Proposals and Preposterous Rumours
Aug 9, 2024 17:52:16 GMT
Andy D, Beets The Beetle (Feenix), and 1 more like this
Post by Zaspar on Aug 9, 2024 17:52:16 GMT
Proposals and Preposterous Rumours
A catch up set loosely after Charlie’s ‘A Light in the Void’
Zaspar and Beets The Beetle (Feenix)
A catch up set loosely after Charlie’s ‘A Light in the Void’
Zaspar and Beets The Beetle (Feenix)
Dawn was breaking over the rooftops of Daring Heights as Beets coached Zaspar through a Bugkour warmup. Ten minutes into the session, Zaspar had already fumbled two simple backflips - his movements clumsy and uncoordinated. As he attempted to backspring over a minor obstacle, he dropped his rapier and it clanged to the rooftop's gutter.
Zaspar stared at the rapier, not speaking, and took a seat. His mind was weighed down. The rumour about Beets decapitating someone with her teeth, his disastrous proposal, the pressure from his father—all of it felt like a heavy weight on his shoulders.
He turned to look at Beets and inadvertently grimaced as she clacked over to collect his rapier. The weight of his thoughts hung heavily in the air. Surely such a kind, generous young woman couldn't be capable of ... that? He continued to stare at Beets.
–
Beets couldn't resist giving Zaspar’s sword an experimental twirl in her hand as she retrieved it. It was much lighter and easier to use than that big clunky glowing longsword she had once owned… What happened to that?
She stood for a moment trying to think back, the early rising sun flashing off the window of a neighbouring building. Quick and sudden like a.. lighting bolt. Suddenly, she remembered.
She'd abandoned it. No, discarded it, flung it away during the battle that stormy night defending Fort Ettin from the Githyanki invasion.
It had been a tough night for many reasons. She'd struggled with that bloody sword. That droning in her head getting louder and louder the more frustrated she'd grown with each failed swing she'd made against the Githyanki soldiers. Louder and louder, angrier and angrier. Until, with an angry yell, one that erupted from her lips as not her own voice but a piercing, screeching bestial roar, she'd flung the sword away and had finally given in to her-itching-buzzing-hungering overwhelming primal instincts and let them unleash their preferred methods of attack.
—
Zaspar watched Beets holding his rapier for an extended length of time, until the moment stretched on a little longer than felt comfortable. He wasn't sure quite what was happening, but Beets hadn't looked away from the rapier for a while now. He finally broke the silence, his voice soft and uncertain. "Beets, are you okay?" He glanced at his rapier in her hand, then back at her face. "You seem... distant."
Beets suddenly stirred, flitting up as if reflexively into the air as she turned to face him. “Oh sorry Zaspar, guess I bugged..-nodded off for a minute there.” She gives her head a good shake, her hair flopping around her large ears before she flits over and lands down beside Zaspar, offering out not only his rapier but a paper bag from a large pouch at her side.
“Why don’t we take a little bakery break, my treat. Early morning workouts are great and all, but it’s important to keep your energy up when learning something new,” she smiles, realising how much she sounded like Kavel during her first workouts at Kavel’s corner.
When Beets landed beside him, offering not only his rapier but also a paper bag, Zaspar’s eyes lit up. He took a bite of one of the muffins, savouring the sweet, comforting flavour. As he chewed, he glanced at Beets, who seemed genuinely happy to share this moment with him. He took a deep breath, feeling a need to share something... anything... to start the conversation.
"Beets, there's something I should tell you," he began, his voice a bit hesitant. "Well, actually, there's a lot of things I should tell you. Can we start at the start?" He pauses, not wanting to ramble as he usually does.
"My name wasn't always Zaspar. It was Adagio until about two months ago. Zaspar is a sort of... aspirational name, I guess you could call it. Elves in my lineage take adult names when we turn one hundred. I wanted something memorable for when I was an adventurer. It means The Holy Fist so people often think I'm some sort of cleric boxer."
He paused, taking another bite of the muffin to buy himself a moment. "I suppose I just wanted you to know that. Since you're my mentor and all, it feels right to be honest with you." He gives her a very pointed look over his muffin, hoping she somehow would get the hint about honesty.
Beets had taken her own breakfast muffin from the bag and had stopped mid-bite, noting Zaspar’s discomfort and realising probably chomping through whatever revelation he was about about to admit would seem a bit rude, but upon hearing it she can’t help but betray the smile that comes to her lips.
“I kinda actually knew that Zaspar. That is-I know what Zaspar means in Elvish. My Gramps taught me to speak it, he said some of the best tales he knew were best told in Elvish as they were written, so it was a good thing to learn. 'Though I admit I’m little rusty.’" She adds in a slightly clunky yet still familiar musical toned accent of Elvish tongue. “Did think it was strange hearing you introduce yourself as 'The Holy Fist-The Holy Fist’ ”, she says back in common with a chuckling little laugh,“I guess that’s for the benefit of those who don’t speak Elvish right?” she smiled back.
Zaspar couldn't help but smile himself at Beets' response. "You sound like my sister, that's exactly what she said when I chose my name!" he said with a chuckle of his own, appreciating her effort to speak Elvish. But then his smile faded, and he sighed deeply. "Ugh... speaking of my sister... Okay, so I went on an adventure earlier this week, and a few things happened that I should tell you about."
He looked down at his muffin, picking at it absentmindedly. "So, we were in the Plane of Vacuum, getting some pieces for the Heralds or whatever. Anyway, my father has been pushing me into these arranged marriages to strengthen our House. But I rejected them all. I wanted to find someone on my own terms, you know? So, I met this beautiful woman and asked if she wanted to be my consort." He paused, feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration.
"I... She was the Archwyrm Eroshira.
It wasn’t a complete disaster, but she did reject me, and it was all so awkward. I thought it would impress my father, but... Gods, it was embarrassing when I told him. He yelled at me for embarrassing the family, my sister had to step in to get him to stop..." He stops talking abruptly and looks back to Beets finally, waiting for...Reassurance? Support? Just any kind of answer, really.
Beets sits quietly for a few moments as Zaspar trails off. She doesn’t say or do anything, her face not betraying any initial response to Zaspar’s words, before slowly she lifts her hand and reaches up to rest it gently on his upper arm below the shoulder. “That sounds awful,” Beets says tactfully, “Are you..okay?”
Zaspar smiles tightly. “Yes, thank you. It’s not the first time I’ve disappointed him, nor will it be the last,” he replies, looking up to stare into the rising sun. “I know you can’t please everyone, but Father can be impossible. I thought he would be happy if I took the initiative to try and find a politically important spouse, but of course it was all wrong.”
He clears his throat and speaks in a deeper voice than usual, in typically lilting Elvish: “Adagio, your failures continue to mount. When will you bring success upon our house? Give up this adventuring nonsense and start studying how to rule. It won’t come naturally to a fool like you.”
Zaspar sighs and reaches up to fiddle with the circlet on his forehead. “Anyway, that’s one part of the adventure.“ He looks over to Beets and smiles gently. “What about you - what are your family like? I haven’t heard you mention them much, Beets.” He pats her hand resting on his shoulder both in gratitude and encouragement - encouraging her to hopefully open up, before they get into what he considers are the ‘real’ questions.
–
Whilst Beets’ exterior composure appeared honed and calm as the pink sunrise now peeking up over the city walls-inside her mind was flittin’as fast as her wings had that day she’d had that race around Daring Heights with Pipper.
Zaspar had asked an Archwyrm to marry him. A dragon, and not just a normal dragon-the flit’gistics in itself a whole other matter of thinking- but an all powerful supernatural-potentially buggin’ginormous dragon. One that belonged to an order of other super-dragons bound on preventing a rival potentially world-destroying force of equally large elemental creatures.
So sure, Beets had heard tell of ‘love at first sight’ since she’d moved here-but flit. Chatting over drinks first would probably have been a good idea first, just to allow some important factoids and lore to be laid out on the table.
Like how you’re a giant draconic-being in human form for one, or how you’re not really interesting seeking a love life but actually wouldn’t mind a go at examining or possibly dissecting you to see how your bug and fairy body works-that had been an awkward yet important point to establish with that academic professor fella.
Zaspar hadn’t done it for love though. He said he’d done it to impress his pa.
Beets hadn’t even realised arranged marriages were even still a thing. They were just something from a long time ago that had come up in some of Gramps’ old tales. To hear Zaspar speaking about them now and choosing a ‘politically-important’ match and his Pa’s scorn about ‘preparing to rule instead of playing the fool.’ It seemed more and more like his Pa treated this little patch of Faerun he owned, this estate, like a kingdom or a flittin’ Court of the Feywild than what it actually was. To have a father so ‘controlling’ and set so many expectations. Perhaps that was the real reason Zaspar had left and come to The Dawnlands.
Beets was just thinking how best to approach the matter when Zaspar’s touch on her hand completely bugged-off her trail of thought.
“Huh-what?” She stirred in response, the smile dropping from her face to be replaced with a confused stare.
Zaspar clears his throat awkwardly. “Your family? I was just wondering what they’re like. You don’t have to answer, though,” he adds quickly, worrying he’s crossed a line.
"Oh..W-well." Beets started, her eyes trailing off from Zaspar's face to look out at the brightening horizon. "There was m-my Pa, and m-my Gramps...Pa..isn't around anymore, and Gramps..I don't know.." Her words end as if pulled away by some sudden gust of wind.
"Oh... right... um," Zaspar awkwardly scratches the back of his neck. "Beets, we don't have to talk about this," he reassured, looking to face her and smiling gently. "There was actually... something else I wanted to discuss, if you'd rather," he hesitated, knowing that what he actually had next on the discussion list was probably even more awkward.
"Oh, sure." Beets said, giving her head a little shake, before turning back to face him, trying her best to form some kind of smile on her face. "What is it?"
"Umm... well… hmmm…" he scrunches his face up, unsure how to proceed. "Actually maybe we can do some more training for a bit and have a break from talking... the thing I wanted to discuss is... yeah," Zaspar hurriedly stands up and dusts his hands off, offering one to Beets. "Let's Bugkour a bit and then we can chat?"
"Zaspar." Beets says, staring up at him. "Am I your mentor?"
"Wh - yes, of course," a shocked look falls over him, "Unless you don't want to be? Is it something I did? I'm sorry Beets if you don't want to be my mentor anymore I understand - "
Beets suddenly zips up and puts a finger on his lips stopping him mid flow. "Zaspar.
Shush."
Zaspar nods, still shocked, waiting for whatever Beets has to say.
"Bug you go on sometimes." Beets continues, her finger still held to silence him, the drone of her wing beats filling the absence of sound in the air apart from the distant noises below of the Daring Heights townsfolk waking up for the day. "You remind me of me, heh," She allows herself a little laugh, and the flash of a true genuine grin appears on her face. "Flit, Marto was right. This was what it must have been like dealing with me." She comments, as if talking more to herself than to Zaspar. Beets turns back to him. "I meant, if I'm supposed to be your mentor, which you asked me to be. We have to feel comfortable about talking about things with one another. Would you agree?" She cocks her head slightly.
Zaspar moves Beets' hand away. "Ah. Yes, I suppose so, but some things are by their very nature uncomfortable," he begins. "Well... you see, hmm..." Zaspar takes a seat again. "How do I put this? I heard a rather strange rumour, about you, Beets, and I just wanted to see what it was about, really? I heard that you, that you erm..." he pauses, searching for a delicate way to phrase this. He doesn't find a delicate way, so just asks:
"I heard you removed someone's head with your teeth?"
"It was mandibles actually."
Zaspar blinked in surprise when Beets corrected him, but quickly composed himself, taking a steadying breath. "Oh, mandibles... right," he repeated, his voice controlled. He paused, letting the confirmation sink in. "So it wasn’t just a rumour," he said, nodding slowly. His eyes held a mix of curiosity and concern, though his tone remained calm. "I didn’t realise that was something you could do. Do you... um..." He hesitated, carefully choosing his next words. "How do you feel about it?" His voice softened, genuinely interested in understanding her perspective without passing judgement.
Beets still flits in the air, her hand still raised, but after a few moments sighs and lowers it, her arms crossing before landing, purposely choosing to give Zaspar a bit more space between them.
–
So it had come up already.
"Look the thing is with rumours Zaspar," Beets explains, her voice measured yet suddenly immensely tired sounding, "is that they can be mean, hurtful, and untrue. Unfortunately in my case there was more truth in them than I ever tried not to believe."
"Yes Zaspar, I've bit someone's head off. A bandit's. Do I remember doing it? Not really. How did I feel about it? Horrified. Utterly disgusted and sick to my stomach actually, especially when I found my face and mouth covered in his blood and my friends telling me...I'd drank from his headless neck." Beets shuts her eyes and tries very hard not to see the severed head of the bandit twin, his face still locked in a look of absolute terror at her as she scrambles away from his headless corpse as it leaks scarlet into the parched earth of the woodland clearing around her..
"I'm a monster Zaspar. I'm a bugged up-fucked up blend of whatever was my mother and a curse of an crazy ancient insect-ruling tyrant who seeked revenge on her for taking something that wasn't hers. I'm the result." Beets spreads her hands to gesture over herself before pulling up her beetle legs to cross her arms atop and rest her chin upon. An almost foetal position. One that she has spent a lot of time in over the years of her life.
“I can grow big beetle mandibles, and claws and, oh yes my head has turned into a full beetle head a few times when I've lost full control of myself. Of this..thing..here. This beast, inside me." She rests one hand against her chest over her heart. "I've bitten off more heads than I probably know, and attacked more creatures and feasted on their blood and flesh than I'd dare want to think. There...So now you know."
"Sorry I didn't say before." She adds, her eyes staring at the horizon, tears glistening at their rims like the sea caught in the sun.
–
Zaspar listens intently, his heart heavy with Beets' words. When she finishes, he stays quiet for a moment, letting the weight of her confession settle between them. Then, he scooches a little closer, but not too close, respecting her space. "Beets, my friend, you’re no monster. You’re a hero for going through all this and still standing strong. You deliver muffins across the city and mentor foolish new adventurers who propose to dragon queens or whatever the hell Eroshira's role is," he begins, rolling his eyes at himself again, "none of that seems monstrous to me. And there’s no need to apologise. I’m the one who’s sorry for listening to those rumours. I just wanted to make sure people weren’t spreading lies about someone I respect so much—only to end up bringing back heavy memories and forcing you to share something you weren’t ready to tell. For that, I can only apologise, Beets." Zaspar lets the apology linger in the air, giving Beets space to process everything. Then, he offers a gentle smile. "If you ever need someone to listen, just know I’m a trained musician—my ears work pretty well. And trust me, I’ve heard much worse from people attempting my flute. After all, let me quote you a few minutes ago: 'we have to feel comfortable about talking about things with one another'."
He pauses again, then holds out his fist in a familiar gesture. "You know, I didn't get this fist bump thing at first, but I think I see why you like it now. I’ve been practising with my little brother so I can do it properly. Humour me?" He shakes his fist near her, hoping she’ll see that he’s not afraid. Zaspar stays close, holding his fist steady.
Beets listens as Zaspar speaks and looks over as he finishes and holds his fist out towards her in the way she first taught him. She rubs a trickling tear from one cheek before she settles on the right words to speak. “You wanna know why I decided to go to the mentorship day Zas?
I went because I wanted to be there in case there was someone there on their very first day in the Dawnlands. Someone who was happy and excited, someone who was nervous and scared. But Hopeful. Hopeful that maybe, just maybe, they could find a new place to belong. Somewhere people didn’t shun or sneer at them. Didn’t call them mean names or pull their children away and fill their heads and mouths with cruel hurtful words or rumours about them. But accepted them, accepted no matter what they looked like or where they came from, and to be given the chance to find out and share with them who they really are.”
Beets looks over at Zaspar.
“I am a monster Zaspar. I’m not going to deny that. But I’m also my own person. I’m Beets Sunwater, and if I can hope to pass on anything to you, it is that you don’t need anyone else’s approval to be true to yourself and find out the kinda person you want to be. But, having people who care about you around you, and who are there to help share their own experiences and friendship to guide you, makes everything a whole lot nicer.”
She reaches out and bumps Zaspar’s fist with her own.
Zaspar smiles softly, the gesture grounding him in the present. He can see the relief in her eyes, and he feels a deep sense of gratitude for her openness. He glances down, briefly contemplating his father’s endless expectations in contrast to Beets' talk about self acceptance. “That’s deep stuff, Beets. Maybe it’s time I focus on what I want, instead of just trying to live up to what Father expects.”
He looks back at her with a grin. “And, ‘bug yeah,’ you are your own person. If you ever need a reminder of how great you are, I’d be delighted to tell you, and it sounds like I'm not the only one!”
Zaspar stands up, stretching with a satisfied sigh before looking out over the city. He dusts off his trousers and, finally, sheathes the rapier he's been awkwardly carrying throughout that whole conversation.
“Alright,” he says, holding out his hand with a grin. “Time to get on with some Bugkour, yeah? The sun’s already up! Let’s make the most of the morning.”
Beets beams and takes Zaspar’s hand as he pulls her airborne. “Heck yeah, Zas! Nothing like a bit of rooftop action to start the day right?”
As they leap from one rooftop to another, the cityscape unfolding beneath them, Beets glances over with a playful glint in her eye and calls. “And don’t worry about that archwyrm stuff. Flit, I decided on my first visit to The Witching Court that it would be a fun idea to challenge the Archfey Queen Nicnevin to a fight. Buggin’heck was that a mistake I won't soon forget!”