Pothy's Home

Log Info

• Title: Pothy's Home

• Emitter: Ravenstongue

• Characters: Ravenstongue, Telamon

• Place: Ravenstongue and Telamon's house

• Summary: Ravenstongue and Telamon are recovering from the aftermath of the Ox-Strength Tavern and enjoying their reunion with Pothy after the bird's stay in the Unseelie Court. Pothy reveals that he is grappling with what he had to endure at the hands of the Queen of Air and Darkness, and Telamon breaks down from the weight of the current situation and Pothy's revelation. Pothy and Ravenstongue console Telamon, and a restful sleep is had as a family.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Dramatis Personae =--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-    
Ravenstongue         5'0"     99 Lb      Half-Elf          Female    Short half-elf girl with violet eyes and black hair.             
Telamon              5'6"     140 Lb     Half-Elf          Male      A platinum-blond half-sil man with dancing dark eyes
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

Lúpecyll-Atlon home, evening.

There's a torn silk shirt in Cor'lana's hands. Purveyors of the Crimson Pen might think that's a sentence that is a prelude to the more typical contents of that sordid anthology, but that's a grimace on Cor'lana's face. "Jeez, Tel," she calls out to him, "I don't know if I can fix this. I mean, I have mending magic, but... This is a bit more than I think it's capable of doing."

Cor'lana's currently sitting on the couch in a comfortable robe, having just gotten out of the bath after a day that's certainly required her needing one. Pothy, meanwhile, is just eating snacks merrily from the coffee table--the bird has been uncharacteristically quiet the whole time.

Cor'lana takes note of Pothy, her eyes settling on him. She opens her mouth to ask a question, but... Well, it seems there are too many, or she's at a loss, because she closes it soon after.

Despite Seldan mending the cut to his hand, Telamon can't help but reflexively rub his thumb against his palm, as if in memory of the small wound there. He walks out of the bedroom, dressed in a simple linen tunic and breeches, barefoot. "It is what it is, love. Considering what was at stake, a silk shirt's a small price to pay."

He grins at her, "I was going to have to go see Jovani anyways, and I wanted you to come along. You'll like him. He's a half-elven tailor originally from Rosalia, and father invested in his business to help him get it going. He does high-end clothing, particularly for rich merchants or nobles."

He sits down wearily on the couch, an arm going around Lana's shoulders, as he follows her gaze to Pothy. The elephant in the room, metaphorically speaking. "Welcome home, Pothy. I'm sorry the return was... a little less dignified that we would've preferred. But we're both glad you're back."

Cor'lana smiles at Telamon as he walks out of the room. Her violet eyes do that sweep over him that she always does when he's wearing a 'new' outfit, even if that outfit is new only to the day that Telamon's wearing it. "You make everything look high-end, love," she says with a grin. "But sure, I'd be happy to come along."

Pothy's addressed, and he turns to look at Telamon. His beak opens. "It's good to be back," he says in that cherub-like boyish voice. "It's... Odd. To feel free again."

Cor'lana blinks a few times at this statement. "Feel... Oh, Pothy." A frown descends on her features, and she opens her arms out to him. "Come here."

Pothy takes wing and settles into Cor'lana's lap. The act alone makes the corners of Cor'lana's mouth perk up, but it returns quickly to that frown as Pothy's just quiet. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asks.

Pothy regards both Cor'lana and Telamon with blue eyes for a long moment. "Not really," he says. "There's... things I can't talk about."

This makes Cor'lana frown even more, patting Pothy's white feathers. "Was Her Majesty kind to you, at least?"

Pothy is very, very still for a moment. Then he shifts in Cor'lana's lap so that he's not facing either her or Telamon anymore, pushing his head into the crook of Cor'lana's arm. "No," he says quietly.

Telamon reaches out to gently touch Pothy. The same light caress that he used when Lana was kidnapped, albeit without the tremble this time. "It's all right, Pothy," he says in a soft voice. "You're here, now. You don't have to talk about anything."

He keeps petting the white raven, as he keeps talking. "What you do need to know is that you're home, with the people who love you. No one here will hurt you. It'll take time to heal, but you have that time. And so do we."

His eyes flick up to meet Lana's, and for a moment there's something else in the starry depths. Hard. Cold. And one might remember that the stars in the sky last a long, long time as well... and they might hold grudges.

Cor'lana looks at Telamon, too. Guilt's written all over her violet eyes, the pain of knowledge that she's had to bear a few times now weighing on her.

She opens her mouth to speak, but Pothy beats her to the punch. "It wasn't all bad," he says. "She could be nice when she wanted to be. And I made... friends there. We played together. I had fun a lot. And I got to eat a lot of snacks. But... there was a lot of bad stuff that happened, too."

He looks up at Cor'lana, his tail wagging up and down a little. "Don't be upset, you two. I'm still happy I went. I got to know more things, and that's my job as a keeper of knowledge. And I knew after all of that... The place I belong is right here, with both of you. I love both of you."

Telamon keeps stroking Pothy. "Three weeks," he says to the familiar. "You were gone three weeks. We were starting to worry -- in fact, that's why we were in the Ox-Strength Tavern. We were putting up posters and bribing people to keep an eye out for you." He smiles. "I'm not faulting you. You're an amazingly brave bird, my friend. I can see where Lana gets that strength of will from -- it's clearly coming from you."

He exhales. "Now we all have burdens to bear. You, having spent a century in the Queen's courts. Lana, the bearer of Mortal Dread. Myself, one of those fucking totems." His eyes glitter again, but then...

"Enough. Enough! I won't sit here and chew on my own liver like this. Every soul has to choose its own destiny. I won't mar your choices by second guessing them, Pothy." Tel reaches up and wipes at his eyes, his expression shocked as he sees the wetness on his hand. "Dammit, and now I'm crying."

Pothy flaps onto Telamon's shoulder and nuzzles into his face, tail still wagging. Cor'lana does something much the same, wrapping her arms around Telamon and kissing his cheek. "It's okay," she says soothingly, her voice gentle and quiet in that way that it so often is when it's just the two of them alone and together. "We've been through a lot in the past day. Let the tears out."

"It was my choice, Telamon," Pothy says, tagging onto Cor'lana's soothing. "I didn't want Lana to go. You didn't want Lana to go. And... Nadi was telling me that if I let Lana go, she'd find a way to cook me like a sad chicken dinner. She's just an echo, but... I know her mother's soul would be troubled if I let Lana go to that place."

Telamon closes his eyes, his shoulders slumping. If there's a flaw in his upbringing, it's that tendency to try and push through the pain and shove it away. But now, here, he lets go, tears sliding down his cheeks as Pothy and Lana cuddle close. He doesn't sob, but he does hold onto both of them.

After aching minutes, he lets out a sniffle, digging out a handkerchief to wipe his face. "Gods and stars," he mumbles. "I'm glad it's just us here." He leans back on the sofa, brushing his nose against Lana's first before doing the same to Pothy playfully, a shaky smile slowly climbing back onto his face. "The pixies are going to be delighted to see you, you know."

Cor'lana and Pothy console him the best way they know how. Pothy's nuzzling against him, tail feathers wagging all the while, and Cor'lana... Well, Cor'lana brushes away his tears with her fingers, and she leans in to kiss his cheek. She hums softly to the tune of a Sylvan love song that Telamon has heard Grandfather sing to himself before as he cooked dinner.

And it's like this that there's tranquility even with the tears, the calm created in this moment. There's a sort of happiness, too, in having Cor'lana and Pothy there to console Telamon--bride and bird to soothe the overflow of emotions, working hand in hand.

Cor'lana smiles warmly at Telamon as he speaks again. "They've missed you a lot, Pothy," she says. "Everyone has. People kept asking where you were when I went out without you."

Pothy's feathers puff up a little. "Well, that's sweet of them," he says. "I'd love to share snacks with them sometime soon."

That gets a blink from Cor'lana. "Sharing snacks, huh? You're not outright demanding them anymore? You did grow up."

Telamon coughs, and laughs a bit, his psyche digging in the heels and picking itself up. "Pothy sharing snacks. Wonders really will never cease." He kisses Lana on the cheek in turn, before scritching Pothy's head. "You'll be ready for the wedding before you know it. Now if we can only clear out the wights, get the Nightmare to sod off back into his kennel, and convince Skielstregar to wear a proper outfit to the wedding..."

His expression suggests that of those three tasks, he clearly thinks number three is going to be the hardest.

"Do you think we could get Skiel to wear a tie?" he asks innocently, though his eyes are dancing again.

Cor'lana grins at Telamon, her eyes dancing just as much as his are. "I think if we can find someone that will tailor him a sith-makar sized suit, he'll wear it," she says. "Probably just for the novelty. That sight alone, I think, is worth caging the Nightmare away. Speaking of which, I still need to ask Seyardu and Aryia if they'll be my bridesmaids."

She looks a little coy. "I asked Addy to be my maid of honor. She said yes, of course, but demanded I throw my bouquet to her at the end of the ceremony. Have you figured out who your best man will be?"

Surprisingly, Pothy isn't running away at the mention of weddings. Nor is he running off from Cor'lana cuddling into Telamon. He just relocates from Telamon's shoulder to the coffee table to pick apart peanuts.

Telamon looks worn, but is recovering, especially with the attention of his fiancee and her familiar. "Now that I want to see. Especially as I need to grab Randolf and Skielstregar, talk to them about being groomsmen." His expression grows slightly amused. "Skiel may need to have it explained, sometimes he misses the nuances in human and elven traditions."

At the mention of best man, he chuckles. "Well, that's convenient. Father expressed interest, but Algar pointed out that as my cousin he does have some right to the position. So I imagine Addy will be quite pleased with that." He tilts his head as Pothy relocates, and grins.

"And, of course, Pothy shall bear us the paint and brushes for our curuchuil. We've even got a cute little tie for you to wear, my friend." He relaxes into the couch, resting his head back. "Gods, I feel tired," he admits. "It's not just me, is it? It feels like this whole day was like someone crammed a week into it."

Since she's not sharing Telamon with Pothy anymore, Cor'lana takes the opportunity to shift around a little, pushing herself into Telamon's lap and sitting in a sort of lazy manner there, wrapping an arm around him. It's a cuddly sort of position where Cor'lana grins up at him. "Addy will definitely be pleased. But I have a feeling if she catches that bouquet, she's going to be hounding poor Algar for a ring. She certainly seems happy with him--probably because he's the only guy she's ever met that'll let her speak her entire mind."

She pats Telamon's cheek, the grin turning into a softer smile. "Yeah," she says. "Especially since it's been so quiet lately. The house is not the same without you, Pothy."

Pothy cracks open a peanut. He still doesn't seem bothered by Cor'lana cuddling with Telamon, even in their current state. "And I'm not leaving again," he says. "Not for a long, long time. ...I'll still come with you on adventures and to get snacks from the marketplace. I hope my network hasn't forgotten me. And I should try on that tie to make sure it fits. I can't tie it with my wings, unfortunately--I got so used to having hands while I was there in the Court." There's a tiny complaint, which shows that some of Pothy is still there. He may not whine, but he can still complain.

But hey, everyone's got a right to voice complaints. Even Telamon wouldn't deny that. "She's more than welcome to pursue. I suspect he doesn't mind too much, either. And hey -- I'm glad they get along." He tucks Lana under his chin when she climbs into his lap, settling her into her happy place.

At Pothy's commentary, Tel hmmms. "I ... you know, I was researching magic, for how the shadow conjuration works. And I remember running across something about transmutations and polymorph. That some polymorph spells could be aimed at a magician's familiar rather than themselves." He arches an eyebrow. "Might be worth looking into, if only for the novelty." He grins at Pothy. "And there are some fascinating spells to examine there."

Pothy considers the offer for a moment, looking passively at Cor'lana and Telamon for an amount of time that's almost uncomfortably long. Finally, he turns back to one of his peanuts and cracks it open. "Maybe," he says, "but I'm okay for now."

Cor'lana hums happily, of course, as she's parked in her happy place. But she does notice Pothy's long pause in his answer and giggles. "I'm surprised you're not complaining about us, Pothy," she says. "I guess you had to see plenty of it at the Court."

Pothy eats his peanuts. Then he responds, "You could say that." There's a sort of sentiment of knowledge gained first hand from his voice.

Telamon touches Lana's hand gently, before speaking, "As I said before, Pothy... if you don't want to discuss it, you don't have to. You just came home. Rest. Heal. Reacquaint yourself with the gardens, and gorge yourself on the peanuts." His eyes are gentle, regarding the white raven with sympathy. "All will be well."

He takes a deep breath. "Changing topics a bit here... I wonder what Sir Seldan was doing in the city? He's been avoiding it like the plague for a while -- I suppose he was making devotions at the temple, but still. That letter of his suggested that between picking up a totem and dodging unhappy Llyranost elves, he was trying to lay low."

"Well, when you do what Sir Seldan did," Cor'lana says, "it's probably a good idea to stay low. I might be doing that for a while, myself. Last thing I need is for that disgusting guy to come find me."

She snorts. "Not that he can get inside the house. And I'd love for him to meet Grandfather. Our yard might be red for weeks if that happened." It's said with an awfully cavalier attitude, but so was her remark about stealing a world-ending statue from an idiot earlier.

Telamon scowls. "I think that guy was a bit more than he seemed. I really didn't like how suddenly half the bar decided 'grab the half-elf' was the plan. Usually in a place like that, people are too drunk or amused by the spectacle to interfere unless they have money on the table."

He drums his fingers. "So watch your back for a while. You still know that invisibility spell, so make use of it if you think someone's following you. I'm going to experiment a bit with the shadow conjuration, see what I can sculpt out of it -- it might be time to pay a visit to the Proving Grounds to test out some ideas."

"Oh, don't worry," Cor'lana says with a grin up at Telamon. "I'll just stay home here. Your little fiancee, all alone, writing poetry and longing for you when you leave for your Shining Chalice meetings. Maybe I'll sigh wistfully as I look out of the kitchen window, hoping to see you return."

"You really haven't changed. You did that even before I left," Pothy remarks.

Cor'lana flushes. "I mean... Maybe a little," she confesses.

Telamon laughs softly, and hugs Lana close. "There hasn't been that much water under the bridge here, Pothy." He gives the familiar a wry look. "But don't be surprised if she wants to cuddle you tonight when she goes to bed. That stuffed Pothy got a lot of use the last couple weeks."

He gives Lana a squeeze. "But alright. Still, I think I'll drop this gent's name in Lieutenant Balderdan's ear. Let's see how eager he is to chase us if the Watch suddenly develops an interest in him as well. Wouldn't that be a pity?"

Pothy's tail wags up and down again as Telamon mentions the possibility of Cor'lana cuddles. "I missed those a lot," he says. "Why don't we start now?"

And the white-feathered raven flies off into... Oh! He's actually going into the bedroom. Cor'lana laughs a little as she realizes what Pothy's ambition is. "He wants me to hold him until he falls asleep," she says. "He liked doing that when we lived in Rune. You should definitely report that man to the Lieutenant."

Cor'lana rises up from Telamon's lap. A bit more of a mischievous grin crosses her face. "When he falls asleep," she says, "I'll carry him to his nest in the study, and then I can flirt with you all you'd want in the bedroom. And more. You deserve it for having to watch all of that."

Telamon shakes his head. "You don't have to do that, love. I'm not so possessive of you that I'd begrudge him this." His eyes are warm. "We've all endured a lot. Let's go lie down, sleep, dream... and get ready to face tomorrow."

When Lana is up, Telamon rises as well, taking her hand. "Family. That's what matters. And he deserves all the love we can both give him. And in time... well, he won't forget, but we'll bury all the bad memories with a whole bunch of good ones."

And with that, Tel leads Lana off to their bedroom.