undergrounds | August Catch All

[Bexley]

Balem was absolutely one to wallow in his victories for a long, long time. He sat alone on a bench in a park, his cloak glamored to look like a regular business suit. He held a small bag of popcorn, and appeared to be trying really hard not to burst out laughing.

If one sat beside him, they could see various people wandering through the park, only to disappear for a brief moment and reappear somewhere else in the park. Some of them walked right into trees. They all looked around confused.

Balem may be fifty-thousand years old but he wasn’t above playing silly tricks on humans, it would seem.

[Other Realm - Observatory]

Balem rarely ever went long stretches of time without his collar – his magic was much more difficult to control without it and he couldn’t disguise himself as well – but it was the night of the Perseid meteor shower, and on nights like this he preferred to just relax and revel in the beauty of the cosmos.

So he lounged about in front of the observatory, clothed in flowing white fabric and appearing in what might be called his ‘true’ form. His skin ranged from light blue to bright white (where his freckles were), and his hair was dark navy. He emitted a soft, warm glow all over, strongest in his eyes and his chest. The atmosphere around him was noticeably warmer, and sparks of white-hot fire danced across him every now and then. It was a good thing his clothing was enchanted to be fireproof.

Having just recently been crowned Lord of Autumn and devoured a soul, his power was strong and his spirits were high. He had a glass of deep red wine with gold flakes swirling around in it like tiny galaxies, and welcomed any visitors.

[Anywhere in London] - Open to first responder only

Unfortunately, all of his magic was harder to control, including his basic fae abilities, so as he strolled around outside his observatory he managed to slip out of the Other Realm and into London proper.

He turned sharply, realizing that he had been spotted. Fae rules were…well, complicated, and if a human saw him in his true form he’d owe them a favor (within reason, of course). If they ran away and didn’t claim their favor, he’d have the misfortune of being summoned to their side the next time they vaguely wished for something, and he certainly didn’t want that.

“Who’s there? Stay where you are!” he said, hoping it was a stray animal or something equally harmless.

[Wildcard]

[Write your own prompt!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I saw you… ?" Oh! It clicks in her head. Possibly. Is this a fae law of some sort?

She wonders if this applies to all the fae or only specific types. Better to be safe than sorry and find out what the restrictions here are. "Anything I want? I have a feeling there are limits to what that means, of course."

Drat. She figured it out.

"Yes, there are limits. I'm not leaving London entirely, for example. Nor am I going to be your personal servant for the next year," he said sternly, "Ask for something silly like that and you'll get nothing, so think it over."

She isn't dummy. She, um, likes to think she isn't a dummy so of she's being careful with this opportunity in her hands.

Since he's being honest with her, might as well be honest with him and hope it doesn't bite her in the long run of things.

"There was an urge to ask you to not harm spirits by eating them or making deal with their souls," she says, "but I have a feeling that'll backfire on me and others very soon… Can I ask you to not harm a spirit in particular?"

Seems small enough to ask. Right?

"Just one?" he says, thinking on it for a moment.

He didn't like being restricted in such a way, but in the case of ghosts there were always plenty to go around. He waved his hand, "Alright."

"Just one," she said, more or less making a promise to him at that point. No sense in being greedy when she just wants to ensure someone's safety.

"What I want in return is that you vow to not harm a spirit who goes by the name of Aradia. She used to be a witch-- She's a ghost now and she's the one you don't bother. At all."

She thinks this is how it goes. She hopes this is how it works.

"This wasn't for yourself?" he said, "How curious. Very well, then, I give you my word that I will not harm that spirit."

She shakes her head at his question, believing that she'll be fine without guaranteed protection from harm. She's been around long enough to dodge and hide effectively from a lot of things and people and others.

A fae's attempts to get her can't be any different. "Good to hear! And one last question before I go, honest: What exactly happen if you don't keep your word or try to break it? For curiosity's sake."

Just to make sure if this is really something she can put stock into next time she comes across Aradia and informs her of this. Never hurts to be careful when it comes to anything involving magic.

"I wouldn't be able to break my word. We can be tricky, yes, but our word is our bond. We aren't humans, who can simply decide we don't want the deal anymore," he said.

In that way, at least, they were trustworthy. That didn't mean he'd protect her from other fae, but he couldn't harm her himself.

He can't break it? She keeps his comment of 'tricky' in mind for later but she's fine for now. What he said is what she needed to hear from him in regards to this arrangement

"That's all I needed to know. I think I should leave you be now. Wouldn't want you to have to make another deal with someone." Thank you very much, Steffi. That's one form of guarantee for Aradia's safety in the future.

August Catch All

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject