Chapter Text
The bar was an assault on Aeros’ senses. All around them there were sights, smells, and sounds they had not experienced in a long while. The tightly packed room felt inescapable. It was far too loud; they were overwhelmed by the sounds of people shouting to each other and their own heart slamming against their ribs. A pounding of fists to their right.
A fist slammed against their left eye, the assault fueled by rage, not strength.
The side of their face stung, and they took a sharp inhale, the smell of meat and mead made them nauseous.
The thick stench of cheap wine wafted from her every breath as she hissed words that were drowned out by their cries.
Patrons milled around them, closing them in with little room to breathe.
Their back against a wall, their back against the tin, their back against the floor.
A voice in their head, “Be at peace,”
They weren’t sure when they had sat down, but they snapped out of their haze to find themself alone at a wooden bar table, hands gripping their pack until their knuckles turned white. They unclenched to find them shaking with a violent tremor, and waved them under the table, trying to ground themself. Planted their feet. Took a few shaky breaths. A woman came over, asking if they wanted anything to eat. They shook their head silently. They didn’t think they could stomach food.
When they became still enough to hold a quill, they pulled out parchment, trying to find peace in their knowledge.
What I Know
- This is not the place for me.
They stared at the blank space for longer than they should have, desperately trying to scrounge up anything else. Anything they could be sure of. When no answer came, they held their head in their hands, scratching the base of their horns.
“Where’s Mennehet when you n-need him?” they muttered to themself. No response. The table grain came in and out of focus as they began to lose their grip on reality once again. The swirling lines began to blur and shift, and-
“Is this seat taken?” a voice from ahead of them. Their gaze flicked upwards and made contact with a pair of glinting red eyes. They scanned the rest of the face and found the owner to be an ostentatious lavender tiefling with a smile that was impossible to read, and golden jewelry and makeup. Behind them was the tallest person Aeros had ever seen, with huge biceps and much simpler garb than her companion.
They shook their head and gestured for them to sit, as there were likely no other tables available in the tightly packed room. They tried to seem casual while surveying the pair, but they were already running through their spells in their head, tensing up in case they needed to defend themself.
“You look exhausted,” the vibrant tiefling said, leaning back in their chair and shuffling a deck of cards leisurely.
They forced out a small chuckle, avoiding eye contact with the strangers across from them. “Yeah, uh, long day,”
The gold-lined smile on their face became gentler, and somehow even harder to understand. “Might I recommend a night at The Fletching and Moondrop Traveling Carnival of Curiosities, for just five copper you’ll forget the day even happened!”
“Sorry, but I’m uh, I’m not one for, for crowds. Use to be but, uh, you know,” they flinched at their own words, knocking their wrists together below the table.
The ruby-red eyes seemed dissatisfied with the answer, and it felt like they were searching their soul, scanning their face for… something. When they found it, their whole face lit up. “You’re a performer! What’s your act?” Yasha nudged him and made a face. “Of course, my sincerest apologies. My name is Mollymauk Tealeaf, Molly to my friends, and my pronouns are any and all, you really can’t go wrong.”
“Yasha, she/her. You?”
“Aeros, and uh, they/them, for now,” They responded. Maybe they could get along with these strangers, at least for a round or two. With the newfound comfort, even if it was only slight, they looked closer at Mollymauk and Yasha. Mollymauk was a beautiful person with a beautiful way of presenting himself. He wore a flowy red coat with intricate embroidery on every inch. Beneath that they could see a vibrant tattoo sleeve that seemed to consist of a peacock and a snake, though the majority was covered. He had the most jewelry they had ever seen on a person, gold rings, gold piercings, gold bracelets, and a thin gold choker around his neck. For someone who seemed to care little for what others thought of him, he put a lot of effort into his appearance. Yasha had an intimidating frame, but it seemed that just below that was a deep care for her companion. When she spoke, the words came out softer than Aeros had expected, and instead of feeling intimidated, they felt almost safe, like Yasha could kick the ass of anyone who came near. Her black and white hair was woven into many small braids, seemingly the only part of her appearance she cared a great deal about, aside from her dark makeup that made her violet and teal eyes pop.
“And what is your act Aeros? You’ve got me on the edge of my seat,”
“I don’t have an act. Used to be violin but,” they trailed off.
“Everyone has an act, you’re sure you don’t play anymore? We could use a violinist,”
“Fairly sure. And what’s your act, Mollymauk Tealeaf?”
“In the circus? Not much now, but the story is ever-changing. But, I do read fortunes,” he said, twirling the deck, which was almost as colorful as he.
“Like tarot?” The arcane was always where Aeros had felt most at home. Not the rigid structure of academies, but the more vague kind. The kind of magic that was about feelings and interpretation, rather than study and repetition.
“One in the same, care for a reading? Only two copper,” they fished out the coins and slid them across the table. “Yasha, be a dear and buy us a round?” he requested, passing the change to her.
As she stood up, Molly turned his attention to the cards, shuffling them at an incredible speed, the colors swirling into gorgeous patterns, before he laid three on the table, face-down. He made eye contact with them once again before flipping the first card over. It was a beautiful green field, with intricately painted figures spread about among carts and circus tents.
“Ten of Cups, reversed,” he stated. With their liminal knowledge of the craft, they assumed this was not a good thing. “You’ve recently tried to make common ground with someone, I’m going to assume it didn’t succeed?” they winced, and he took that as a yes. “Now, you’ve got two options with this. You can keep trying and trying, or you can accept that our pasts can mean nothing if we want them to and move on,” his bluntness came as a shock, and he flipped over his next card.
“The Tower, now this is big. You’re going to face some sudden change, and frankly, it’s going to be bloody terrifying. But, you will see it through.” The card depicted a looming stone tower with a glowing light coming from the top. The final card was flipped, revealing a beautifully rendered illustration of Mollymauk and Yasha, sitting on two horses, laughing uproariously. He smiled at this. “Three of Cups. You have found, or will find, a connection with those around you unlike any other. This is a card of comradery; you should be pleased.”
When they thought about it, they were. Whether Mollymauk Tealeaf was the real deal, or just lying through his teeth they were not sure, but they found peace in the card reading. Looking at the final card, they thought for a moment that maybe Molly and Yasha were the comrades they had found. It was unlikely, but the circus could use a violinist…
“I’ll see your show,” they decided as Yasha returned with three ales in hand. Molly whooped for joy, snatching a drink and hoisting it in the air. He took a large gulp before placing a pamphlet next to their drink. They tucked it in their pack, reminding themselves to check the times later, and turned back to the pair.
They stayed for a few more rounds of lively conversation before retreating to their room with a promise they would see them the next evening. The room was simple, but functional, with a bed, a small dresser, and a sturdy deadbolt. They eyed the bed longingly, before double-checking that the door was locked and drawing the curtains. From their pack, they pulled out an array of supplies, before doing a couple of spins to focus themself. They took a deep breath before rolling out the simple, circular, sage-colored mat, placing a clay bowl at the head. They balanced a stick of incense in it and mapped out the sigil in white chalk. They steadied their hands as they traced the magical patterns, then sat in the center, staring intently at the INCENSE. With an open palm, they waved at it, lighting it with ease. As the sweet smell began to fill the room, they focused all their energy on the burning ember, slowly raising their hand, and with it, the light. As it got higher and higher, the globule became larger. They put one final push into the magic, and the light fully manifested. The red and gold orb flitted around them happily.
"Hey bud, bet you th-thought I wasn’t going to show up, huh. I’ll be honest, I kind of hoped I wouldn’t. No, no, not like that!” they quickly clarified as it vibrated DISSAPROVINGLY. “It’s just, if all went well with Mom, we wouldn’t be able to see each other for a while. I’m here, so you know what went down. I had hoped the distance would make things easier, make her see her mis- her mistakes, but no. I guess that’s the first thing I learned. You’re probably still hungry, let’s see. I learned that not all strangers are evil and awful. I met these two lovely -at least they seemed lovely- people named Molly and Yasha. Yasha is the tallest person I’ve ever seen, I thought she was going to hit the ceiling when she stood up! Oh, here’s a good one for you, Molly did a tarot reading for me, and he told me that I was going to face an even greater challenge soon. I didn’t think that was possible, but he seemed to know things. I also realized how much I missed performing, there’s this circus in town that they invited me to see, and they were talking about how they needed a violin player. I miss it a lot. Maybe I’ll make some coin next place I go and I’ll get my old one fixed, or even buy a new one, that’d be nice.”
They continued their one-sided conversation, switching between venting and actually giving it knowledge. When they ran out of things to say and the incense was nearly gone, they smiled. "I'm glad you're with me for this, friend. If this is the last time I see you for a while, I'm very grateful for you. Make sure you tell Mennehet all about this, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear from me. And who knows! Maybe the circus will accept me and also be super chill with this kind of thing! If not, I promise I'll find time to check in every once and a while," With that, the globule swirled and shrunk, joining with the incense before flickering out completely. Aeros felt both rejuvenated and exhausted. They were glad to see their friend again, but they were so very tired. They debated between magical and physical exhaustion for a while, before casting prestidigitation on the blanket. They stuffed it and the bowl back in their pack, before practically passing out on the less than comfortable mattress.