[CR] Intercession
Apr. 21st, 2020 06:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dracoqueen22Title: Intercession
Universe: Critical Role Campaign Two
Characters: Caduceus Clay/Fjord (Unrequited), Caleb Widogast/Jester Lavorre (Unrequited), The Mighty Nein, Original Character
Rated: K+
Descriptions: Caduceus notices things. It’s kind of what he does. Just like he notices when Fjord is caught in a conversation he doesn’t want to have.
For FjorClay Week, Day Two, Prompt: Fake Dating/Relationship
Fjord does not like to shop.
He chooses to join them anyway, and pretends he's not eyeing the wares and the armor and the accessories, but Caduceus notices him noticing, and makes a few mental notes of anything Fjord admires overlong.
Getting people the things they want but won't purchase for themselves is an art unto itself.
Fjord doesn't like to shop, so Caduceus makes it a point to keep half an ear out for their occasional Captain, in case he gets antsy, or wants an excuse to go back to the Xhorhouse.
It's probably why he's the first one to notice that Fjord is uncomfortable.
He doesn't show it often, at least not when he thinks he needs to push it aside for the sake of what the Mighty Nein need from him, but Caduceus has learned what to watch out for.
The inability to hold a gaze. The ducking of the head. Rubbing the back of his neck. Bowing of the shoulders. The half-step backward as if he wants to escape but hasn't figured out how to extract himself.
The other half-orc is smiling pleasantly, leaning in toward Fjord, clearly interested, but he's not perceptive enough to pick up on the fact Fjord's polite conversation is only that. He might even be willfully ignoring Fjord's discomfort, because he's a predator and has found tasty prey.
The rest of the Mighty Nein chatter around him, and no one else seems to have noticed the state of Fjord’s discomfort. Caduceus could bring it up, point it out, perhaps send Jester or Beau to intercede, both women more than capable of handling things.
But.
Caduceus walks toward Fjord before he fully decides what he's going to do, interest lost in the bundle of herbs he’d been perusing.
"--tour, if ya like. I know all the best places around here," the half-orc says, leaning in toward Fjord, invading his space.
A low growl rises in Caduceus' throat before he can muffle it.
Closer now, it's easier to see the ruddier skinned half-orc is nearer to Caduceus' height, broader than both he and Fjord. But he's no Wursh. He's not rippling with muscle. No, this is individual is built for the sea, stocky and sunburnt, with crinkles around the eyes from squinting against the sun on the waves.
More than that, he's not very polite.
Caduceus doesn't like him.
"There you are, Fjord," Caduceus says as he steps up beside Fjord and lays a hand on Fjord's shoulder, leaning into Fjord's space as though he has every right to be there. "I think I found what you were looking for."
"We’re havin’ a conversation here," says the half-orc with narrowed brown eyes. He draws up straight, as if he's lording his mass over the both of them.
Caduceus looks at him and sees nothing worth bragging over. "Oh, I beg your pardon. I didn't realize." He smiles pleasantly, shows some teeth. "Hi, I'm Caduceus."
"Ordon," says the half-orc. He doesn't offer his hand, which is fine because Caduceus has no intention to return the favor.
He turns his attention back to Fjord, who's giving him a wide-eyed look of confusion. "Do you want me to get it for you, or would you like to take a look at it yourself?"
Fjord coughs to clear his throat, glancing briefly to Ordon before offering Caduceus a thin smile. "I should probably make sure it fits, right?"
"Well, I know your dimensions pretty well by now, you know," Caduceus says with a gentle squeeze to Fjord's shoulder and a hint of implication to his tone. How well he’s pulling it off, Caduceus has no idea. "But it's up to you."
Ordon shifts his weight, rocks grinding in the dirt beneath him. "It’s rude to leave in th’ middle of a conversation."
Caduceus really doesn't like him, this creature who conceals his predatory nature behind a veil of civility. "That it is, but I'm sure you would understand if I wanted to steal my partner away, wouldn't you?"
Fjord makes a choked sound next to him.
Ordon, however, draws his brow down in a glower. "Partner?"
"Uh, yeah," Fjord says with a loud cough into his palm. "Did I forget to mention that?" He points a thumb at Caduceus. "Deuces here is my, uh, partner. So I appreciate your invitation but..."
"You should have said from the beginning," Ordon rumbles. He sneers at them, eyes flashing, and spits on the ground, muttering something in a language Caduceus does not recognize as he stomps away.
He glowers at Ordon’s back as the half-orc disappears into the crowd, perhaps to find someone else to harass into a date. Caduceus can’t protect everyone from people such as Ordon, but he can protect his captain.
Fjord exhales in Ordon’s absence, shoulders sinking with evident relief. "Thanks for the rescue, Deuces," he says. "You always have good timing."
"You looked like you needed it," Caduceus lingers for a moment more, until he’s sure Ordon’s broad shoulders are out of sight, before he slides his hand from Fjord's shoulder. "I'm glad I didn't overstep."
"No, not at all." Fjord smiles, and it's a genuine smile, not the fake one he gave Ordon. "He wasn't taking my polite 'no'."
"I noticed." Caduceus tilts his head back toward where he left the others. "You want to shop some more or...?"
Fjord rubs the back of his neck. "Maybe I ought to go back." The smile is gone, replaced by an uncertainty Caduceus hasn’t seen Fjord carry in some time. In that moment, he rather loathes Ordon. "I'm glad for the rescue, but you shouldn't have to, uh, pretend to date me to keep me safe."
"It's no hardship," Caduceus says, and hopes to Melora he's maintaining a neutral expression, rather than the yearning he's been careful to conceal. "That's what friends are for."
"I guess they are." Fjord breathes out, long and slow. "Pretending to date someone to get them out of an uncomfortable conversation, though, that's new. Well. Actually. No, it's not." He gives a theatrical shudder. "I still remember Beau trying to pull of Traci with Caleb. That didn't go so well."
Caduceus furrows his brow. "I'm not sure I remember that."
"I think you were on the other side of the dock at the time. It was kind of chaotic." Fjord chuckles a bit and rolls his shoulders. "Anyway, thanks for the save, but honestly Deuces, you could do better than me."
His words are flippant as he turns away, but they send a jolt of unease through Caduceus' heart.
He frowns and puts his hand on Fjord's shoulder. "You are better," he says, as Fjord stops to half-turn and look at him. "I would be honored to call you mine, Mr. Fjord."
Fjord blinks, and Caduceus is treated to the sight of his face darkening, the shades of green turning a ruddy brown. "I..." He trails off, sucks his bottom lip between his growing tusks before he releases it again. "Thanks. That means a lot."
"It's the truth." Caduceus only lets his hand linger long enough to offer a gentle squeeze before he forces himself to let go. He is nothing more than a mentor to Fjord. To ask for anything further would be...
Well, it wouldn't be right. So he must be satisfied with this.
"We think very highly of you," Caduceus says. "Please think higher of yourself."
Fjord ducks his head, the tips of his ears darkening. "I'm trying. It's a long road is all."
"You're making excellent progress," Caduceus says as they start walking again, side by side, as friends and companions do.
Caduceus pretends he's not eyeing Fjord's free-swinging hand, wondering what it would be like to tangle their fingers together as they walk. It's impractical. Their height difference makes it so. But also, how would they fight? What would be the point?
It's impractical, but Caduceus wants it all the same.
"It's thanks to you always being there for me.” Fjord taps the symbol Caduceus had given him, now used as a clasp for his cloak. "And introducing me to Her."
"You found the path on your own. I didn't do much," Caduceus says. He doesn't want to take credit for Fjord's personal growth because he doesn't want Fjord to devalue it.
Fjord gives him a Look. "Now who's the one being humble? Take the compliment, Caduceus."
He laughs despite himself. "All right. I will." He gives Fjord a nod. "You're welcome," he says, "but I also think you're doing just fine on your own now. You don't need me anymore."
"That's not true either. We all need you." Fjord pats Caduceus on the shoulder, reaching up to do so, and Caduceus certainly imagines that they linger a few seconds longer than a friendly pat ought to last. "Don't think we want to be rid of you or anything. You're one of us, not just our cleric. You're our friend, too."
"Who doesn't think he's our friend?" Jester demands as she bounds up to them, her eyes darting between them curiously, as though she thinks they're concealing something she has to know. "Caduceus, are you being negative again? Or is it Fjord this time?" She plants her hands on her hips.
Fjord pats the air. "It's nothing, Jessie. Just a conversation between friends." He nudges Caduceus with his elbow. "If anything, Deuces here is a hero."
"Why?" Jester asks.
"Who's a hero?" Veth struts up to them, sauce smeared around her lips as she gnaws on a piece of meat pierced on a stick. It's fascinating to know how much of her behavior is just Veth and not because she'd inhabited the body of a goblin.
"We're all technically heroes," Caleb says, distracted as he is trying to shove two heavy books into his bag, despite the fact they don’t seem to fit. "Depending who you ask."
Beau appears next to him, plucking one of the books and shoving it into her own bag. "Traitors, too. It's all relative, man."
"Why is Caduceus a hero?" Jester repeats, a bit louder this time.
"He's saved my life a couple of times," Yasha says, the last to join them, and she offers Caduceus the tiniest of smiles, which he captures and keeps for posterity. Every smile from Yasha is a gift and a little victory.
"It wasn't that dire," Caduceus says.
"Did you get in trouble, Fjord?" Jester asks.
"Yeah, Cap'n, did you get in trouble?" Beau asks, and now her expression can best be described as devilish. She folds her arms, showing off her impressive biceps. "Do I get to punch someone?"
Fjord palms his face. "There's no one to punch, and no, I didn't get in trouble."
"Someone just had an interest in Fjord and I... convinced them to look elsewhere since Fjord obviously didn't share their interest," Caduceus says.
"An interest in Fjord?" Veth says, and wrinkles her nose. "Why would they do that when Caleb is right here?"
"All right now," Fjord says.
"Veth, honestly," Caleb sighs.
"Fjord is plenty interesting!" Jester puts her hands on Fjord's shoulder and looks up into his eyes to say, "You are interesting and handsome. Of course someone would try to take you on a date."
"Was it that half-orc you were talking to?" Yasha asks, and now she folds her arms, too, her eyes narrowing in the direction Ordon had gone. "I didn't like the look of him."
Fjord looks caught again, his eyes wide and his face dark. "Can we change the subject? It's over and done with and don't you guys have shopping to do?"
"We've finished," Caleb says, but he's got the smallest of frowns, like he's focusing on an enigma or some arcane mystery.
"Yeah, we want lunch now," Veth says.
"It looks like you already have lunch on your face," Fjord says.
"We want more lunch," Jester declares, releasing Fjord with a gentle pat to his shoulders. "And next time, just ask for help, Fjord. You don't have to wait until Caduceus notices."
"Jess, that's really not the kind of thing you just shout 'help' for," Beau says, though she's looking at Fjord like Caleb is, too. Like they've both found a new puzzle to pick apart.
"You should just punch them. That's the best way to take care of it," Yasha says, except she tilts her head. "Except he was kind of big, so maybe it's better that you didn't."
"How big was he?" Beau asks. "Think I could've taken him?"
"Very big," Yasha says. "But you could have, errr, taken him, I think."
"Sweet." Beau grins.
"Did someone say lunch? I think we should go find lunch. I think it's this way," Fjord says loudly and abruptly spins on a heel, striding away.
Jester hurries to catch up with him, Beau on her heels, Veth giving chase.
" That's the wrong way, Fjord," Jester says.
"What kind of captain are you?" Veth demands.
Yasha sighs and glances again in the direction Ordon had gone. "I would have liked to arm wrestle him," she says. "Just to let him know who he shouldn't mess with."
"I would have liked to see you punch him," Caduceus says, and Yasha smiles before she moves to catch up with the others.
Caleb, however, lingers behind. He shifts his weight and says, "You always look after him, Mr. Clay."
"I look after everyone," Caduceus says.
"Yes, but... Fjord is special, ja?"
Caduceus startles. "Well, I..."
"It's all right, Mr. Clay. Your secret is safe with me." Caleb's eyes turn soft and sad as he looks at their companions, his gaze lingering on one in particular. "I know all about having feelings which might as well be useless."
"Having them is never useless, Mr. Caleb," Caduceus says, though it's with a sigh of his own. "Pursuing them, however, that's a different matter."
"How true." Caleb's lips curve. "Lucky we have bigger problems to focus on, yes?" He pats his bag, where the book has been stowed. "It helps."
Caduceus' gaze finds the back of Fjord's shoulders, and for a moment, he lets himself indulge in the longing around his heart, before he carefully folds it up and puts it away. "A little," he concedes.
"Come on, you guys! Let's go!" Jester shouts from ahead of them, waving her arms wildly, a sunny smile on her lips. "What's taking you so long!?"
Caduceus doesn't have to look to know Caleb is smiling back at her.
"Let's go, Mr. Caleb. We don't want to get left behind," Caduceus says, and he gives Caleb a reassuring look. "They need us."
"And we need them." Caleb pats him on the arm, a gesture of understanding between lovesick idiots who only watch from afar.
They join their friends -- Beau and Veth bickering over what to have for lunch while Yasha suggests the fish market once more, and Fjord adamantly insists he's not going there with those two ever again. Jester laughs and leads the way while Ordon is nothing more than a brief memory, just like the minute or so Caduceus was allowed to pretend Fjord was his.
***
Universe: Critical Role Campaign Two
Characters: Caduceus Clay/Fjord (Unrequited), Caleb Widogast/Jester Lavorre (Unrequited), The Mighty Nein, Original Character
Rated: K+
Descriptions: Caduceus notices things. It’s kind of what he does. Just like he notices when Fjord is caught in a conversation he doesn’t want to have.
For FjorClay Week, Day Two, Prompt: Fake Dating/Relationship
Fjord does not like to shop.
He chooses to join them anyway, and pretends he's not eyeing the wares and the armor and the accessories, but Caduceus notices him noticing, and makes a few mental notes of anything Fjord admires overlong.
Getting people the things they want but won't purchase for themselves is an art unto itself.
Fjord doesn't like to shop, so Caduceus makes it a point to keep half an ear out for their occasional Captain, in case he gets antsy, or wants an excuse to go back to the Xhorhouse.
It's probably why he's the first one to notice that Fjord is uncomfortable.
He doesn't show it often, at least not when he thinks he needs to push it aside for the sake of what the Mighty Nein need from him, but Caduceus has learned what to watch out for.
The inability to hold a gaze. The ducking of the head. Rubbing the back of his neck. Bowing of the shoulders. The half-step backward as if he wants to escape but hasn't figured out how to extract himself.
The other half-orc is smiling pleasantly, leaning in toward Fjord, clearly interested, but he's not perceptive enough to pick up on the fact Fjord's polite conversation is only that. He might even be willfully ignoring Fjord's discomfort, because he's a predator and has found tasty prey.
The rest of the Mighty Nein chatter around him, and no one else seems to have noticed the state of Fjord’s discomfort. Caduceus could bring it up, point it out, perhaps send Jester or Beau to intercede, both women more than capable of handling things.
But.
Caduceus walks toward Fjord before he fully decides what he's going to do, interest lost in the bundle of herbs he’d been perusing.
"--tour, if ya like. I know all the best places around here," the half-orc says, leaning in toward Fjord, invading his space.
A low growl rises in Caduceus' throat before he can muffle it.
Closer now, it's easier to see the ruddier skinned half-orc is nearer to Caduceus' height, broader than both he and Fjord. But he's no Wursh. He's not rippling with muscle. No, this is individual is built for the sea, stocky and sunburnt, with crinkles around the eyes from squinting against the sun on the waves.
More than that, he's not very polite.
Caduceus doesn't like him.
"There you are, Fjord," Caduceus says as he steps up beside Fjord and lays a hand on Fjord's shoulder, leaning into Fjord's space as though he has every right to be there. "I think I found what you were looking for."
"We’re havin’ a conversation here," says the half-orc with narrowed brown eyes. He draws up straight, as if he's lording his mass over the both of them.
Caduceus looks at him and sees nothing worth bragging over. "Oh, I beg your pardon. I didn't realize." He smiles pleasantly, shows some teeth. "Hi, I'm Caduceus."
"Ordon," says the half-orc. He doesn't offer his hand, which is fine because Caduceus has no intention to return the favor.
He turns his attention back to Fjord, who's giving him a wide-eyed look of confusion. "Do you want me to get it for you, or would you like to take a look at it yourself?"
Fjord coughs to clear his throat, glancing briefly to Ordon before offering Caduceus a thin smile. "I should probably make sure it fits, right?"
"Well, I know your dimensions pretty well by now, you know," Caduceus says with a gentle squeeze to Fjord's shoulder and a hint of implication to his tone. How well he’s pulling it off, Caduceus has no idea. "But it's up to you."
Ordon shifts his weight, rocks grinding in the dirt beneath him. "It’s rude to leave in th’ middle of a conversation."
Caduceus really doesn't like him, this creature who conceals his predatory nature behind a veil of civility. "That it is, but I'm sure you would understand if I wanted to steal my partner away, wouldn't you?"
Fjord makes a choked sound next to him.
Ordon, however, draws his brow down in a glower. "Partner?"
"Uh, yeah," Fjord says with a loud cough into his palm. "Did I forget to mention that?" He points a thumb at Caduceus. "Deuces here is my, uh, partner. So I appreciate your invitation but..."
"You should have said from the beginning," Ordon rumbles. He sneers at them, eyes flashing, and spits on the ground, muttering something in a language Caduceus does not recognize as he stomps away.
He glowers at Ordon’s back as the half-orc disappears into the crowd, perhaps to find someone else to harass into a date. Caduceus can’t protect everyone from people such as Ordon, but he can protect his captain.
Fjord exhales in Ordon’s absence, shoulders sinking with evident relief. "Thanks for the rescue, Deuces," he says. "You always have good timing."
"You looked like you needed it," Caduceus lingers for a moment more, until he’s sure Ordon’s broad shoulders are out of sight, before he slides his hand from Fjord's shoulder. "I'm glad I didn't overstep."
"No, not at all." Fjord smiles, and it's a genuine smile, not the fake one he gave Ordon. "He wasn't taking my polite 'no'."
"I noticed." Caduceus tilts his head back toward where he left the others. "You want to shop some more or...?"
Fjord rubs the back of his neck. "Maybe I ought to go back." The smile is gone, replaced by an uncertainty Caduceus hasn’t seen Fjord carry in some time. In that moment, he rather loathes Ordon. "I'm glad for the rescue, but you shouldn't have to, uh, pretend to date me to keep me safe."
"It's no hardship," Caduceus says, and hopes to Melora he's maintaining a neutral expression, rather than the yearning he's been careful to conceal. "That's what friends are for."
"I guess they are." Fjord breathes out, long and slow. "Pretending to date someone to get them out of an uncomfortable conversation, though, that's new. Well. Actually. No, it's not." He gives a theatrical shudder. "I still remember Beau trying to pull of Traci with Caleb. That didn't go so well."
Caduceus furrows his brow. "I'm not sure I remember that."
"I think you were on the other side of the dock at the time. It was kind of chaotic." Fjord chuckles a bit and rolls his shoulders. "Anyway, thanks for the save, but honestly Deuces, you could do better than me."
His words are flippant as he turns away, but they send a jolt of unease through Caduceus' heart.
He frowns and puts his hand on Fjord's shoulder. "You are better," he says, as Fjord stops to half-turn and look at him. "I would be honored to call you mine, Mr. Fjord."
Fjord blinks, and Caduceus is treated to the sight of his face darkening, the shades of green turning a ruddy brown. "I..." He trails off, sucks his bottom lip between his growing tusks before he releases it again. "Thanks. That means a lot."
"It's the truth." Caduceus only lets his hand linger long enough to offer a gentle squeeze before he forces himself to let go. He is nothing more than a mentor to Fjord. To ask for anything further would be...
Well, it wouldn't be right. So he must be satisfied with this.
"We think very highly of you," Caduceus says. "Please think higher of yourself."
Fjord ducks his head, the tips of his ears darkening. "I'm trying. It's a long road is all."
"You're making excellent progress," Caduceus says as they start walking again, side by side, as friends and companions do.
Caduceus pretends he's not eyeing Fjord's free-swinging hand, wondering what it would be like to tangle their fingers together as they walk. It's impractical. Their height difference makes it so. But also, how would they fight? What would be the point?
It's impractical, but Caduceus wants it all the same.
"It's thanks to you always being there for me.” Fjord taps the symbol Caduceus had given him, now used as a clasp for his cloak. "And introducing me to Her."
"You found the path on your own. I didn't do much," Caduceus says. He doesn't want to take credit for Fjord's personal growth because he doesn't want Fjord to devalue it.
Fjord gives him a Look. "Now who's the one being humble? Take the compliment, Caduceus."
He laughs despite himself. "All right. I will." He gives Fjord a nod. "You're welcome," he says, "but I also think you're doing just fine on your own now. You don't need me anymore."
"That's not true either. We all need you." Fjord pats Caduceus on the shoulder, reaching up to do so, and Caduceus certainly imagines that they linger a few seconds longer than a friendly pat ought to last. "Don't think we want to be rid of you or anything. You're one of us, not just our cleric. You're our friend, too."
"Who doesn't think he's our friend?" Jester demands as she bounds up to them, her eyes darting between them curiously, as though she thinks they're concealing something she has to know. "Caduceus, are you being negative again? Or is it Fjord this time?" She plants her hands on her hips.
Fjord pats the air. "It's nothing, Jessie. Just a conversation between friends." He nudges Caduceus with his elbow. "If anything, Deuces here is a hero."
"Why?" Jester asks.
"Who's a hero?" Veth struts up to them, sauce smeared around her lips as she gnaws on a piece of meat pierced on a stick. It's fascinating to know how much of her behavior is just Veth and not because she'd inhabited the body of a goblin.
"We're all technically heroes," Caleb says, distracted as he is trying to shove two heavy books into his bag, despite the fact they don’t seem to fit. "Depending who you ask."
Beau appears next to him, plucking one of the books and shoving it into her own bag. "Traitors, too. It's all relative, man."
"Why is Caduceus a hero?" Jester repeats, a bit louder this time.
"He's saved my life a couple of times," Yasha says, the last to join them, and she offers Caduceus the tiniest of smiles, which he captures and keeps for posterity. Every smile from Yasha is a gift and a little victory.
"It wasn't that dire," Caduceus says.
"Did you get in trouble, Fjord?" Jester asks.
"Yeah, Cap'n, did you get in trouble?" Beau asks, and now her expression can best be described as devilish. She folds her arms, showing off her impressive biceps. "Do I get to punch someone?"
Fjord palms his face. "There's no one to punch, and no, I didn't get in trouble."
"Someone just had an interest in Fjord and I... convinced them to look elsewhere since Fjord obviously didn't share their interest," Caduceus says.
"An interest in Fjord?" Veth says, and wrinkles her nose. "Why would they do that when Caleb is right here?"
"All right now," Fjord says.
"Veth, honestly," Caleb sighs.
"Fjord is plenty interesting!" Jester puts her hands on Fjord's shoulder and looks up into his eyes to say, "You are interesting and handsome. Of course someone would try to take you on a date."
"Was it that half-orc you were talking to?" Yasha asks, and now she folds her arms, too, her eyes narrowing in the direction Ordon had gone. "I didn't like the look of him."
Fjord looks caught again, his eyes wide and his face dark. "Can we change the subject? It's over and done with and don't you guys have shopping to do?"
"We've finished," Caleb says, but he's got the smallest of frowns, like he's focusing on an enigma or some arcane mystery.
"Yeah, we want lunch now," Veth says.
"It looks like you already have lunch on your face," Fjord says.
"We want more lunch," Jester declares, releasing Fjord with a gentle pat to his shoulders. "And next time, just ask for help, Fjord. You don't have to wait until Caduceus notices."
"Jess, that's really not the kind of thing you just shout 'help' for," Beau says, though she's looking at Fjord like Caleb is, too. Like they've both found a new puzzle to pick apart.
"You should just punch them. That's the best way to take care of it," Yasha says, except she tilts her head. "Except he was kind of big, so maybe it's better that you didn't."
"How big was he?" Beau asks. "Think I could've taken him?"
"Very big," Yasha says. "But you could have, errr, taken him, I think."
"Sweet." Beau grins.
"Did someone say lunch? I think we should go find lunch. I think it's this way," Fjord says loudly and abruptly spins on a heel, striding away.
Jester hurries to catch up with him, Beau on her heels, Veth giving chase.
" That's the wrong way, Fjord," Jester says.
"What kind of captain are you?" Veth demands.
Yasha sighs and glances again in the direction Ordon had gone. "I would have liked to arm wrestle him," she says. "Just to let him know who he shouldn't mess with."
"I would have liked to see you punch him," Caduceus says, and Yasha smiles before she moves to catch up with the others.
Caleb, however, lingers behind. He shifts his weight and says, "You always look after him, Mr. Clay."
"I look after everyone," Caduceus says.
"Yes, but... Fjord is special, ja?"
Caduceus startles. "Well, I..."
"It's all right, Mr. Clay. Your secret is safe with me." Caleb's eyes turn soft and sad as he looks at their companions, his gaze lingering on one in particular. "I know all about having feelings which might as well be useless."
"Having them is never useless, Mr. Caleb," Caduceus says, though it's with a sigh of his own. "Pursuing them, however, that's a different matter."
"How true." Caleb's lips curve. "Lucky we have bigger problems to focus on, yes?" He pats his bag, where the book has been stowed. "It helps."
Caduceus' gaze finds the back of Fjord's shoulders, and for a moment, he lets himself indulge in the longing around his heart, before he carefully folds it up and puts it away. "A little," he concedes.
"Come on, you guys! Let's go!" Jester shouts from ahead of them, waving her arms wildly, a sunny smile on her lips. "What's taking you so long!?"
Caduceus doesn't have to look to know Caleb is smiling back at her.
"Let's go, Mr. Caleb. We don't want to get left behind," Caduceus says, and he gives Caleb a reassuring look. "They need us."
"And we need them." Caleb pats him on the arm, a gesture of understanding between lovesick idiots who only watch from afar.
They join their friends -- Beau and Veth bickering over what to have for lunch while Yasha suggests the fish market once more, and Fjord adamantly insists he's not going there with those two ever again. Jester laughs and leads the way while Ordon is nothing more than a brief memory, just like the minute or so Caduceus was allowed to pretend Fjord was his.
