[pfsb] happy halloween!

[acrookedpath]

It's that time of year again.

The inn is bustling. All manner of strange outfits have been donned (some more willingly than others). Lanterns flicker ominously in the corners, pumpkins stand sentry at either end of the bar, and every order comes complete with a handful of wrapped candies.

And -- if you're Wei Wuxian -- Madam Bar has also gifted you with an enormous array of tiny cakes, each one with a little candle stuck in its center. His second birthday at the inn has arrived, and he could not be more pleased.

(He's also wearing a red T-shirt that reads, simply, I'M THE CHAOS. Just like last year, he has set his mild confusion aside in favor of delight at the bounty Madam Bar has given him.)

Comments

[acrookedpath]

"Then here -- "

Catching her hand, he hops from the barstool, gently tugging her along. "Where should we go first? There are stables outside, and an archery range -- oh, and a warren of rabbits in the forest! And in here there is the library, the garage, the House of Arch if we can ask Tom-gongzi's permission, or you could see what I am working on in our room -- "

[lotus_sister]

Jiang Yanli laughs, bright as a ringing bell, and lets him pull her along. "We can see it all," she promises. "Show me what you would like me to see most, first."

[acrookedpath]

He beams back at her. "Outside, then," he says, and pushes open the back door.

Now that the sun has set, the evening's autumn chill has expanded throughout the dark. It's not quite enough to need a cloak yet, but in a few weeks' time, Wei Wuxian will have to dig through the wardrobe to find one. In the distance, the lights of the stables flicker, as warm and inviting as the inn.

"The stables first," he says, leading the way. "In this place, they tend to more than just horses. I have seen beasts as big as a house and as small as a pebble! But no matter how fearsome they look, they are all quite gentle -- they are meant to be mounts, after all."

He steps into the long, open aisle that runs between the individual stalls.

[lotus_sister]

Jiang Yanli's mouth opens in a small 'o' of astonishment.

"A-Xian! That one - does that one have wings?"

[acrookedpath]

His bright smile warms further. "It does!" he says. "Here, come see her -- "

He leads Jiang Yanli to the stall that holds a magnificent white horse, wings folded flush against its back as it noses its food. At their approach, it raises its head and flicks an ear in curiosity.

[lotus_sister]

"Oh, she's beautiful," Jiang Yanli breathes, and holds out a hand to her. The mare sniffs at her fingers, then nudges her hand. Beaming, she starts to pet her, and turns her bright smile on A-Xian.

[acrookedpath]

The pegasus whickers contentedly, scooting as close to Jiang Yanli as possible. Her wings untuck in a brief, ruffling shake of feathers.

"Isn't she?" says Wei Wuxian. "I do not know how she would handle a strange saddle, but I have wished to ride her. Imagine the flight that would be!"

[lotus_sister]

She smooths her hand along the horse's neck and tells her, "Now be good and don't throw my brother."

Jiang Yanli throws him a laughing look.

[acrookedpath]

The mare lets out a long, snorting breath that sounds perilously close to a raspberry. Wei Wuxian bursts out laughing, reaching to rub her nose.

"Or if you must throw me, at least wait until we are on the ground again!" he says.

[lotus_sister]

The mare settles her wings closer against her back tolerates his petting with a look that has Jiang Yanli laughing all over again. She leans her head against A-Xian's shoulder for a moment, then straightens and tells the horse, "Now I must ask that you excuse us, for we have others here to meet. No need to see us off, pretty one."

[acrookedpath]

When his sister's head touches his shoulder, he loops his arm around her in a brief, affectionate squeeze. He may not be able to hug her again for quite some time; he will not waste any chance he gets.

"Thank you for tolerating us clumsy humans," he adds, with another flash of a grin, as he dips his head in a small bow. "I wish you well."

As they step further down the aisle, he catches sight of another creature: a towering, lumbering beast so large it hardly fits into its paddock.

[lotus_sister]

She follows her brother's glance, and stares.

"A-Xian," she whispers. "What is that?"

[acrookedpath]

"A thoat, I believe it's called," he murmurs back. "They live on a world very far from our own. The people who live there are just as enormous, and ride them as if they were horses."

The thoat blinks its tiny, nearsighted eyes, peering in the direction of their soft voices.

"A man named Curtis told me a little of them."

[lotus_sister]

"A thoat," she repeats, watching the way it's looking for them. She looks at A-Xian. "Does it like being petted as a horse would?"

[acrookedpath]

"I think so." He steps closer to the thoat, which continues to squint like an old man at his approach. "It's quite calm either way -- little seems to bother it, from what I can tell."

Carefully, moving slow enough for the thoat to back away if it chooses, he lays a hand on its head.

[lotus_sister]

The thoat nudges into his hand, and Jiang Yanli beams and comes to join him. "Good thoat," she praises it.

[acrookedpath]

The thoat wonks softly. Wei Wuxian scratches the broad expanse between its eyes, charmed.

"Supposedly," he says with a small laugh, "the poor creature has been named 'Nitwit.'"

[lotus_sister]

"Oh, no." Carefully she reaches over to pat it. "Poor thing."

[acrookedpath]

"Ever since I learned that, I have made it a point to say hello whenever I venture into the stables. Even if it is sleeping." His eyes dance with mirth. "I simply say it very quietly."

[lotus_sister]

"A-Xian!" she scolds. "You mischief."

[acrookedpath]

"What?" he protests. "I am being kind to it! I'm giving it the attention it deserves!"

The thoat pushes its head against Wei Wuxian's palm, with the slow but inexorable force of a boulder sliding downhill. It makes him stumble back a step with a startled yelp.

[lotus_sister]

Jiang Yanli catches hold of his arm. "Perhaps we should leave it alone," she suggests, gently. "Surely there must be others we can visit?"

[acrookedpath]

"Perhaps," he says, with rueful amusement, as he wrinkles his nose at the thoat. "But I will not stop saying hello to you, my friend! You will simply have to live with it."

Wonk, grumbles the thoat.

Grinning, he turns away from the paddock -- and his smile dims as he sees the creature a few more stalls down.

[lotus_sister]

She sees A-Xian's smile fade, and instinctively turns to see what he's looking at. This beast also has wings, but much different ones; leathery, drawn tight over its bones much as its skin is drawn over its skeletal body.

"A-Xian," she whispers, drawing a little closer to him. "What is it?"

[acrookedpath]

"Ah."

Softer.

"Ingress explained them to me once. That is a thestral, from the world where Tom-gongzi was born. They are intelligent, but no more dangerous than a loyal horse -- no matter how frightening they appear."

His mouth quirks.

"And they can only be seen by those who have personally witnessed death."