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How does one speak the truth when one was taught to deceive and lie to others?
“I don’t think he understands his own feelings.”
When the young Lizardfolk spoke those words to the pixie who wept tears over Torbek, Kremy had no idea how this one night would change his life in the most bizarre ways.
Small fingers held onto a stem of a single carnation, a flower that was purely white only for the edges to appear like it was splattered by blood. ‘Kremy, did you know every flower has a meaning behind them?’ The young Lizardfolk glance down at the flower, he had no idea where she found this flower, especially in a place like here surrounded by the swamp. A beautiful flower didn’t belong to such a place. ‘Of course, I do.’ The lie rolled off his tongue, a second nature to the young aspiring cook as he focused on the flower, trying to figure out what this flower meant.
A stripped carnation meant refusal.
Refusal was something Kremy was great at, along with his many skills of lying, deceiving, conning, magic and making the best gumbo in all of Agway. Kremy refused the notion that he might be looking at Gideon in a different light. He didn’t want anything to change between him and their group’s dynamic. He was the mastermind, Gid was the arms of the group, Gricko was just Gricko and Hootsie and Frost was part of the Gricko package, though Frost was very good at numbers. Kremy didn’t want his normal to be different, so when the magics of the air around him caused him to age, his reservation of keeping the truth to himself was forfeited.
“Why did you bring marigolds to a wedding?! Do you have any idea that its bad luck to have these in the wedding?” The young pixie shrieked as the one of the brides-to-be was rushing around with her mother in tow as they look over the tables with vases filled with marigolds.
Kremy could curse and blame his current state of fairs on the magic of the Feywild, but maybe all the magic did was give a voice something hidden. As he kept asking Gideon if he was being serious about going through with getting married to the three pixies, even though Kremy knew it was because of him that Gideon was in this mess.
Tucking himself to a corner as he excused himself from Gideon and the others, with Francois being his only companion not by choice as he watched the people mingle happily with one another. Sinking into himself as he heard the announcement of Gideon was supposed to have his first dance with Bixie.
“Francois another sad song, please.”
He softly choked out as he continued to stand in the corner, wanting to be left alone. He just couldn’t understand why Gid isn’t being serious about how ironic this situation was that they found themselves in. Hells, Gideon ironically married him and three other pixies in the same ceremony.
When the first announcement to call forth the warlock to dance with his new husband, Kremy turned his back to the dance floor as he continued to listen to Francois sing for him. How did the great Kremy Lecroux wind up crying on his wedding night, unable to tell lies and yet he could not clearly explain his feelings to his best friend?
When the server pixie came over to him with a cocktail mix of rum and informed him that it was from the groom, while doing a small little flourish as he presents the warlock his drink. “Did he actually send you?”
“Yes, He even told me to do the hand gestures and flourish.”
“He knows that I like that.”
A small smile spread across his lips as he felt a small flicker of hope in chest ignite as Francois continued his fourth saddest song he could think of.
“Can you see with your ghostly eyes, Francois? How do I look?” The warlock questioned the bullywug as he pulled out a small compact mirror as he wiped away the ruined mascara and his mustache. As the announcer calls out for the first dance between Kremy and Gideon, he finished reapplying his mustache and stepped towards the dance floor. Meeting his best friend on the dance floor, his partner-in-crime, his husband.
They exchanged a few words before they started their dance as Morning Ross started to sing a song for the couple to dance to. It wasn’t as great as Francois’ singing, but it will have to do. Resting his hand on Gideon’s hip and feeling the warm hand on his back as they continue to sway to the music. He never thought he would be dancing with Gideon like this, nor did he expect that they fit into one another with ease. After a few minutes, he rested his head on Gid’s shoulder as Kremy took this opportunity to live in this very moment with him.
‘Hey Kremy? Did you know that Petunia told me that marigolds is bad luck?’ The young pixie spoke up as her pet pig, Petunia hovered next to her. ‘How so?’ His questioned her, deciding to play along with this conversation, though he remembered his wedding night and the mentioned of marigolds. ‘Apparently, marigolds mean jealousy! Don’t get me wrong, they’re pretty but when someone gives marigolds is a bad sign! Just like a speckled frog.’ ‘Speckled frog?’ ‘Yeah, like a speckled frog. It may look like safe frog to lick, but it’s not!’
Nodding his head along with this information about ensuring to not lick a speckled frog, though he doesn’t see himself licking any frogs anytime soon. ‘Hey Twig. What flower would Petunia recommend giving to someone you have feelings for?’ The flash of glee spread across the small warlock’s face as she looks over to Petunia and start having a conversation with her familiar.
‘Have you heard of Chrysanthemums?’
Watching the treant grasping Gideon in his branch like hands and biting into him. Gid experience so much worse before, this wouldn’t phase him, was the thought that crossed Kremy’s mind until he saw Gideon’s head slumping backwards and his eyes closed. Panic filled his chest with fire, there was only so much he could do, and he was no healer.
Eyes darting back and forth between Frost, Gricko, and Torbek before resting his hope in Torbek as he shouted for him to get to Gideon and save him. Pointing his cane at the bugbear as he watched his companion slowly started to float from his magic.
This must work.
Was his only fleeting thought as he continued to provide protection and aide for his friends until the treant finally fell from the magic beans that Frost carried with him.
Once they were able to find a place to set up camp for the night, Kremy offered to take the second watch to ensure that Gideon can rest up from his brush with death.
“Kremy?”
A small voice filled the silence of the night as his eyes turned towards Twig and Petunia as they flew over to him.
“Is everything alright, Twig?”
“Yes, Kremy. Petunia was able to find the flow-“
“Found the ingredients I was looking for? Thanks, Petunia.” Kremy quickly cut off the pixie as he digs into his coat pocket, fishing out a small silver ring with intricate designs etched onto the metal.
“Like I promise. And, remember Twig, this stays between us.”
“That means we are best friends, right?”
“Y-Yeah in a certain point of view.” Kremy quickly rushed the words out. Once Twig handed him a small bouquet of flowers of red and white chrysanthemums. It was a rarity to find these flowers was what Twig had said, but Kremy was determined to get these flowers in his possession.
Admiring the beauty of the flowers, before he tied a purple string around the flowers and tucked a note between the stem of the flowers. The note was carefully folded to hide his perfect handwriting as it instructed Gid to speak the meaning of the flowers from their friend, which he signed it with 'From Your Husband'. Quietly opening the tent that belonged to Gideon, the tent was dark as a shadow of a body slowly rise and fall with every breath, the silence was cut from the soft snoring of the man. A smile spread across his features as he placed the flowers inside and closed the tent quietly.
Lies is all he knows, so he relies on the language of flowers in hopes they could speak the words he cannot.