Chapter Text
The idea, quite honestly, had sounded good. At that time. Now, though, Aaravos stared at the mirror with doubt.
His disguise was nothing short of horrible- a cloak and more... human-y clothes along with gloves. He'd tried casting multiple illusion spells, but each and any of them shattered after only a few minutes.
It frustrated him greatly, and his annoyance made the rather fragile and complicated spells shatter even quicker. He didn't know why they shattered so easily- his spells didn't usually fade so fast. Usually it took hours.
"Maybe we should wait a few days" Henry suggested evenly, patient as ever. Aaravos huffed, straightening his back. His first full day without obligation of remaining in a cell or his room? Absolutely not. Meredith had suggested visiting the town, so they'd visit the town. She had sounded excited at the idea, and he couldn't deny being curious, too.
He carefully smoothed out the black cloak- it was unlike his usual one. He didn't hate it, but it was unfamiliar. "Are the knights forbidden from talking about my existence?" He asked, glancing down at the duo next to him.
Meredith tilted her head, smoothed out a wrinkle in his cloak that he'd missed. "No, actually" she admitted and winced. "Ah... you think they already know" she guessed, and he only hummed in confirmation. "That... might actually be true" Henry sighed, tapping his fingers against the hilt of the sword at his side. Aaravos tilted his head, narrowing his eyes.
"Would it make things difficult?" he asked, noticing how Meredith slumped. He drew a rune into the air, before murmuring the spell. Purple and lilac turned gradually into something natural, his stars fading to light freckles. His ears felt weird, and he glanced into the mirror.
Pale golden eyes glanced back, and for a moment he straightened, victorious- and then, with a flash, the illusion fizzled out.
Head falling into his hands, he groaned. "Not again..." he complained, barely refraining from an elvish curse or two. Henry snorted behind him. "Well, I don't think you being you is gonna be much of a problem, hopefully. Flashing like some sort of glow-toad is gonna be a problem, though"
He offered a half-hearted glare at the joke. "There was not supposed to be a flash. The spell merely broke. Again" he huffed, drawing the rune once again- gestures a little harsher than necessary. He was about to touch the glowing lines, when a hand was placed over his.
Freezing up for only a second, he glanced down at Meredith. "Maybe you just need practice. Not doing magic for a while probably isn't much different to not practicing archery" she pointed out, and his ears flattened slightly.
"These are only illusions. I have done larger spells without... without this happening. I cast many spells in the prison, those worked fine" he muttered, bothered yet unsure how long ago that was, and tried again.
He stared into the mirror for a second. When it didn't fizzle out immediately, he turned towards them to proclaim his success- only for yet another flash.
Maybe he needed something to channel the magic through. A staff, perhaps, only for a little while. He sighed deeply. If the pearl hadn't already shattered... well, he'd have done it himself.
Henry hummed. "I say let's just hope for the best and leave the illusions for now" he suggested, and with a sigh, he agreed. Meredith wasn't wrong- just like archery, magical skills had to be honed so they wouldn't rust.
His, apparently, had rusted.
He resented it.
The market, when they finally reached it, was a bustling hub of activity. It reminded him of a time long past. It reminded him of a place he called home, once upon a time. The wary and disdainful stares certainly helped with that aura.
Henry was leading them, and Meredith excitedly chatted his ear off- and kept dragging him back on track whenever he got distracted by something. Dragging him this way and that way. It wasn't hard to avoid the people- for the most part, they avoided them.
The small building he found himself in with Meredith, with Henry quickly changing course onto a different street, emitted a smell that was truly mesmerizing. The redhead pushed against his back, and he let her, slowly entering.
"Good morning, what can I... oh, by all that's-" the man, short and with a rolling pin in hand, stumbled back. Aaravos grimaced, even as Meredith leaned around him with a cheerful wave. "Hello, Barius!" she grinned, and the star-speckled elf couldn't help but pity the man.
He glanced down at the knight, then to the apparent baker. "I thought we were not going to... drop a whole elf on him, as you so eloquently put it?" he asked, earning a pout. He wheezed at the elbow to his side, doubling over with a complaint on the tip of his tongue. He counted himself lucky that she wasn't wearing her armor. That would've hurt worse.
"Sorry for dropping an elf on you" Meredith, decidedly, did not sound very sorry. Her glance was a hint concerned, and her muttered apology to him did sound a lot more genuine. "He's a nice one, we're friends" she added, louder again. Aaravos blinked, stars flaring for a moment, something warm settling in his chest. The baker sent him a narrow-eyed glance at the sudden flare up. His stars dimmed back to their usual soft flickering, although the markings beneath his eyes did stay brighter.
Meredith snorted next to him, which he decidedly ignored.
He cleared his throat, then offered a polite bow. "I have heard only positive things of your skill with baked goods" he told the man, not mentioning that it had only been twice the man's skill had been praised. He truly hadn't heard anything negative, though.
The man stared at him about as happy as most people tended to be. Not at all. "Where's Henry gone?" he asked, gaze slipping to Meredith. With a hum, the star-speckled elf settled for looking around from where he stood, eyes scanning over pastries.
"Oh, well... picking some stuff up. Y'know, the usual" she answered vaguely, and Barius sighed. Exasperated. Aaravos tilted his head, but didn't butt in. He was curious about what the knight was doing, too, but it wasn't his place to pry. Probably.
He froze at a sudden hand against his bed, before glancing to Meredith. "Y'know, Barius... this guy likes pastries" she grinned widely, words spoken as if she'd just shared some sort of secret.
Aaravos stared at her, unfazed. The baker, no matter how cautious, did perk up though, and carefully looked him over. "Does he, now... well, I don't sell any with blood" the man muttered, distrust in his every demeanor.
The star-speckled elf sighed. "What do they teach you humans? We do not... well, of course there are crazy ones, but... no" he huffed, shaking his head. "I am not picky" he added.
For a moment, the baker stared him down. Then, after a moment, he turned away and went to collect something from the pantry. He returned quickly enough with a tray of pastries, squinting in distrust.
Aaravos offered a disarming smile, took one of the offered pastries after Meredith had done the same and bit into it. He was rewarded with a taste that was truly divine. In that moment, he decided that he didn't care if the baker liked him or not.
He'd definitely come back for these pastries.