Completed A Conversation at The Fool's End

[Garrod Arlette]

The room he had gotten was spartan, save for a little desk and chair that were almost quaint beside the wall. Garrod laid his sword against the wall near the bed, and began to undo his armor. Practice made it relatively easy work. Bracer first, then boots and greaves. Then... he looked into the eye of his relic.

My, sentimental today are we, Oh Bearer Mine? The demon laughed.

He grunt, and took the damn thing off. His chest piece came off quick after that. Unequiped, he rubbed his right rist, and then the back of his neck. His fingers felt the skin there at the back of his neck, rubbed at his apple too. He remembered the mercenaries knife, and the quick spell work that had got him out of that bind. He smiled, and made for the door. Hilda and Damze were still making some noise as the closed up, but Garrod went to Lechie's door.

A soft rap of knuckles against the wood.

"Lechies?" he called out. careful to keep his voice down. "It's uh... Garrod," he said with some nerves. "Have a moment?"

Lechies Delrio

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Lechies was already in bed, blissfully afloat in that transitory state between wakefulness and full dreaming, when a faint noise pulled her back to the dark reality of her room. At first, she remained as she was, unsure if she'd heard anything at all.

Then a shadow moved against the watery light seeping from under the door, and Garrod's voice sounded again -- quiet, almost tentative.

And for another moment, Lechies yet remained as she was. If she pretended to be asleep...

No, that was as childish as the impulse that had snared her when she first caught sight of Garrod coming into the inn earlier. She was a woman grown. A woman grown who'd tussled with mercenaries in a bar not an hour ago. She could have a simple conversation.

"Yes, just a moment."

With a sigh, Lechies sat up and left the comfort of her blanket. She walked barefoot past the rickety little table where she'd set out the contents of her traveling pack, and opened the door. Garrod had shed his armor; she assumed he'd stopped by his own room first before visiting hers. Lechies had likewise removed her traveling clothes and cloak in favor of a simple white linen tunic and trousers.

"Hello." Tone held carefully neutral, Lechies searched Garrod's face for some indication that anything was wrong. "Was there something else?"

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Was there something else. "Umm," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I just... well," his eye seemed to wander about, until it finally found hers again. "You kind of saved me back there, you know?" his hand fell to his side, and his casual somberness quickly dissipated. "Kind of, make a good team, you and I," he stumbled, shook his head. "I mean," he looked to her again, smiled weakly. "I'm just very glad to see you again, Lechies."

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Lechies's brow pinched ever so slightly. Having to save a partner from a slit throat was not quite the grounds she wanted to base 'a good team' on. It was too easy to imagine how that scenario could've gone differently.

Then again, perhaps Garrod meant a different time and place, when they'd fought those bandits by the road. No one could deny how well they'd complemented each other, strikes weaving a deadly tapestry of offense and support. They'd both been injured, but ultimately, it was Lechies and Garrod who emerged victorious.

... She had been unfair to him back then, hadn't she.

"I know I already said this, but it bears repeating. It's good to see you well."

Her gaze shifted to Garrod's arm, where that cursed gauntlet normally sat. "I trust those children were able to deliver my note? You were able to find a buyer?"

 

[Garrod Arlette]

He cleared his throat, his weight leaned back some as he brushed his shaggy mane back. Gods that was stupid. He laughed a little, at himself, glad for the good grace Lechies showed him.

"Yeah," he said his eye looked up and away, a far off look as he remembered those kids. That note meant a lot to him, even if it marked her farewell.

A wistful smile on his lips "I was all loaded up on the wagon when they came by," he'd gotten the bear skin tailored too. He laughed a little, his expression warmed up, as if by candle glow "You sure picked a pair of funny messengers, though," his eye fell back to her, his smile warm as he remembered the little brother and sister. "Well, suppose you only hired the boy, tried to make off with your coin till his big sister righted his wrong," he realized he was probably talking to much, staring too much too.

His eye looked down. "Yeah, the goods fetched a fine price," he admitted, but his eye couldn't help but come back to look at her. "You weren't prying none by the way," he said softly, and a tenderness was there in his eye. Something like fear. "I... I mean you were just trying to help, I see that now," his left hand rubbed at his scarred right, the extent of the abuse it had suffered covered by the long sleeve of his shirt.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

"Prying?" Lechies parroted. She ran her mind backwards through the day, trying to recall what Garrod was referring to. "Ah. You mean back then."

She honestly didn't think Garrod would be the one to bring up the topic again, not after his previous wall-like response. But, this must be why he'd knocked on her door.

"I still want to help." She tracked the motion of his hand, her gaze sad. "I meant what I said, you know. About the danger inherent in relying on eldritch power. Yes, it's helped to keep you alive, but in some ways it's also just-"

Just delaying the inevitable.

Lechies brushed a hand through her hair, the locks free of her usual ponytail. "I'm sorry. I don't want our conversation to go the same way as last time." She tried for a more diplomatic tone. Gentler. "But I also do want to help. If I remember correctly, you had asked me about magicks for re-sealing dark entities? Do you still have a need?"

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Garrod's eye grew wide with dread as Lechies spoke of his gauntlet. Of Belephus. He felt his whole body lean back. Wanting to leave. Wanting to avoid the conversation.

Feint whispers and laughter started scratching in his ear. Words he could not hear clear gnawed at his mind. And the green eye of his demon burned, wide and open, in that dark space where his left eye once was.

He cast his eye down. His head turned away. She knew it. Just as he did.

"I-" he stopped, let his nerves settle. His breaths mixed with a warmness born from the breath that mixed in the space between them. A nod. He could muster that much, and his lips turned up, rueful. "I do," he said simply. Felt some burden spread across the width of his shoulders ease some. "There are things I need to take care of... " he looked up to her, and his eye held in it a well of sorrow his face worked to hide. "Things I don't even know how to talk about,"

 

[Lechies Delrio]

For a moment, Garrod had the look of prey, pushed into a corner. She braced herself to watch him flee. But to her surprise -- and perhaps she was being unfair again, expecting him to run -- all Garrod did was withdraw eye contact.

His next words brought Lechies no small sense of relief. Unconsciously, the set of her shoulders mirrored his, going slack as tension she'd been unaware of drifted away.

"It's alright. That you don't know how to talk about it."

Her hand twitched upward, impulse wanting to place it on his shoulder, or his arm, some gesture of comfort, but common sense pulled her hand back to its place by her side.

Lechies remained quiet a moment longer. In that space of silence she strained to listen to the rest of the inn. Chatter carried faintly from the bar. No footsteps approached the hall.

"If you want to try- you're welcome to come in." Lechies quickly held out a hand before Garrod might respond, one corner of her mouth turning up in a wry smile. Neither of them were blind to the implications of a man entering a woman's place of repose at this time of night. "Only to talk. And only if you want. I promise I won't judge, no matter your decision."

She stepped back and held the door open.

 

[Garrod Arlette]

To try.

Had he not been trying?

No. Even though the whispers egged on, yes. Even though the pangs down deep told him no. Yes, he had tried. To hide. To run. Wander as he did.

Only to talk.

It was not the words that snapped him out of his swirl of thoughts, it was her voice. Even and gentle. With just the slightest bit of humor. Good nature.

A smile traced across his face. Almost confident. "Come on now, Lechies," he managed, and thumbed his nose, face turning away from her but his eye still very much watching from its corner as she made her invitation more clear. "Didn't you go and hear Nere?" he bowed to her, like a noble son at court. "I'm Knightly," he said, voice sing song with light jest. "And..." his voice grew serious again. "It's much appreciated," he looked at the space behind her. He gave her a nod, and stepped into the room.

His nose sniffed the air. "Smells kinda nice in here," he muttered as he paced about like a worried animal.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

If he felt comfortable enough for jokes, then Lechies would gladly accept that as a sign that their talk would go well. She closed the door behind Garrod, pausing briefly once more to verify that the hall outside was empty before she let it click shut.

As Garrod took stock of the space, Lechies reapplied the ward on her door, this time adding an extra enchantment. Two lines of arcane script scrolled down the knotted wood, one green and one yellow, each giving a faint pulse before the runes dissipated. A protective barrier to prevent break-ins, and a sound-dampening charm to prevent eavesdropping. Not that Lechies thought the others would be so rude, but she knew as well as anyone that sometimes, curiosity got the better of a person.

"Does it?" Lechies cocked her head and gave the air an experimental sniff. "I smell damp wood and cheap candles. Is this a luxury compared to some other places you've camped during your adventures?"

Her tone was light, even a little cheerful. Lechies was truly heartened that Garrod was willing to share a part of what had been bothering him all this time. Or make the attempt, at least. She cleared her belongings off the single chair in the room and gestured for him to sit, before she settled onto the edge of the bed.

"So, I assume this has something to do with Belephus." Lechies folded her hands in her lap. The mirth faded from her face. "I must ask -- is he hurting you?"

 

[Garrod Arlette]

A small laugh came from Garrod's throat, and his pacing slowed to a stop. "Suppose it is," he admitted. "No bugs, nor rats, far as I can tell, a minor miracle given the where of this place," she invited him to sit, and he took in a deep breath. He had a feeling he knew what would come next.

He plant himself in the chair and muttered his thanks. He sat straight backed at first, but leaned back some as the initial question hit home. Is he hurting you.

"Hurting me," he repeated, his brow scrunched, his left hand covered over the top of his right, rubbed at the the flesh and bone his fingers felt there just beneath his scarred skin. There where the gauntlet so often rested. "That's the deal," his eye looked forlorn. "A bit here, a piece there, and he keeps me going. Keeps me safe," his right hand squeezed tight into a fist as he recalled that first pact they had made.

An eye, oh Bearer Mines, so that I may see all you see, and better guard you against the evils you face.

Sorrow turned to anger, knit across his brow. "There are some things," his eye looked to her, fire in its gaze as his face twist and his right hand trembled at the memory of all the pain it had endured. But he cooled at the sight of her, let his hand relax. Closed his eye and took in a long breath which he huffed out. "Some things I'm just not ready to talk about now, but..." his eye opened and he looked to the mage with a melancholy smile, leaning forward, he rest his elbows non his knees. "I know I need help, I know I can't be rid of this thing... and all that is bound with it if I just, keep going it alone," no, he knew how that would end, and so did Lechies. "Then again, I wasn't alone when it all started, either,"

 

[Lechies Delrio]

She tried not to stare too intensely at his face, nor study every slight motion of his hands, make it more of an interrogation than it might feel like. But Lechies couldn't help it. He looked so- sounded so resigned. Not at all like how confident he was when she'd first met him, and so far removed from that brief humor a moment ago. This was Garrod without the armor. A wound laid bare with its ugly, raw edges.

The thought that he truly trusted her with his vulnerability warmed Lechies's heart.

Some of what he said rang familiar -- of safety, and of being bound. Others not so much. Lechies supposed this was the difference when the bargain struck was with a willing entity.

"You don't have to tell me anything you're not ready to share," she reminded, gently. "And sealing it doesn't necessarily mean getting rid of it," Lechies continued, perhaps a little evasively. "When it comes to--well, demonic contracts, there are magicks to... adjust how much sway each party has. Your arrangement certainly sounds like it's somewhat on the looser side." Feels looser, she didn't add. Perhaps made in haste. "I can help you look for someone to rewrite the particulars of the contract, though I couldn't say how it might affect your ability to draw on Belephus's power."

Nor how Belephus himself might react. There was no denying how alive, how active the gauntlet's soul was compared to the prisoner within herself. Lechies had no idea how her long-ago benefactor had forced her demon into its current position, but she didn't imagine it had gone quietly.

 

[Garrod Arlette]

It was not easy. To be this close to telling someone of what had happened. Of the how and why he had awakened Belephus, and entered their agreement. Their contract. Writ in flesh and blood.

All I ask, is that you feed me, Oh Bearer Mine. Sate my hunger, and I will help you.

It was a thing stuck in his throat. A thing that filled his chest with ache. An emptiness. Yet, it was such a weight that it paralyzed him. A well that drank in all around it. His hands flexed and laxed and flexed again. His leg bounced. He felt uneasy. Like he should say something. Like he had to say something.

You don't have to...

That was right. He did not have to. He wanted to. But in that moment, he listened. There was a confidence in the way Lechies spoke. Almost like a familiarity. It was comforting. His look of resignation hardened. Gained an edge to it. A resolve. He nodded in agreement. "I would be open to learning more," he admitted, and his brow raised in wonder. "Do you know many wizards versed in demonic bindings and agreements?" he couldn't help but ask. He turned his head and looked away, his voice falling low. "Guess I'm just... I don't know, worried they'll want to cut me open and read my soul signature or some such thing," Lechies not withstanding, the few Elbion mages he had come across in his journeys were an odd sort. Single minded in their pursuit of knowledge, be it for understanding or profit. Downright obsessive folk. He couldn't say he trusted their ilk. But then, who did he trust?

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Lechies's expression didn't waver. Didn't shift from that gentle, patient mask even one iota. She was prepared for this--always had to be prepared for the conversation to inch too close to home if demons or their ilk were mentioned. There had been much opportunity to practice, over the years. Curious questions from classmates and teachers at first, then from colleagues and friends at Greendawn. But no matter how deeply they prodded, and no matter how much she wished to share, Lechies could not give up her secret.

It was more than just her own reputation at stake. Her whole family would burn if the wrong ears heard the truth.

Did she feel guilty, hiding her cards in her sleeve even as Garrod shook them out of his for Lechies to peruse? Oh, very much. But even so, her face didn't betray her. Only the thundering beat of her heart marked her shame.

"An Elbion wizard's connections are many," she replied, her gaze steady, tone matter-of-fact. "And yes, sometimes those connections lead to places most would not dare to look."

He looked away, and Lechies leaned forward slightly, voice falling to a soothing pitch. "You needn't be afraid, though, Garrod. I wouldn't offer to help if I thought my contacts might hurt you. We may have had a rocky start to our friendship," and here it was her turn to look away, suddenly interested in a discolored patch on the floor, "but I hope I haven't given you reason to distrust me, at least in this regard."

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Places most would not dare look. Yup, that about summed it up, didn't it. He could not help but laugh, small and beneath his breath. He was such a place. Well, not so much he, but his past. His memories. That place where most would not dare look.

You needn't be afraid...

But he was.

...I hope I haven't given you reason to distrust me...

That was what made him so nervous. He did trust her. Talking to Lechies about, well, all of it. It was as if he might pass on a curse.

"No, that's not," he began, but the words got stuck in his throat.

He knew what hid. His deal with Belephus. The pact they had made. He had given the demon his eye. His own flesh. No, it wasn't just the relic anymore. He felt Belephus twisting about inside of him, even as Lechies had spoken, voice calming and reassuring. There in the darkness of his mind and the very pit of his stomach, he felt the demon stir.

Ah, Oh Bearer Mine, but you have done so well to ignore that little truth, so far. Garrod could hear the entity laughing.

Garrod's eye widened. For but a stilted breath, he could see out of his missing left eye. The world through its gaze lit by a twisted green, a mockery of the true sight that passed through his right. His face twisted into cruel smile. Horror and humor swirled inside him, Garrod squeezed his right eye shut, and was met with the darkness behind the lid of his eye.

Even his left saw not but the pitch of absence. Save for the thin flickering smile that burned, abhorrent, there in the inky depths.

"I'm just afraid," he admitted, and opened his eye again. No green mockery, no false light come through the eye he had lost years ago. He looked to Lechies. "I've seen..." those he trusted turned to ash. Blood, willingly spilt, the catalyst to their cruel end. His tright hand shook at the memory. Trembled. "Much and more, Lechies," was all he managed. He shook his head. "I do trust you, and I think that is what I am most afraid of," he clenched his scarred right hand into a tight fist. "Losing someone I trust,"

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Lechies lifted her gaze, lips pressed tight in sympathy. Her hands clenched where they sat folded in her lap.

It was true that lives such as the ones they led were heavy with peril. Garrod's in hunting beasts and monsters, or other dreadful things baring worse than fangs and claws. Lechies's in crossing through miles of lonely wilderness, where one misplaced step could put her at the bottom of a cliff just as much as at the end of a brigand's blade. So much time spent courting danger, suffering a wanderer's trials, because planting roots in a peaceful settlement didn't suit them for one reason or another.

"I can't speak to your experiences, of course, and I won't do you the insult of saying that I understand. However, while I may not have seen what you have," Lechies rubbed the back of her thumb with the other, "it must be said -- fortunate is the adventurer who grows gray enough to retire."

Her voice grew low and sad, even as a smile alighted on her face. "I've lost friends over the course of my quests, too. Dear, cherished comrades who wanted nothing more than to make this world a brighter place, and whose deeds in the pursuit of this ideal were a great inspiration to the rest of us. Even years later, remembering their loss strikes me like a fist to the stomach.

"But I don't regret having known them. Their words and actions shaped me, and I am a stronger person today. Far stronger than I would've been without their friendship."

Her smile strengthened. "Thanks to that, I think I've done an admirable job of staying alive thus far. So, while I can't promise anything," a promise would be foolish, given her affairs, "it is my biased opinion that it would be a waste not to at least try, simply because of a future parting."

She leaned forward, one hand extended in a shy bid to loosen his trembling fist. "Will you share what it is that troubles you?"

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Garrod smiled wistfully. The pain of nostalgia clear in his eye as Lechies spoke. Friends long lost. Friends who died beside him. Of course she knew of loss. She was no stay on campus mage. She was an adventurer. A kindred spirit. He almost felt stupid now, after clutching on so tightly to his hurt. But her words, her tone. They didn't let him feel stupid. The helped him feel... listened to. Heard.

He looked at her as she leaned forward, his eye wide as he felt the warm touch of her hand slip over his clenched fist.

Will you share what it is that troubles you?

He blinked. It could not be that simple, could it? Just tell her what ailed him. Speak about the horror he had lived through. The ordeal that had lead to his pact with Belephus. "I..." he began before he swallowed down spit. Had she always smiled with such sincerity?

He thought of their fight just earlier that night. How she smirked, impish and true at the sight of the fire. How she grinned with pride upon their first meeting, laughed at Lily's fishiness, and the smile she shared after their first bloody encounter. Strong then as it was now.

His eye still locked with hers, he nodded, and put his left hand over hers with a squeeze. "I will," he said. "When this whole, Siegfried thing is over, I'll tell you all about it," he didn't want to let go just yet. "I promise,"

 

[Lechies Delrio]

He didn't protest her touch. As Lechies's hand fully wrapped over his, a jolt of sensation seemed to fly up her arm, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Determined not to think too hard about her own reaction right this minute, Lechies simply weathered the feeling with a calm smile. She gently wedged her fingers under Garrod's, unfolded his fist, and...

She couldn't seem to make herself let go.

Lechies had never noticed how green his eye was. The light was low in here, the room made murky by the time of night, but even what scant amount there was seemed to pool in Garrod's eye, precious and captivating like a gemstone. She recalled how it seemed to sparkle whenever he fired off a joke, and how it had lit with something close to fire when they'd brushed so close to death back in the fields outside Sulmer Woods.

An image of that same green, rendered dull and glassy, flitted across her mind.

She felt a squeeze on her hand. The image dissipated like fog before the sun.

Lechies added her other hand as well, and returned the squeeze. For some seconds she simply stayed as she was, their hands layered together, enjoying this moment of intimacy. Enjoying the knowledge of his trust, and the promise that came with it.

"Then I will hold you to that," she said. "Thank you for coming to see me, Garrod. I'm... I'm glad we could redress the circumstances of our previous parting."

One last smile, and then Lechies had to pull away. She clasped her hands in her lap, as if to hold onto his warmth a moment longer.

"I'll see you tomorrow then? Have a good rest, my friend. And..." She grinned. "Do make sure no one spots you leaving my room, please. I'd rather not have any awkward rumors come the morn."

 

[Garrod Arlette]

To trust again. My oh my, Garrod. My... oh... my.

The old and familiar voice whispered in his ear. Like smoke that curled from venomous drops. Paradoxical in its sweet toxicity. But the voice was feint. The thrum of his own heart too loud in his ears and felt as it pound against his chest. How it reminded him that he was still alive. How it proved her words right.

Her hands between his, their warmth shared, the soft give of skin and flesh beneath gentle press of pads and the grip of fingers. A bond formed by deeds now strengthened with such a simple gesture.

Then I will hold you to that...

He affirmed the sentiment with a nod, and felt slip her hands from his. Traces of warmth still there against the skin of his palms and run of his fingers, which he clutched close in greedy grip turned balled hand, his thumbs gently rubbing the inside of his forefinger and palm, as if sticks rubbed together to keep a small flame alive.

He stood up, smiled to her in return, a soft, tender thing. "I'll see you tomorrow," he agreed, and smirked at her last remark. "No, of course not," he bowed to her again, in a mockery that was oddly sincere. "Til the morrow, Lady Lechies," he rose, and before he went away. "And thank you, sincerely, I... I've not told anyone so much as I've told you," he laughed, a little pitiful at the realization.

"Sleep well, Lechies," he said, and ventured out, sure to check the hall before he slipped out the door.