The Tale of These Days - Arkadius Hogg - 06/07/2020
Jul 9, 2020 12:26:16 GMT
Pieni, BB, and 4 more like this
Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2020 12:26:16 GMT
The office was dark, Arkadius hadn't lit any of the candles in the room. He was sitting at his desk, shuffling paperwork, with Ida sitting on his shoulder. Arkadius was oddly chipper, a lot more content in himself than he had been over the previous five weeks.
Ida’s voice in his head stopped abruptly as he turned his head slightly so he could glare at her, a slight smile hiding in the corner of his mouth. “We wouldn't be sitting in a tree, and you know it,” he said out loud, sarcasm dripping off his voice. “Besides, Kassandra wouldn't want me.”
A few seconds passed before Ida continued, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! She finished with a squeak, falling off of Arkadiu’ shoulder, rolling down his arm onto the desk. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself with her. You're as bad as Igrainne, he thought, replying to Ida mentally.
It isn't my fault, Arky. You're in love again, and you won't admit it! And besides, she said, copying his way of speaking, you didn't deny you don't want her. You just said she wouldn't want you. Game, set and match.
Arkadius had returned to Daring Hights on a personal trip, for the first time in the five weeks since the battles in Avernus. The only trips he had made over the last five weeks were there-and-back-straight-away trips made on the FfirstGroup carriages, making the regular drop-offs to Wendy for the city. In truth, he’d been avoiding the city, it’s inhabitants, and… he didn’t want to look certain people in the eye, or speak to certain people. It would bring up the memories from weeks ago that he’d been repressing, through work.
But alas, it was finally time to face the city, and face whatever thunder might approach. He had a spare day, and he’d resigned to spending the weekend in Daring Heights. When he arrived, he headed straight for the Ettin, the worthiest of worthy drinking establishments. While he knew he was bound to bump into at least someone there, he would be able to escape with a whiskey.
“Can I help you?”, came a returning voice. Arkadius blinked, he didn’t realise that he had actually loudly scoffed, and his cheeks burned a little, but it didn’t stop him from replying. “I was there, in Avernus, and it wasn’t all fun and games. People died.”
“Oh yeah, you were there were you? And while I was up in the sky disabling the portal, what were you doing?”
A look of realisation was plastered all over Arkadius’ face. THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING, he immediately thought. He stood up, and walked over to the table where the person was sitting, taking one of the seats. “Ah, you were one of that group. Then I owe you a drink for a job well done.” Arkadius and Cadfan introduced themselves to each other, while shortly afterwards, Bones joined them, around about the same time that Igrainne sidled up, and G’Lorth was escorted in by his retainers. This elicited an eye-roll from Arkadius, he remembered G’Lorth clearly.
And he was still the way Arkadius remembered him, trying to advertise for a Council seat, which Coll promptly advised him against doing so in his establishment. This made Arkaidius smile, until Coll approached him too. “Arkadius. I have a letter for you, arrived not long ago.”
Arkadius raised an eyebrow, curiosity taking the better of him as he took the letter from Coll opening it slowly.
“Dear Arkadius,
It has been a few weeks, and you still owe me a round.
Return to K’ul Goran soon.
Yours,
Kassandra”
He folded up the letter, put it in his pocket, and stood up. “While this catch-up has been great, I’m afraid I have other matters to attend to. I need to head over to K’ul Goran and… meet up with a friend… I have a date with Kassandra.”
All hell was let loose when he finished speaking, surrounding the misused words, with all the others immediately latching on; Igrainne was singing “Arkadius and Kassandra, sitting in a tree”, and G’Lorth offering to assist to see the “true course of love come true”. All the while, Arkadius was hugely embarrassed. Coll asked them, if they were heading to K’ul Goran, to take some letters over to Ambassador Girelle Veluss, and in that moment Arkadius was also ashamed that he had been avoiding the Ambassador, and hadn’t spoken to him since before heading to Avernus. He was… letting so many things slide.
The group approached the portal, and thanks to the letters in hand were able to portal to K’ul Goran on official business. The letters were delivered to the Ambassador, and the group left the diplomatic building to head to the tavern which Arkadius knew Kassandra would be drinking at. He remembered the way too, and both Arkadius and Kassandra spotted each other the moment he crossed the threshold of the tavern. She approached, and he smiled sadly at her, “Before you say anything, I know. I owe you a round, because you got thirty kills, and I got… all of three...”
“Now, now Arkadius, don’t forget about all of the Order of the Crimson Fist’s Heavy Cavalry, I heard you killed them too!”, G’Lorth interjected quickly, before he could continue speaking. Arkadius couldn’t say anything, but Kassandra spotted the tears forming slowly in his eyes, and changed the subject quickly. She took them to the bar, and bought the first round, a local specialty. Cadfan proposed a drinking contest, in which the final round came to him and Arkadius. Something weird happened with Arkadius and his last drink however, as he coughed and lost.
A few drinks later, Kassandra announced that she was to return to camp. Arkadius offered to walk her back, which prompted the rest of the group to follow too. Enroute they stopped at an orphanage, where a supply train was about to leave. Arkadius helped with the food queue, helping to serve people soup which had been prepared. They then travelled past the courts, where a member of the Vanguard was being sentenced, and as they left they were brought out of the courts, rotten tomatoes and the like being thrown by the crowd.
“I know you do , I remember. It’s… unconventional, we haven’t accepted anyone from outside K’ul Goran before, but… it would be great to fight alongside you again, Arkadius. Which gives me an idea…”
A fight was proposed, a mock fight for the new recruits, Daring Heights adventurers versus Errant Guard elite. A hard-fought battle, but the adventurers stole victory from the fighters. As they shook hands, Arkadius pushed healing magic through the handshakes, giving the Errant Guard a quick boost of healing energy by way of thanks.
Arkadius and Kassandra, sitting in a tree…
Ida’s voice in his head stopped abruptly as he turned his head slightly so he could glare at her, a slight smile hiding in the corner of his mouth. “We wouldn't be sitting in a tree, and you know it,” he said out loud, sarcasm dripping off his voice. “Besides, Kassandra wouldn't want me.”
A few seconds passed before Ida continued, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! She finished with a squeak, falling off of Arkadiu’ shoulder, rolling down his arm onto the desk. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself with her. You're as bad as Igrainne, he thought, replying to Ida mentally.
It isn't my fault, Arky. You're in love again, and you won't admit it! And besides, she said, copying his way of speaking, you didn't deny you don't want her. You just said she wouldn't want you. Game, set and match.
Arkadius had returned to Daring Hights on a personal trip, for the first time in the five weeks since the battles in Avernus. The only trips he had made over the last five weeks were there-and-back-straight-away trips made on the FfirstGroup carriages, making the regular drop-offs to Wendy for the city. In truth, he’d been avoiding the city, it’s inhabitants, and… he didn’t want to look certain people in the eye, or speak to certain people. It would bring up the memories from weeks ago that he’d been repressing, through work.
But alas, it was finally time to face the city, and face whatever thunder might approach. He had a spare day, and he’d resigned to spending the weekend in Daring Heights. When he arrived, he headed straight for the Ettin, the worthiest of worthy drinking establishments. While he knew he was bound to bump into at least someone there, he would be able to escape with a whiskey.
Arkadius was sitting at a table to the far back of the establishment, with a clear view of the door, so he could see who was going to enter, and potentially approach him and cause him trouble. Thankfully, nobody did, but… he could hear someone talking loudly about the Avernus adventures, and he couldn’t help but scoff loudly. It seems not everybody has a clear view of wh…
“Oh yeah, you were there were you? And while I was up in the sky disabling the portal, what were you doing?”
A look of realisation was plastered all over Arkadius’ face. THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING, he immediately thought. He stood up, and walked over to the table where the person was sitting, taking one of the seats. “Ah, you were one of that group. Then I owe you a drink for a job well done.” Arkadius and Cadfan introduced themselves to each other, while shortly afterwards, Bones joined them, around about the same time that Igrainne sidled up, and G’Lorth was escorted in by his retainers. This elicited an eye-roll from Arkadius, he remembered G’Lorth clearly.
And he was still the way Arkadius remembered him, trying to advertise for a Council seat, which Coll promptly advised him against doing so in his establishment. This made Arkaidius smile, until Coll approached him too. “Arkadius. I have a letter for you, arrived not long ago.”
Arkadius raised an eyebrow, curiosity taking the better of him as he took the letter from Coll opening it slowly.
“Dear Arkadius,
It has been a few weeks, and you still owe me a round.
Return to K’ul Goran soon.
Yours,
Kassandra”
He folded up the letter, put it in his pocket, and stood up. “While this catch-up has been great, I’m afraid I have other matters to attend to. I need to head over to K’ul Goran and… meet up with a friend… I have a date with Kassandra.”
All hell was let loose when he finished speaking, surrounding the misused words, with all the others immediately latching on; Igrainne was singing “Arkadius and Kassandra, sitting in a tree”, and G’Lorth offering to assist to see the “true course of love come true”. All the while, Arkadius was hugely embarrassed. Coll asked them, if they were heading to K’ul Goran, to take some letters over to Ambassador Girelle Veluss, and in that moment Arkadius was also ashamed that he had been avoiding the Ambassador, and hadn’t spoken to him since before heading to Avernus. He was… letting so many things slide.
The group approached the portal, and thanks to the letters in hand were able to portal to K’ul Goran on official business. The letters were delivered to the Ambassador, and the group left the diplomatic building to head to the tavern which Arkadius knew Kassandra would be drinking at. He remembered the way too, and both Arkadius and Kassandra spotted each other the moment he crossed the threshold of the tavern. She approached, and he smiled sadly at her, “Before you say anything, I know. I owe you a round, because you got thirty kills, and I got… all of three...”
“Now, now Arkadius, don’t forget about all of the Order of the Crimson Fist’s Heavy Cavalry, I heard you killed them too!”, G’Lorth interjected quickly, before he could continue speaking. Arkadius couldn’t say anything, but Kassandra spotted the tears forming slowly in his eyes, and changed the subject quickly. She took them to the bar, and bought the first round, a local specialty. Cadfan proposed a drinking contest, in which the final round came to him and Arkadius. Something weird happened with Arkadius and his last drink however, as he coughed and lost.
A few drinks later, Kassandra announced that she was to return to camp. Arkadius offered to walk her back, which prompted the rest of the group to follow too. Enroute they stopped at an orphanage, where a supply train was about to leave. Arkadius helped with the food queue, helping to serve people soup which had been prepared. They then travelled past the courts, where a member of the Vanguard was being sentenced, and as they left they were brought out of the courts, rotten tomatoes and the like being thrown by the crowd.
The group approached the camp, Arkadius had spotted recruitment posters posted every so often through the city, on walls and noticeboards. This reminded him of something, a goal he had been fighting for just weeks and months ago. “Kassandra… I meant what I said before, you know. I want to join the Errant Guard. I want to help.”
A fight was proposed, a mock fight for the new recruits, Daring Heights adventurers versus Errant Guard elite. A hard-fought battle, but the adventurers stole victory from the fighters. As they shook hands, Arkadius pushed healing magic through the handshakes, giving the Errant Guard a quick boost of healing energy by way of thanks.
