audio | username: haltham

[aprescoup]

He... llo? Hey-ho! Hello. Got the hang of it now —

( But does he? A sudden spell of background laughter would indicate the channel remains disrupted, until… it suddenly quiets down. )

...there we go! How’s you lot? This is Haltham. Me? Been good. Real swell. Got me a... got a goat now. She’s a handsome one. Met’er coming down from the mountains, minding my own business, might’ve had a little to dri — ...but keeps the body warm, don’t it? And there I was, and there she was, and I think she’d just killed a man? Can’t be helping it, happens in a mountain. And we looked each other up, then down, though she’s mostly sideways, think she’s, hm... her eyes sort of cross, but you know, she’s a looker, and she walks the leash right, and we headed on together, so. And now, I take her everywhere.

( He seems, suddenly, to remember the point of his outreach: )

Anyway. You’ll have your own goat! Maybe. We’re taking you. Taking you elsewhere. On a walk. To a new place, better place, for living. Mostly better. Well... right, it’s not all that better, but it’s a home, a farm. And... look. Can’t be having you at the… ladies’ house no more. There’s trouble in the city now, with all them folks rising for Anurr, and... heard some of you got involved with all that. Keep your heads down! Oi! Oiiiiiiii. Down. Don't be dying before I even see you.

( A pause, then: ) So, this farm. Used to be a woodhouse. It’s... closer to the forest, where the old blood live, and it’s farther out, but… you can still walk to the merchants’ places, and it’ll do you good. Proper, honest stroll each morning. Works an appetite. Old man thought it might be rough, but I talked him into it, and it’s all yours, now! You can head on tomorrow, and Karsa’ll even... you know, sort out your speech pieces, so you can talk smart there too.

Now, it’ll need some cleaning... and some urging along of the wolves. And rats, and... the trouble with the... you'll see. I don’t think some walls are holding, but you’ll prop them, won’t you? Bit of sweat and mud and snow, and it really is all yours, once that’s done! And no one will come along to bother.

Just... don’t open your doors at night, no matter what the wind tells you. Or people. Them’s not people, in that forest.


( ooc: A mission log for the move-out and the delights of the 'farm' will be up tomorrow :) Characters with jobs at the House of Dew can hold on to their posts, even after they relocate. Translation devices will work throughout. )

Comments

speaking of sorting it out, fox, darling—

[descendency]

Huli, are you listening in? I need your help.

[foxable]

Yeah, I'm here! What's up? Sorry I was only half paying attention. Magic is really weird here.

And people are really violent? Like super violent. Cutting off arms, blowing people up... Even the goats are violent. I feel like we're in a fucking video games and I'm trying to do a pacifist run and everyone else wants to be a murder hobo.

Anyway yes that was not your point, what do you need?

[descendency]

You can do your pacifist run.

[ He'll take care of the wetwork while you aren't looking. ]

I'll still need to get back to the brothel for work, and an hour one way is too far for me to walk. Thoughts?

[foxable]

Okay but we aren't actually in a video game, Mingyu! It was a metaphor!!

[ However, of course, he immediately gets distracted by the question. ]

Uh - two destinations, same place same time every day? Yeah, I can probably rig up a teleportation sigil, though you'll need to keep components on hand to use it each way, so it's not really a cheap trip. I could always come pick you up and walk you h--

[ A pause, similar to a record scratch, as his Actual Brain catches up to his Magic Solving Brain. ]

You, ah... you're going to keep working here?

[descendency]

It depends on what components I need and how I source them...

[ Ah, dammit, Fox stopped trying to solve the magic puzzle a lot quicker than Mingyu expected. There's a long pause before he manages to answer. ]

...it's good money. Reliable. I know how to make it, no one gets hurt.

[ At least, not physically. Now that Fox is here... ]

Do you want me to stop?

[foxable]

[ There is a long, awkward pause on the other end as Fox's brain tries to run a whole bunch of emotional calculations that it doesn't have the capacity for. Now that he knew what was happening, knew why it was happening, the jealousy had dissipated from the initial shock. Who was he to tell off someone for using their body to keep a roof over their head and a meal in their belly? God knew he'd done it for long enough.

He just sort of... assumed that was over. Somehow he'd just assumed that he and Mingyu would go back to the way things were, even if they were in a weird new place. That they could get things back to - well, normal was a stretch, but - recognizable. Comfortable. Them.

He didn't even think about Mingyu wanting to continue his work in the House of Dew. It shouldn't have been a surprise. Obviously, he was popular. He was making decent coin. He was comfortable. Fox sure as hell didn't have a viable alternative to offer him. How about we just go and clean up a shack in the woods, won't that be better? We can eat pine cones or something.

A wave of helplessness washed over him, and when he finally spoke it was with a too-easy tone, too casual by half. ]

That's, ah, that's not really my call I don't think. Long as you're okay, I'm okay, yeah?

[ He smiled so that it would be audible in his voice, not worrying about the fact that it didn't reach his eyes. ]

You know I wouldn't keep you from doing something you thought was best, Mingyu.

[descendency]

[ 'Don't lie to me,' a cold, bitter voice snaps in Mingyu's mind, the voice in his heart of hearts. His voice, the scathing, merciless thing he's become. The man who mocks Lee Chang with his lofty titles, who takes dark amusement in Five's cornered, tenuous, half willing partnership.

He's not the man Fox loves.

He tries to pretend to be anyway. So he takes a breath, speaks gently when he tries again. ]

We both know that's not necessarily true. That you're okay if I'm okay.

I know you're not okay when I'm not okay. Just as I am with you.

But you being okay doesn't automatically make me okay, so let's not pretend the reverse is true, yeah...?

[foxable]

[ He wets his lips, fidgeting with the enchanted quartz, frowning at it. Ah, how he hated that this was public. So public. Had these people never even heard of DMs?

As if on cue, a long, pleasure-filled moan slipped over the connection and Fox felt his cheeks warm. ]

I mean, I'm not saying that it automatically makes me okay, I'm just saying--

It would be pretty shitty of me to tell you to stop when you got yourself set up so well. And they don't seem to - they don't hurt you, right? You have rules and stuff, get to pick your own clients.

I've spent enough time on the streets to know a good gig when I see one, Mingyu. You've got a good gig. And we're not home. It's not like I have a way of making money. So, would I rather you didn't have to? Sure. But I'm not gonna make your life more difficult over nothing.

Unless they are treating you badly, in which case, no, I absolutely don't want you working there, obviously.

[descendency]

[ There's an audible click of Mingyu's teeth around 'I've spent enough time on the streets to know a good gig when I see one.' He hates that this is public too, knows for a fact he's tipping his hand too much, getting sloppy. He sighs. ]

It's a good gig. I've been a bit worried about moving away from it. But I've been thinking of other forms of entertaining too, to supplement or... replace, if we get that far.

Bet these people have never heard an erhu before, you know?

We could work together to come up with something.

I'd like to keep up what I'm doing until then, though. I know you don't like it, and I don't like that you don't like it, but what I like less is how tenuous our position is here. How reliant we are on unknown entities.

[foxable]

It's-- [ He cut himself off, sighed in return. ] I'm just not used to it. You know? The concept doesn't bother me, other people doing it doesn't bother me, it's just when I think too hard about you and--

[ He cut off again. God. Fuck. He was about ready to throw the quartz away in pure hatred of having to do this publicly, but then Mingyu would probably think it was his fault, and he definitely didn't want to do that, so-- ]

I'll get over it. It's stupid. I don't think I would have ever felt that way about anyone until I met you, you know? Jealousy or whatever. It's dumb. I'll deal. Don't let me mess up what works, yeah?

[descendency]

We'll talk about this later.

[ Mingyu can tell how frustrated Fox is getting, and he knows Fox has a harder time when Mingyu has to hold parts of his thoughts back due to being in mixed company. ]

Dinner? We can talk magic, too.

[foxable]

Yeah. Yeah, alright. Okay. [ The relief was audible in his voice. ]

Your, uh, your rooms? Or where?

[descendency]

My rooms. I'll put together something nice.

[foxable]

Okay. Yeah. Okay.

I’ll see you soon.