Post by Elias/Frigus/Chartreuse/Azriel on Jun 8, 2024 21:43:51 GMT
Different Paths
RP by Digs(Tom M), Frigus and Waffles
This RP takes place a few weeks after the events of Snowfall
RP by Digs(Tom M), Frigus and Waffles
This RP takes place a few weeks after the events of Snowfall
Digs nervously walks up the beautifully manicured garden path leading to Frigus' home. The garden is lush with a large tree providing shade and variety of strange flowers, like a white and pale blue echo of the BBBBBBB next door. The small front door is painted a pastel blue with a little silver knocker in the shape of an dragons egg coated in scales. Digs raises a hand to knock on the door. He hesitates at the last moment and is paralysed right at the point of knocking. For a few seconds he just stands there before he slowly lowers his hand, sighs, and turns away to leave, pulling his hood up over his head as he does so.
Frigus who has been standing looking out of the small circular window above the sink as they finish up the dishes from preparing lunch watches this with an intrigued look. Seeing Digs move to leave they open the window and lean out their small clawed feet dangling off the ground.
“Hi Digs, you not gonna come inside? I just made summer rolls and sushi if you want some food.”
Digs winces and stops in his tracks.
“Oh hi, umm... actually…” he sighs to himself - he's walked a long way to get here. "Yeah, food sounds good."
“Come in, come in. Want an iced coffee or is this a cocktail catch up?” Frigus scuttles over to the front door and opens it becoming Digs in to the cool interior of the house. The door opens into a welcoming living room with two lovely sofas with plump cushions and various knitted blankets draped over the sides. The walls are sparsely decorated with cross-stitch art and woven tapestries and Digs sees numerous pictures of Waffles and a large one of Frigus, Orianna, Calla, Matches, Henri and Florian with Waffles floating above. There seem to be some spaces left in the picture. Frigus gestures over to a small table near the fireplace, which is rarely lit but has a small painting of a fire to give the effect. The table is in front of a circular window looking out of large circular window into a back garden which has views across road between Fort Ettin and New Hillborough. The table is already laid out with various cold cuts, summer rolls, fruit salads and sushi.
“I… whichever?” Digs walks in and rubs his arms at the cold. A thought crosses his mind that he wouldn’t have this problem if he was wearing his armour.
“Oh, sorry when it's just Waffles and I we don't bother with the fire on but I can light one if you're chilly?” Frigus gets up delicately removes the picture of the fire and places a few logs down and whispers a few words to Waffles who burps up some fire onto the logs.
“I- you don’t need to do this kind of…” Digs sputters trying to stem the overwhelming tide of hospitality, his eyes locked on Waffles the whole time, “I won’t be here long I just- I guess I had some questions.”
“Nonsense, you are welcome to stay as long as you want.”
Frigus zips around plating up some snacks and drinks and places them on the table for Digs.
Waffles gives an expectant look to Digs as though they want to play but seeing the nerves slinks off to a small pile of coins in the corner which they use to nap on. Finally, Frigus takes a seat.
“Now, what did you want to talk about?”
Digs picks a seat that lets him keep Waffles in his eye-line. The young dragon is already lying upsides down and gently snoring.
“I guess I want to know how you got here. Like, you said a bit before, but what actually happened to you back where you came from that made you leave.” He pauses and quickly adds, “If you’re okay telling me.”
Frigus' smile drops a bit at the question but they nod.
“Yeah, well... I was part of a family that worshipped a really big White Dragon. We were thieves and bandits. A lot of my less savoury skills came from that time…”
They swirl the iced coffee a bit, eyes staring as the pale brown liquid moves. The ice clinking is the only sound in the room except for the soft snores coming from Waffles.
“I won't go into too much detail but the schism between my family and I started when I didn't want to take a shot and a life. My egg mother was never as good of a shot with the bow so they always wanted me to be the one up in the trees picking people off.”
They look over to Waffles, now legs kicking a bit at the air and their smile comes back for just a moment.
“They told the dragon that I failed and they blamed me for not being able to offer up treasure that day. The Dragon told me that if I wasn't providing treasure to add to their hoard then I would join their second hoard. They showed it to me. All the people that had come to slay them or raid their treasure, they were so still, frozen statues in their last moments and I knew that if they wanted to there was nothing stopping them from adding my frozen sculpture. It was gonna happen if I didn't get out of there.”
They let out a small sigh and brush a bit at their eyes.
“I waited around for a while... to see if I could find someone to whisk me away. But nobody came. So when they sent me on my next assignment, I waited till they were sneaking up on someone and I ran and I haven't been back since.”
Digs listens attentively during the story, his knuckles going white for parts of it.
“That all sounds… pretty familiar.” He pauses, “You’re the first kobold I’ve spoken to since I got here who’s not from Kundar. They don’t get it. They worship dragon gods and that’s… that’s a whole thing. But they’re not right there watching them so it’s different. They don’t get it. The humans and whatever don’t get it either.”
He cocks his head at Frigus. “You get it. Or at least you should. What made you put yourself back in the same situation?”
“Do you think I’m in the same situation?” they glance around the room at their quaint little home.
“When I left my old home, which was a cold cave in the side of a mountain, I wandered for a long time. I didn’t know what to do with myself really. I didn’t used to be this good at resisting the cold, it was hard and pretty lonely.”
“One day, when I thought I was going to freeze to death, I found a cave and stumbled in. It turns out that a Silver Dragon lived there and they were kind to me. They gave me food and a warm place. I stayed for a few days to recover and they asked me if I would care for an egg.”
Their eyes drift over to Waffles again who is twitching in their sleep and pretending to roar, wings flapping gently underneath their body.
“At first, I thought much the same as you did, that I’d be trading one tyrant for another and the only dragon I had known until this point was bad, so surely this is a trap. But the more I thought about it and waited, ready for it, the more I realised that no trap was being sprung and that this was exactly what I needed. I could prove to myself that not all dragons had to be twisted and evil. I could raise him to be nice, not a monster but an equal.”
Their eyes drift back over to Digs. “As for the herald stuff, that was also my choice. I stumbled into it when trying to help some baby dragons get to a safe home which raises them like I raised Waffles.”
Their eyes move down to Digs’ weapons.
“I know you don’t trust Waffles or any of them but really, he won’t hurt you. Maybe if you got to know him a bit you could see dragons are a case by case basis? He really does seem to like you.”
Digs isn’t wearing his armour, he knows that wouldn’t be popular, but he always has two swords on him. The magic sword Delilah gave him and the broken knightly longsword he keeps with him as a reminder.
“I know Waffles won’t hurt me because Waffles is over there and I’m over here and I’m fine with that thank you.” He snaps.
He bats the side of his head with his palm, “I’m sorry that was rude and I’m trying to understand it. I really am. I just… I don’t get how you live like this.”
He gestures around at the house “You live above ground in a flammable building with like twenty six entry points and I didn’t even hear a lock turn before you opened that door. That’s crazy to me. If someone wanted to kill you you just wouldn’t wake up one day you must know that right?”
“What were your hatching family like to you before you said no to something? And have you ever said no to your new one?”
“Because maybe this is where our stories are different, but everything with my family looked safe and fine and everything until the day it wasn’t.”
Frigus’ hand flies up to the spot Digs hit his head and almost instinctively healing magic fills their hand. They boop the spot gently and the area is flooded with gentle cold feeling like the first sip of cold water on a hot day.
“You don’t have to apologise for setting boundaries Digs and please don’t hurt yourself.”
Their eyes harden a bit “My hatching family were mean. I didn’t realise it until years in but they were. They robbed and killed and were ready to give up everything to that monster. Even me.”
They relax a bit and sit back down “I live in this house because it’s cosy. But it was a gift from Thalisdraza and I’m sure there’s some defences in here somewhere…” they suspiciously eye the walls for a moment but snap out of it. “Anyway, I can’t control what comes to kill me, but I do live next door to one of the most powerful sorcerer’s in the land and my friends can walk through a tree in the garden to the front door at a moments notice so I think I’m as safe as I’m going to be.”
“The sewers you live in. They are below ground, they’re not flammable and they have limited exits. They’re safer than a house on a hill but when was the last time you could relax there?”
“I…” Digs’ mind drifts back to the time Zola used her paladin abilities to remove his fear, “That’s not important! My place is safe, it’s hidden, nobody goes there, and it’s mine. Nobody can just decide to take it away one day and if they do then I’ll make them bleed for it and even if they win and they take it from me they have to live in a sewer and then who wins really?” He smiles smugly as he says this and his face begins to drop as he hears it out loud for the first time.
“But what I’m saying is that everything here could be gone tomorrow. If Thalisdraza gave it to you then they can take it away. And you’re saying there’s magical defences on the place you live that you don’t know the full details of? I can’t imagine just giving someone the power to ruin my life like that.”
“I know it could be gone tomorrow but anything could happen tomorrow. I can't control if another Githyanki raid happens or if Tiamat herself shows up and steps on my home. But if those horrible things do happen, then I'm sure my friends would show up to help me.”
They gently push another snack forward as their mind flashes back to the sewer falafel.
“I don't think that safety comes from how many walls we have up, or how hidden our homes are. My safety comes from having trust in people to support me and protect me when we can't do it alone. I don't rely on just Thalisdraza, she's maybe objectively the strongest ally I have but if she chooses not to or if she can't help me in a moment of need then I trust my friends to show up for me. I invited you here to let you know that if you need help at least two people will show up.”
Their eyes do flick over to Waffles, who is now back to snoring into a small pile of gold, as they say the last sentence.
Frigus just looks confused and gets more snack as
Digs doesn’t appear to be eating anything, but every time they look back at it there are fewer snacks in the bowl.
“I don’t need anyone’s help, I’m doing fine!” He snarls and screws his eyes tightly shut for a moment. He goes to bat his head again, but stops and sighs, learning from the last time.
“Sorry. I do appreciate the offer and I think a bit of me even believes you mean it.”
“But you’re all building up to fight some kind of war because these dragons have made it so they have a crossbow pointed at the world’s head if they lose? Right? I mean this in the nicest way because you’re all so kind to me, but you and Orianna and Florian… I guess that’s it. You’re all so nice. How’s that even going to work?“
Frigus smiles and fetches a notebook from a small shelf “I don't know every detail of this war, I've been trying to learn as much as I can. Though I should say that Thalisdraza and I don't want to fight anyone but I don't think we are going to be left with much of a choice. From what I do know, the Archwyrm's were created to fight the Elemental Incarnates and to keep them sealed. I know you're not inclined to trust them but I don't think they made it to be that way. I don't want to use too grand a metaphor but it fits unfortunately. It wasn't the sun's choice that if it stops shining we all die.”
They sigh again picking at a bit of fruit before speaking again.
“I know every instinct in your body is probably screaming at you that I'm being tricked. I could be, it's not impossible. But in the same way I don't know what will happen tomorrow, I gotta do what feels right now and I feel like being a Herald and helping keep my friends safe is the right thing to do.”
They raise their eyes from the fruit and look into Digs' eyes. "I think you came to visit for a reason. I've been in a place were I was so focused on what I need to survive that I forgot to look at wants. So I'm going to ask, not if you need help, but if you want it?"
“I want to do the right thing. I think you, and the rest of you in the cul-“ Digs stops himself, “Family; want to do the right thing too and if you’re being tricked into doing the wrong thing then the idea of that makes me very very angry.”
“You’re right. I don’t need to know what you’re doing, but there are enough people I don’t want to get hurt involved that I want to understand it so that one way or another big powerful things don’t get to hurt little people who don’t deserve it. If it turns out that all these dragons are good ones then I don’t want these Primordials to do that either.”
“I can't give an assurance that nobody will be hurt in the fight to come. As I understand it…” Frigus goes on to give a cohesive overview of the situation. As the story finishes, they add "You haven't answered my question though. I don't expect you to be involved in the war unless you want or feel you need to be. But, if you want my help Digs, you have it.”
Their eyes fall on the food again, more of which has disappeared.
“Either Waffles has become telekinetic in their sleep, there is an invisible Wing Commander Darius stealing things that aren't crumbs or the food is in your pockets... judging by the dripping from your pockets some food would be helpful?”
They soften a little bit further.
“You can have as much as you want and... and I don't want to scare you off here by it seeming too good to be true but... you can stay here any time you like. I have a guest room or a basement if you feel more comfortable underground. It only has two exits.”
They seem to blush a little bit and look away quickly and due to their inability to hide things it's obvious they're worried they've gone too far.
Digs looks embarrassed at being caught out, “I’m really sorry it’s just… you know you see food you pocket food because you might be really hungry later? Bad habit.”
“I know everyone thinks I’m a bad person, but what I want is to help people who can’t help themselves. Back home there was this paladin called Dorsey and she was the bravest person I ever met and she made me think I could be like her, and I know that’s not true now, but I want to try.”
“I don’t want fancy food or a comfy house I want to know that there are a few less people out there who had to grow up like I did. For every evil dragon I kill who knows how many people get to live wouldn’t? Or at least, get to not to turn out like me. If you want to help with that then yeah, I’d appreciate it, but I don’t want charity or pity.”
“And for the record: if you ever want to go back and see that dragon that fucked you over I think there’s an opportunity to stop what happened to you happening to anyone else too.”
Frigus makes direct eye contact with Digs. "I do not think you are a bad person. I know you have good intentions in what you do. I don't agree it's the best way to do it but I see that despite how scared you are, you are fighting to protect people. I don't know Dorsey or how brave she was but I think you are brave and if she is brave too you are like her."
They let their eyes drift back over the table.
“I know you say you don't want fancy food or a comfy house, you want to protect people but... you deserve one. They are not exclusive of each other. You deserve to feel safe, you deserve to have a home and you deserve to know where your next meal is coming from. It's not pity or charity that motivates me, it's caring for my friend. If you let me I will help you fight bad dragons and I will help you find somewhere you can go between the fights that is a home. You don't have to stay here if you don't want to but you deserve better than living alone in the sewers.”
Digs draws the broken sword on his back suddenly enough to be alarming and puts it on the table, sliding it over to Frigus. It’s a knightly longsword, or at least it was. It’s a handle, crossguard and pommel with a jagged shard of broken metal sticking out of the hilt. It’s clearly sized for someone bigger than either of them and the gem at the hilt, possibly once magical, is cracked and lightning scarred.
“This is all that’s left of Dorsey. I told you about being tied to a stake? There were two stakes. They were so busy looking at her being brave and noble that they didn’t see when I escaped and left her to die.”
“Orianna has been nothing but nice to me since she first saw me and all I ever did was lie to her.”
“You already know about the armour I need to do what I do.”
“People think I’m a bad person because I am a bad person Frigus. Don’t tell me what I deserve.”
Frigus remains calm as the sword comes out, they look at it and look sad for a moment. Then resolve themselves "Why did you do those things? Why did you run? Why did you lie? Why do you put that armour on?"
Digs holds Frigus’ eye contact for a second and then looks down ashamed as tears start to run down his face. “I ran because I was scared. I lied because I was scared. I put the armour on because I’d rather be a monster than be a victim again.”
Digs grits his teeth and continues to avoid eye contact, “This was a mistake. Thanks for the food.” He snatches the sword back and stands up to leave.
“I asked you this because I want you to know that being scared and doing something because of it doesn't make you bad. Digs, please look at me.”
They wait for a beat to give him a chance to look. "You did them to survive. That doesn't make you bad. If you want to leave I can't and won't stop you."
They stand and move round the table to be on the same side as Digs.
“But I think you're leaving because you're scared that this conversation could lead somewhere good and you're afraid that good things can be taken away. But the truly good things are worth the risk.”
They open their arms for a smol hug "The fear you're feeling is just like a bad dragon, I know you know that the only way to beat them is to stand and face it. It’s also much easier with friends."
Digs steps back away from the hug and speaks angrily, “Frigus I’m not here because I want you to look after me or whatever. So what if I don't have a fancy house or water that you can see through or food that tastes really good or like friends and stuff? I’m still alive because of the way I am and you can think it’s all in my head all you like but you don’t need to fix me.”
“Please I am begging you to think about what I’ve said and not just dismiss it as me being crazy.”
Frigus’ face falls as they drops their arms.
“I never said you were crazy Digs, I disagreed with you that the Archwyrms are bad. I never said you were bad, I told you that I think you’re doing what you think is right for you. I never said you need to be fixed, I offered to help you face problems you know are there with a friend.”
“I want to be your friend because I see the good in you, not because of any lies you’ve told or how many bad dragons you’ve killed. I don’t want to fix you, I just want to help you feel less scared, help you kick the butts of some mean dragons and maybe even make a few happy memories along the way. Can you let me do that?”
Digs studies Frigus, looking for any sign that he's anything other than just an almost aggravatingly nice person and gives up. For the first time in a long time he actually does something approaching or at least adjacent to letting his guard down in front of someone he has every reason to distrust.
He lets out a deep sigh and relaxes slightly, "Thank you. I'm not going to go near Waffles any time soon, but I do want you and I to be friends."
“I'm not really much of a hugger…” he says as he awkwardly reaches a small clawed hand out to shake.
Frigus smiles and shakes Digs’ hand.