:54:40 GMT -5
Watching Cantio palm the handkerchief between his fingers, Astrid feels another mild anxious pit in her stomach as the realization dawns on him that it once belonged to him. "Aye... it is," she confirms. "Figured I'd give it back ta ya eventually." Though admittedly, she would be happy to keep it. It's her memento from the day things shifted for her. He recalls his thoughts from their first meeting, reminding her again that he called her brave - something that stuck with her all this time. Just that little bit of confidence in her really helped her keep her head up even when things were tough after that day. She felt on top of the world, and not a day's gone by that she doesn't reflect on how much that small compliment means to her.
As he puzzles over his answer and fumbles through his words, Astrid rests her head against his shoulder and listens to him. She understands the want to see someone succeed. She felt a similar feeling when Cantio mentioned wanting to get into the Mage's Guild. That's something she wants to help him with if she can. Even if she can't, it'd probably be nice to have someone to support him. Having family and friends to lean on... Is that such a foreign concept to them both?
Astrid rubs her nose, a little sniffle escaping her. She's not crying again, still just recovering from crying. "I s'pose... just cause we can take care of ourselves don't mean we wanna have to..." she says quietly. Cantio must be in a similar boat as her, though to what extent, she doesn't really know. Maybe that's something she'll learn in time.
"I never really had no one ta lean on before," she admits. "When I met everyone in Skypeak, that was the first time anyone helped me out. I... I really appreciate it. Ya told me I was brave, and that-" She chokes back a sudden sob then takes a deep breath to push it back down. "-that felt real good, ya know? Like I could do anythin'!" Astrid settles back against Cantio, watching his fingers trace the embroidery on the edge of the handkerchief.
"Honestly, I found a friend ta rely on fer the first time in all me adventurin'. It's a weird story fer later, but... havin' someone ta partner up with and handle all the crazy stuff we've gotten into together... That felt good too. I never had a friend before them, not like that. Things don't feel so... so lonely when ya get ta adventure with someone else that's a bit of an oddball too."
Finally, Astrid looks up at Cantio. "If family's 'bout supportin' each other, I definitely wanna be supportive fer ya. Ya told me 'bout the magic academy, and I wanna help ya get into it. Even if that's smashin' in someone's door and demandin' they accept yer application!" The last bit is somewhat of a joke, and her voice breaks with a chuckle, but in all seriousness, she would absolutely do it. Absolutely. To her, it sounds like neither of them have ever had the kind of support that maybe they needed, so if this is the start of both of them having that support, then so be it. They'll be a good support team for each other.
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Jan 3, 2023 19:51:53 GMT -5
Cantio’s golden gaze softens when Astrid affirms the handkerchief he’s holding is his— he knew that already, but it’s still sweet of her to have kept it. He traces the embroidery at its edges, blinking when she adds that she figured she’d give it back to him eventually. He breathes a chuckle at that, the edges of his lips curling up in a smile.
She even cleaned it and everything; he remembers her initial fret over how dirty it had gotten when she’d first used it. He really hadn’t minded… it wasn’t really even that special back then; but it is certainly special now.
He feels Astrid lean against his shoulder, and he doesn’t mind; she sniffles, and Cantio looks at her with a sympathetic smile. “Doing everything by yourself can get lonely.” he answers softly, brows furrowing slightly; he could be projecting on her through his own experiences, but… it does get lonely, doesn’t it?
He’s been traveling for years, even among the company of others, and yet… he didn’t really ever feel like he had company around mercenaries and merchants. It wasn’t until he’d met Tatalia, and begun traveling with her, that he’d felt he’d met… some kind of kindred spirit. A friend— and then, he’d made many more after that— just by chance, but… it did make things feel less lonely, even if it was only temporary.
Cantio smiles sympathetically when Astrid continues, reaching out with one arm to loop around her shoulders, and pull her close when she chokes on a sob. His smile fades, turning to furrowed brows and a soft, concerned expression. “You are brave,” he assures her. “And look at you… making your own armour, and going on adventures! How many people can say they’ve done half of what you’re already doing? You’re doing the things people wish they could!” he encourages her, tail swishing across the comforter of the bed.
He listens while she describes her friend, and he perks up a bit; there’s something comforting about knowing she’s not traveling alone. He chuckles, “Well, I hope I’ll get to hear more about your friend soon... Maybe meet them?” he ponders it quizzically, “They sound nice, though— I’m glad you’ve got someone to travel with and keep you company.”
Her next exclamation catches him off guard; but Cantio can’t help but laugh after a moment of looking at her in surprise. “Well, they’re not going to say no if you go around doing that!” he jokes, pulling her in for a squishing hug, and ruffling her hair playfully. “And when they let me in, I’ll bring you back aaaallll the mage’s secrets.” He drops his head playfully against hers, “And whatever you want to do— whether it’s being the best adventurer, or the best forgesmith— I’ll be right behind you.”
He chuckles, lifting himself up and looking at the handkerchief in his other hand. “But, before we go about breaking down doors— are you hungry?” He looks at her with a light smile. “We could go get something for breakfast.”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Jan 5, 2023 1:08:09 GMT -5
The warm, fuzzy feelings in her chest don't subside. They don't even threaten to subside. Being embraced, being praised, being encouraged. All of it brings confidence and a new kind of self-assurance that Astrid's never known before. Her face pressed into Cantio's chest, Astrid mumbles, muffled by his dress, "Thanks, Cantio..."
Releasing her embrace only slightly, she nods a bit. "Aye, I'll make sure ya meet me friend. I think I'd even call 'em a best friend! You'll like 'em a lot, I bet." A smile tugs at the corner of her lips. That friend is certainly an odd one. She thought Charles would have brought them back with her and Cantio, but maybe they'll just have to meet up again another time. That's okay too. They've reconvened more than once. She's confident she'll see the ooze knight again.
Pulled in for another hug where she's squashed nearly flat against her new favorite person, Astrid giggles. The attention and affections are infectious, and Cantio's warm energy fills her near to bursting. Despite her tears before, Astrid feels invigorated, as if she really could just break down the doors at the magical academy and demand Cantio's entrance be granted. Their foreheads touch again, and she looks up into his golden eyes surrounded by a shroud of smeared mascara but no less a beacon of hope and happiness. He'll be behind her in all of her endeavors, and she'll do the same for him.
Astrid throws her arms around Cantio's neck this time for a hug that threatens to squeeze the life out of him but really just shows how tightly she wants to hold on to him forever. Her voice comes out in a whisper into his ear full of genuine gratitude and caring. "Thanks, Cantio. An' I'll be yer tiny warrior. I'll make ya proud..." The last bit barely squeaks out as her emotions well up again, but she keeps them down. She's happy. There's no need for crying.
This moment could last an eternity - it wouldn't be long enough.
Finally, after a few moments, the two separate. Things are feeling... better. There's a sense of calm between them both about everything that's transpired. It will be alright. If Astrid learned anything about having an adventuring friend, it's that together with someone else, you can do anything.
At the mention of food, her stomach growls. Oh right, she's been hungry since she woke up, hasn't she? Oops... Sorting out emotions takes a lot of energy too, so in all honesty, she's probably hungrier than she was before. Well, that's alright. Astrid offers a grin up at Cantio as they both get to their feet.
"Maybe this time, I could pay fer you!" she jokes. Of course, she's mostly forgetting that she spent almost all of her money on materials for the costume she made and on renting the smithing space. The smorgasbord of delights offered at the ball last night had her living on a temporary food high. It was all so delicious. She'll never forget all of that...
Reaching up and smudging a bit of makeup on Cantio's face, her familiar gap-toothed grin shines up at him. She says with a giggle, "Maybe we should look a little less like we came outta a dramatic party! Even if we did."
With that, Astrid collects her clothes from Charles and finally finishes packing up her costume. The whole time, the BlixtbotTM just sat in the position Astrid left him - facing away and kneeling in the floor. He never offered his untimely comments either, but without being addressed, he had little reason to speak up. The bundle of clothes in Astrid's arms are... Well, they're pretty much the same clothes from the group purchase in Sky Peak, albeit with some stains and tatters. The pink skirt's hem is stained from travel. It's hard to tell if some of the stains are red dirt or dried blood. (If it is blood, whether or not it's hers is another mystery.)
She's taken some care in keeping things as clean as she can, but being a kid who spent at least half a decade on the streets, the wear and tear of travel haven't bothered her much. In fact, there's some evidence that she's tried to take care of her clothes. They at least smell like they've been washed recently. With this bundle of clothes in her arms, Astrid steps behind the room divider and gets herself dressed, leaving behind a set of gauntlets that don't seem like they'd fit her and greaves that seem to have an odd bluish sheen to them.
When she reappears, she's indeed wearing all her clothes from Sky Peak with the exception of a quilted vest that crosses her chest at an angle and clips closed. It seems a bit large for her, but it also seems to have seen a lot of love - and perhaps battle. There's evidence of a battering on the vest in the form of a few misshapen diamonds and a long sewn patch across the back. Despite this, it seems cozy for her, and she goes over to Charles to put on her last addition: a dark cape with a hood made from some kind of animal hide that gleams a deep purple in the morning light. It has two long tentacles with beige spiked pads at the end.
Astrid picks up her gauntlets and greaves and considers them before deciding against them for her first family breakfast, instead opting to stash them in Charles' metal backpack. She does, however, opt to disconnect a metal cable from the end of her battle hammer - the one she got in Sky Peak that has seen many a battle in the short time since then, and slips the haft into a belt loop before stashing the cord as well.
The tiny, bonafide adventurer, looks ready for her first day as part of a new, two-person family, and once Cantio is ready, she throws open the door with full confidence (and maybe too much strength as the door clatters loudly against the wall) and strides into the hall. By this time in the morning, the inn is bustling for breakfast. The aroma of fresh food permeates the building, all the way up the stairs to the halls, tempting people to awaken and step down for a hot meal. This inn is way too fancy for the rough-and-tumble adventuring girl. She doesn't care. It's breakfast time with Cantio, and she's ready to stuff her face!
Finding an empty table with only a single chair, Astrid looks around and snags an unused chair from another table. Whether or not someone was using it doesn't really occur to her. She sets it down with confidence so Cantio can have a seat before taking the other seat herself.
"So," she says, looking around. "What's good here?"
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Jan 13, 2023 21:45:27 GMT -5
The red tiefling smiles warmly, his golden eyes crinkling at the edges as the corner of his lips turn up. He means every word of it, but he thinks Astrid knows that… he hopes that she does. He leans the side of his cheek against the top of her head, holding her close and comfortingly until he feels Astrid’s grip loosen. He releases her somewhat, leaning back to see the light smile she wears when she talks about her friend. He breathes a soft laugh, delighted to hear about her best friend— especially given her isolation when they’d first met in Dragon’s Cradle. He squishes her to him, tail wagging against the top of the bed. “ I look forward to it.” he agrees, bumping foreheads with the girl as she squeaks out her last few words; barely a whisper in the silence of the room. Cantio’s smile is warm as he snuggles her close. “ I’m already proud; you’ve already come so far, and you’re only going to go farther.” he answers, allowing the comfortable silence to fall without interruption. He has never been good at expressing himself; while honesty comes naturally, sometimes his ability to phrase himself is lost. Still, as he squishes Astrid in an affectionate hug that ends all too soon, he hopes that the gesture can express how proud he is of all that she’s accomplished on her own. He can only admire her persistence and determination in the face of loneliness; he doesn’t know how she can still smile so brightly after all she’s been through, but he’s glad that she can. He hopes that her sunny disposition will never be lost, and by Solaria’s name, he will do his best to ensure she has all the more reasons to smile. Cantio cracks a smile when Astrid jokes about paying for him. “ Lucky for you, the owner of this place owes me for a performance, so I don’t even need to pay.” he admits with a laugh, but hesitates when Astrid reaches out and smudges his already smudged makeup. He blinks, looking at the smudge of gold and obsidian on Astrid’s fingertips. “ Oh! Oh my goodness, have I looked like that this whole time?” he stumbles, seeming to realize just now that his makeup’s been beyond smudged. Sheepishly, Cantio laughs. “ We should clean up before we head down.” he agrees, running a free hand through his ruffled hair as he moves to his feet. Tail swaying, Cantio breezes over to where he’s left most of his things from his previous stay; once Astrid has slipped behind the room divider, he ditches the dress he’s been wearing and slips into his usual outfit. When Astrid slips back into the main room, Cantio is tugging on his boots over the hem of his pants; he seems to have placed the handkerchief Astrid had given him somewhere else, as another is held from the corner of the fabric in his mouth, smudged with the makeup that Cantio’s since taken off. The tiefling finishes tightening the clasps of his boots, and perks up as he sees Astrid stashing away her armour in her backpack. He stomps his foot in his boot to flatten his heel against the interior, and drops the messy handkerchief from between his teeth.
“That’s a fun cape,” he compliments, folding his handkerchief into a triangle. He hasn’t seen it before. He tucks the handkerchief away in a pocket of his bag, then hops to his feet and snatches up his mask. He places it over his face as usual, before following Astrid out into the hall. The smells of food wafts through the halls as Cantio locks the door, then sprints after Astrid with her confident stride. He slows to a walk beside her, grateful that everything had begun to even out, and he feels… warm and fuzzy. Content. He has a family, now; someone to take care of, and someone to rely on in a way that his own had never. His tail sways as he slips through the door frame, and into the dining hall. “ Well,” he remarks, pulling his seat out and sitting down, himself. “ Plenty— oh, they do have really great pancakes here.” His tail wags, a smile on his face beneath the mask. “ A lot of fruit; dried and otherwise— oh, and good meats. Most of the time.” he breathes a soft laugh. “ I don't know, what do you usually eat? I played for the owner’s daughter’s wedding last year, so he’s letting me camp here without a fee, you could get whatever you want.”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Jan 14, 2023 0:51:25 GMT -5
When he compliments her cape, Astrid does a little twirl to show it off. The two fuzzy tentacles flop back and forth wildly as she comes to a stop, but the spikes don't hurt her or catch anything around her too badly because she filed down the sharp ends. "Thanks!" she says with a grin. "They're from some creatures we killed! Er, me and me friend, that is. These weird teleportin' cats were attackin' some merchants! One of the merchants skinned 'em up and took 'em ta a tanner fer us as a reward, and after that, we made matchin' capes! So, if ya see a shiny knight with a matchin' cape, know ya can trust 'em!" She grips the edges of the cape and them up around her, her rear end wiggling a little excitedly before she does the confident march to breakfast.
The two of them settle at the table, and Cantio lists off what she could have for breakfast. There are a lot of options, a smorgasbord, honestly. "Whatever I want??" she asks incredulously, eyes wide. The possibilities wrack her brain, and she leans forward across the table, arms splayed ahead in shock. Last night at the ball was the first time she'd really had free reign to eat as much as she wanted on someone else's dime. She didn't have to be modest about it or worry about how much coin she had on her. Normally, she wouldn't want to eat someone out of house and home, but if it's on the inn's owner...
Astrid shoots to sit upright. "Let's get some of everythin'!! Try it all! If it ain't on yer dime, let's have a ball! Er... Another ball!" Her legs kick beneath the table as she giggles. She's at least drawn the attention of the barmaid who comes over to collect their order. She absolutely orders "one of everythin'!" much to the barmaid's surprise. The woman looks at the size of the table, decides she'll bring things in waves, and heads off into the kitchen to put in this ridiculous order in. Of course, she figures they won't make it past the first course of food. She has clearly never met the endless food pit that is Astrid.
Leaning back in her chair with an excited grin, Astrid looks over at Cantio. They both seem to be in better spirits. The air is clear, but she's not clear on what the next steps are. Do things suddenly change? Do they continue on as they were, only running into each other sporadically? Well, she doesn't like that second idea very much. If they're a family now, she wants to do things as a family! But what does that look like, exactly? Maybe they have to figure out their new normal.
She leans forward on the table again, propping her face in her hand and looking at Cantio with a more contemplative and ponderous expression. He's wearing a mask again, but they're not at a costume party, and he's not performing. Come to think of it, he wore a mask when they first met. He did mention it makes him feel a bit more at ease. She finds that kind of interesting, but she wonders if he'll ever go out in public without one. Does he want to? Could she help with that? Will he wear a mask when it's just the two of them?
You're off-topic, Astrid! But Cantio might feel out of place!
She decides to mimic him and pulls her goggles down over her eyes, the same pair from Sky Peak with the owl face design. Tufts of metal feathers flare out from the blue lenses, and the nose piece is shaped to look like a hooked beak. She gives a goofy grin and absolutely no explanation for why she's done this.
"Sooo what'd ya think happens now?" she asks. "Do we find a house ta live in? Or do we keep workin' ta save up money fer a proper house? I don't mind either way, but... Well, I'd like ta make sure we get ta see each other still..."
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