: Luck in the Shadows :

[unputdownable]

Some nameless Inn, some nameless town.

This is an origin story if ever there was one, for all great partnerships have a definite and decided beginning and this is one such.

Jhude had been on the trail of a nobleman who had been hellbent on marrying his daughter to a highly abusive peer; it was a coaching inn on the way to one of the three major metropolis; now he'd read reports that the man on the gifted end of the bride stick had been a widower thrice times over which.. to Jhude, was a bit suspicious.

It had taken quite a bit of researcher, and he wasn't a born researcher by any stretch-- but it did not take an idiot to put two and two together and he was not an idiot; it also meant that the ladies life was hanging on a knife's point. Not now, but perhaps later-- and Jhude was enough of a bleeding heart that he could not countenance this whatsoever.

No one deserved it.

So he was in the posting house, keeping to the shadows, watching the lady and her father in question. Oh, but she looked miserable, and he looked smug. Tonight was the perfect time to act, the posting house was crowded and if there was anything that he could do, it was to perhaps sneak her out, give her a bag of gold to settle comfortably, give her the name of someone within the church who could provide her aid if needed and she'd have freedom to live her life and perhaps marry someone of her choosing.

He was sitting at a table with his hood pulled over his head, nursing a tankard of ale as he watched and listened; ever so close to the table so that he could pick up their words, their routine. Any sort of information that would make this entire process easier.

Comments

[transfigured]

Moonstone tossed her head because apparently she knew the word apples and knew it well. Aster chuckled, leaning forward to pet the horse's neck lightly. Good girl.

"I may need a hand. I'm feeling more securely attached to this consciousness thing, but the world is still a bit... topsy-turvy." He felt unsettled in his body, and that was strange for him, given that he was used to his body in all sorts of shapes. It was a vulnerable, terrible feeling, but he was trying not to let on -- or really, to admit it to himself -- and instead glanced over his shoulder at Jhude.

He batted his borrowed eyelashes at the blond man. "If you don't mind playing gallant rescuer a moment or two more. I'll let you off the hook for it soon, I promise."

[unputdownable]

"Of course I don't mind, now hold on to her while I dismount then you can slide off safely where I can catch you." And then with a bit of practiced ease he did manage to dismount, then once two feet on the ground he offered up his arms to help. "No spills to the ground on my watch."

It wasn't that he was immune to sweet-talking but also he rather thought that Aster was very teasing and flirtatious so he was going to take everything with a grain of salt.

"When I found you, you were a crumpled heap on the floor, I really shouldn't have let you go alone with them-- but she's safely escaped and its likely they will be looking for her and me, not her on their own."

Also Jhude figured he hurt a few prides there and they were likely more fixated on that then the girl in question.

[transfigured]

Oh Aster was teasing and flirtatious, but that sure as fuck did not mean it did not have its genesis, currently, in very genuine attraction. It was less the physical side of things -- though holy fuck he had now been in those arms and they were, yeah, they sure were, and Jhude was also just pretty -- and more the way that his new acquaintance seemed so hell bent on doing the right thing for no discernible personal gain? And also the undercurrent of something gentle in him. Kind.

Nothing hotter in this world or any than a kind man with pretty face and biceps that really ought to be illegal.

So Aster waited for Jhude to dismount and let himself be helped down from Moonstone's back.

Once his feet were on the ground once more, he lingered closer to the other man than he probably needed to. "That's... the thing I'm a bit mixed up on. Why did you come back for me? You didn't have to, and you earned yourself a lot more problems for the trouble."

[unputdownable]

Jhude was absolutely aware of the proximity as Aster slid down, and now there was a very beautiful woman in his arms-- since the form was still there, still effervescent and shimmering with something that felt beyond his comprehension.

At this moment Jhude was absolutely looking down at Aster though that wouldn't last once he changed forms.

"You were unconscious. I could not live with myself if I left you like that, especially when you'd been kind enough to help me with getting the girl safety; it wouldn't have been right even if you retroactively told me you'd been able to handle yourself."

Jhude wasn't like that, never would be. He tended to work alone, but the times he'd been with a group, he advocated for teamwork generally.

"As for problems, I hurt their egos.. but they deserved it-- and I'd do it again."

[transfigured]

Aster was not entirely certain what the sudden fluttering in his stomach was, or he really didn't want to let himself be certain of it. But here he was watching Jhude say something so incredible as if it was simple and casual. As if it hadn't been an outright heroic act.

As if anyone had ever done that for Aster before. Oh he had people he trusted, who trusted him, who he knew he could rely on in a spot. But he'd also been betrayed before, more than enough to realize that true loyalty and displays of kindness and bravery without reward were rare things, far more precious than any treasure. And in his case, well, changelings weren't exactly the most welcome or trusted people. Most of his kind kept their true nature a secret, and they were rare to start with.

"I see." He saw and he felt, and fuck everything he needed his heart to remember how to beat normally. "I would have, you know, been able to handle myself." But he wasn't trying to dismiss the gravity of what Jhude had done.

"But it wouldn't have been easy. Or pleasant. And it might've been a painful while before I figured a way out." The words were spoken quietly, earnest and plain. "So I'm grateful. Thank you, Jhude." And since he was shorter currently, he leaned up on his toes in order to press a kiss to the other man's cheek.

[unputdownable]

Jhude may have flushed at the kiss to his cheek, denoting that he was still green around the edges it would appear; a kiss was a kiss was a kiss regardless of if it was to the cheek or the mouth, primarily when administrated by someone who was not his mother or any direct familial relation.

"I am sure you would've if you had been conscious, but you were not so... well you should humor me a little bit; I was not sure and you would not have been able to stop anyone if they had tried anything."

Oh no, he was also bringing matters of consent into this.

"You are welcome." and then he started to see toward making the abandoned barn a place that was semi-comfortable while they were waiting the day out. Distracting with his hands to keep the flushing from rising-- best to survey the offerings. He found an old bale of hay that once he slashed at the strings with a knife and got to the middle, the bale had been wrapped so tightly that the middle would be eatable for Moonstone, not the most quality but he figured that if it was interspered with apples, it'd do well enough.

There was also an old bucket that could be used to fetch water as long as it was rinsed out.

He wasn't afraid of hard work, especially if it meant being somewhat comfortable. "Do you think you could go to the orchard and fetch some apples once you change your form. I don't really want to go out more than I have to and I have to fetch some fresh water for Miss Gem, as well as ourselves."

[transfigured]

Was that a blush? Well, that was something wasn't it? It was kind of adorable, endearing. More and more.

But Jhude also had a very good point, didn't he? One that Aster had not considered. He followed after as Jhude headed into the barn, leading Moonstone with him. Well, ostensibly leading Moonstone. She needed very little leading more often than not, and was quick to decide that the hay was meant for her.

"Of course."

Aster glanced around the barn, finding a stall wall that would sufficiently hide him away for his shifting so he didn't send Jhude into a dizzy spell again. Really, he'd prefer that the other man not be freaked out by him in general. Here he was wanting this man he just met to like him. And not in the 'find him charming and play into his current scheme' sort of way either.

Once he was out of sight, he let his form properly melt into the face that felt like his, the pale, blue eyed, dark haired man that Jhude had already seen when they'd been brainstorming their plan back at the inn.

He stepped back out. Of course, he was still wearing a very fetching dress and travel cloak. He no longer had the bosom for it, so now the neckline left his shoulders mostly bared, a deeper peak at much more masculine cleavage. The skirts also no longer hovered just above the ground but instead bared a scandalous amount of ankle and, dare we say it, calf.

"All right. I'll be back with apples."

[unputdownable]

Oh no...

He did catch sight of calf, and he quickly turned away. The tell that this was happening was that the flush that managed to reach his ears, those ears that were tucked against his face like shells, very very human. He was already grabbing up the bucket and then scurrying outside so that he could test the water pump that he'd seen outside; there was a stream but after seeing the pump he had a little bit of hope that it would be tied to a well of some sort, preferably one that hadn't been dried up.

However to his surprise me managed to coax some water out of it, though it took a lot of arm strength considering that it was like sucking a thick milkshake through a straw. So it probably took a bit more time then he would've wanted to spend, but the plus side was that if he worked it hard, he'd be able to make each successive pumps easier.

He came in with the first bucket and set it in front of Moonstone, then he took another bucket and filled that up too. Going back and forth several times, he'd go out when needed but at least that was a little bit better. The exercise also kept him from thinking about Aster's ankle.

[transfigured]

Entirely unaware of the turmoil that his ankle had thrown Jhude into, Aster snagged up what looked like a burlap sack still hung by the door. He shook the dust off it and slung it over his shoulder. And he did find quite a few apples that looked delightfully ripe, filling the sack with them, he also spied a rather overgrown thicket that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a long neglected blackberry briar, with enough berries that he decided risking the thorns was worth it.

So when he returned, he had apples in a bag slung across his body, and had used his skirt lifted up as a place to keep the berries. Foraging successful, he noticed Jhude working hard at a water pump.

Oh. Clean water then. That really was good luck. "That poor handle looks like it hasn't had a decent pumping in years." Why did that sound vaguely dirty? Huh. "Hopefully it's not giving you too much trouble?"

[unputdownable]

The innuendo caught him square in wherever it was that one processed such, however he was able to keep his wits about him aside from the flushing of his face which had grown that much more heated. "No, it really hasn't." because he had to keep himself with it. Why was it that this man seemed to creep underneath his skin? He'd really had no time for anything in his rather eventful life, and now that he was out of a potential dangerous situation suddenly it all smacked him rather spectacularly.

Maybe that was why he did not think that it was a big deal to be chased by some people up in arms, because he was used to the horrors?

He moved that particular bucket to a very precariously stabled table and then scooped his hands into the water so that he could wash his face. Unfortunately for Aster, this resulted in Jhude getting a little wet by the handful of water, which managed to pour down his shirt. "I can ah.. pump more for you, you don't strike me as the type to like to go without a bath."

[transfigured]

"Oh... darling... that is not a bath," he sighed in so much dismay. "But you're very right. I'm very fond of cleanliness, so I'd be grateful."

Aster did not even have to make a roll to see if he noticed the way that shirt was starting to get wet and stick to the other man's chest. nope, there was not a world where he would ever miss that. His eyes lingered longer than they had any appropriate business doing.

He did however, swing his way closer to Jhude. "That has to be freezing though. Here..." Reaching over, a soft little humming tune and a wiggle of his fingers, and Jhude would find the water pleasantly warm. Prestidigitation was, so far as Aster was concerned, a very underappreciated spell.

[unputdownable]

It was cold, but here was Aster making the water warmer; and Jhude gave perhaps his first smile, and how it managed to transform his face, make his aqua eyes light up with something sort of like pleasure. Warm water would not be sniffed at, though he had been content with colder water. "Thanks, I appreciate it." he was not a man who spoke a whole lot of words, but it was in his actions.

The small little gratitudes, as if the action was a big thing. But perhaps it was big for Jhude, and therefore he would not take it for granted. "I can.. well I do not know if you can do that for an entire tub but I did see a large trough like metal tub thing, I could rinse it out and fill it for you."

[transfigured]

That smile was like some gift from the divine, clearly. Aster wasn't overly religious -- though he wasn't overly unreligious either -- but he considered in that moment making some sort of prayer to whatever deity had built this man because they had very clearly been onto something.

Then Jhude went and offered him an actual bath. Yes, okay, in an old trough, but any port in a storm. Any bath in a barn. That was probably a proverb somewhere. Blue eyes went wide like he was working very hard to contain just how exciting he found this idea. "I do not have words to express how deep my gratitude would run for something like that."

A longing glance towards the barn and the unseen trough-tub. "But I realize it's probably quite a bit of trouble, and I've put you through an awful lot of that already for one day."

[unputdownable]

He looked over his shoulder at the tub, and then around them and back inside the barn and then he let out a shrug. "What else am I going to do? I mean, aside from sleep but I'll probably get a better sleep if I work out before it." And then he walked over to drag the metal tub toward the water pump which he placed underneath.

"It will definitely need to be rinsed." He said with yet another flashing smile. "I like idleness, but when there's no work left to be done."

With that he pumped a single stream into the tub and then he was swirling it around like he was panning for gold, then after rummaging around in his pack he found a horse hair brush with he knelt down to get the worst of the dirt off the veneer.

"So, where are you from?"

There was a lot of questions that he had that he hadn't got the luxury of asking, but now they did have time... not just because Aster was pretty but because he was complicated and that drew Jhude like a moth to the flame.

[transfigured]

Aster spared a moment to run off and set down the bag of apples and the berries. A good portion of the former were presented to Moonstone, and a moment was spent stroking at her neck, running his fingers through her mane to make sure no terrible tangles or knots were settling in. "My good, pretty girl..." he murmured quietly, for the horse's ears alone "This pretty boy may be the death of me." Moonstone flicked an ear at him as if to assure him that she wasn't worried about dramatics when there were apples to be had.

Then he was back to Jhude, feeling a bit bad not for being more helpful in all this, though it was also very compelling to watch the blond work given how he seemed so effortlessly sure in each movement, his body as finely tuned an instrument as any lute or lyre that Aster had played.

"Mm. Originally? The Feywild, though it's been years between me and that place. These days, the Serpent Empire is home as much as anywhere else. The capital, primarily. And what about you?"

[unputdownable]

"I rather thought there was something otherworldly about you." He said this calmly as lowered to his knees to scrub, though he paused to put his hair into a higher bun up atop his head. "I'm from Lyourne, striking out on my own." Which explained the serious demeanor, with the reputation of that particular place.

"Is that where you get your powers to change? From the Faewild?" He glanced up to consider Aster while he worked-- and despite what Aster thought, he was helping Jhude by talking with him; Jhude had a healthy amount of curiosity though he was good to stop if he was given a boundary not to cross.

[transfigured]

A slow lift of eyebrows. Oh. Lyourne then? That did explain the way the other man seemed more than able to handle himself. A few overly aggressive guards for some rich asshole were probably one of the least intimidating things he'd faced. "You've come quite a ways already then. Do you have a destination in mind, or is the point more the road itself?"

He crouched down then, wrapping the skirts of the dress about his legs, chin atop his knees. At the question he gave a little nod. "That's what they say, yes, that changelings sprang from the essence of the Feywild itself, in all of its capriciousness and penchant for never quite being what it seems. There aren't all that many of us even in the Feywild, and fewer still without."

Aster paused, hesitating before admitting, voice gone quieter. "And even fewer still who would dare admit what they are to anyone they did not know and trust completely." And yet he'd changed in front of Jhude without a single moment of hesitation, as if something in the other man called directly to him that this. This was someone he could trust.

This was someone who would become...

Ah, but that was absurd, of course. Aster would chalk the choice up to his own often-questionable judgment and rather inconsistent common sense.

[unputdownable]

Lyourna was the a dangerous place and he'd gone because well, there was nothing left for him there. He'd taken odd jobs, tracking jobs, mercenary jobs and had slowly made his way east with the hope of going somewhere that he could breath at night, and it had been fruitful because even now, he could. "I sort of don't know where I'm heading? I didn't even know back at the Inn, except that I trailed them from the last Inn after overhearing some talk."

A shrug and then after sluicing the excess water out he tugged it behind one of the stalls, to give Aster a bit of privacy for bathing-- he was a gentleman and he certainly didn't want to bath in front of other people.

"I.. would like to apologize." he came back and wiped his arm over his brow, looking at Aster with those eyes that could never truly be unreadable, his eyes were much to honest for that. "I was surprised is all, I did not mean any offense by my reaction. It was like being on a ship for the first time and watching the waves pulse, and also feel the boat move; I wasn't used to it-- I was not revulsed, I promise. Just you shifting like that before my very eyes, it took me off guard and I got seasick." he was being as forthright as possible.

Man, wasn't he endearing with the earnest way he was trying to explain himself to the beautiful man with the slightly melancholy blue eyes. "If I were you, I would be proud of the magic running through my veins-- even if others, like myself.. can't understand it."

[transfigured]

"Following your heart then. That's really quite noble. And also fairly dangerous." But somehow Aster sounded like all of those words were meant as compliments. It was remarkable, that Jhude had decided to track a woman he didn't know simply because he overheard the danger she was in.

Aster took a go at the pump while Jhude was moving the tub, since he didn't particularly enjoy being no help at all, especially when his new friend (were they friends? he'd like to think they were friends) was going through all this trouble for his sake. He was starting to lug the pail of water towards where the tub had been situated, but paused to look startled at the apology.

He could feel his face start to grow heated, and he really hoped that he wasn't visibly blushing. Apologies weren't exactly things he was used too, especially for, well, it wasn't like he could fault Jhude for his reaction. Changelings weren't exactly welcomed as good omens.

"Oh. That's... really, it's fine, even if you were repulsed it would be fine. I probably should have warned you, at the very least." A pause and he added, his expression melting at how terrible Jhude was at this, and how delightfully earnest, amusement creeping into his expression. "Do most of your apologies involve telling people they make you nauseated?" The words were unmistakably teasing and playful, only made more obviously so by the way pale blue eyes glittered, some of that melancholy brushed away by the amusement.

"Would you want to understand it more?"

[unputdownable]

Jhude was absolutely terrible at every single part of it, though he laughed despite himself and the predicament that they were in, because it did seem a bit ridiculous didn't it. But he could tell that Aster was not put out about it. "I guess I had better stop talking then."

He brought the pale to the pump and was already working it once again, filling it up quickly.

"I mean I don't mind learning new things, that's how you grow-- right?" he was open to understanding, and he peeked over at Aster, watching those blue eyes sparkle with amusement. His own eyes were blue but with a greenish tint to it, could appear more green than blue, or more blue than green. Just depended on which.

"If you want to talk and tell me about where you come from, I would be happy to listen." Jhude was giving Aster carte blanche to talk his ear off, and perhaps he'd be happy for the sound of it-- he certainly looked like he would be. And Jhude was someone who had a terrible poker face.

[transfigured]

Aster's smile brightened when Jhude laughed. Ah good. That was what he had hoped for, and it was clear that the expression was genuine, making its way fully from his lips to his eyes.

"It is, yes. Curiosity is enough to sustain a main for a good, long while, even with nothing else to go with it." Though clearly Jhude had a great deal else, including a strong sense of justice and desire to do the right thing. It was clear in those chameleon blue-green eyes.

"I'd like that. The bard last night was a disguise, but the bard part is very genuine. So I don't need much encouragement to go on if I have a willing audience." Yeah, he was a talker, Jhude. You pegged him right on that one.

A tilt of his head as he watched the tub starting to fill to a decent level. "But I'd like to hear more about you in turn. Since it seems we're stuck together for a little while. And since Moonstone tells me she approves of you. That's very high praise."

[unputdownable]

"Truth be told, it is my goal to gain high praise from all of the majestic and beautiful mares in this land, but I can stop now because I've earned it from the most beautiful and majestic of them all." he said this in a voice, throwing a glance over his shoulder at Moonstone.

Finally back at Aster.

He hoisted the last bucketful of water into the tub and then wiped the back of his hand over the brow and then said with almost touching boyishness. "I can.. take a small nap in the stall while you.." oh, what a gentleman, despite ways that were clearly not of highborne habits.

[transfigured]

"You have indeed," Aster nodded sagely. He was incredibly biased about Moonstone, clearly, and he appreciated that Jhude was humoring him and did seem genuinely already fond of his wonderful little mare.

And oh yes, there was that entirely charming modesty-- or was it shyness? Either way, it was sweet, and Aster found himself more than a bit touched by it. "I wouldn't dream of denying you a rest. Light knows you've more than earned it. I slept our escape away and you didn't have the luxury of so much as shutting your eyes. But, no need for concerns of modesty. Despite the lovely frock," he shook said frock about like he was starting up a lively dance, "I'm no virtuous maiden. ...neither maiden nor very virtuous, honestly."

Jhude would learn very quickly that Aster was not body shy at all. That said, he was also mindful of not making anyone uncomfortable who did not deserve that discomfort.