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elen_nareTitle: Shockwave
Fandom: High Rollers: Aerois
Rating: G
Length: 1331 words
Content notes: set at the beginning of Episode 56 (Hearts of Glass).
Author notes: For the "background" challenge at![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fan_flashworks . How this relates to the prompt: background made me think of NPCs, which made me think of Fayeth, which led to speculating on what she might have been doing in the background of the canon scenes.
Summary: After the explosion on the Stormchaser, Fayeth wonders and worries.
From her vantage point on the deck of Stormchaser, bow in hand, Fayeth stood guard as the officers went down to parlay with the half-elf and the goliath who seemed to be in charge of the force in front of them. Her eyes fell on Lucius, leading the way, and she frowned, ears flicking back. She knew him well enough by now to feel certain that he'd been picking and choosing his words very carefully as he explained the explosion, to be sure that he hadn't told them the whole truth. Which was his right perhaps as Captain, but what worried her was that she thought Kamara had noticed that too, Kamara who was angry and hurting over Metz's death… all the pack was grieving him, of course, but it was worse for Kamara. She was their alpha, the one who had chosen this job for them, the one who had to keep them safe. Lucius understood that, Fayeth thought - not entirely, maybe, perhaps no one who wasn't a beastwalker, who wasn't born to a wolfpack, could entirely understand it; but as well as any outsider could. He'd spent so much time with the pack, got to know them all… she remembered how he'd rushed down to the lower deck after the explosion to check on them, the genuine sadness on his face as he saw Metz's body, how he'd quietly stepped away to let them mourn privately. She'd looked after him as he left, too, and had caught a split-second glimpse of his usual erect posture breaking before the door closed behind him. Whatever had happened, Lucius hadn't expected or meant for it to happen, and Fayeth had known he was horrified by it.
As she thought back to that moment, to desperately running below with the rest only to find Metz already gone, a sudden wave of sadness washed over her, startling her in its intensity. It wasn't as if she'd been particularly close to Metz, really; he'd teased her at times, as they all did, but he hadn't been the cruelest or the kindest… clenching her jaw, she tried to push the pain down, to bring her mind back to the watchfulness she should have right now. Blinking away tears, she focussed once more on the officers as they stood talking to the half-elf, alert for any sign of trouble. Again, Lucius caught her eyes. He would understand her grief, their grief, she was sure - he'd told her a little about losing his family, and she'd gleaned more from what he didn't say, from how he would suddenly change the subject, tears in his eyes. She knew his parents' deaths still weighed on him (and that his sister was secretly alive - he was dreadful at keeping a secret when he’d had too much alcohol, though Fayeth thought he hadn't told anyone else besides her, at least). Beyond that, she thought most people on the ship knew Quartermaster Quill and Sentry had both died and been brought back, but she wasn't sure if anyone else realised how much those deaths had hurt Lucius. He'd spoken of them to her sometimes, in quiet moments on those nights when he’d come down to join the pack; he’d still been reeling from the shock of almost losing Quill for good in that strange Aegis place when he started drinking with them…Yes, Lucius understood grief, he would understand how the pack was hurting. How they’d want answers.
Why hadn’t he told them the full truth, then? What was he hiding? It didn't take a genius to work out the explosion must have started in Engineer Nova’s quarters, and if Fayeth could see it, she was certain Kamara could too. Had the genasi been tinkering with something dangerous, was Lucius shielding his friend? Or maybe he was shielding all his friends; Sentry had lost an eye in the explosion, she must have been right there… they had those magic rings that let them talk to each other, too, he must have known what was going on (Lucius really was terrible with secrets when he was drunk, she should probably tell him so at some point). The rumour had spread through the ship that Sentry was starting to fail as Guardians did, that that was the reason for this trip - had something gone wrong with her? But no, Lucius had spoken of Starbane technology, and Fayeth was sure he hadn't actually lied, just hidden some of the truth. Had they been trying to turn some to their own purposes and failed catastrophically?
Would… would he tell her the whole truth, if she asked? Perhaps he would; Fayeth knew he cared for her, valued their friendship and the bond they had made. And if he did, perhaps she could help him find the best way to explain it to Kamara? If she could do that, she thought, it would be a way for her to repay him at least a little for all he'd done for her. Maybe she could ask him when he returned? She'd have to pick the right time and place to ask, though; after he’d been so careful in what he said, she needed to make sure she didn’t spoil that by being overheard. And perhaps she should keep it a complete secret from the rest of the pack that she was meeting him at all? She didn't think any of them besides Kamara had noticed anything strange with Lucius's speech; but if they had, her talking to him might anger them - even though they did believe she was really married to him, loyalty to the pack always came first. And that would go even more strongly for Kamara, who knew the truth…
A sudden stir in the opposing forces made her snap back to attention. Had something gone wrong? No, they were holstering their weapons, and preparing to head off. As they did so, Lucius half-turned and lifted his hand in a reassuring salute to First Mate Oriya. She saluted back and took charge, calling out orders for all hands to start on repairs, now combat was no longer imminent. Fayeth held her post for a few seconds longer, watching as they walked away. Perhaps the half-elf was taking them directly to the glass city, they seemed to be heading in that direction… Fayeth whispered a quick prayer to Atellicus, asking him to keep Lucius and all the rest of them safe. After a moment’s thought, she added another prayer to the rest of the gods, too. Atellicus might look favourably upon Aila as a wild elf, a Lowlander warrior; but Quartermaster Quill served H’Esper, she’d heard Lucius call on Siaska as many in Gusthaven did, and she had no idea who Sentry and Engineer Nova might pray to. It could do no harm, and might do some good.
With that done, Fayeth headed below decks to store her bow. She was quietly relieved Lucius and his friends seemed to be pressing straight on; with luck, the time they were away would let things calm down a little. They could make the most urgent repairs on the airship, the pack could bury poor Metz… Again, sorrow engulfed her. Regardless of how close they’d been, he was - he had been - one of theirs, one of the pack, and he was gone. Suddenly, she doubted herself. Would the others be right, if they thought her a traitor to the pack? Would she be in the wrong if she tried to speak to Lucius, to mend things between him and Kamara? Then her eyes fell on the braided ring she still wore, and her resolve returned. She owed it to Lucius, to the friend who'd been so kind to her, to help him if she could. It wouldn't be a betrayal of the pack, either, she'd be trying to make things better for them, to keep them safer. She’d do it if she got a chance, if she could just find the right moment.
Fandom: High Rollers: Aerois
Rating: G
Length: 1331 words
Content notes: set at the beginning of Episode 56 (Hearts of Glass).
Author notes: For the "background" challenge at
fan_flashworks . How this relates to the prompt: background made me think of NPCs, which made me think of Fayeth, which led to speculating on what she might have been doing in the background of the canon scenes.Summary: After the explosion on the Stormchaser, Fayeth wonders and worries.
From her vantage point on the deck of Stormchaser, bow in hand, Fayeth stood guard as the officers went down to parlay with the half-elf and the goliath who seemed to be in charge of the force in front of them. Her eyes fell on Lucius, leading the way, and she frowned, ears flicking back. She knew him well enough by now to feel certain that he'd been picking and choosing his words very carefully as he explained the explosion, to be sure that he hadn't told them the whole truth. Which was his right perhaps as Captain, but what worried her was that she thought Kamara had noticed that too, Kamara who was angry and hurting over Metz's death… all the pack was grieving him, of course, but it was worse for Kamara. She was their alpha, the one who had chosen this job for them, the one who had to keep them safe. Lucius understood that, Fayeth thought - not entirely, maybe, perhaps no one who wasn't a beastwalker, who wasn't born to a wolfpack, could entirely understand it; but as well as any outsider could. He'd spent so much time with the pack, got to know them all… she remembered how he'd rushed down to the lower deck after the explosion to check on them, the genuine sadness on his face as he saw Metz's body, how he'd quietly stepped away to let them mourn privately. She'd looked after him as he left, too, and had caught a split-second glimpse of his usual erect posture breaking before the door closed behind him. Whatever had happened, Lucius hadn't expected or meant for it to happen, and Fayeth had known he was horrified by it.
As she thought back to that moment, to desperately running below with the rest only to find Metz already gone, a sudden wave of sadness washed over her, startling her in its intensity. It wasn't as if she'd been particularly close to Metz, really; he'd teased her at times, as they all did, but he hadn't been the cruelest or the kindest… clenching her jaw, she tried to push the pain down, to bring her mind back to the watchfulness she should have right now. Blinking away tears, she focussed once more on the officers as they stood talking to the half-elf, alert for any sign of trouble. Again, Lucius caught her eyes. He would understand her grief, their grief, she was sure - he'd told her a little about losing his family, and she'd gleaned more from what he didn't say, from how he would suddenly change the subject, tears in his eyes. She knew his parents' deaths still weighed on him (and that his sister was secretly alive - he was dreadful at keeping a secret when he’d had too much alcohol, though Fayeth thought he hadn't told anyone else besides her, at least). Beyond that, she thought most people on the ship knew Quartermaster Quill and Sentry had both died and been brought back, but she wasn't sure if anyone else realised how much those deaths had hurt Lucius. He'd spoken of them to her sometimes, in quiet moments on those nights when he’d come down to join the pack; he’d still been reeling from the shock of almost losing Quill for good in that strange Aegis place when he started drinking with them…Yes, Lucius understood grief, he would understand how the pack was hurting. How they’d want answers.
Why hadn’t he told them the full truth, then? What was he hiding? It didn't take a genius to work out the explosion must have started in Engineer Nova’s quarters, and if Fayeth could see it, she was certain Kamara could too. Had the genasi been tinkering with something dangerous, was Lucius shielding his friend? Or maybe he was shielding all his friends; Sentry had lost an eye in the explosion, she must have been right there… they had those magic rings that let them talk to each other, too, he must have known what was going on (Lucius really was terrible with secrets when he was drunk, she should probably tell him so at some point). The rumour had spread through the ship that Sentry was starting to fail as Guardians did, that that was the reason for this trip - had something gone wrong with her? But no, Lucius had spoken of Starbane technology, and Fayeth was sure he hadn't actually lied, just hidden some of the truth. Had they been trying to turn some to their own purposes and failed catastrophically?
Would… would he tell her the whole truth, if she asked? Perhaps he would; Fayeth knew he cared for her, valued their friendship and the bond they had made. And if he did, perhaps she could help him find the best way to explain it to Kamara? If she could do that, she thought, it would be a way for her to repay him at least a little for all he'd done for her. Maybe she could ask him when he returned? She'd have to pick the right time and place to ask, though; after he’d been so careful in what he said, she needed to make sure she didn’t spoil that by being overheard. And perhaps she should keep it a complete secret from the rest of the pack that she was meeting him at all? She didn't think any of them besides Kamara had noticed anything strange with Lucius's speech; but if they had, her talking to him might anger them - even though they did believe she was really married to him, loyalty to the pack always came first. And that would go even more strongly for Kamara, who knew the truth…
A sudden stir in the opposing forces made her snap back to attention. Had something gone wrong? No, they were holstering their weapons, and preparing to head off. As they did so, Lucius half-turned and lifted his hand in a reassuring salute to First Mate Oriya. She saluted back and took charge, calling out orders for all hands to start on repairs, now combat was no longer imminent. Fayeth held her post for a few seconds longer, watching as they walked away. Perhaps the half-elf was taking them directly to the glass city, they seemed to be heading in that direction… Fayeth whispered a quick prayer to Atellicus, asking him to keep Lucius and all the rest of them safe. After a moment’s thought, she added another prayer to the rest of the gods, too. Atellicus might look favourably upon Aila as a wild elf, a Lowlander warrior; but Quartermaster Quill served H’Esper, she’d heard Lucius call on Siaska as many in Gusthaven did, and she had no idea who Sentry and Engineer Nova might pray to. It could do no harm, and might do some good.
With that done, Fayeth headed below decks to store her bow. She was quietly relieved Lucius and his friends seemed to be pressing straight on; with luck, the time they were away would let things calm down a little. They could make the most urgent repairs on the airship, the pack could bury poor Metz… Again, sorrow engulfed her. Regardless of how close they’d been, he was - he had been - one of theirs, one of the pack, and he was gone. Suddenly, she doubted herself. Would the others be right, if they thought her a traitor to the pack? Would she be in the wrong if she tried to speak to Lucius, to mend things between him and Kamara? Then her eyes fell on the braided ring she still wore, and her resolve returned. She owed it to Lucius, to the friend who'd been so kind to her, to help him if she could. It wouldn't be a betrayal of the pack, either, she'd be trying to make things better for them, to keep them safer. She’d do it if she got a chance, if she could just find the right moment.
