eachdraidh | 5 ☭ VIDEO + TEXT | OPEN TO BOTH COURTS + SEELIE LOCK

[ on january 11, the humming of the macarena comes to a sudden and abrupt halt. it's with a hiss of a snake and the sight of a tongue in the very corner of the camera, it's clear luke isn't holding his locket. it's martha who is, but she doesn't make a sound as a little red fox curls into luke's neck and licks his jaw. she's rowdy and restless, but luke tries to smooth her hackles a little with his fingers stroking her fur. as for the man himself, he looks a little tired. ]

[ his voice is quiet, ] Uh, hey guys. [ the fox in his arms nudges him hard on the jaw. ] Woah, hey, calm down.

Look, I need to make this quick. It's getting colder. I'm not really great at knitting, but — Can anyone help me out here? She needs something to keep her from shivering.

I promised someone I'd take care of her. And — [ he meant it when he'd vowed to the black shuck he'd honour his deceased friend. and that even means doing this. ] Yeah, I'm going to need more than one pair of socks and a scarf. We can work out a trade, if you're not willing to knit for free.

[ the fox settles against him, closing her eyes. there's a quiet hiss of ask from martha. ] And if you can knit two long stockings — [ the camera shakes and luke rolls his eyes. ] And maybe four or so ear muffs — I'd be grateful.

[ and though it appears as though luke's wanting to get off his locket as soon as possible with the fox resting against him, it's all an act. encrypting a text for seelie only, he dictates his own audition advertisement for the seers of the court. please note: this advertisement lacks the extravagance of his cow advert from a few days prior. it doesn't help he has a fox that won't leave him alone in his hands. ]

( SEELIE )

THE DRABWURLD'S NEXT TOP SUPER SEER!

Are you a Seer looking for work? Want to see the Drabwurld through the eyes of High-King Ridire? Think you're strong enough for mind-numbing pain and bright, vibrant colours?

Well, maybe this is the job you've been waiting for!

The Drabwurld's Seer Agency is currently looking for a Seer strong enough to be able to handle the sight of High-King Ridire. It's a glimpse into the future anyone would die for.

ONLY SERIOUS CANDIDATES APPLY WITHIN!

Just drop your name and your qualifications, and we'll see if Tyra chooses you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ she almost doesn't respond to this at all, but considering she'd been there when luke found the little fox, she sort of feels partially responsible for her well-being. she guesses that's probably how luke feels about the dogs; she wouldn't ever admit it, but he's the only one she really ... trusts them with. of course, trust is a complicated word, but she's not sure what else to call it. it's why she'd left them in his care when she'd been gone for two months, right? so she thinks it's similar with this fox — luke probably wouldn't trust clarisse in the slightest with her, but clarisse still feels some kind of obligation to see she's okay if she can help it. ]

[ which ... she might actually be able to. it's been a long time since she knitted anything, not since silena died. clarisse hadn't wanted to learn, but silena insisted because it would help clarisse to relax and introduce her to a hobby that wasn't ... punching things. she never was very good at it and it's not something she likes to even admit she knows how to do, but... he helped her out with her quest, didn't he? he basically pulled her ass from the fiery inferno she'd almost walked into, so she supposes she owes him this much. ]

As long as you don't care if they look like shit. Functional, but I can't promise quality.

[ she can't bring herself to actually mention silena to him; it's one of those personal things he doesn't need to know and she isn't willing to divulge until they get past whatever awkward not-really-friends-but-not-really-just-acquaintances stage, which will likely be never as clarisse is ever the optimist. she's at least let go of most of the blame for silena's death, though, tried to redirect it to being angry at other things, like the gods. for the most part, it's worked. ]

[ luke doesn't trust anyone with little maia — he doesn't even trust himself. but with george and martha taking to her as surrogate parents, cooing over her, playing with her (without the biting), and talking to her with their own telepathic, fox-speaking ways, they're the ones he trusts. though martha often coddles luke, insisting he should be a little less strict and hard on himself, it hadn't been either of them that had suggested knitwear for maia and her siblings he has yet to find. it'd been himself, an instinctual thought to care for someone as he always has. would he inquire the network for knitwear for himself? no. he'd rather freeze to death than ask for help — he's spent the best portion of his life looking out for himself with a mother who could barely fight what had claimed her and a father who could hardly summon the strength to care for a hot minute — but when it comes to others, luke goes above and beyond, knocking on every door as he beseeches some kind soul into passing a little girl some food — or he thieves it for them. ]

[ while pride — and a desire to accept nothing from clarisse out of his own bad habit of never accepting a handout, despite when he really needs it — floods him with the impulse to knock her down a few pegs by denying her with a very simple no, maia's somewhat softened him a little. and he's not so certain it's for the best. he may have long fingers, capable of playing the piano or picking locks or wielding a sword or even creating his own string maze as he wraps cord around his hands to create a pattern, he's never liked knitting. it reminds him too much of his maternal grandmother, especially of how hades had stolen her before he had any chance of asking her for help. it's too soft of an art and it requires patience and a lack of anger, the latter that would only be sparked into an inferno if he holds the needles in his hands and tries to will the shaking that often overtakes him when he feels himself overcome with a demon he'll never truly exorcise away. ]

You're auditioning for Drabwurld's Next Top Knitter. You need three yeses from our panel of judges — I'm just the host.

I doubt she cares. She's been hiding in my shirts &mdash and blue isn't her color.

[ she rolls her eyes at luke's inability to take anything seriously — she knows he can, when he wants to, he just usually never does. it's a defense mechanism, she thinks, just like how her natural reaction to most things is anger. it's all a part of how they deal with situations they don't really want to deal with. but that's what the truce is for, right? to force them to learn how to deal with each other again, even in the most mundane of situations. it's still awkward and neither of them really knows how to act around the other, but at least it's better than constantly fighting over the same damn thing. ]

I'll see what I can do. It's been a while. I'll need supplies, though. Knitting needles and yarn aren't exactly part of my inventory.

[ the fact that luke hasn't called her grandma yet is impressive. then again, if he called her grandma, it'd imply they were friends — that he was comfortable with her. and luke was far from. accepting her help has already caused him great discomfort, as he only wishes to stomp on it and ensure he's not indebted to her. he knows how far her cruelty extends — and a part of him knows he'll never be released if he's to garner a debt to be paid, even if it is just requesting she take to needle and yarn for his fox. ]

But forgetting who you're talking to apparently is.

[ it's harder to convey tone through text, but if a text could sound terse, this one definitely would. is she really offering to do this for him or the fox? she supposes it doesn't really matter in the end, because it's so unlike her to offer to do anything for anyone, but she'll gladly rescind the offer if this is how he's going to be. ]

You're right, I forgot I'm talking to a mule. Do you want me to knit you shit or not?

[ it's too tempting to call her a pig in return. though he isn't sure how she'd take it, he doesn't particularly want to delve too low in the name calling. as long as he skims the surface, he's fine. summoning ares, the boar bracelet he hardly remembers at times, and generally calling her out for being an asshole is too much for him at the moment. he's used his energy in creating his excellent adverts. ]

I like being an ass, thanks. Heard I've got a nice one. ;)

[ she makes it a little too difficult for him to want to accept her help. given he doesn't trust her motivations as well as he does others, he almost wants to decline. he isn't sure why she's offering, either. a truce is a truce, but the agreement never involved knitting things for him. ]

Yeah.

[ he does have a nice ass, but she's not about to tell him that. maybe if they were actually friends, but they're not. he isn't percy, who she has absolutely zero shame around; luke is ... luke, and she's fairly certain it'll always be complicated between them. it's impossible to roll her eyes via text, so she'll have to settle for the next best thing. ]

Might want to double check your sources on that one.

[ she almost wishes he would've just declined the offer, but she's not about to go back on it now that he's accepted her once in a lifetime opportunity. she'll probably never offer to do anything like this ever again. ]

Okay. Get me those supplies or I'm gonna pretend this conversation never happened.

[ he knows she's rolling her eyes. even a . will efficiently convey such an action. ]

Can't do that when I've got a record.

[ and he'll gather her what she needs because he's luke, he's bored, and a part of him want to see just how good of a knitter she really is. it's a learning experience — maybe he can get some gloves out of it. ]

That's why I said pretend.

[ even if she tried to delete this conversation, which she wouldn't be able to do, he'd be able to get it back. there's really no winning for her when it comes to anything tech-related. ]

You're welcome, by the way.

[ just in case he forgets to say "thank you," because she knows she would. ]

[ luke rolls his eyes. ]

Thanks, grandma.

5 ☭ VIDEO + TEXT | OPEN TO BOTH COURTS + SEELIE LOCK

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