Intermission.1.0
I’m giant. No think. I surmise is the mindset behind their eyes. Tall and lumbering dumb and slow. Typical names thrown up to me. How long has it been this way?
Brent stands swaying ever so slightly to the rhythm of wood and oak or whatever kinda tree things these might be. A different world, so a different species? Similar enough. A duck, a duck and these trees moving silence aren’t so different. Comforting.
Brent didn’t know when they had made their way onto his shoulder. The sprites, climbing him like a Boulder. He’s some sort of living playground for these things. Apparently they’re robbing him of his Aether. Life force. Scary concept but in honesty they’re quite adorable. Some have tusks, some have snouts. Some have faces and some go without.
They pass through things yet cling to points. Dancing and prancing and having so much fun. It’s hard to see them as anything other than misunderstood. So tiny and I’m so large. They seem to adore me as much as they adorn me.
I had thought to try and shake them off. A few times and they seemed so hurt. I felt bad. It didn’t bother me carrying these things. I couldn’t feel any sort of touch or drain. Maybe I’m being too optimistic but I like these little guys. They’re All frolic and play.
They ran from the goblin horde to save two who clung for shelter. So I took them in. Held them close to my bare skin beneath my shirt they clutched me tight as goblin fire ran about. Then the moment happened.
It was on the brook I was flipping rocks between them giggling to myself. They were catching them when Locke caught me.
“Brent, you’re not supposed to be playing with those things.” Locke whispers with a serious look. “They drain your soul. Do you want to lose your soul?”
I look at him with a grim face. While trying to motion what I’m contemplating.
“Yeah, I know they’re cute but Nora said they’re bad news.” He says trying to flick one who had meandered near him away. “I’m not really understanding it either. You’ve got to take it seriously.” He persists.
That’s when they all scatter except for the two who run into each other before my hands crouched alongside the brook. Who run into each other and topple over. They cover themselves in fear. I can't help but take them in…
I hide them in my palms’ grasp as the fire and wails of goblin war song breaks the tranquility of this brook mid city. I pull my arms into my chest and hold them tight against the night of the wave of goblins and fire and shoot. Arrows fly this way and that as I weave my head it seems they’re missing me. Bad aim? No, I can see something, a flow, a stream of something green. Turquois. Blue.
It’s hands that catch the matriarch and child, not cobblestone. Not on their own. It moves like the wind and splashes water against skin. Causing steam and hiss and it dances around this Brooke combat arena. Tye stands between two matriarchs… They fight with fire and it burns.
Except this wind it seems carried about? Brooke and stream. Water splashing in key moments protecting those who would have been engulfed by flame. It all culminates in one Tye Lancaster clutching butterfly. None of this misses my eye. No then mist and an explosion. Haze.
From this stream I see something intervening. A face maybe, the wind has formed. Body even. Protecting everyone as they run rampant. It’s beautiful to Brent’s eyes. Feralis dancing through air along stream splashing and snuffing out every lash of fire that the goblins throw around. As she flies away the two sprites do stay.
So these two remain even past the totem's supposed barrier. They clung. It took a bit of a nudge to bring them through. I wondered if anyone knew.
Contraband alive and kicking. Prancing about the guest room of Estate Nebula. Tye is fast asleep. He just passed out like always. Within a few seconds. I don’t know how he does it. Probably ingrained through a lifetime alongside Mr Money Lancaster… the thought of Money Lancaster sends shivers down Brent’s spine. Enough for the sprites to notice and run to him in worry.
These things. They’re adorable.
