Private Tales The Space Between

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Joseph delighted in every little kick and movement, coming close to touch Shuck and talk to the child every time it kicked. He was excited...but they needed to get the heart soon. This was an amazingly active child and he was worried about their timeline. He knew as well as anyone that the closer it came to birth, the more an actual timeline went out the window. He tried to be happy instead of worried. He kissed Shuck and cuddled her every night, his mood improving as the snow started to relent. It was warmer in the west, and they were getting closer and closer to where he'd grown up. This was all familiar to him. The road to Alliria, the meadows, the forests. He'd taken trips with his family this far east of the ranch. His soul was at peace the closer they came to his home. It felt like...everything was behind them. All of the fae, all of the killing and blood and injury. He was healed, and even though game was scarce he still could find a rabbit or squirrel hiding in the bushes for them.

His good mood peaked when Trahaearn looked so nervous. He smirked at the man. "What, nervous? The winter solstice isn't going to fucking affect us here. We're fucking months away from the faelands. Stop worrying and concentrate on guiding us to that heart. There isn't a farmhouse for miles. This is all back country. The nearest places are the Meier ranch, and our neighbors are another two days out from that. We'll just miss a feast, that's all."

The mood changed from mocking Trahaearn's worries to genuine fear in a flash. He scowled at the warlock. "What the hell do you mean come for me?" he demanded. "I haven't done anything. What are you talking about the Court will know?"
 
Mal seemed to understand just what this all meant as Joseph still tried to play it off as if it was nothing to be concerned about. Which was irrationally infuriating since this definitely had everything to do with him right now.

"You. Killed. A. Fae." Trahaearn did not mock the man. Did not even use a sneering tone. It was all matter of fact and full of nerves. "Likely someone between here and there told the court about you. So now you will be a target of the wild hunt since there isn't a house around for miles as you say."

They needed to move quickly, or be caught when the sluagh passed by them.

"We need to try to get to town." Trahaearn commanded as he urged them forward.
 
Shuck steered her gelding closer to Joseph's mare.

"No matter your reasons for taking it, your magic is stolen," she quickly added to Trahaearn's harsh explanation. "Fae can't trespass, so if we are indoors the trouble will pass us over. But in the open, there are no laws protecting you from the Court taking back what isn't yours."

By whatever means necessary. Shuck doubted the Sluagh would be as kind as Kitty, pulling out the talisman. No, they'd likely disembowel him in the process.

She was shaking, and her eyes looked fearfully toward the horizon and the sun that was nearly gone beyond the rolling hills.

"We're a day's ride from everything, forward and back," she said softly. The fear settled in her throat like a ball of ice. "Trahaearn, we can't get there before midnight."

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph suddenly understood. Fuck. He had an idea. It was a terrible idea, but it would give them the threshold they needed. "Come with me. Now." he told them sharply. This was his area. This was where he had grown up, and where he and his brothers had raced horses and roamed. They just needed to be indoors, in a place no one could trespass. That meant four walls, a roof and a door. They'd have to hurry. They were going to be running out of daylight soon. "Taking back." he sneered. "I earned his magic with my own sweat and blood. I'm glad that little pissant is dead and if I knew where his bones were I'd dig them up just to put them in a latrine. The magic is mine and to hell with anyone trying to take it."

He turned the mare sharply and gave her a kick that made his eyes water from the jarring motion to his brace. "If we're going to get there we have to move. Now!" he called back at them. Fear was starting to settle in his chest. He could fight, but he'd heard the tales and legends of the Wild Hunt. Gods, please let it be still standing.

It was dark by the time they reached it. Dark, and crawling closer to midnight. Joseph got lost twice trying to find it, until he heard the telltale thunk under one of the horse's hooves. He really didn't want to be under here. He really, really didn't. It would hurt Shuck, and he could never tell her who it belonged to. The Sons of the River didn't dare give up their trophies, but they did make root cellars. He wasn't sure if he should strangle his brother Thomas or thank him for saving their skins now. He tied his mare to a tree and got on his knees, raking away melting snow, piles of dead branches, pine needles and scrambling for the iron ring he knew was there. It was marked against Fae, the top inlaid with silver and iron. The wood around it was rotten and crumbling. Anyone peeking down would be able to get a good look at them.

"Quickly!" Joseph yanked open the trapdoor. "Shuck, don't touch the trapdoor whatever you do, and stay close." He clambered down into the pit, touching the rungs of the ladder. Thank gods, wood. Not silver or iron. He helped Shuck down into the darkness, waited for Trahaearn, and yanked down the trapdoor over them. They were encased in blackness.

Joseph pawed for a lantern. There were three in deep pockets of earth along the walls of the root cellar. He found one, and the box of matches next to it. He lit the lantern, and lifted it up. Thomas had definitely been here. The walls were covered. Naiad skulls were plastered all over the walls in various states of disrepair. Sphynx tails pinned up like fox kills, brownies, wood nymphs. Joseph winced at the clear center of their masterpiece. A dryad sitting quietly, cross legged with a silver pike through her wooden throat. Someone had carved 'whore' along her breasts. She'd probably been killed sleeping. His gut twisted. The cult had grown a lot since he'd left home, and they were getting better at killing fae. "Shuck, don't look." he told her.

The place was a perverse shrine. Candles adorned the dryad's shoulders, and her arms had become storage for long, jagged silver knives. A hearth stood awkwardly in the corner, the chimney outlet diverted through a dead tree somewhere on the surface. Joseph lit a fire to warm them, trying to ignore the grisly deaths around them. He stepped on something soft and swore, kicking away the pelt of an owlbear on the floor. "Remind me to put this place to the torch when we leave."
 
Trahaearn said nothing to Joseph so confidently saying it was his magic and everything else be damned. He led them along a path he knew that led to a trapdoor. Joseph grabbed what Traheaern could easily identify as an iron ring before seeing the doors opens.

All of this began to eat at his gut. Random hidden place in the middle of nowhere, an iron ring for a handle. And he could have sworn he saw some silver in the door also. This was seeming more and more deadly to the fae.

When he was lead inside and the trophies along the wall had become clear, his gut reaction was to simply stop where he was and go back up. The dryad in the center struck a chord though.

"Oh fuck no." Trahaearn snapped as he turned around and made for the ladder. "It is one thing for naiad skulls and all that other shit. But a dryad!? What forest died to have a trohpy? Why do you even know about this place?" He continued as he ascended the ladder.

"I am not spending the night with this shit. Bad enough you know of this place, never mind the decorations." Trah spat as he closed the trapdoor behind him.
 
Shuck followed wordlessly. The twin moons bore down overhead, their light illuminating the night well enough that even Joseph could clearly see the way. She watched them pass over the dome of the sky, feeling the hours creep closer and closer to midnight. Looking anxiously ahead of them, she searched for whatever sort of place Joseph could be taking them to shelter this evening. He seemed confident, determined to drive them to some secret place.

When he stopped and began digging in the snow, it was less than an hour until midnight. They were pushing too close, but soon enough Joseph uncovered a door inlaid with iron and silver. He pulled on the iron ring, opening it and descending down into what looked like a cellar in the middle of nowhere.

But it didn't feel like a normal cellar. Her teeth ached in her head and her eyes fixed on the trapdoor. It was a ward against fae, and to set her feet any closer took deliberate movements, pushing against an invisible wall that made her head ache the closer she came.

Still, she trusted Joseph. She descended into the cellar, stepping back to let Trahaearn enter and watching as Joseph closed the door. Though it might have been darkness to them, she could see just fine, and when she turned...

Shuck stumbled backward until her shoulder hit a wall, but when she turned there were more. The flare of the match only illuminated what she'd already seen: skulls, bones, tails -- trophies of fae not unlike herself.

"Joseph?" Her voice was small and afraid, and she looked at him for the first time as if he might be something dangerous.

Humans hated the fae and Joseph, of all people, had a better reason than most. She felt it deep within her that he was trustworthy, that he truly loved her the way he'd said. But this room... Her eyes strayed, in spite of his warning not to, and she drew a sharp, shuddering breath.

"Joseph, what is this?" she dared ask. But before he could answer -- a blessing, perhaps -- Trahaearn backed up to the ladder and announced his departure. He departed, dropping the door with a clatter, and Shuck took a step toward the ladder.

"I can't stay down here," she said softly, her eyes still fixed on the dryad. Her head was filled with a screech akin to claws raked across stone and glass, a piercing rattle that made her skull hum. "Joseph, I don't like this."

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph wasn't much surprised at Trahaearn's departure, but the way Shuck looked at him...like he'd led her here on purpose to kill her or something. He looked back at her, hurt. She could really think that of him? It clicked. All the silver. He kissed her. "Get out of here. It's me who needs to hide, not you. I didn't know all of this was down here...they've gotten worse since I left. A lot worse. Be safe up there. Take care of the baby." he put his hand on her cheek. "I would never hurt you. This is not my doing, Shuck. Believe me when I say this isn't my doing."

It was the truth. Most of the handiwork here he recognized for what it was....his brother's. Thomas Meier's fae-killer cult had grown from minor insanity to out and out racial warfare. They were killing dryads now? Naiads he understood; they were dangerous, killed livestock and the entire farming community hated them. But dryads? The mothers of the forest? Faeries? Brownies? Since when had they harmed anyone? He sighed. "I'll explain later. If you see anyone in white linen, kill first and ask questions later. I mean that."

He took her to the ladder and gave her a bit of a boost up. "This is cult work. Some of the people around here think that killing magic will awaken the gods or some insane bullshit. This is....was...a goddamn canning cellar." he told her, looking at them both apologetically. "Let me know when it's safe."

He stood there, rubbing his arms and looking around at the trophies. It was like some horrific fascination, he couldn't stop looking. He swallowed thickly and examined glass jars along the back wall. Something was moving in one of them. It was a small heart, still beating, rolling around in what was probably vinegar. Joseph put his hand to the back of his mouth and resolved not to explore any further. Thomas had truly gone insane if he was building these shrines. It wasn't just killing a naiad that had pulled down an expensive racehorse anymore.
 
Shuck drew shallow breaths through her mouth, unable to bear the scent of the dead fae. She didn't hesitate to bend toward his kiss, her hand eagerly seeking his for the comfort of them. They were cool, but as reassuring as his words. She nodded against his hand. What he said was enough for her. Once before she had let her fear of the unknown drive a wedge between them, but she'd never make that mistake again. Now she would blindly trust him as a doting sheep led to her slaughter.

Shuck ascended the ladder swiftly, and stood over the door looking down at him with heavy, sad eyes. She was worried for him, afraid of the things that would most certainly come stalking him on this night.

"We'll keep you safe," she promised, bending to hold his hand briefly before stepping away.

It wouldn't be long now. Shuck had Trahaearn drop down a pair of blankets for Joseph, but otherwise the two of them simply waited, staring out into the night. She had nothing to say and, having returned to his shuck form for warmth, neither did he. Midnight came soon enough, and after nearly fifteen minutes of nothing, Shuck loosed a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Do you think they've passed him over?" She asked, turning toward Trahaearn.

But in the woods beyond him, a shadow loomed. Her eyes flashed red, and she instinctively stepped closer to the trap door against the ache in her teeth that warned her otherwise. A low growl, more canine than human, rolled out of her throat and her cheeks were already splitting into that wide, toothy grimace.

"Joseph, don't you dare come out here until it's safe. Do you understand?"

The shadow slowly moved closer, and as it did it took a form -- a great black dog several inches taller at the shoulder than Trahaearn.

"I said stay down there," she barked back when Joseph began to argue. She put a boot on the lip of the trap door, not daring to take her eyes off of the shape as it approached.

"You've stolen something," a male's voice called, the shadowy form of the other black shuck solidifying more as it slowly approached. "I've come to take it back."

"Over my dead body," Shuck snapped back. "He's mine."

The black shuck chuckled, his body fully formed. His eyes burned as red as hers. "I'd like to see you try and keep him," he laughed.

And without another word, it lowered its head, let out a low growl, and bounded toward her.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Mal had him throw Joseph some blankets from the horses, and while he didn't like the cellar, the man had the right idea of trying to ward off the wild hunt. It would hopefully do some good to be hiding in a place that was stuffed to the gills with iron and silver. It might also do nothing more than serve to frustrate and piss off the ones that came hunting for Joseph.

Mal asked if they had passed him by, and his mouth opened in time to see her eyes flash red as her mouth opened a bit more. Here came a little bit of the Malice he had known. She told Joseph to stay down in the cellar, and then put a boot on the door when he began to argue. Man certainly had no sense to keep himself alive it seemed.

It told her that she had stolen something, and it was here to take it back. There were only five black shucks, and if he had to guess, this was one that had been in the sluagh a decent amount of time considering it's confidence. Mal barked back at it and all it could do was chuckle.

When it charged, he did not hesitate to meet him head on with his own growl.
 
Stay down there? Stay down there when the love of his life was fighting a monster? "Damn it!" he swore loudly and began searching the cellar for something he could use. The knives were too short. He tossed the place, shoving aside pelts, bones and other trophies in his quest. She told him to stay down there. She didn't tell him he couldn't help from underneath. He kicked the owlbear blanket again and felt something hit his foot. He scrabbled to pull it back and grinned. A long, wicked silver spear, with a haft of iron. The thing weighed a goddamn ton, but it was sharp as any longsword and had wicked, backwards curving hooks along the other side of the blade. If someone was stabbed with it, it would stick fast like a porcupine quill.

Joseph grinned evilly and grabbed the pike. He lifted it up, hearing the low growl of the monster, then its charge toward her. Since she was standing with one foot on the door she'd have to give a little ground to the charge, at least at first. He had a limited amount of time if he was going to do this. He struggled to the ladder, and slid the pike up under the slats. That would give it some support, and if the monster yanked on it, wouldn't yank the pike out of Joseph's fingers. He just needed to give it one good shove upward.

He heard them fighting up above. Trahaearn met the creature, and Joseph watched carefully through the hole in the trapdoor. The other monster was larger and heavier than Trahaearn, whose shuck form he'd come to know quite well. He waited, listening to them fight. Trah just had to go backwards, just a little bit....just....there!

Joseph shoved upward. The silver pike exploded up through the trapdoor and sunk up through the knee of the other shuck. It wasn't a fatal blow by any means, but it had the monster pinned by the meat of its thigh. The pike had narrowly missed the major artery in the leg, nuzzled past the knee, and the wicked point was poking out just above the groin. Joseph gave a whoop and grabbed one of the silver knives, stabbing the other shuck through the foot. "You leave her alone you son of a bitch!" he shouted. "Trahaearn I've got it trapped! Kill it for fuck's sake!"
 
Shuck took another step, standing fully on the door and preparing to meet the other, but Trahaearn stepped between them.

"Trahaearn--"

She didn't have time to say anything else as her retainer challenged the shuck. He was clearly outmatched from the beginning, and as the two canine bodies tangled she could already see that there was little doubt who the winner of such a match would be. But every time it sank its teeth into him, drawing the warlock's blood, the shuck's mouth burned. Shadows curled away from its face and it let out a vicious snarl in anger as it pushed Trahaearn back.

He was losing. Shuck watched with mounting dread as the shuck drove him closer and closer to the trap door. The tang of blood cloyed the air, but she wasn't conceding her position above the door. When the shuck launched Trahaearn toward her, however, she had little choice. Shuck tried to dodge the warlock's rolling body, but her feet went out from under and she fell back. He scrambled back to his feet, but she wasn't quite as quick. The shuck wasted no time before leaping toward her.

It bellowed when the spear hooked it from below, the sound a mix of human, dog, and other. Trahaearn was up and already charging toward it, but those glowing red eyes flashed toward the warlock.

"Trahaearn, be--"

Once more she was too late. Shuck rushed to her feet in time to see Trahaearn's maw open as he launched himself at his opponent's side, but the moment his teeth should have sunk into flesh, the shuck's body dissolved like smoke around him. The warlock rolled away, a wild look in his eyes as he tried to right himself, and that smoke swirled after him. He had no sooner rose and set himself in a line toward the horses -- no doubt toward his sword -- when the shadows coalesced into a form that loomed over him.

A void given shape, it wasn't unlike the little squishy black figure Shuck had first discovered at Heinrich's. Its humanoid shape towered over even her, its limbs too long and its face split open in a crooked maw. Two glowing red eyes peered out, the only light to escape the void of its body. This was it -- she knew it in her bones that this was what she, too, truly looked like beneath the veil of her other guises.

Long clawed fingers swiped downward, but instead of slashing they simply slammed Trahaearn to the ground. They remained on his neck, the great hands pushing down on his throat as it raised the other.

"No!" Shuck's own form shimmered. Shadows curled away from her shoulders, and she dashed forward too late as that clawed hand swiped down toward Trahaearn. The warlock let out a cry, and the hand carried through the swing to sling his blood toward her. Shuck stumbled back as his blood burned her, letting out a scream of pain. It burned, worse than the brief touches of his sword as the blood seared into her skin.

And the distraction worked. Shuck was too busy desperately trying to wipe the blood off of her face and arms, and the other advanced. She was still burning when it raised its clawed hands toward her, but she grappled it, grabbing its arms and fighting back. As strong as she was, however, it easily overpowered her. Shoved to the ground, her form began to flicker, her arms and face darkening and distorting. Her angry maw clamping down on the great clawed hand that tried to keep her down, but the beast didn't even flinch. It was hurt -- gravely so if the constant flow of darkness away from one of its legs was any indicator. She just needed to hold on, to get him off of her so she could...

So she could what? Trahaearn wasn't moving, and she was so easily overpowered. Fear lanced through her. She couldn't die here! She'd come too far to fail now. Her heart, loving Joseph, having a family, reclaiming her name -- it was all so painfully close, it would be cruel and unjust to have it end here, like this.

The shadow slowly raised its clawed hand. It was pressing down on her chest and shoulders and she was already struggling to breathe, but she thrashed beneath it, too angry and stubborn to let herself go without a fight. They were too far from the door to hope for Joseph to intervene again, and she didn't dare let him out when this beast was still here. It would pass by morning and he'd be safe to leave, freed from her final command. It might kill her, but it wouldn't be able to get to Joseph. He, at least, would be safe, and she'd go knowing she'd died for something, for someone worthwhile. She hoped he'd forgive her for leaving him, for not being able to give him all the joy that was so nearly theirs.

The shuck chuckled in satisfaction as his hand reached the height of its draw, and she glared up with wild, defiant eyes.

A dark streak slammed into the shuck's side, toppling it and sending it rolling. Shuck heaved in a breath, rolling to stand as quickly as she dared. The world spun, but she staggered to her feet, her too-long black arms heavy at her sides and throwing off her balance. She watched as Trahaearn tangled with the black shuck, his strength seemingly renewed and--

It wasn't Trahaearn. Her warlock still lay to the side, his body human once more and bleeding readily from the chest. So who...??

There was a great cry, and the shadowy form of the first shuck broke apart, reforming as a canine once more and he turned tail. He limped away but cried back over his shoulder.

"You bitch! I'll kill you for this!"

"In your dreams, you insolent pup!" the other shuck cried back with a high, feminine voice. She stood with her back to them as the other retreated, and only turned toward them when he had disappeared. And when she did, she immediately sneered at Shuck.

"Stupid child. What have you gotten yourself into? No heart, no name, and pregnant to boot?" she chided. She trotted toward her but Shuck took a step back, baring her teeth and raising her dark clawed hands. The black shuck rolled her eyes and stopped.

"Who are you? Why are you helping us?" Shuck growled. She still didn't trust this other black shuck.

"Gods, I'm not here to hurt you or your fucking pet," she snapped. Her body coiled, a mass of shadow and darkness that swirled and reformed as a woman. She was as tall as Trahaearn, but her skin was ash and her hair fell from her face in long, night-dark braids. Regally standing before her, she crossed her blackened arms across her chest and lifted her chin indignantly at Shuck before sparing a glance toward the still warlock.

"You've always been an ungrateful fucking daughter, but I'm not about to let some sniveling little shit like Scorn kill you over a piece of human trash. What a fucking shame. At least his spawn will be a shuck and not another filthy human."

Shuck blinked in shock. "Your daughter?" she blurted.

The woman looked at her, then laughed. "Oh, how precious. Kitty was right -- they really did truly wipe your memory clean, didn't they?" She sighed, laying a hand over her chest and looking toward where Trahaearn lay before walking toward him.

"I see that, even in this incarnation, you're still dragging this degenerate around." She used her foot to turn Trahaearn's body over. He was bleeding profusely but didn't move, and Shuck sucked in a breath at the sight of the savage rakes across his chest. Shuck began to move toward them, but the other waved her hand dismissively without looking her direction.

"Go get your pet, darling, and I'll take care of this one."

Shuck hesitated but didn't argue. She practically ran to the trap door, falling to her knees before it. "Come here," she breathed, holding her arms out for Joseph. Without bothering to try holding back how hard she was trembling, she pulled Joseph into a fierce embrace, clinging to him like a lifeline. Whatever words she'd thought she might have said vanished, and she simply clung to him, letting the reality of how close she'd been to death this time truly sink in.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph was bound by the agreement, but the screams he was hearing wasn't a winning party. He held fast to the spear, but he could feel it. Gods, because the thing was metal he could feel it as clearly as a blade in the ground. The heartbeat he was feeling pounded loud against the metal...then vanished. The shadows! Gods how could he forget about the shadows? He yanked the spear down, swearing profusedly, and grabbed two of the silver knives. He stuck one between his teeth and the other in his hand. He scrambled up the ladder, and felt a pressure hit him. Her command. He was disobeying her. While he might have been able to walk with the pressure pounding in his skull there was no way he could climb. He stumbled and almost fell off the ladder, screaming in frustration.

He'd kill it. Whatever it was he'd kill it. The scent of blood was making him into a madman. She was dying up there and he was letting a little fucking headache take away his baby and his lover? He tackled the boards with an inhuman determination. He had to get up there. He slammed his shoulders against the iron trapdoor, but something was standing on it. By the sounds of roaring and screaming it was the goddamn shuck. He struck it again in the foot, stabbing wildly for anything he could feel. He heard Trahaearn's cry. He must have failed. Gods the bastard was dead. He howled in rage and shouldered the trap door again. "I'll fucking kill you! I'll fucking kill you! Come down here you rotten bastard!" he was screaming, and swearing, and clawing at the wood. He tore great chunks of rotten wood away. If he couldn't get out he could at least make the holes bigger and do some real damage.

All of a sudden he heard another voice. Another female voice. Madness and anger were crowding his head and he wasn't thinking clearly enough to realize it was an ally. He burst out of the trapdoor the second Shuck opened it and grabbed her, holding her. He held out a blade to the figure hovering above Trahaearn. "Who the fuck are you?" he demanded, teeth clenched. He began to put it together. The shadow trail leading off into the woods. The shuck that hurt them was injured...and for good or ill he was about to seal it's doom.

But first he had to make sure she was alright. He held her and kissed her, raking his fingers through her hair and holding her to his chest. He put his hand on the swell of her belly, and thank the fucking gods, he felt something kick. The baby was still alright. He held her close and put his forehead to hers. He loved her. But he'd die before anything hurt her. He needed to have a serious talk with her once this was all over about doing that to him again. Having to sit there, powerless while she was being hurt was worse than dying for her.

He kissed Shuck desperately, holding her face in his hands. "Wait here." he threw down the blades into the hole and scrambled down. Where was it? Where the fuck was it? He trashed the room, throwing skulls, bones, sending jars of horrific things crashing to the floor in flurries of horrific smells. There it was. He seized the horn and scrambled up the ladder.

"Let's hope those stupid fucks can make a shuck truly miserable." he growled, and blew the horn. The Sons of the River were, like all great idiot cultists...hypocrites. The notes curled around the fading shadows, lighting them up with a peal of golden sparks before they vanished. His mind was scrambling to remember all the things Thomas had preached about. Of course they'd have some sickening fox-hunt enchantments on this thing. "Let's hope that thing leaves a good trail. They'll kill it if they're half as good equipped." He pulled up the iron spear and threw down the horn, smashing it. Damn thing. That taken care of he pulled Shuck into his arms and kissed her again. looking her over.

"You're not hurt?" he checked every inch of her, not sure if he should be worrying about wounds or kissing her. He settled for doing both half-effectively. He held her in his arms and looked at the woman. "Who the fuck are you? What are you doing to him?" he demanded. It was....odd, how he felt about Trahaearn. He'd hated the man with every inch of his being but now that he was laying there, it was almost as if he was still mad at him. How dare he leave them before Joseph had a chance to strangle him? "Is he dead?" he asked. Some small part of him hoped not, and he knew it wasn't just the heart. Was he actually upset at the idea of the warlock being dead?

He shoved away those feelings and took stock of what happened. "You chased off the other shuck, didn't you? The bastard that, hopefully, those cultists are turning into a pincushion?"
 
The woman -- her mother -- had been staring down at Trahaearn, a dark glittering light forming in the palm of the hand she held over his body, but she turned with a look of disgust toward Joseph when he addressed her.

"I don't answer to you, you ungrateful shit," she spat, turning back toward the warlock.

Shuck heard their exchange through a fog. Tears freely slipped down her face, and when Joseph sat back to inspect her she couldn't do more than nod or shake her head. She felt like a blithering idiot, but she had no more control of herself at that moment than of the wheeling stars above them.

She sagged back when he left her momentarily to return to the trophy cellar, finally looking back to where her mother continued to hold her hand over Trahaearn. Dark, shadowy wisps of magick that glittered with silver and purple points of light curled between her fingers and similar coils were rolling through the cuts across his chest. Joseph returned and blew a note on a strange horn that lit up the shadow trail of the other shuck before smashing the instrument with the spear. She didn't know what any of it was, but she was glad that it was ruined if it had come out of that cellar.

Readily putting her arms around Joseph, she was finally feeling present enough to speak. She shook her head when he asked if she was okay.

"I'm not hurt," she assured him. I'm fine would have been an outright lie. She was still shaking, and would likely be shaking well beyond sunrise. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have made you stay in the cellar, but the moment I saw it was a black shuck I knew -- I knew we wouldn't be able to win against it." She held him tight against her, needing to exorcize these feelings now. Her hands were still black and sharp, and the corners of her mouth still just too wide. The whites of her eyes, at least, had returned, though the color was still a deep, fierce red.

"I would have shifted. Gods, I was holding on until I couldn't any longer, and it knew it and it laughed at me," she seethed. She hoped that whoever Joseph had set upon the shuck with that horn found him and killed him.

Joseph's attention turned toward the other shuck once more and Shuck gave the woman a cursory look before wiping her face with the back of a clawed hand.

"Joseph, that's--"

"Her mother, you ungrateful shit," her mother finished for her. "And I was healing him." She flicked her hand, and the remaining magick vanished. Shuck was finally standing, pulling herself free of his arms and taking a few hesitant steps toward the pair when Joseph asked if Trahaearn was dead. Her eyes were already fixed on the warlock's body, desperately looking for a sign of his breath.

Her mother scoffed. "Barely. Fortunately, he's a fighter. I've wasted enough of my magick saving him. He'll be able to sit upright in a saddle, but he won't be able to shift for several months. Stubborn fool. Half of his injuries are from shifting forms after the injury. You picked a loyal one, Malice; I'll give him that."

She lifted her skirts, blackened bare feet delicately stepping over Trahaearn's body as she approached slowly. She moved with regal grace and when she flicked it back to the ground, the length of her gown flowed for a short distance behind her. Black fur lined the wide neck of the gown, trembling gently with each step. Her full mouth turned into a sharp frown and a small crease formed between her straight brows. The similarities were there, sneering down at Joseph.

"Of course I did. Scorn was bold to think he'd blood himself on my daughter this night." She scoffed. "I'd have let him end yourself and the warlock, but she seemed so ready to throw herself away for the both of you -- I had no choice but to step in. A disgrace, as always."

The shuck waved her hand dismissively and sighed as if there was nothing more to say. And, it seemed, as she spoke again, that she was indeed finishing her business.

"I've my own business to attend. I don't intend on wasting my entire Hunt saving your sorry asses. Malice, when you get your name back, you remember that I was here -- that it was I who saved you, your warlock, your crippled pet, and that untimely child of yours. We've had our differences in the past, but I'd like to think that this may be the beginning of recompense between us."

Her mother stopped a body's length away, raising her chin indignantly at Shuck and surveying her figure, then raking her critical eyes over Joseph.

"You rejected all manner of mates at Court for this? Honestly, Malice. You'll never cease to be a disappointment to me."

And, thankfully, without another word, the woman shifted into a dog and trotted away from them, not deigning to look back at them.

Shuck was glad she was finally away and didn't spare her a second glace before quickly stepping over to Trahaearn's side. He was unconscious, but his chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged breaths. He had been cut from hip to shoulder, four nasty gouges barely scabbed over by her mother's magic. They looked like they'd rip open so easily. She'd done so little... and yet, the warlock lived. Shuck slid her hand inside the collar of his shirt, resting a hand to test his heartbeat. It was steady and sure. She affectionately brushed the hair away from his face before leaning down and resting her forehead against his.

He'd thrown himself so readily at the other shuck. She known he was devoted to her, but this... He'd not hesitated to put himself in front of her, just as she'd not hesitated for Joseph's sake. Sitting up, Shuck had to wipe the tears out of her eyes. Her hands had returned to normal, save their darkened color, and the seams at the corners of her mouth had finally pressed shut once more. She kept her hand on Trahaearn's chest, needing the reassurance of his heartbeat.

"We should go before those cultists come?" she asked softly.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph glared at the woman. He lifted his chin arrogantly when she was so dismissive of him. "No wonder the miserable bastard who knocked you up is gone. How drunk was he?" he sneered at her. He put an arm protectively around Shuck, watching the woman leave. He would have been grateful to her, if she hadn't been so cruel to the woman he loved. He kissed the top of her head and let her go tend to Trahaearn, watching her mother leave. "Probably the only time she's on all fours." he spat after her, and looked at Shuck and Trahaearn. Her brushing Trahaearn's hair away from his face, resting her forehead against his. She'd done the same so many times to him. Jealousy twisted in him. He hated that she was touching him. He hated Trahaearn for being injured. He sighed and looked at the tracks in the snow.

"Fuck." he muttered. The horses, wisely, had bolted. They weren't stupid animals, and knew that as far as a ravenous shuck's hunger went they might as well be trussed turkeys. Joseph found the sled overturned a few meters away, the traces snapped. He dragged it back, brushing snow off of the furs. "Put him in that. I have to go get the horses. The sooner we leave the better, they're not going to know the difference between you and that wounded idiot."

He tucked two of the silver blades away. Those might be useful later. The horses hadn't gotten far. The mare almost took off again, but in her moment of insecurity wondering whether to bolt he managed to grab her. The gelding had gotten himself lost in a copse of trees and tangled his reins in thornbushes, making him an easy capture. Joseph led both horses back, calming them and walking them in circles when they began to dance at the sight of the blood. "See if you can repair the traces so we can pull him. We can't wait for him to wake, especially with what I'm about to do." he told her.

He helped her hook up the sled again, repairing it with a small length of rope found in the root cellar. Joseph helped her pull Trahaearn onto it, covering him up with the blankets. They were ready. Joseph went down to get the lamp, poured the oil out of it into the contents of the cellar, and smashed it on the floor. He scrambled up and out of the trapdoor as the cellar went up in flames, black smoke pouring out of it as the dryad began to burn. He coughed and retched a bit at the stink, shaking his head. "Come on. Let's get the hell out of here." Joseph told her softly.

He rode closer to her than ever before. They rode until dawn, keeping close to the forest and far away from the root cellar. Hopefully the cultists would think the members of the Wild Hunt had desecrated the shrine, not themselves. He made camp at dawn, sending Shuck out to find wood while he looked over Trahaearn. He warmed up snow over the fire, boiling bandages and using rags to wash away the blood from Trahaearn's chest. He bound up the wounds carefully, looking at the unconscious warlock. "Listen...I want to thank you for what you did for Shuck." he said quietly. "I know you hate me, and I hate you. But...you saved her. You saved me. And...I guess I'm grateful to you." He leaned over and pressed his lips to Trahaearn's.

"Now I can go back to hating you." he mumbled under his breath, tucking blankets up around the man's shoulders.
 
With a nod and a sigh, Shuck withdrew her hand from Trahaearn's chest. She tore his shirt and compressed some snow in her hands until it melted to dampen the cloth to carefully wipe the blood from his face and chest. It burned her a few more times, shaking her hand and furiously rubbing into the mud and snow to get it off of her, but she managed to get him cleaned up enough to (hopefully) care for him without burning herself again.

Joseph brought her the sled, and she made a few quick repairs to its structure and using her snapped branches to obscure the traces of Trahaearn's blood in the snow and mud while he fetched their horses. With the horses returned, Shuck repaired the traces with deft hands, incorporating the rope Joseph had found. It was rudimentary but sturdy, and she could worry about braiding new traces later. Trahaearn was heavy, and she was rapidly tiring if she thought that. She hadn't had her tea, she realized with a twinge of fear, and he wasn't there to warm the water. Oh well. She'd have to steep it cold and hope that Yaste's instruction for thrice daily was flexible. Shuck fussed over him, pushing his hair behind his ears and checking to be sure they hadn't accidentally broken any of the delicate cuts on his chest while moving him. They hadn't, so she brought over his pack and his sword, settling them on either side of him before tucking the blankets around him.

Shuck covered her mouth, leading her gelding well away from the opening as Joseph lit the fire in the cellar. She barely waited for him to get on his horse before she urged hers onward, wanting to be very, very far away from the scent of the burning dryad.

They wouldn't stop until dawn, but Shuck stopped them a few times to check on Trahaearn and to filch her tea and snacks from the bags. The took ages to steep in the cold water, but it was better than nothing. Her energy didn't pick up as it normally did, but that likely had more to do with the level of exhaustion she was pushing. It wasn't intended to be used to produce miracles, after all.

When they finally stopped, Shuck was struggling. She didn't argue against gathering firewood, taking the opportunity to also strip a few trees for fresh strips of bark to braid new traces for the sled. Returning nearly an hour later, she managed to finish one of the tracers but fell asleep upright where she sat. Shuck didn't even bother going into the tent, content to lie down right there by the fire, the second plait dropped and forgotten.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph carefully woke Shuck up and steered her inside the tent for some rest. He left Trah near the fire, cuddled up in the furs and blankets. Shuck had him for warmth, and he cuddled her up against his chest. Finally, some decent sleep. He had a long think when he woke up and busied about warming water for Shuck's tea and breaking down the camp. They couldn't find the heart without Trahaearn, and dragging him around in the snow with no direction was a terrible idea...especially with the Sons of the River riled up. He sighed. There was one utterly safe place he could bring them. He hoped Shuck was ready.

He sat her down, offering her her mug of tea. "Listen..." he began. "We don't know where your heart is. Only Trahaearn does, and he's gravely wounded. My family ranch is only half a day's ride from here. Maybe less if we push it...it's the safest place I know. Trahaearn can recuperate. My mother is an excellent healer, and I know my brothers would love to meet you. We can spend a day or two there, and we'll have fresh horses, better clothing....we can ride out to get the heart and push back to the faelands when the snow breaks."

With her nodded assent, he began to steer them toward the ranch. It was a full day's journey, and partially into the morning of the second day. They were going slow with Trahaearn injured and them both needing decent rest. Finally, the meadows leveled out a little more, and Joseph saw a familiar road. He saw fences for horses he helped build. He saw a large barn in the distance, a grain silo, and...thank the gods....a gigantic farmhouse. He was home. After so many years, he was home. He pulled up the mare at the entrance to the property. It was a good ten minutes or so still up the road to the house. There were four hundred acres of pasture here, divided in half by a river. The area itself was perfect for horses. Grassy meadows, little glades and copses of trees. A large signpost shaped like a capital H housed a sign that said 'Blackmare Heights' with the requisite black horse head of his family's business. The black horse head was branded or tattooed onto every horse they owned.

He took a deep breath, and settled back. First rule of the house. "Stay in the lane, don't go up the property." he recited, smiling reassuringly at Shuck. He reached out and patted her leg. They were waiting a good half hour before another man came up behind them on the road, pulling up a decent-looking farmhorse. Joseph didn't look at him, and didn't talk to him. There was only one reason a neighbor would be visiting and waiting at the gate like they were.

Joseph had to resist rolling his eyes when a pair of men came walking up from the house. They took their sweet time about it, but he knew exactly who the two were at a distance. That would be Holden and Gerard. Both were over six feet tall, thick in body and neck, and were there for the same business the man on the horse was. Both had a serious look on their faces. Gerard was taller, more muscular, and definitely more scarred. His hair was cropped close to his head, showing off the impressive amount of scars trailing down from his scalp all the way to his collarbone. One eye was shut permanently, the result of a bad gouging match, and his forearms were such a nest of scars no hair would grow on them. Holden was much better-looking and had fought less, but had a scar across his lower lip which made his mouth look permanently pinched.

Their neighbor on the horse dismounted and squared up to Gerard. Holden separated from them, clearly willing to let them conduct business...which Gerard initiated by punching the other man square in the jaw. The two exchanged blows for a moment, but the stranger might as well have been punching a tree for all Gerard reacted. Finally, the third eldest Meier decided to end it. The uppercut he gave the other man was enough to make his teeth click together, and he fell into the snow out cold.
"Joseph. How'reya now." Holden greeted his younger brother, his accent making the question sound like one word.
"Not so bad and you?"
"Not so bad." Holden looked at the unconscious farmer in the snow. "Get the trash off the laneway Gerard, figure it out."

Gerard lifted the other man like he was a sack of grain. With a loud thump, he threw him over the farmhorse, gave the beast a quick swat on the bottom, and sent him off. "Joseph, how'reya now?" He at least made it sound like a question.
"Not so bad and you?"
"Been a long time, what's the runt'reon?"

Joseph eyed the mare. "Just a blown coat and too many miles on the road." he shrugged.
"Blown coat more like blown in on a dung pile." Gerard grunted, and looked at Shuck.
"Pitter patter, let's not stand in the snow with our balls up to our chins. Figure it out." Holden declared.

Joseph hid a smile and looked at Shuck. "The ugly one is Gerard Meier. The other is Holden." he told her, gently clicking to his horse to follow them up the road. He didn't seem at all put off by their business-like atmosphere, that would dissipate as soon as they were alone. Neither Holden or Gerard had a policy of looking like overemotional women in front of...well, women. The stable was a big one, housing at least fifteen horses. "This is the main barn. It houses our personal mounts, and the draft horses used for pulling hay out to the pastures." Joseph told Shuck. He dismounted. "We have an injured man, Holden. He took a few nasty swipes from a fae and needs to get warmed up and get some food in him. Guest room still open?"

"I'm here which means the wife is too which means guest rooms occupied, figure it out." Gerard eyed their horses. "That thing better be gelded or I'll get the shears and make him two stones lighter." He told Shuck, squatting down to take a look at Trahaearn. "Fuck me this one looks like he's been left out for the goddamn wolves."
"Fuck me looks worse than that. Looks like those idiots you find come out the city and get stuck in a blizzard." Holden weighed in on Trahaearn's condition.

They didn't get much further. The farmhouse opened and a familiar figure came out to greet Joseph. She was much older now, and fatter, but his heart swelled at the sight of her. Elda had long, thick grey hair tied over one shoulder in a messy braid, her apron on, and old boots that looked like those of a soldier's, but a smile on her face. "Joseph? That can't be you!" she flung her arms around him and squeezed him, and immediately caught sight of Shuck. "Oh my gods, dear, let's get you out of the cold and away from the men." She came up to her and gave her a hug at least as enthusiastic as the one she gave Joseph. "Joseph she's absolutely gorgeous, where did you find such a pretty little sootskin like this? Come on in. I've got tea and biscuits on. Let the men fuss over the horse-who's that?"
Elda looked over at Trahaearn and blinked. "Gerard get him into the guest room this moment and fetch all the furs you can!" she barked at the behemoth. Gerard made an uncomfortable noise, more a groan of protest than anything else, his brow furrowing. Elda fixed him with a look that could have been pulled off of Joseph's face when he was angry. She widened her eyes, set her jaw, furrowed her brows and took a stance like she was liable to beat him.

Gerard sighed and picked up Trahaearn carefully, carrying him into the house. Holden looked at the horses. "Turn the trash out in the front pasture, don't want the boys getting ideas about knocking up a townhouse backdoor slaughterhouse fodder gluepot like that. The nelly can go with her, Ted's liable beat him to death same way he did the last gelding Thomas brought home."
"Don't bring a gelding into the same barn as a stallion what's liable to raise fisticuffs, figure it out." Gerard shook his head as he walked past them with Trahaearn.

Joseph smiled at Shuck and took the reins of their horses. "Go on with my mother. It's alright. I'll see to the horses." he told her gently. "Go rest. Trahaearn's in good hands."
"Traha-what?" Holden questioned.
"Trahaearn. The name of the injured man." Joseph corrected him. "Clean the hay out of your fucking ears and figure it out."
"You can figure it the fuck off." Holden barked. Joseph flipped him a choice finger on the way to the south barn. The horses would be away from the main herd, and in smaller paddocks, but without too many guests in the house they'd essentially have all the hay and oats they could want. Joseph was planning on cleaning their feet, giving them a good currying, and warm water to drink. Maybe some carrots if they still had any.

The farmhouse was the definition of calm chaos. The minute Trahaearn was brought in Elda already had half of Gerard's things in the cavernous common room. The common room was half the size of a country church, complete with vaulted cielings. Huge glass panes dominating the front of the common room gave vistas of the ranch and the snow, flanking a fireplace that could probably have seated two men comfortably. A roaring fire was crackling in it, worn woolen rugs set out and several overstuffed couches that looked like they'd had their fair share of being in fights and being repaired from being in fights. The hallway was decorated with paintings of horses bred at the ranch, with prize cups and ribbons hung for races. A few of them even had a very young Joseph holding horses for their painter, who'd cheekily included the teenager.

The kitchen seemed to either be infested with brownies or have one very active cook. A wild-haired ginger woman came out wiping her hands from dishes. "What the hell's going on here?" she demanded as Gerard swept past her and into the guest room. "Who's that? Elda. Why is he going in our room?"
"Oh you can have the second-floor guest room." Elda waved her hands dismissively. "I want him close to the outhouse and kitchen if he needs anything. You know how men are. Come here dear." Elda gently steered Shuck onto a couch. "Just sit here a moment, I've got to see to your friend."

Two other men were coming downstairs, attracted by all the commotion. One was a freckled young man with wild hair yanked back into a bun and the same, large brown eyes Joseph had. He blinked and immediately offered his help with Trahaearn, trailing Elda into the guest room. The second was an albino who looked at Shuck, blushed, and hurried back up the stairs.
 
She would only vaguely remember being persuaded into the tent, but would sleep long and hard. The next morning, she was still dragging ass, but snapped awake when Joseph proposed they ride to his family's ranch to let Trahaearn recover before pressing onward. She frowned down at her tea, the color draining out of her face. It was a smart idea, for sure, but... Shuck simply nodded, offering him a small smile.

When she'd imagined meeting his family, she had thought she'd have her heart back. The worry plagued her as they broke down camp and set out. It weighed her down all day. She laid awake that night staring into the darkness thinking about it. Even as they rode up the lane and paused at the gate, she was still rolling the worry over in her mind. Would they like her? Would they be okay with their son and brother being with a fae? What if they didn't like her? Would Joseph still love her if her family didn't approve? Gods, what if she said something wrong, or rude, or stupid?

Shuck brushed up mentally on the rules of hospitality, grappled for all of the things she'd slowly been learning about his family from him. As they waited at the gate, she anxiously ran her hand over her hair and tucked any strays back into her braid. She touched the burns on the right half of her face, still slightly angry and slow to heal. Trahaearn's silver blood was doing a number on her, preventing it from healing as quickly as her other scrapes. The bruising across shoulders and neck had faded to only slight discolorations, and the scrapes she'd received from her tussle had already closed and nearly vanished.

Joseph's reassurance could only carry her so far, and when she saw the two men appearing from the house proper, the blood ran out of her face and she gripped the saddle horn until her knuckles turned white. She tried to remember the things he'd told her about his brothers, and there were only two possibilities from the two tall, muscular men she saw approaching them and the other fellow. Watching the brief fight, however, she already knew which was which before they sauntered over and greeted them.

She mostly stared, looking between the men as they spoke doing her best to keep up with what they were saying while also trying to understand it. By the time they were following them up to the house, she was already casting nervous eyes toward Joseph. The greeting was so civil, distant. Was this normal? Shuck swallowed hard, willing her breathing to even out as they approached the barn.

Dismounting, Shuck stood silently with her gelding's reins in hand, letting Joseph do the talking that she was very incapable of doing at the moment. Hearing the door to the house open, she pried her eyes away from their observation of Trahaearn and turned to see what could only have been Joseph's mother approaching. She flung her arms around Joseph, then turned her attention towards Shuck, greeting her in the same fashion. Awkwardly returning the greeting, a flood of red colored her cheeks at Elda's remarks and Shuck averted her eyes entirely, giving Joseph another desperate look.

But his mother took notice of Trahaearn, commandeered the affair of carrying him inside, and Joseph urged her to go with them. She let her fingers linger in his for a moment as he took the reins, and turned to follow the company of Meiers wordlessly.

Their house was massive, as she expected it should be with seven sons before wives and grandchildren. Shuck blinked at the simple interior, looking about in a broad sweep of her eyes as she was steered toward a seat. Trahaearn was being hustled somewhere, and she perched anxiously on the edge of the couch to watch them carry him away. Her chest was tight from worry, and she was left alone to stew nervously.

Two more men descended the steps, and Shuck was able to quickly guess at who they were. Soft with freckles: Ellis, surely. And the white one. What had Joseph called it? Albinism? That had to be Booker. She had no idea who the woman coming from the kitchen was, and she realized she'd not asked after the names of the brothers' wives.

Shuck settled in to wait, her ears twitching as she listened carefully to the family's commotion as they carried Trahaearn to wherever they'd chosen to settle him. Her eyes drifted about the room, taking in the features a bit more fully, but she otherwise remained exactly where Elda had positioned her.

Only when she thought she was well and truly alone did she place her hands on her cheeks, close her eyes, and take a deep breath. Gods, she was so afraid and nervous. Rubbing her face in one long, sweeping gesture and running her hand over her hair once more, she settled them in her lap, twining together anxiously.

// Joseph Meier //
 
Elda was fussing over Trahaearn. Gerard and his wife had been effectively bullied out of the room, and were moving their things upstairs, but didn't seem too annoyed about it. Elda was right. An injured man had priority and if he had trouble walking, the last thing he needed was stairs to navigate. Elda hurried into the room with a large pot of hot water, bandages, sponges, fresh towels, fresh bedclothes, and an old but clean shirt of Gerard's that Trahaearn would no doubt be drowning in. Ellis, despite his soft looks was helping quickly and without question. His curly reddish-brown hair was pulled back into a bun, and he had a determined look on his face.

"Set that down here and help me with him." Elda told her son when he carried in extra quilts. The downstairs guest room was smaller, but cozier. A hearth crackled in the corner of the room, next to a bench Ellis set the blankets down on. The bed was large and plush, fitting three people comfortably. A chest sat at its feet for personal items, and the walls were lined with yet more paintings of the ranch's favourite horses. All of them, notably, signed B. Meier. A window on the far wall looked out onto the porch and beyond that, the pasture and forests.

Elda stripped down Trahaearn and carefully unwrapped his bandages, setting them aside to be boiled. "Good gods." she muttered at the state of him. Ellis blinked, biting his lip.
"What could have made that?" he asked.
"The Wild Hunt was last night. If your stupid brother isn't half-dead somewhere like this one I'll stick my face in the hearth." Elda grumbled. "Here. Give him a bath, and then strip those sheets and put new ones on. I've got to get something for those cuts." She shoved the sponges at him. "Uppity fools not having an inch of respect for the forest."

Ellis blushed crimson. "Me?"
Elda gave him a look. "Who else? Don't you look so flustered, he's out cold and that sword of his is in the corner. I've got to make a poultice for those wounds." she rolled her eyes and pushed him at Trahaearn. "Just do it. I don't have time for this." With that she bustled away, ticking off what she needed out loud as she went into the kitchen. Angelica for healing, clove for protection, mugwort to banish the bad luck, rosemary to purify the wound.

Ellis cleared his throat and pulled up a stool, wetting the sponge in the steaming water and slowly beginning to wash Trahaearn's face and hair. He smiled softly. He was handsome, as well as brave to put himself in front of such a monster to protect his brother and the woman he'd brought with him. He dutifully and gently bathed Trahaearn's chest, armpits, stomach, anywhere he could reach. He'd given these before when his brothers had been ill but this....was profoundly different. His brothes would be complaining or trying to snatch it from him, or get him out of the room. He...hadn't really had the chance to do this with a stranger. He finished scrubbing Trahaearn's feet and dried him, patting gingerly around his wounds. He already looked better with a little hot water and his mother's ginger soap. He smelled good, and Ellis was crimson from the roots of his hair all the way down his neck. "You're very brave." he told him. "Thank you, for saving my brother. He's...he's mean but it's not his fault. I can't imagine how hard travelling with him must be. We took visits to the neighbors and he was horrible. I'll make you something later. And um....welcome. For what it's worth."

He was able to shift Trahaearn around enough to change the damp sheets into fresh ones. He braided the other man's hair while waiting for Elda to return, arranging the braids neatly around the man's collarbone.
"Oh for the gods' sake boy go make up Joseph's room for him and stop playing around!" Elda hurried him out of the room and took his place, adding poulticed bandages to Trahaearn's room. "And bring some firewood in here, with that sage bundle in the kitchen. I need to cleanse the room."

Ellis nodded, tucking his hair behind his ear and looked back at Trahaearn. He'd visit him later. Right now he had to deal with the chaos that was shuffling rooms. He ticked it off in his head. He was next to Trahaearn's room, which was originally Thomas'. Then down the hallway was Holden's big bedroom and Elda's master bedroom. Up the stairs there was the second common room which had a small balcony overlooking the main common room, Gerard, Joseph, and Lester would share that floor if Lester ever got here on time. Thomas and Booker shared the attic. Getting everyone settled was going to be a nightmare. Gerard's wife Phoebe had settled them rather quickly, and was changing the sheets in Joseph's room when he arrived.

"What do you think of that cute little number Joseph has downstairs?" Phoebe asked. "Talked to her yet?"
"Uh, no. We were seeing to the injured man." Ellis grabbed more pillows to help her. Joseph's room was the smallest, but it had the best view of the main pasture. Large windows dominated the outward-facing wall, huge panes of glass from floor to cieling meant to make the room feel bigger, and give it some air during summer. A large drop spindle with a half-done skein of yarn sat in the corner, along with a kit to repair his brace, an old brace for emergencies, and a large armoire for all of his clothing. Little carvings of horses and other animals lined a shelf, the rest of them completely overtaken by books. Novels, poetry, books on wisdom, art, philosophy. "Where will we put her? I don't want to assume-"

"Oh for the gods' sake Gerard said he was practically rubbing her leg and she's pregnant to boot. I think we can assume just fine." Phoebe dismissed. "Pop the second floorboard to the right of the chest there."
Ellis raised an eyebrow at the weird request, but bent and did so. He pulled out several bottles of strange-looking herbs, a large bottle of whiskey, a needle, and a small bowl with stained gauze in it. He sniffed at it, making a face at the acrid odor.
"He went to a dark place after Camilla died. I found that in his room when he last visited but thought it better to let him work through the grief. Seems clean now. Don't let your mother see either of those things; she'll skin him and everyone in this house alive for not telling her." Phoebe said sharply.

The redhead straightened and waved her hands at him. "You finish up with the room and put those in the compost somewhere. I've got to go see how our new little miss is getting along before Alice gets to her. She looked lost."
"She's fae. What about Thomas?" Ellis asked worriedly.
"What about Thomas? Elda will shove that rod up his ass if he so much as speaks a word about it. She's in this house now, and she could very well be making me an aunt, so if you see him mouthing off just punch him or tell Gerard so Gerard can punch him." Phoebe snapped, and bustled downstairs.

Shuck was currently being kept company by two children. Both had Gerard's massive frame, but their mother's wild curly red hair. They were staring at her while they ate biscuits and drank tea, playing with toys on the floor in front of the hearth. "Are you our new Aunt?" one of the boys asked.
"Why are you black?"
"Didja get burned?"
"If she got burned Gramma would be helping her figure it out."

Phoebe shooed them off like they were pigeons, half- chasing them into the kitchen before she sat down next to Shuck. "I'm sorry. We made up a room for you. I'm Phoebe Meier, Gerard's wife? That big lug that carried in your friend?" she offered her hand in greeting. "Listen, dinner's in a few hours but I could draw you a bath? Sorry, you caught is in the middle of our Midwinter gathering. Elda insists the entire family come visit her at least twice a year. Gerard and I usually live in Alliria. He keeps the horse contracts there with some of the merchant companies and the city for the guards. If you saw a guard on a horse, it's likely that steed came from right here in Blackmare." She smiled at her. "I don't know how you managed to tame Joseph. Elda was wailing the other day about how she has too many bachelors to get rid of."

She patted her knee. "Come on. I'll get you a glass of mulled wine and we'll get you into a bath. Gods know where Joseph is. You're brave, travelling with two men. I saw your friend. Oof, Joseph would have been surly for hours." She snickered. "Unless that other man is your husband and we've gotten too excited?"

_______________________________________

Joseph finished brushing the horses. They looked so much better with the dirt out of their coats. Both the mare and the gelding were tucking into warm oat mash and carrots, eagerly filling their bellies. It was a hell of a lot better than the dead grass they'd been digging out of the snow with their hooves. He patted them and grabbed all of the relevant things out of their bags. Shuck's tea being the primary one. He wondered how she was getting on with his family...hopefully she wasn't too overwhelmed. He smiled quietly as he looked around the barn. He'd missed this place. He'd missed the warm hearths and family arguments. He missed horses, and fresh beef they'd raised themselves, and waking up in a comfortable bed.

Would Shuck like it? They needed her heart, but Trahaearn was in no condition to lead them. Joseph sighed and ran his hand down his face, leaving the horses to their peace. He'd have to make the journey back up on foot. That he wasn't looking forward to. He wanted a hot bath, and a glass of whiskey, and a pile of his mother's biscuits with butter and fresh herbs. Gods, the cooking. His stomach snarled. At least another two place settings wouldn't be a problem; this was the midwinter visit. His mother would have killed, at the very least, a fat yearling heifer, some geese, ducks, and dug out the boar sausage they'd made in the summer.

If everyone didn't leave the house ten pounds heavier, Elda wasn't happy.

Joseph smiled to himself on the walk back up, and took a moment to visit the main barn. One horse perked up and nickered at him, and he went to her. The silver buckskin mare had scrubbed out of races early in her second year, but Joseph had always liked her personality. "Hi Malta." he greeted her with a little sugar, rubbing her cheek. "I've been away too long. I'll be taking you with me this time, and maybe Snowfoot for Shuck. She's gorgeous, Malta. I love her." he patted her neck. "But I'd better go save her before she gets eaten alive by the family."

He came in the door and smiled at Shuck on the couch, but before he could go to her Elda grabbed him by the elbow. "Alright into the kitchen, let's see your leg." she told him sternly.
"What? I'm fine." Joseph tried to pull away, but there was no stopping his mother if she wanted to see it. He gave Shuck a 'save me' look and let himself be herded into the kitchen. He rolled up his pant leg, and took off his brace. The loud scream Elda gave at his stitches was enough to make Alice drop a plate with a loud crash and Gerard come barreling down the stairs. "What have you done?! Look at this! It goes clean through!" Elda was looking at both sides of his calf. "What happened? Paul Joseph Meier what the hell happened on that road?"

Joseph winced. "Listen. I got stabbed through the leg, and the rest is frostbite I'm recovering from. It's not a big deal." he said weakly. Elda folded her arms.
"That's a knife wound or I'm a turkey! The stitches are too clean to be yours. We're absolutely discussing this later. Your poor fingers! All those lessons on how to dress properly in the cold and you go and get frostbite! Go sit by the fire, I can't believe you." Elda scowled at him. Joseph sighed and looked apologetically at Alice cleaning up shards of crockery on the floor. Good gods, he really should have plucked out the stitches. He went back into the main room and sat with Shuck, kissing her reassuringly.

"Sorry. She saw the wound on my leg." he smirked. "You okay?"
 
Shuck fiddled with her fingers, rubbed at the healing silver burns in her palms, and generally fretted in silence while listening to the commotion in the other room. She perked up when Elda passed by, walking hurriedly toward the kitchen, but settled back in. Two children with broad frames and masses of wild red curls appeared, setting themselves on the floor in front of the couch with watchful eyes. Shuck watched them back, sharing the children's inhibitions. She'd loved watching children from her cemetery, and had always been kind in her dealings with them when they'd come to play pranks. Perhaps it was because she was fae, she wondered, or perhaps it was simply because she'd longed to be as free as they were, laughing and running through the village without a worry or care.

When one of the boys finally spoke to her, a crease formed between her brows. "What's an aunt?" she asked to the first question. The second question made her mouth draw down slightly at the corners. It was a strange question. "Because I am."

They were beginning to squabble, and Shuck opened her mouth to correct their misunderstanding when the red-haired woman reappeared. She shooed the boys away with several waves of her arms, and they exited hastily toward the kitchen. Shuck stood, but was immediately invited to sit once more.

Phoebe introduced herself as Gerard's wife, holding out her hand, and Shuck raised her hand in equal greeting, blinking. "Shuck," she replied simply, giving wife's hand a firm shake. Phoebe apologized for the hectic household, and offered to draw her a bath, but continued speaking too quickly for Shuck to get a word in otherwise. She was left sitting in relative silence, opening her mouth to respond before gently closing it as the other women continued.

Her remark about taming Joseph, however, elicited a smile, though she bit it back. "I hardly tamed him," she admitted, her tone a bit wry in spite of the smile. He was every bit as wild as the day she found him, if not more so in his reckless abandon to keep her safe.

Patting her leg, Phoebe offered her wine, remarked on her miserable travel, and commented on Trahaearn. Upon the mention of him, Shuck perked up. Her alert attention shifted to a look of horror, however, when she asked if he was her husband.

"Absolutely not," Shuck replied hastily, her cheeks already turning pink. Gods, Trahaearn as her husband? She nearly gagged at the suggestion alone. "Trahaearn is my... er, well, he's a friend." Pausing, she was thinking of how she was supposed to explain their relationship.

Fortunately, the aforementioned Joseph stepped inside. "Joseph," she called softly. Shuck's anxious expression melted away and a bright smile lit across her features.

But she wasn't to be saved yet. Elda, apparently possessing some innate motherly knowledge of her children's whereabouts, was already in the kitchen doorway to grab his elbow and sweep him away. Shuck's smile faded as he was pulled out of sight, and she dropped her eyes to her hands. It was a bit selfish of her to want to keep him all to herself, she knew. How long had it been since he'd seen his family? She didn't know. She filed the thought away to be the one she asked tonight.

Blinking, she remembered that Phoebe was still sitting beside her and looked up. "I'm sorry. What was I saying? Oh. Trahaearn -- right. He's more like a, uh, a retainer of sorts?" she offered. "We were caught out during the Hunt and he--"

Elda's scream made them both jump, but Shuck was glued to the couch as she began wailing. She could hear Joseph's quiet protests and she bit down on a smile when she heard his mother use his full name. Gerard came barreling down the stairs, and she glanced nervously toward the kitchen. Shuck looked apologetically to Phoebe.

"It's been a very eventful trip," she admitted, her smile more of a cringe. She wasn't eager to start telling his family too many details about their misadventures until she had a chance to talk to Joseph about it first. How much would it be safe to share with them?

By the time Joseph reentered the common room, Shuck could have wilted with relief. Her hands eagerly sought his and she leaned into his brief kiss with a small sigh. She kept her hands firmly twined with his as he sat beside her, nodding her head when he asked if she was okay.

"They've been taking care of Trahaearn." She wasn't sure what else to say, glancing back toward Phoebe and Gerard before lowering her eyes again. She was so nervous that a small headache was forming in her temples and her cheeks were still rosy. All those years in her village, the people they'd met during their travels; none of them had intimidated her so much as his family did now.

// Joseph Meier //
 
"Gods above woman man's got a cut on the leg and you're treatin it like a shuck just walked through the door!" Gerard bellowed at Elda, disturbed at her screaming. "Sort yourselves out!"
Joseph couldn't keep the semi-embarrassed smile off his face. His family was....well, chaos. There were very few islands of peace when his brothers were constantly arguing or yelling about something. He kissed Shuck's hand. He had to get her out of there. There would be a little peace after dinner when everyone was fed and telling stories, but for now everyone was preoccupied with children, cooking, getting everyone settled in their rooms and sorting out everyone's horses.

He took her hand gently and led her down the hallway from the kitchen and Trahaearn's room, through Elda's room, and into the master bathroom. It was huge, with large slate tiles dominating the room. There were large windows facing out onto the property, with two large fir trees outside to mask some of it for privacy. The bathtub looked like a complicated affair. There was a water pump right next to the bath, eliminating the need to carry water, and dead coals under it gave some indication of what warmed the bath. Joseph spread out some tinder underneath it, and lit the tub, pumping water into it. The water would be freezing, but the fire would warm it.

He took Shuck's hands and kissed her. "Listen. Let's just...take a bath. Have some peace." he touched her cheek. "Trahaearn's safe. He's resting....though I don't know how anyone could sleep being that close to the kitchen. You pay for the convenience of being closest to the bathroom with everyone's midnight snack runs." He kissed her, softly and deeply, putting his forehead to hers. He picked up a bottle of wine from the slate counter, poured her a glass, and set up glass bottles of various scented soap. Lavender, rosemary, mint. Clearly Elda Meier preferred natural scents to the more exotic flavors women in other places preferred. He offered her the glass of wine and kissed her cheek. "Breathe. You're okay. Our baby is safe. Trahaearn will be on the mend soon."

Joseph pulled his filthy shirt over his head and tossed it on the ground. "Gods, I think we should burn our clothing." he joked. He settled into the large soaking tub, which had room aplenty for them both to lay side by side. It was meant as a couple's tub, but Elda Meier had been alone for decades now. She hardly used the room, preferring one of the smaller bathrooms. Joseph welcomed Shuck into the tub and settled her head on his arm so she wouldn't have to suffer the rough rim of the wooden tub. He watched the snow starting to fall gently outside, his other hand on her belly. It was peaceful. Quiet.

Except for the loud thumps coming from down the hallway. It sounded like a herd of goats starting a war with a thunderstorm. Joseph smirked at a particularly loud thud. "Kids are jumping off the balcony onto the couch." he muttered, kissing her shoulder. He added a little of the rosemary in, closing his eyes at the scented steam. Through that, dinner was beginning to waft down the hallway. Roasted beef, goose turned over spits, chickens stuffed with vegetables. Freshly baked biscuits, gravy, roast potatoes, mulled wine and beer soup. Joseph grinned. "Oh...if you thought Kitty's had good food.." he chuckled and kissed her ear.

He wanted this life with her. He wanted to have their daughter look forward to playing with the snow, and the horses, and coming in for spiced wine and tea cakes. He wanted to listen to Shuck in the kitchen with the wives while he cared for the horses or cleaned the house. He wanted Shuck to want for nothing. Not companionship, hearty food, or a cup of wine or a good story in front of a fire. "This is...how I grew up." he said quietly, playing with her hair. "It wasn't as crazy, I didn't have quite so many nephews."

"...The fuck did Joseph get off to?" Gerard was booming from somewhere in the common room.
"Reckon away from you." Holden's voice answered.
"Whatreya on?"
"You're loud."
"Yeah?"
"You're ugly."
"Get after it."
"Made the wife uncomfortable now she's all squirreled away somewhere figure it out."

Joseph snickered into Shuck's hair. "Don't worry, they won't look in here." he whispered to her conspiratorially.
 
Shuck glanced nervously at the kitchen, then back to Joseph at Gerard's remark. She struggled to bite down a smile and her mouth twitched from the effort. It was an interesting choice of words, and she wasn't sure if she was going to be excited when they learned just who they'd invited in.

Trailing behind Joseph, Shuck was led down the hall, through a spacious bedroom, and into an equally spacious bathroom. She put her arms around herself and looked around as he prepared a bath, looking back toward the door at a particularly loud hoot of laughter. The house was lively, to be sure, and there was nothing wrong with that. She was just... awkward. They'd met all sorts of people on their journey, but she'd not yet learned how to be normal.

She was drawn toward the tub and away from her thoughts. Bending to kiss Joseph, he nodded against his forehead. There were so many worries weighing on her mind -- Trahaearn, her heart, their baby, his family. Shuck let him slip out of her fingers with a sigh.

"I'm sorry if I was too quiet," she said gently, looking out the glass windows as he poured her a glass of wine. How did she express that she was wildly overwhelmed without insulting his family? She could see how just the hour they'd been here had already changed his demeanor. Just like when they were at Yaste's, the hard lines of his face had already softened, the perpetual frown smoothed and an air of peace around him.

Taking a healthy drink of the wine before setting it aside, Shuck let out a small giggle as he threw down his filthy shirt. "I think mine are about to be too small anyway," she remarked. She'd taken to wearing her britches lower on her hips to compensate for the tight fit against her abdomen, and the bottom two buttons of her vest wouldn't button anymore. Her coat barely fastened in the front, and it was only a matter of time before her shirt began to struggle over her growing stomach as well.

Stripping each item away, she paused in front of a mirror to turn in front of the mirror. It had been a week since she'd seen her reflection last, and the change was startling, to say the least. Shuck spent a moment angling her body to see her growing belly from all angles before she slipped happily into the tub beside Joseph. The weary smile she'd been forcing had turned to glowing pride as she sank down to curl against his side, purring happily from the closeness and the warmth of the water.

It was peaceful, in a way that not even Yaste's had been. Joseph's hand rested on her growing belly, and they both sat silently looking out the window. The sounds of the family were muffled, but not even the loud thumps of the children playing could have ruined this soft reprieve for her. Shuck looked up at Joseph with a warm smile.

"You seem happier here," she replied gently, a hand sliding across his chest. Her fingers gently traced around the line of his stitches, careful not to irritate them.

She'd been intending to say more, but the sound of his brothers cut her off short. Shuck smiled secretly, biting her lip as she sank deeper into the tub with a quiet giggle. Pressing into his chest, she rumbled with subdued laughter at his remark.

// Joseph Meier //
 
*Cough and segue*

_________________________________________

Joseph found his clothes outside the door and grabbed them, pulling on a shirt and trousers. It was odd, he hadn't worn these clothes in years. It felt strange to be out of his travelling clothes but better all at once. Shuck's bag had been left by the door as well, probably by Holden who didn't feel comfortable pawing through her things. He offered it to her so she could get dressed. Joseph was wearing a simple black shirt and dark grey pants. He didn't bother with shoes but did slip on a pair of woolen socks that had been left for him. It was a subtle warning; Elda didn't want him scraping up the floors with his brace. Without socks he'd be leaving scars in the wood floors all over the house.

Joseph went to Shuck and kissed her, chuckling. "We definitely need to work on being sneakier." he whispered. He kissed her, offering her a hairbrush so she could make herself look presentable.

When they headed out to the dining room, dinner was on the table and Joseph was practically drooling. There was a gigantic prime rib crusted in salt, garlic and spices sitting steaming on the table. It was flanked by a roast goose so hot the skin was still crackling, and a duck smothered in a sauce. Large pans of roasted potatoes dripping in butter, pans of broccoli, and a small mountain of rolls. Mulled wine sat in jugs on the table, along with whiskey bottles, milk for the children, and a frothed drink made from liquor, cream and cinnamon that Joseph knew better than to try. Last time he'd imbibed that flavorful, sweet nonsense he'd woken up naked in a barn somewhere in their neighbor's estate.

Joseph pulled out a chair for Shuck, settling a plate in front of her and grabbing one for himself. He noticed one more figure at the table, whose eyes were focused on Shuck the minute she came through the door. Thomas Meier locked eyes with her. He was the only brother with blue eyes, clear and crisp as mountain water. He set down his glass of wine and curled his lip in disgust. Joseph tightened his jaw.

"Thomas, this is Shuck. She came in with Joseph. Their friend is still injured I'm afraid, I might have you take a look at him later. I cleansed the evil from his wounds but there's....something I can't shake. Something strong." Elda said. "The beast may have gotten him deeper than we can see with just our eyes. Don't worry dear, your friend is strong. He'll pull through it." She smiled reassuringly at Shuck.

"Some filth can't be cleansed with hedge magic." Thomas said, looking at Shuck as he said the word filth. "The Wild Hunt was a good night. Many souls have returned to the river, I'm afraid. There was a great evil in the forest. One of our faithful guided us to him, but when we arrived at the shrine, naught but ash. The beast was too strong. We wounded it, and well, but it escaped."

"Fuck's sake leave well enough alone." Holden muttered, grabbing a roll.

"Nevermind that. Three new brothers have blooded themselves well. One of them on a leshiye. His trophy has repaired the shrine fouled by fire." Thomas said, looking at Shuck smugly.

"Would you shut it with that tomfuckery? Killin' leshiyes is bad luck, drives away the game." Holden grunted, turning his attention to his meat.
"We're going to have no deer returning with killing leshiyes." Gerard agreed.

Joseph glared across the table at him, and sighed angrily, serving Shuck some meat, vegetables and getting up to get her some water for her tea. He made it for her, stirring diligently, and set it down in front of her. The entire family was a mess of grabbing things. Instead of passing food, it seemed whatever was in arm's reach was fair game. Ellis and Booker neatly grabbed their things with their forks, but Holden and Gerard had no issue just reaching over and tearing off chunks of things. Joseph rolled his eyes and served himself with his fork, stabbing the fingers of anyone who got in his way. The children seemed to have taken from the same rulebook, using their forks to grab what their fingers couldn't.

"So Shuck, was it?" Phoebe seemed determined to get past the talk of killing forest men. "Where did you two meet?" She gestured with her fork between Joseph and Shuck.
Joseph cocked an eyebrow at Ellis, who was filling two plates. Ellis blushed at him and covered it with a napkin. "I thought Trahaearn might be hungry when he wakes." he said, looking down at the table and fiddling with his hair. Joseph pursed his lips. Oh no. He had to nip that in the fucking bud.

"Let Elda take care of it. Too much rich food and you could make it worse." Joseph muttered. Ellis blinked, embarrassed, and quietly got up to go put the extra plate of food on the counter. Elda cleared her throat.
"Come on Joseph, Shuck. Tell us how you met." she urged with a friendly smile.
 
Rinsing the water from her hair, Shuck rose from the tub with her ashen face red as a black cherry. Toweling herself dry, she vigorously wrung and dried her hair to get as much of the water out as possible before brushing it. Still a bit damp, it shone like obsidian in a perfectly straight curtain about her slim shoulders. She slipped into her wool dress for what was likely to be the last time, giggling like a fool while she had Joseph help her squirm it down over her hips. They made a fine pair together, she thought, and she affectionately brushed a rogue lock back with the rest of his hair.

Shuck's cheeks were still rosy as they entered the dining room, and seeing the number of people gathered around the table made the color spread a bit further. Five of his six brothers were in attendance, accompanied by a couple of wives and a slew of children. Joseph pulled out a seat for her, and she inclined her head in thanks with a small smile before returning her eyes to the food in front of her. He hadn't been exaggerating; Kitty's spread, as decadent as it had been, didn't hold a candle to the feast Elda and the wives had prepared.

Hearing herself being introduced, she finally looked across the table to where one of Joseph's brothers was staring at her. His crisp blue eyes would have told her who he was, even without Elda's introduction. She held his gaze with eyes like silver coins -- at least, until his mother remarked on Trahaearn's condition.

She had thought to say something, a pinch forming between her brows as she opened her mouth to inquire as to what was bothering her about her warlock, but before she could speak, Thomas answered. Her gaze shifted slowly as the man spoke, and she found that his eyes may not have left her once. Her mouth had been parted slightly but snapped shut. A muscle in her jaw worked and crimson swirled in her irises.

It was him. That's how Joseph had known where to find the cellar; because it was his own fucking brother.

She was shaking, staring wordlessly across the table at Thomas until Joseph sighed beside her. Only then did she turn away, lowering her eyes to stare at her plate as she tried to master her anger. There were ways to attract all manner of fae, and calling a new leshiye to their lands was as easy as planting a tree and leaving out daily offerings for three months, three weeks, and three days, then never returning to the site again.

Not that she was going to say that out loud in front of this brother.

Shuck might have been a bit too shy to fend for herself against his family just yet, but Joseph readily compensated for her. When something got passed by her, his fork was far quicker than hers, and he'd doled out a fair portion of food for her. She hadn't even put the first bite in her mouth, however, when Phoebe, Gerard's red-headed wife from earlier, asked where they'd met.

Casting a glance at Joseph, it took her two tries to make her throat work. "Hythe." She tried to say the name happily, but there was a tone of bitterness she couldn't fight. Shuck shoved the broccoli in her mouth, giving her an excuse to get herself together.

After a brief exchange between Joseph and Ellis, Elda cleared her throat asked Shuck to elaborate on how they'd met and Shuck, who had only just put a bite of duck into her mouth, ruminated on the thought for several moments while she cleared her mouth. She cast a glance toward Joseph before answering. The whole table was looking at her, and she was turning pink already.

"It's a very long and complicated story," she began, but that didn't seem to deter her from wanting the answer. Shuck drew a deep breath and glanced toward Joseph again. There was apparently no time like the present. At least she'd only have to tell the story to the family once.

"Well I had lost my memory and thought I was a church grim. Joseph wandered into my cemetery and I granted him shelter in the church for the evening. He told me that I wasn't a church grim at all, and convinced me that I should leave my cemetery to go looking for my memory. For some reason, he decided to help me, and we've been searching for it together since."

She poked awkwardly at the food on her plate, not sure whether she should continue or not.

// Joseph Meier //
 
“Hythe’s a low-down shithole. Beers more piss than water. People liable spit in your face soon as say hello.” Holden agreed with her bitter pronunciation of the town, though he was looking at Joseph. “The fuck were you doin’ there?”

Joseph shrugged and put a bit of a roll into his mouth to stifle any answer. He couldn’t very well tell them he had been piss drunk and had been fleeing bar patrons after defrauding them as a woman. They didn’t even know about his magic and he aimed to keep it that way. Holden grunted, which was a sign he was going to get talked to later about it, but fell silent and let Shuck speak.

Joseph gently took her hand a moment and kissed the back of it. “I fell in love with her. She saved my life several times...and now she’s given me a new one.” He told her, smiling. He was unbearably happy, especially when it came to telling his family about his feelings. He was thrilled that no one had really thought to ask about the baby bump until Booker spoke up.

“When’reya due?” He asked quietly.
“What?” Elda stared at Shuck.
“Just wanted to know when I get to be an uncle again.” Booker mumbled, stirring potatoes around on his plate.
“Honey are you..?” Elda’s smile was wide.
“Get after it with the screaming.” Holden mumbled in a resigned tone, and Elda thumped him on the shoulder. She got up and came over to hug Shuck. “You look beautiful! I’m so happy!”

The only one who looked incensed was Thomas. He looked like Shuck had just defecated on the table. Joseph beamed with pride and the women congratulated Shuck. Joseph didn’t miss Ellis sneaking away from the table to slip into Trahaearn’s room, but said nothing. He had to protect her from getting too overwhelmed.
 
Shuck might not have been able to speak up to his family, but she had no qualms scoffing at Joseph as he kissed the back of her hand.

"I saved you once," she countered with a smile. Trahaearn might have saved his ass a couple of times, but her? She'd only saved him once from the naiads.

She may have argued the point, but he continued the remark. Her high, challenging brow lowered and her sharp eyes softened. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and she felt that bright pride chasing away her anxiety. It would be okay, she reminded herself. So long as she had him, nothing else mattered.

Booker spoke softly, and Shuck failed to bite back a bright, eager smile as she looked up at Joseph's brother. It would seem that someone had noticed. She was grinning almost as much as Joseph, and she turned that smile toward Elda when she stared at her in shock. Shuck nodded shyly, even if she was beaming down the table at the matron.

Just as she'd been at their shower at Heinrich's, Shuck was a patient with the attention. Elda rounded the table and hugged her, and Shuck awkwardly returned the gesture. Her cheeks were red and she stood to show off her little bump to Joseph's mother (and anyone else who might have been interested) and pointedly refused to look at Thomas.

Someone asked again how far along she was, and Shuck smiled proudly. "Two months to the day, I think?" She put an affectionate hand over her belly. "Only three months left. It should be here around the spring equinox."

// Joseph Meier //
 
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