astrid and horology

[iniquiticity]

Beau at least knocked this time before she came into Caleb's house, a fairly large house, two stories, just outside the wall between the shimmer ward and the tangles. Caleb was aware, Beau was sure, of the discussion about where Caleb should live. Caleb was very clear that he liked living here, for reasons that were obviously intentionally wrong. Caleb was getting, Beau had to admit, very good at just telling Ludinus to fuck off. It was a whole contest, between her, Caleb, and Astrid, who could tell Ludinus to fuck off the most, and the nicest. She one day aspired to be the queen of telling Ludinus to fuck off. Yudala was currently the Soverign of Telling Ludinus to Fuck Off.

There was a little seating room, and a living room, and behind that a kitchen. upstairs were a large office and a spacious library and a comically tiny bedroom which Beau said, every time, that if anyone else showed up here, they'd have to sleep in the same bed with Caleb. Caleb gave her a look.

Caleb was in his fairly large office, studying one of his Aeorian books. He - well, he and Essek - had been back from the latest Aeorian adventure for about two months. They always came back with so many books. (Of course they did.)

"Good afternoon," he said, when she flopped over the chair. "Just you?"

"Just me."

"Good afternoon," said another voice from the corner, from which appeared from nowhere Essek.

"Hi, Essek."

"Hello, Beauregard."

"What brings you around?" Essek asked.

"I was thinking about Astrid," she said, which caused Caleb to frown, even more than he typically was, "After our most recent meeting about Ludinus."

Caleb was waiting patiently for her to finish the thought. The five of them - Caleb, Essek, Beau, Astrid, and Eadwulf - regularly met to figure out the best way to toss Ludinus in the same hole Trent had never returned from. It had been a tense meeting, about some investigation Trent had had Astrid and Eadwulf too, for reasons they had never understood. The Saliaverwood had been inovled. If they could pin the Savalierwood on Ludinus...

"And what I was thinking," she said, "is that bitch needs a hobby."

Caleb made a face, clearly deciding how to respond to this. Before he could begin, she said, "I don't mean like, she is an actual bitch. I mean, she is, but so am I. Bitches get shit done. Respect."

"Did you have a hobby in mind?" Essek asked, with a hint of amusement. Essek and Astrid had a weird fucking vibe, Beau thought. Not a terrible vibe. But that — that was something maybe they should have talked about, that they never were going to, because of the people that they were.

"Actually I did. And you will like this, Essek."

Essek quirked an eyebrow.

"Horology."

"Watchmatching?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah. She has those tiny hands, first of all, and she likes sitting curled over a desk looking at something tiny and making all the gears fit together, and she's a total perfectionist, and she loves tiny little tools and being left alone."

Caleb again made a face. Fucker could be inscrutable.

"But you need to suggest it to her," Beau said, "It won't work if I do it. Because she'll accuse me of doing some Cobalt Soul sneaky shit to her. Which I don't begrudge her or anything, but still." A thought. "I mean, Essek, you could too. I bet if you got into watchmatching she'd get into it just to prove she was better than you."

Essek made a face. They were all made for each other, Beau thought.

"I think my relationship to the Archmage is more complicated than that," Essek said, politely. Beau was secretly waiting for the four of them to have an orgy. She kept that to herself. Jester or Veth would have spilled the beans.

"Thank you, Beauregard," Caleb decided, after a while.

"I brought you a beginner set of tools and a broken watch too," Beau said, taking it out of her satchel and putting it on next to Caleb's Aeorian book. "But you know. It's from you. Not me."

Caleb did not push it back. That was an excellent sign.

"Well, I have to do some more shit for Yudala. Just wanted to drop that off on the way."

"A pleasure to see you," Essek said.

"Are you coming to dinner, Essek? I think Yasha only made for the three of us, we thought you were out of town."

"I am happy not to attend, if that was not considered..."

"Fuck that, you are coming to dinner if you're here."

Essek made a face. "Thank you, Beauregard," he said.