Fandom Snowflake Challenge #13

[amovingtarget]

Challenge 13: In your own space, create a fanwork.

Getting a little wild with this one, but since the challenge came out on the same day I intended to finish writing up my session notes for DND -- of which some is written in a "telling" style of prose, and a good deal is written up as properly drafted (if not perfectly crafted -- I try not to spend too long doing it, but I enjoy it too much to stop entirely) story.... This counts as a fanwork, doesn't it? Of DND? Or enemyofperfect 's crazy good DMing? This week's session notes are 3700 words long but some are longer. I am the only other player at the table, if you count the DM as one (and why wouldn't you?) and we've been playing -- though I suppose it's fair to say we've gone entirely off book by now -- the Lost Mine of Phandelver module for very nearly two years now, after I cribbed it from the internet just to see if we might like it.

We've spent the last few sessions doing a plotty (because we can get pretty sidetracked with some endearing slice of life type shenanigans) political intrigue/murder mystery in Leilon where things got unexpectedly frought after rescuing the man who had been blackmailed into murdering the town's lord -- also rescuing his two children who had been taken as leverage -- might end up being hung while the mastermind of the plot would get off scot-free and perhaps even still benefit from the murder. Last session we found, just barely, a less than ideal solution, and this session deals with some of the emotional and logistical fallout of that. Tia is my player character -- a human druid -- and as far as I'm aware, any NPC from Leilon were created by enemyofperfect , while everyone who appears in Phandalin are canon characters from the module -- including Sildar Hallwinter, whom I tragically fell in love with shortly after we started playing, and ended up marrying last August! You may also notice that I have something of a poly arrangement with others but that's a long story, and I've spoken a little bit about my DND feelings here (^_^)

Session 88
20th January 2020

20th Marpenoth

After Tia and Sildar spend an anxious hour waiting in the inn after their short sleep, Sildar braids Tia's hair for her, and she makes a stray comment about finding nice pins or combs for her hair. This prompts Sildar to invite her out to shop a little, and the two of them make their way to the nicer part of town. When they find a store selling fine goods, Tia spends a while impressing Sildar by smelling perfumes and soaps and telling him what is in them and what they would be good for, and Sildar finds some carved combs and a soft hair brush. Tia finds an extravagant shaving kit and aftershave for Sildar, which prompts him to buy some richly aromatic lotions for her in turn.

There's not much pleasantness in Leilon to stroll around in, but they walk for a while anyway. Tia occasionally startles, thinking she has seen a threat from the corner of her eye where there was nothing, but they enjoy the air and each other's presence nonetheless, and return to their room.

They take dinner in the common room, after their bedroom begins to feel too quiet and closed in, with nothing to make Tia feel like Leilon is just continuing about its business as normal. While they eat, Tia asks Sildar if they will likely be called on again, or asked to be present at all in the embassy, confessing that she thinks Amira and Perrin are displeased with them.

"They didn't seem to expect to need our services again in this matter," Sildar said slowly, watching her. "Are you worried you've upset them?"

"They did seem very disappointed in us…" She tried to sound rueful, but couldn't hide the thread of hurt in it.

Sildar frowned a little, trying to remember. "They did?"

"They did to me. Maybe you were distracted by your reading."

"I didn't neglect you too sorely, did I?" he asked, recognising her teasing tone, but concerned still.

Tia sighed, going soft. In the past, the memory of the way she had felt, the way she had seemed to evaporate, would have hurt her, but Sildar had never treated it as if it were anything but a normal part of her. "I don't think there was anything that could have been done for me at the time."

"Oh, love." He took her hand and kissed it, eyes on hers, and after a moment returned to her original worry, said, "I think they would not hide their disapproval were it severe. Did either say anything outright?"

"No…"

"Then I think we remain on good terms with them. Unless they have lost your good regard," he added, a note of question in his expression.

She pushed the last of her food around her plate for a minute. "I don't think they like me…" she mumbled, before shoving it in her mouth to give herself something better to do.

It was a tiny round table they had been seated at, which made it easy for Sildar to shift his chair a little closer to her and put his arm around her. "If that is so, then they have shown very poor taste," he murmured into her ear, which made her face scrunch up with a flustered, pleased smile as she turned to kiss him.

"I can't believe you ignored the innkeeper when she said you couldn't bring a cat inside," she said, wry and fond, after they had finished her meal leaned terribly close to each other.

Sildar blinked and looked a little bit ashamed of himself, but he couldn't help but return her fondness either. "Well, you have every right to be here," he murmured.

"It's true I have every right to be here…" she said, briefly stroking a hand over his chest where he had been carrying her that morning, and Tia could almost feel his emotions brimming over in the breath he took under her hand.

They got up then to return to their room, but even before the door had closed, Sildar caught her hand, wanting to tell her something that he had gotten distracted from saying when they had returned from their stroll earlier.

"When we visited that shop today… it reminded me of Yvette's. The woman I did not marry. Just something about that mixture of smells…" Tia put her arms around him and held him tight, an embrace he gladly returned, though he seemed entirely settled. "I'm all right, truly," he murmured after a minute. "I only thought… you should know."

"I'm honoured, thank you."

21st - 22nd Marpenoth

Tia and Sildar spend most of the next two days in their room at the inn. The first morning is particularly blissful as they play with their new purchases -- Tia giving Sildar a shave, Sildar endlessly brushing Tia's hair -- the general mood growing more tense as the news spreads. Perrin drops in from time to time to give them updates -- first that Faris had been arrested and that his father had gone missing, and second that Faris's father had tried to attack Lord Opalia and been murdered by his guards. When he says that enough blood has been spilled that no one will need Berr's head, Tia is briefly hopeful that this means Faris might not hang either, but Perrin says that will happen regardless, as dragon worshippers would find no mercy in Leilon.

Tia spends most of his visits quiet and desperately anxious. Upset that things have become strained between them, and that Perrin seems to take this as a matter of course, Tia spends some of their time holed up in the room making a small but perfect copy of her cat form, though she isn't yet sure if she will be able to bring herself to give it to him.

"You're still afraid he dislikes you?"

Tia nodded, breathing a little uneven but determined not to succumb to tears. "I'm not sure he cares that I am…"

"Oh, love. We'll be headed home tomorrow," Sildar offered.

"I hope it won't feel like we're leaving everything in pieces. Our friendship with Amira and Perrin, the town, maybe the whole coast…"

As if to punctuate her words, there was a cry from outside that made her jump almost out of her skin -- something about cultists and lies -- and Sildar held her close, sheltering her as best he could in his arms as the sounds of the altercation slowly faded away.

"This town was in for hard times as soon as Lord Harlon was murdered," he said, eventually, and Tia mumbled something like agreement. "At least we know that the one who ordered his death is no more."

"Do you… still believe we did the right thing?"

He thought about it a little, but not as much as she might have expected -- maybe he had been turning it over in his head all along. "With Lord Querret and his son both dead, the family's power will be weakened for some time. They may be prudent and decide to seek their fortunes elsewhere. It is..n if not the best outcome for the region, still likely one of the better ones."

Tia had relaxed slowly in his arms, soothed by his logic and steadiness, and nodded into his shoulder. "A choice between being broken and a little less broken…"

"Yes." His arms squeezed gently around her, and Tia found herself drifting into sleep.

23rd - 24th Marpenoth

They are both ready to leave early the next morning, and find a scrawled message telling them to head north out of town.


It was uncomfortable, in the cool autumn air, to spend so long outside in stillness, but Sildar held her close to share his warmth, and Tia tried to breathe deeply the scents of being outside and free to calm her nervous. After the better part of an hour, a vaguely familiar form followed by three shorter shapes approached -- Berr with his sons, and Perrin.

Berr looked dazed, as if he couldn't quite believe he was there now, and Perrin, bringing up the rear, said, "Well, here they are. You know where you're taking them?"

"Yes," Tia mumbled, after Sildar glaced aside to her to see if she wanted to answer.

"Phandalin is in need of new hands," he elaborated, and Perrin nodded.

"Hello, miss," Roddy said, shyly, standing close beside his father.

"Hello, Roddy," she said, still quiet, but ruffling his hair. "If you like really big dogs, maybe you'd like to ride on my back?"

Roddy looked a little confused by this, saying, "I like them if they're nice?" but Tia, remembering, was already turning to Perrin and stepping forward, dimly aware of Sildar turning his attention to the family and saying something to them that she couldn't make out.

"I don't -- know if you keep things so… you don't have to keep this…" She held out the cat, going quieter and quieter as she spoke, staring at the dirt by her toes. "Or if you don't like cats. Or me."

Perrin took the figurine carefully from her palm and examined it. A tiny and perfect copy of her cat-shape, small enough for his halfling palm to close over entirely, and even the grain of the wood twisting to flow in the direction of her fur. She was set in an inquisitive posture but perhaps a step away from rubbing all over someone's legs, the picture of feline curiosity about to spill over into affection.

"It looks just like you," he said, and after another moment, pocketed it. "You think I don't like you?"

"I don't think Amira likes me very much now either…" She peeked up at him a little, and away again, catching his frown.

His voice was thoughtful, though. "I'd wager you have twice as many kidneys as most people I dislike. And a much better reputation than anyone Amira doesn't."

"Don't know about that…"

"Don't sell yourself short -- you came recommended."

"By who?" she asked, reflexively, and then before she could help herself, added, "Would you?"

"Alliance files." He gave her another considering look. "Not for dirty work, of Amira's style or mine."

She peeked at him a bit more closely then. "What for then…?"

"Fighting against the odds."

"Well. You know where to find me. Take care of yourself." She blushed fiercely, and made to kick his toes a little with hers, but he stepped back faster than she could even move.

"I always do." He handed her a sealed envelope. "That's our report for the Alliance."

She took it, grumbling vaguely about having to put up with terrible halflings all the time, and they waved each other away, Tia with a relieved sigh. Sildar gave her a proud smile, for facing her fears, as she handed the envelope over, with a small kiss.

"So about that ride," she said, when she turned away, but saw that Berr was standing nearby, holding his hands tightly in each other.

"I understand I have you to thank for my life twice over, now," he said.

"Well -- not.. just me…" she said, blushing again.

He nodded, and said, with Roddy looking up anxiously at him, "Thank you. Anything I can ever do for you, it's yours. I mean that. As long as my boys stay safe."

"It wasn't your fault, is all, and you didn't deserve to be punished as if it was your fault…" She took a deep breath. "I hope you like Phandalin. We'll be glad to have you there."

Sildar added, almost at the same time, "We will do our best to make you welcome there."

Berr looked overwhelmed, but gave a jerky nod, and then there was a small heavy silence, until

Tia said, "Don't be alarmed," and turned into her direwolf shape and lying down so she was at eye level with the children.

Josh shrieked and threw his rabbit at her, and then immediately said, "Oh no, Rabbit--!"

"It's all right," Sildar said, as Tia gingerly took Rabbit's ear between her teeth and put it down at Josh's feet again. "She's still herself, and she won't hurt any of you."

They all looked variously stunned, and finally Roddy said, "So… you're a nice dog?" and very bravely held out a hand towards her, palm up, which she licked before headbutting his tummy gently.

Josh watched this for a second, and then yelled again and threw himself at her. "It's not soft, its fur is all prickly!" he complained, even while he was rubbing his face into her.

"You have to pet in the right direction, Josh, like this," Roddy explained, showing him how to pet with the sleek guard hairs and not against them, until Tia's tail was wagging up a storm.

"So… she'll carry them?" Berr asked, turning to Sildar, who soon had the boys situated comfortably on her back.

Roddy held Josh tight so he wouldn't fall off, and Josh complained until he decided he could hold Rabbit the same way. "It's so you don't hurt yourself," he whispered to the toy.

Tia gave Berr a gentle headbutt on his shoulder as well, and he hesitantly patted her head, saying again, quietly, "Thank you."

They set off back to Phandalin, making better time than they would have with little legs in their party. When they break for lunch, Tia asks if they will be heading to Neverwinter first, but Berr confesses that he would like to see the children settled as soon as possible, so they camp on the turn to the Triboar Trail, intending to return to Phandalin the next day.

As they're settling in, the party is set upon by wolves -- Hazel, Saber and Trip -- and Berr panics a moment before he sees Tia running out to greet them. With Tia and the wolves sitting slightly away from the young boys -- though Trip keeps trying to sneak closer to investigate the children as potential friends -- Tia tells them the story of how she came to adopt them, inadvertently telling the tale of her rescue of Sildar as well, leading him to comment that she has saved everyone around this campfire, and flustering her terribly.

After Berr and the children sleep, Tia and the wolves go to hunt a deer, and after they have eaten the soft underbelly, she brings the rest of the meat back to camp to bring back with them to Phandalin, carried on Sildar's back, and when the wolves leave at midday she tells them that she will certainly visit them in the spring after the baby is born, if not before, and that they are welcome to visit instead, something they seem to look forward too -- though Hazel is very dismayed that Tia foolishly thinks she's having a single baby instead of a litter.

As the day wears on a miserable rain picks up that has the boys shivering on Tia's back but they manage to come into the town while the sun is still in the sky, albeit barely. They take the Smith family to the inn, and once Berr has taken the children from her back, Tia turns again to her human form to call to Trilena, who looks somewhat surprised by the sudden gift of meat, but perhaps not as much as she would have been if she hadn't already seen plenty of Tia's random generosity.

Trilena has a hot bath drawn for the children, and for their father to later follow, while Berr is first introduced to the few folks that were around. He's quiet, but shakes every hand that is offered to him, and soon they are settled at a table for some dinner. Sildar stays at the inn with Berr, and Tia takes the deer to the cold room under the manor, carving the meat to store, bringing back a pot full of bones and scraps for Trilena to use in a soup, and taking a detour home so she could clean herself up a little and scribble a list of all the cuts of meat she had made.

She offered the list to Sildar with a little flourish, who looked quite charmed and stood to kiss her when he saw what it was -- a list to add to his inventory of food supplies.

"You're a bad influence on me," she murmured, warmly, and lifted the pot from the table again, now clear of dinner, to take it back into the kitchen to Trilena, and then coming to sit down with an exhausted sigh. "The boys ate well?" she asked Berr.

Josh was asleep in his lap, Roddy looking perilously close to following him, and Berr himself looked weary, but managed a smile. "Yes, thank you."

"Are there any empty homes, they could have?" she asked Sildar.

"There's one, just a house down from Jemmy who threw out his back," he said. "I was thinking that, as Jemmy needs some help around the house, it might be a good way for them to find their feet."

Tia smiled at him, and then offered to help Berr take the boys up to bed, taking Josh -- and Rabbit -- upstairs while Sildar followed behind both of them with a pitcher of water, and some remnants from the kitchen, should anyone wake up in the night.

Impulsively, Tia hugged Berr, murmuring, "Welcome home," and they were both tearful when they parted, citing tiredness, and when the door was closed, she clung to Sildar for a moment as well. "Shall we go and see Daran?"

With Sildar in agreement, they go with small basket of jam tarts to Daran's cottage, who is pleased to see them in his way, and aggrieved to hear that they will still have to go back to Neverwinter. He grows a great deal more serious as they sit down to tell him the tale of all that occurred in the past week, and the three of them eventually squeeze into Daran's narrow bed for the night.

25th Marpenoth

After a lazy morning and breakfast at Daran's cottage, Sildar goes to confer with Jemmy, while Tia goes to see Mirna, and enlists her and Qelline, and then Enna and Fay as well, to help clean the empty house, scrape together some furniture and to cook -- which Enna resolutely does after Tia suggests that they could buy some groceries to stock up the house a while, though Fay secretly buys the groceries for them as well. Daran offers up some of his chairs, but Tia insists, a little emotionally, that his chairs need to stay where they are, and takes a basket of apples instead.

Soon the house was clean and tidy, the musty mattress replaced with a fresh one, a small feast cooked, and Nars had even sewn an appropriately sized cloak for Rabbit, with more clothes to follow if a fitting could be arranged. Berr was incredibly overwhelmed, but managed not to cry this time, and thanked everyone, even the ferociously efficient Enna, who was setting the table for the midday meal.

Josh was awestruck by the idea of Rabbit wearing clothes, and the toy was soon having adventures, after Nars persuaded him that Rabbit needs to be measured for a set of armour. Roddy might have been jealous to have his younger brother's attention so wholly usurped by another, except Carp has borrowed Nars' wooden sword to loan to Roddy, and they agree to a practice fight after the meal.

Tia spent the entire meal alight with smiles, though she's flustered when she catches Mirna smiling at her, and more so when Mirna wonders aloud if Tia realises that she's rescued every family at this table except for the Alderleafs.

"Did you miss me that much?" Mirna murmured in her ear when Tia pinched her, only to end up the one blushing when Tia snuck a kiss onto her mouth in retaliation.

She sneaks one to Daran as well, when he shows up late with a plate of cheesy muffins. "I'm glad you came."

"I don't think I'm staying," he grumbled, eyes darting around at the small crowd.

"Would you like me to introduce you?"

"If you'd like," he said, looking not at all if he would like any such thing, but gamely bracing himself.

Tia softened. "You wait here," she said, giving him another little kiss as she took the plate, and left him leaning against the doorframe, while she took them to Berr and told him about her sweet and terribly shy neighbour who made them.

Berr looked from her, to the muffins, to Daran, and then carefully stood up and went to the door to hold out his hand, "Thank you, sir."

Daran awkwardly gave his hand a single shake, muttering something that might have been, "don't mention it," while Tia, who had drifted up behind Berr, tried not to laugh. Berr pointed out his sons, poured Daran a glass of something to drink, and went back to the table to give Daran some time to recover from the strain, while Tia stayed around to look intolerably pleased with herself.

Daran gave her a stern look, but he put down his drink and pulled her outside for another kiss, and said, "He's tolerable, I suppose."

After Daran makes his escape, Tia is enlisted to enlisted by the children to give Roddy basic play sword safety training, and after the match, both boys are very pleased with themselves, Carp having won, but Roddy putting up a surprising fight. That whole afternoon, the anxious set of Roddy's shoulders melted away.

Leaving the Smiths to settle in -- with Qelline promising to check in on them around dinnertime -- the crowd returns to their own homes. Mirna and Nars briefly come home with Tia and Sildar, so Nars can look at how their armour is made. They sit for a while, sketching the pieces, and when Nars wonders aloud about embroidering the dragon scales, Tia offers to shape a tiny woodblock for him so he can print the pattern instead. They escort Mirna and Nars home, where Tia pulls Mirna away for kisses and the promise that she will come to dinner after they've finished their business in Neverwinter, and then Tia and Sildar go home, bringing Daran along with them to share dinner this evening.