Sorry I've been writing a lot of Aspen haha I'm really busy but I've been wanting to write some chapters and he's the only one I can write quickly enough to get a chapter out before the year is over ahaha. I meant to write more in depth but I got a little lazy. I'm also really tired and wrote this all in one straight shot so I hope it's not too strange. Also I ended really abruptly haha
Hanging around with supervisors became more of a necessity than a pastime, constantly trying to catch their attention for a higher position. Aspen hated not being in control, for that meant following what other people had to do, and he had enough of that at the moment. Kyne was a more sociable one than some of the others he had tried to hang about, and one of the only ones he could get alone. He was pure, too, which made the prize of his attention more valuable, his pearly eye much like the pearly feathered wings that stretched from his back.
"Where are you from?" Kyne asked, admiring Aspen's wings with a look of pleasure. He had the sort of expression that implied his selfish interest, as if Aspen's background was something of a checkpoint. Kyne was like that - he was too pure for his own good, both in blood and upbringing. And Aspen liked- no, needed that sort of person on his side.
Aspen thought for a moment, deciding to deceive as much as he biologically could. "Ever heard of Katha-I'shik?"
"Oh, the Fair Folk colony in New Zealand?" The supervisor looked impressed, as if his thoughts of him had suddenly heightened. "You must be rich. Entitled. Talented with a weapon."
"I'd say talented, perhaps." Not knowing how to answer, Aspen played humble, trying to guess at what to say. "I've been trained."
"Don't play coy." Reaching for him, Kyne brushed his thumb against his cheek, studying him. "I have Seelie roots. We like people like you. They're the ones that are meant to lead over all the...average people. The fae that never owed any allegiance are the ones that want too much power. Equality, they call it. We need more people like...us in charge. And I'll teach you a few things that will help you get there."
That was the golden cue Aspen had been looking for and he supposed Nyx's teachings of how to appeal to others to get what he wanted had paid off. Then, a pang of guilt hit him and he tried to remove his thoughts from Nyx. Now, it wouldn't do any good to lament. It reminded him of a little, dark, weak part of him and how susceptible he was to failure. He wouldn't...couldn't be like that, not in the Hunt, and he had to strive to get anything he could out of the people.
"Like what?" Now, it was Aspen's turn to look sultry. "What do you have to offer me?"
The faerie pondered, his fingers traveling across his skin, down his arm to pick up Aspen's hand to study it. His eyes lingered on the flecks of his skin, intrigued.
"Magic, perhaps," Kyne put forth, meeting Aspen's gaze. "That sort of power and control is necessary for a good supervisor, wouldn't you say? And not enough faeries know magic. What do you know of the subject?"
Aspen licked his lips hesitantly. "Not much. I'm willing to learn more, though, and hopefully get on your good side."
"How forward you are," Kyne laughed, and beckoned him to follow, as if inviting him into a pact.
ooo
Kyne was a good fighter, preferring a delicate blade and shield that made him next to lethal. The edge of his sword nicked Aspen's arm and he spent all afternoon teaching him about pain spells and how to quell suffering. His hands were light and curled around his arm, his lips murmuring silent words of the faerie dialect to numb it.
It seemed so effortless, so simple, but even Kyne looked worn after healing off of his minor injuries and fending off the rest of his aches, reminding him again of how fragile the physical magic of the faerie realm was. In the mundane world, Aspen wondered if they were weakened, their blood no longer spilling on Faerie grounds but on mortal and ephemeral land. If he ever got the chance to practice magic in the Faerie, he guessed he would take it. Any expansion on power or magic would make him feel a little safer - a little more in control of himself.
ooo
A few ex-Seelies welcomed Kyne into their circle, Aspen trailing by him with his chin raised. They were all pretty in the Seelie sort of fashion, looking more like the sons of angels than any other faeries he had seen before. Their eyes surveyed him and one by one, they nodded, introducing their mortal names.
"I'm surprised Gwyn took in so many Seelies. I did not think he'd let so many people like us join the ranks," Kyne laughed, as if to appease Aspen's silent question about the small group. "Oh, even if it was only to even out a debt of the Queen's."
"It is good to be able to criticize, now that we've escaped such a stuffy place," one of the others detailed, a few rings glittering on his hand. "All the factionless don't know any better than to treat us like royalty. That's why many supervisors are former Seelies."
"Oh, then why aren't you one?" Kyne said in jest and the others looked amused so Aspen had no choice but to look amused as well. "But don't speak too badly of the factionless. My trainee is a Katha, which is as good as one can get if they're factionless. And he's a pure one. Quite a catch. I think he'd make a fine supervisor."
One of the faeries looked at him closer. "Pretty. But looks like he'd be better at following orders than giving them."
"I assure you that I can certainly dominate when allowed to," Aspen said suggestively, as if to defend himself with a hint of careful spite. "I don't mind giving orders."
Kyne seemed to like showing his new student off to the others, gesturing at him fleetingly with a delicate hand. "Yes, I've been training him in basic and he's dKolfar i'ksa inh thu'im aA kh'iisa. i'ksa inh oLkar yihs..."
Aspen didn't know what they were saying, but he caught a few words he had heard before. He must have misheard him, for he had heard the word "easy", and then he knew he had heard correctly for "faerie" had been repeated in both sentences. Other than that, he could not decipher their words or what dialect they chose to converse in. He cursed his heritage silently, small and nervous against the status of the others that stood by him, but he did not let his expression fall. Only he knew of his lowly upbringing, and he was glad his good countenance and his wings did not rat him out.
They conversed a little longer in a faerie dialect he didn't know and he let his gaze wander, a little bored. The Hunt had been a good escape from the Downworlder Towns for he did not think he'd be able to survive on his own. Eventually, it would have eaten away at him, people taking more than they were entitled to until he was left with nothing, grasping at his own flesh to try and lay down his feeble ownership. At least Kyne thought he could become something.
"Careful, Aspen-" a faerie with a bright blue eye grinned, speaking in English this time, "-Kyne is known to be an animal at times. Plays rough. I'd keep him in your sights at all times, unless you're into that sort of thing."
"By Hell," Kyne swatted his friend lightly, "He's nearly a child. Far younger than what I'm used to. It is a pity about the lack of women, though."
"Oh, he's pretty enough to substitute as one." A faerie to Aspen's right reached out to touch his wings, drawing two fingers down one of them as if he were in some petting zoo of kelpies and werewolf cubs. "Maybe you'd be a supervisor faster if you let our friend have his way with you. That son of a bitch is real stubborn when he wants something."
Aspen resisted the urge to shiver, like someone had raked their nails down the back of his neck and it made all of his nerves on edge in all the bad sorts of ways. He didn't suppose they cared much about keeping their hands to themselves and he was suddenly glad he was good at looking unbothered.
"Ah, they jest," Kyne assured him. "Why don't you run off, Aspen? I'll catch up with you again. Perhaps there's another supervisor out there that'd like to enjoy your company."
Was that another way to dismiss him politely? Aspen had no idea; Seelie were already difficult to decipher. However, obediently, he dipped his head at the group and started away. Maybe they were right - maybe he would be better at taking orders than giving them, but then he thought of Nyx and how much he had disappointed him with orders he was not good enough to follow, and he decided he would have to break away from anything that tied him to a shameful past.
ooo
Magic didn't come easy, but he had to act like it did, paying attention to everything Kyne told him. He had been told a few spells in the Towns, of course, but he had never been able to bring them to fruition much, and the mundane energy of the Towns had dampened his strength.
When Kyne did want to spar, or put him up against one of his other ex-Seelie friends, Aspen finally gave a genuine smile. It was comfortable, a sword in each hand, and he wondered why he had once hated such a feeling. No, this was where he was meant to be, and the movements came easily, his spars messy but effective and they called him a reckless fighter, but ruthless nonetheless. It was a good enough compliment - a little different than the ones he was used to, but he was glad anyway.
ooo
Aspen knew Mir's name was short for something, but he didn't ask, not wanting to seem like he cared about mundane things. He was the nicest out of the bunch, with direct ties to Gwyn - he claimed they had spoken on mutual terms quite a number of times.
It wasn't bad to be with him and to be held afterwards with their legs tangled together and Aspen kept his eyes trained on Mir's throat so he didn't have to look him in the eye. They were both quiet for a long time, concealed by the grass around them as they laid together on a cloak.
"I'll tell Gwyn you're a good fighter and you're interested in leading," Mir said after a while, sounding charitable. "He might take interest and consider you for a supervisor. Kyne tells me he thinks you're promising."
"Oh?" Aspen did not find "promising" to be a satisfying compliment. No, people usually called him pretty or good or pleasing or something that made his face warm and his mouth turn up with the type of smile that occasionally went to his eyes.
"He likes that you're pure, and that you're from Katha-I'shik. And you're gorgeous, even by Seelie standards."
Aspen had long since realized that Seelies were generous with their compliments, but that didn't stop him from curling into Mir further to sink into his warmth, comforted suddenly by his approval. He let a hand linger on his chest, his fingers roaming over his skin mindlessly.
"If you were a Seelie, I'd dance with you," Mir said and, before Aspen could ask what he meant, he rolled over to pick up his clothes and get dressed.
ooo
The energy roiled within him, warm and prickling against the inside of his chest, and he pushed it down his arms, into his hands, feeling it pulsing in his fingertips like a second heartbeat. It wanted to be free, it wanted to run wild, unbridled and untamed, but Aspen held back, keeping it on a short leash. Losing control of the power was how people got hurt.
He could feel himself trembling, his breath growing short, a cold sweat raising goosebumps on the back of his neck. Kyne said the spell required only a moderate amount of magic, but the more energy he invested into the pain, the longer it would last and the stronger it would be. Even so, the cut across his arm still burned and he cried out softly in frustration, pulling back the hand that had been pressed against his wound. It was red, a long smear of blood against his palm.
"I can't do it," Aspen muttered, discouraged and in pain, making a sound of disquietude. "I can't focus."
"It's a negative energy now," Kyne instructed, looking almost apathetic. "That's why you're not healing yourself. By hell, you probably would have been better at destruction spells."
"I don't get why you didn't teach me that, then," he sighed in annoyance, mostly at his own inability, "If you thought I'd be shit at all the healing stuff."
"You'd destroy yourself with spells like that if I tried to teach them to you quickly." Grabbing Aspen's hand, Kyne placed it against the wound again, urging him on. "I wouldn't even waste my time on some no-name factionless with these sort of things, so consider yourself lucky."
That comment bit at Aspen's nerves and he refused to show his hurt. "Look, I'm tired and I just want this healed and I don't want it hurting anymore. Can we just do this tomorrow?"
But Kyne's grip kept Aspen's palm against the cut, making it sting more. "You came to me for help and no one's going to want a weak supervisor. Don't make yourself into just another pretty face."
On any normal day, he would have relished in the word "pretty", but it suddenly felt like a slap after all he had done and shown him. Was that what his efforts were boiled down to? Trying to prove he wasn't entirely useless?
"Come on, Aspen," Kyne continued insensitively. "You could be like me. You almost are there, but you're acting like some real half-blooded faerie with that whining crap."
Aspen hissed, his nails digging into his arm before he yanked his hand from Kyne's grasp. "But I'm not like you and I'll never be. You're...you're some dainty ex-Seelie with status. I'm not from Katha-I'shik. I grew up on the edge of the forest. Hopping hotel rooms. Being entertainment for people that thought I was nothing. I don't have any money and I don't have anything except this stupid shot to get this screwed up position that everyone's getting me to do shit for them so I can be noticed."
Kyne stared at him, his expression muddled.
"By hell, I'm just tired and fed up with this and I don't see myself being any closer to being a supervisor," Aspen continued, standing up and brushing his clothes off angrily. "I'm tired of getting pushed around like this."
"I didn't say I'd stop training you," Kyne said decidedly, although there was clear disappointment in his eyes, as if he was now obligated to lower goods. "But you had better not tell my circle what you've said."
Aspen wanted to spit out and ask if he was an embarrassment now, if his pure blood was not enough to cover the fact that he had stooped down to low standards in the Towns. He didn't say anything, though. Nyx would have smiled at his silence and pet his hair, or something.
"So, what is it, pet?" It was the first time Kyne had called him that, and the word made him grow apprehensive. "Let's say I teach you a little something and drop your name and you help me out with things. Calm your temper and I'll...be lenient just this once."
"Is this pity?" Aspen asked as coldly as he could, but his words came out as a murmur.
"A little, but you're talented," the other faerie assured him, his eyes calculating. "What do you say?"
He had never been good at disagreement. It was something that had been engrained into his blood as if the word "no" was removed from his vocabulary entirely. Instead, he nodded reluctantly and crouched to put his head in his hands tiredly. His arm burned from the cut, but he was quiet. People seemed to like that, and Kyne took his silence for a yes.