deercountry | January Catch-All [Semi-Open]

Sleep had taken Perell quickly, and he hadn't even bothered looking for a pillow or blanket before passing out. This was indeed Perell, safe and comfortable if somewhat thinner from when they had last seen each other in Crystal Bay.

Weeks spent at sea, and later with his body taken over by an entity that wasn't even human, had not done him any favors.

His coffee cup sat on the table growing cold while he snored-- and he abruptly snorted when he was startled awake. Nearly tumbling off of the sofa, he scrambled to pull himself upright.

His glasses still sat askew while he peered at the boy in disbelief.

"Billie?"

His voice was still muffled from sleep, but the smile that quickly spread on his face made his sentiments clear enough. He had thought his last encounter with Billie had been a dream--

He was glad that it wasn't.

Edited 2022-01-06 15:22 (UTC)

"Billie—" It's the voice of a tired parent that had followed the guilty child back to his lair. Bowing low to get through the forever tent's front flap, Tuck enters with two forgotten potatoes in his hand.

"If you're gonna steal potatoes in the middle of the night, make sure you don't leave evidence—" Then suddenly Tuck stops talking as he stares unblinking into the nerdy little eyes of Perell.

"Oh, now you're back. What the fuck, Perell!"

"Done squidding around this time?"

Standing beside Tuck, Vyng folds his arms over his chest and wears a flat expression. (That's right, pal. He knows what you did.)

Well that is a helluva greeting.

Fully awake now, Perell awkwardly found his feet and stood-- for the little good it did when compared to the likes of Tuck and Vyng. He tugged at his heavy sweater and tried to ignore Tuck's nips in his face while he shifted, obviously uncomfortable and somewhat nervous.

"Look." He said tightly. "I was cold, I was feeling kinda down, and I hit the bottle a little. There was no way I could have anticipated... that!"

'That' being his miscalculated hangover as a squid.

Billie moves to stand in front of Tuck and Vyng, crossing his arms over his chest. It's about time Perell turned up again. He had been worried, and even a little sad, not sure where he had gone.

"You left us! Again!" There's an accusing note in his tone. "How were you hungover all this time?"

"Billie actually stopped eating for awhile," Vyng points out. "We were looking everywhere for you! Do you know how cold that water gets?"

"And I kept shitting a lot," he adds, although there is no correlation between Tuck's shits and Perell's disappearance. He just figures if everyone else is sharing their experiences, he should, too!

"I know how cold the water gets," Perell said, deflating over the justified anger from the others. "And... I'm sorry."

Suddenly feeling a bone deep weariness, Perell sunk back down into the cushions of the sofa and flopped backwards into them. He closed his eyes briefly and drew in a breath, uncertain where to even begin.

"I didn't plan on doing all that, you know." He added quietly. "I just... The Sea of Graves was a lot, and I'm not sure what all of it means yet. The drink was offered at the boardwalk, and I thought I was just going to walk to beach a little before I joined you all."

He shook his head, the image of a man defeated.

"Guess my body can't take a lot right now, and the cold was probably why I ended up getting stuck in that bottle until that guy found me. Really, guys... It's not what you're thinking it is."

Billie peers at Perell, frowning. The apology helps, but he still can't help feeling hurt. They searched for him high and low, they worried about him, wondered where he was, and the timing... they just got him back when he left them again.

Perell doesn't look too thrilled with his situation either, though.

"Bottles don't keep people warm, though."

From everyone else's perspective, the wizard just showed up on their doorstep and then fucked right off as suddenly as he arrived. But nobody stopped to consider their friend's point of view: Going from bobbing around the tumultuous Sea of Graves, to washing up onto a different kind of Broken Shore, as if waking up from a dream...

Irritation dissipating like a puff of smoke, Vyng's expression softens.

"Sometimes you've gotta retreat to your shell," he quietly says. "I get it."

Be that as it may, Tuck has a vital question that must cut through this tense reunion.

"Did you try out the squid dick?" he asks with genuine curiosity. It was a month floating out there! Primitive instincts could have kicked in!

He had been about to say something emotional and probably profound when Tuck asked that question-- and derailed his entire thought process.

"I-i don't remember! I wasn't exactly in my Perell mind or Perell body!"

Edited 2022-02-05 19:28 (UTC)

Billie crosses his little arms across his chest and stares at Perell, as though he's trying to decide whether or not he's still angry in light the revelation that they weren't intentionally left behind.

"Are you gonna stay this time?" He asks after a moment. He might be still a little angry, but he doesn't want Perell to leave them again.

...it was impossible to not be moved by the boy's earnestness.

Perell sighed, and cast Billie a worn little smile before he answered:

"Billie. As long as I'm in my right mind and body, I will do everything in my power to stay."

Because he was tired of running, but he also knew not to make promises when he didn't have the power to fight fate. He had been helpless against the tides had drawn him inexorably into the heart of the Sea of Graves-- and now, after having his body restored, it seemed as if he was...

Powerless.

Yet, he wanted to stay. Every fiber in his being wanted to stay with these crazy people who had saved his fate time and again.

Perell's promise to stay — or, at least, do everything in his power to not leave them — doesn't surprise Vyng. The man may have terrible taste in hats, spend their money on stupid accessories, and get kidnapped on days that end with "y", but...he's family. And family sticks together.

Vyng sighs, a little relieved, and settles onto the couch next to Perell.

"It is good to see you," he tells him, warmer this time.

There's not enough room or structural integrity for Tuck to sit down on the couch, so instead he squats down in front of Perell. Sorry if you get an eyeful of sac.

"Yeah, welcome back." A big hand reaches out and pats Perell's bald head, leaving it there.

The assurance that Perell will do everything he can to stay with them is enough for Billie, even if it takes a few moments for it to really sink in. He climbs up on the couch on the other side of him, and throws his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Good. We don't want you to go again."

All at once, Perell felt the invisible line holding him taut loosen and the hot sting of tears prickle behind his eyes. Glimpse of sac be damned-- the last thing he had expected, even after the trials at the Goddess' tomb-- was to be accepted so completely into the fold.

At a loss for what to do, Perell glanced between the three of them.

"You guys..."

Words abandoned him; his sentence was punctuated by a loud sniffle as the tears overflowed.

"I-- sorry!" He gasped between his shoulders shaking "It's-- it's the cold! And allergies!" He buried his face in Billie's hair while he protested.

The futility of his actions was obvious, but Perell didn't care.

He hadn't expected any kind of welcome home.

"Aw, buddy..." Vyng slips a comforting arm around Perell's shoulders. "Everything's gonna be okay. No season lasts forever. And you've got us now."

The words are gentle, leaving room for Perell to cry it out if he needs, while also aiming to reassure their friend he never needed to doubt them in the first place.

Now that everyone's mashed in against Perell, Tuck comes in with big arms to hold them all together. One big dysfunctional, codependent family. With the wizard's face obscured in Billie's wild ginger hair, he places a kiss instead on top of his bald head.

Tucked into the collective embrace of his whole family, Billie's grief and anger at feeling abandoned yet one more time by Perell's disappearance vanishes. They're all here, and more importantly, they're all together.

"It's okay, Perell. You're home now."

No season lasts forever.

Perell knew this better than most, and yet he found a part of himself wishing for this season to last a little bit longer. At first, he had judged this trio of adventurers to be little more than fools-- and he was right. But that foolishness was absolutely their strength as well.

Shifting a little as Tuck kissed the top of his head, he sniffled.

"Yeah," he agreed in a watery voice. Then, a little stronger: "Yeah, I am. Thanks, you guys..."

In the comfortable silence that follows, as they all warmly hold each other, Tuck breaks the mood as always.

"But seriously," he tells Billie. "Stop stealing potatoes in the night."

"Not without their consent," Vyng gently adds.

Billie groans. "But I was hungry! And doesn't Michael not even need to eat or anything?"

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frogiturgy - 2022-02-25 03:41 (UTC) - Expand

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spiritwalks - 2022-03-02 05:45 (UTC) - Expand

January Catch-All [Semi-Open]

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