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Caleb was well versed in mourning.
He remembered the first time he had lost someone close to him. It was a cousin, albeit distant, but he remembers his mother crying. They didn’t go to the funeral, it was too far from Blumenthal for them to travel by cart, and Caleb was sick at the time so they couldn’t have gone even if they wanted to. Leofric and Una mourned in the only way that Caleb ever remembered them mourning: a small shrine in their bedroom where they would place a photo of the deceased, incense, any leftover food, and alcohol if they could spare it. Caleb was seven when he saw his parents kneeling in front of the shrine and praying for his cousin’s soul to travel safely to the afterlife.
The second time he lost someone close wasn’t a person, but a pet — well, it wasn’t his pet, but his neighbor had a mutt named Tir, and since his neighbor was elderly and wasn’t always present mentally, he took care of Tir whenever he could. Tir was a sweet old dog, who was extremely gentle with Caleb and his owner. When Caleb’s neighbor told him that Tir had been run over by a military cart, Caleb sobbed for so long he collapsed. Leofric and Una let him bury the body behind their house, and Caleb sat outside until Una called him back inside. Caleb was eleven when he sat out in the rain looking at a grave for a dog he briefly knew.
The third and fourth person he ever lost was his parents, and… well, the mourning he did for them was internalized and rushed and Caleb felt like he didn’t even deserve to mourn the people — his parents — he murdered, so he never had time to mourn them properly. Maybe that’s why he was never prepared for any other death to come into his life, and he had experienced a lot more death in his life. Caleb was seventeen when he murdered his family and subsequently felt his whole world feel torn apart.
And then Mollymauk Tealeaf happened.
Bright, talented, resplendent Mollymauk. The one who brought the Mighty Nein together just by being themselves and barging into the awkward space in that tavern that one morning, followed by Yasha. And Caleb remembers what Mollymauk has done for the team, for him and Yasha and Nott and everyone; he remembers when he had flashbacks of the smell of burning flesh, the screams from his parents as they burned alive from his magic, and how Mollymauk had slapped him and told him there would be more time for that before he felt their lips press against his forehead and they went back to fighting. He remembers when Mollymauk distracted Caleb that night, at the pub, listening to the stories told by those who they had managed to save, and remembered how they sat near Caleb, tail occasionally wrapping around Caleb’s ankle or wrist, grounding him, making sure he was okay. He remembers one night when they had shared one room, how quickly Mollymauk had offered their spot on the bed to someone else to lay on the floor; Caleb had awoken at one point and looked at the lavender tiefling lying on their stomach on the ground, ostentatious cloak underneath them and a pillow stolen from the bed under their head, tail moving slowly with their dreams. He remembers.
And now that’s all he’ll have left of the tiefling.
Caleb hadn’t even registered that he was crying until Nott had cuddled into his chest and held him as sobs racked through his body, shoulders heaving and eyes stinging from the salty tears that were spilling like an overflowing glass. He sobbed well into the night, and when he finally fell asleep he felt like he had been crying for years. He awoke with tear-stained cheeks and parched like he hadn’t felt in months after joining the Mighty Nein. No one mentioned his disheveled appearance, though Caleb noticed that Keg had to shush Nila from saying anything.
Caleb felt like he was on a hairpin trigger, delicate and twitchy and sensitive like if anyone were to even say Mollymauk’s name he would break down again and feel all the things he wants to push down rise us and overflow and spill. He needed to be alone, needed to leave his group, his family, for however long it took for him to stop feeling like a crossbow bolt locked and ready to snap and pierce at a moment's notice. He needed space and time and something to distract himself, to push these feelings down to the center of his chest and into the cavity where his heart would have sat had it not been ripped out years ago.
So he distracted himself. By delving more into the arcane, by going out and fighting and saving people the way Mollymauk would have wanted. The way that Mollymauk would have wanted all of them to people. He and his Mighty Nein saved Fjord, Yasha, and Jester, and their family was reunited. They mourned Mollymauk’s death with the three they saved, and when they visited Mollymauk’s grave, Jester had hugged Caleb as she sobbed, seeing Mollymauk’s jacket blowing gently in the wind. Caduceus was silent, but his eyes shone with something Caleb still had no name for, something that he knew he would never have the name for.
~ . ☼ . ~
“Caleb,” Jester called, dragging out his name so it sounded like “Cayyyyleeeeb”, “come here please! I need your wizardly advice!”
Caleb sighed, closing his book and setting it on the small table next to his chair in the living room. Caduceus raised his eyes from his own book, but he didn’t say a word as Caleb stood and stretched his arms. “ Ja , just a second, Jester.” Looking to Caduceus, he shrugged and shared a secret smile before heading to the kitchen, where the scent of fresh bread and something sweet drifted from.
Entering the kitchen was always a wonderful sight, no matter who was cooking what (or attempting to, when referring to Yasha). The light from the setting sun washed the room full of warm light, reflecting off the pots and pans that hung from the ceiling and rested on the marble counter. A counter separated the kitchen and the dining room, with chairs set up and where Veth was currently sitting. Although she was laying her head on the cool marble countertop, groaning softly as Jester whirled around the kitchen, frosting on her cheek and what appeared to be a faint flour handprint across her waist, locs spinning with her momentum. When she saw that Caleb had entered the kitchen, she beamed.
“Caleb! Just the stinky wizard I needed! Tell me if this tastes good!” Suddenly a plate of dense cake slices with white icing appeared in Jester’s hands, the strong scent of lemon and sugar wafting up to the human’s nose. “I was going to give them to Veth, but she might pass out if I give her any more food so I’m giving her a break!”
Caleb nodded with a serious face before breaking that facade and chuckled at the sight of his companion in a food coma. “So this is the ‘wizardly advice’ you wanted from me, blueberry? I must say,” Caleb picked up a piece of the cake offered to him — holy shit this was a dense cake — and brought it to his lips. “This is not what I expected, but it is a pleasant surprise.”
As he bit into the cake, the flavors of lemon, a hint of orange, and sugared icing burst on his tongue. The cake was extremely dense, but the icing helped sweeten the whole thing. Humming in content, Caleb wiped a crumb from the side of his mouth and swallowed.
“Very sweet, very dense, could use… something, but I’m not sure what. Geißblatt, maybe? Ah,” Caleb smiled sheepishly as Jester tilted her head in confusion at the Zemnian, “that is uh, how you say, honeysuckle? Or something honey related?”
Jester nodded solemnly like she understood what Caleb was trying to describe, tail flicking back and forth as she thought. “Honeysuckle… yeah, honey would be a nice addition! Thank you, Caleb, your advice has been very helpful!” With that, Jester stood on her tippy toes and kissed Caleb on the cheek.
Caleb blushed like he did every time Jester kissed him. He had accepted his feelings for Jester around the time Fjord had confessed to Jester, and though the heartbreak he felt when he saw the half-orc and the tiefling finally get together was sharp, it was nothing he couldn’t handle. Jester was a beautiful woman and a brilliant light in the lives of the Mighty Nein, and even though she and Fjord were dating, it was not uncommon to see Jester snuggle with Beau and Yasha during a movie night, or braid Caleb’s hair after a shower. She was free with her affections, and Fjord was alright with that.
“ Ja, of course, bluebell, any time,” Caleb responded, chuckling as Jester spun around and began collecting more ingredients — he decided it would be best to see what the rest of his family was up to.
Veth was practically out of commission from the food Jester had been feeding her, but she stirred and nuzzled her head into Caleb’s palm as he petted the top of her head. “ Schatz, maybe go to your bed so your back doesn’t hurt,” Caleb whispered into the top of her head, placing a kiss there and musing her hair up one final time before moving from the kitchen and heading back to the living room to see what Caduceus was doing.
When he looked through the doorway into the living room, Caduceus was missing, though both of their books had been stacked on the table in the center of the room, which was surrounded by mismatching furniture including a large couch, two single chairs, and a loveseat, which was usually taken by either Jester and Fjord or Yasha and Beau, or sometimes Caleb and Caduceus or Fjord and Caduceus if Caleb needed comfort and Caduceus was alright with cuddling him. Caleb smiled softly at memories of family charade night and the first night Yasha and Beau had sat on the loveseat together, Yasha’s back resting against Beau’s chest and their laughter intermingling with the rest of the family as Jester tried to act out the Wildmother.
Continuing his walk around the Xhorhaus, Caleb came across the kitchen again and decided to go through the stained glass doors in the back of the kitchen out to the backyard, where he knew that Fjord and Beau were training together. And sure enough, as he steps onto the cobblestone patio with a metal table and matching chairs, he saw Fjord and Beau training, Yasha sitting on a chair as her girlfriend shouted and attacked Fjord, the half-orc easily parrying her attack and attempting to grab Beau by her throat. Ever nimble, though, Beau ducked as Fjord's hand reached out to her neck and kneed the half-orc in the gut. Fjord doubled over, and Beau took this opportunity to use her knee to slam into the side of Fjord's head, sending him tumbling.
Caleb clapped politely, and Beau looked over to the wizard and smiled, waving before wiping blood from a cut on her face. Yasha nodded at Caleb as well, before her attention was back on Beau as the monk strolled up to her girlfriend and leaned down to kiss her. Once Fjord was on his knees, wiping blood from his mouth, he also saw Caleb and waved, smile crooked. Caleb returned the easy smiles, before leaving the backyard and going back into the kitchen.
Everything was... good. Caleb hadn't felt this content in a while. They were safe in the Xhorhaus, which Caleb still thanked Essek for profusely, and with all of the adventures they had, they deserved this moment of peace. They had finally helped Nott break her curse and turn her back into Veth, Caduceus was still working with his family at the Bloomington Grove, and Jester's first-ever TravelerCon had been a huge success. So, yes, everything was good.
Except for the thought at the back of his brain, the one that had plagued him for three years since it occurred and had never left.
Was Mollymauk alive?
Mollymauk had already told the group about their first resurrection; how the dirt had felt like it was suffocating them, how it filled their throat and left them gasping for air as they escaped their grave, no memories in their brain and only the word "empty" to bring them comfort as they roamed, searching for something that could help them. Caleb remembered feeling empathy towards Mollymauk, seeing as how his memories had been taken by Ikithon (a shiver goes down Caleb's spine, and the scars on his arm faintly throb at those memories) and replaced with something darker, crueler; he also remembers how badly he wanted to touch Mollymauk that night, give them some physical comfort as they spoke about the past they couldn't remember, but Yasha was already wrapping her arms around Mollymauk's shoulders, so Caleb missed that chance.
Still, there was a chance that Mollymauk was alive. Maybe they went by another name, maybe they found another family to travel with, maybe they found a lover or two...
That last thought made Caleb scoff. Of course, Mollymauk would have found a partner or two by now, they were beautiful. Tall and lean, with beautiful lavender skin and curly dark purple hair always seemed to frame their face just right. The tattoos that covered their body as well, from the peacock creeping up their neck and flowing down their arm to mix with the snake that rested on their forearm and hand, to the sun and moons that decorated their other shoulder, and the many other numerous tattoos that graced the tiefling's body. Even their piercings, which had surprised Caleb the first time he'd ever seen the lavender tiefling; Caleb knew people put metal in their ears and faces, especially since Astrid had a few herself and nearly convinced Caleb to get one in his nose, but Mollymauk just had... so many. There were multiple in their ears, even some in their horns, and a few scattered across their face, including one underneath their lips, which they usually wore a gold hoop in. Their nails were always very beautiful, painted many different colors, and always sharp. Caleb suddenly remembered feeling those nails scratching at his scalp, one of the rare nights that Mollymauk and Caleb shared a tent, Caleb scratching at his scalp (his hair was very thick, so his scalp often got itchy when he went without a bath for a few days... or weeks) and Mollymauk offering their claws to help. Caleb remembered the white-hot feeling and how he had shivered, Mollymauk chuckling at the sight of Caleb squirming and saying afterward how they were always there to scratch an itch Caleb couldn't scratch himself.
Caleb reached a hand to the back of his head, where those claws that felt like they were capable of doing serious damage to someone scratched just right against Caleb's scalp. It felt like a million years ago, and yet that feeling was like a phantom on his skin. But those claws would never find their way back into Caleb's hair, or curled around his wrist, or beckoning Caleb to dance with a crooked motion.
He needed to stop thinking about Mollymauk. Remembering the tiefling was something they all did, even Caduceus, and especially Yasha, but they tried to not mourn them. They never wanted to be mourned, only remembered; so the Mighty Nein remembered them.
Suddenly, a loud knocking sound echoed throughout their home, making Caleb freeze. No one knocked on the door to the Xhorhaus, since no one visited. Essek would pop up inside his studying on the second floor from time to time, to check in on the Mighty Nein, but no one else visited. The sound of the knocking was heavy-handed, and it came from the front door.
“I’ll… I’ll get it!” Jester announced, and the whole house went near silent as Caleb saw Jester leave the kitchen towards the front door. Veth was now wide awake, slowly pulling a dagger out of seemingly nowhere as Fjord, Yasha, and Beau came inside, and when they saw the guarded expression on Caleb’s face, they suddenly all wore their version of a guarded expression. Caleb had no clue where Caduceus was, but that would have to wait. Maybe he was in his garden. It didn’t matter right now.
The group listened tensely as they heard Jester open the front door and say, “Uh, hello? Do you need — ” before hearing the tray of food Jester was holding fall to the ground with a loud clatter, and a gasping sound followed.
Instantly, the group raced towards the door, hackles raised and everyone on red alert. When they reached the front door, they saw Jester on her knees, sobbing, while hugging a figure in a brown cloak. Someone was standing outside the door looking inside, and it took Caleb a second to realize it was Keg, the dwarven woman who helped them defeat the Iron Shepherds. Her facial hair had grown into a full beard, though her hair was still cropped on the sides and longer up top, and she still had a cigarette held in the corner of her mouth.
“Jester, are you — ” Fjord started, but when he saw Keg and that Jester wasn’t injured, he paused. The rest had also frozen when they saw the scene in front of them. Keg’s eyes instantly landed on Beau, flushing slightly as Beau did the same. Caleb’s eyes were trained on Keg but kept flitting them to the cloaked figure still holding Jester, who was clinging to them and sobbing into their shoulder.
“Keg,” Caleb started, “what are you doing here?”
Keg took a deep breath, situating herself before saying, her voice bringing back memories of that day in the field, “Hey. I, uh — found someone, and I needed to bring them here. So…”
Caleb gave her a confused look. “What do you mean, found someone?”
“Oh, Caleb — ” Jester began, voice thick with emotions, as the cloaked figure finally stood, taking Jester’s hands in theirs and pulling her up on her feet. “You, I — ”
The figure’s hands, which were lavender colored, covered in gold rings with gemstones and featuring the head of a snake on the back of their right hand, moved to the hood of their cloak and pushed it off, revealing curly dark purple hair and —
Blood red eyes, pupilless but hypnotizing nonetheless. Curled horns with gold sun jewelry on one and silver moon jewelry on the other, softly jingling as they moved. A peacock tattoo that curled up the side of their face and neck, and a snake tattoo opening its maw around a red eye on their hand. And a smile full of sharp teeth and sharper wit, giving you the impression that you were looking at a bright but deadly animal, something that looks so beautiful but could hurt you within a second.
Mollymauk Tealeaf stood in front of the Mighty Nein, looking refreshed and not like they had been buried in the ground for three years. They looked around at the shocked faces of their old group, their family, and when their eyes landed on Caleb, they finally spoke.
“Sorry it took so long, hell was a bitch to deal with. Now, what did I miss?”
***
Caduceus had come out of his garden to find Veth outside the door, and as she dragged him into the living room, Mollymauk had whistled lowly. “Huh, just like Pumat Sol. Interesting.”
Gentle and polite as ever, Caduceus had smiled and shaken both Mollymauk and Keg’s hands, introducing himself and asking if anyone wanted tea. Jester and Yasha, who had been stunned at the sight of Mollymauk and looked very misty-eyed, nodded, and Mollymauk also agreed to some tea. Beau and Yasha were sitting on the loveseat, while Caleb, Jester, and Fjord sat on the big couch; Veth had scrambled into Caleb’s lap and was now looking nervously around at everyone else. Keg was standing in the doorway, and Mollymauk was standing as well, though they were lightly pacing around the room. Yasha’s eyes were trailing Mollymauk as they paced, and the only reason Caleb knew that was because his eyes were also trained on Mollymauk as well, and occasionally his eyes would meet Mollymauk’s, and he had to look away.
Mollymauk didn’t comment on it.
Once Caduceus had returned, handing Mollymauk their tea first, then Jester’s and Yasha’s. He then sat in his usual chair, fixed his eyes on Mollymauk, and spoke, his voice soft yet with an edge that Caleb had never heard before, “So, who’s going to tell us what’s happened first?”
Keg stood from where she was leaning against the door. “I was… coming back from business in Shadycreek Run, a year or so ago, and when I went by the tree that had grown from Mollymauk’s grave, I just… saw someone laying against it. I got…” Keg looked to Beau briefly. “I got a weird feeling in my gut, and I approached them, and lo and behold, it was Mollymauk. Looking refreshed and not like they hadn’t risen from the grave.”
“A tree?” Jester spoke, voice soft, and Fjord took one of her hands in his.
“A giant cedar tree, over the gravesite. No one knows how it happened, but… it’s one of the things the people in Shadycreek Run turn to pray at for anything.” Caleb flitted his eyes over to Caduceus, who had a private smile on his face, and Caleb remembered when he had spoken something to the grave. “Mollymauk’s cloak was gone, someone stole that a while ago, but… when I saw that it was Mollymauk under the tree, I nearly fell over. I didn’t know how, I didn’t know why, but… I knew I had to bring them to you.”
Mollymauk nodded. “I retained my memories that cycle in the ground, so I wasn’t an ‘empty’ mess,” Mollymauk said with a smirk, but Caleb heard the emphasis on ‘empty’, and knew what they meant. “I remembered who Keg was, and who the rest of you were, but… I had no idea when I was. When Keg approached, it was the first thing I asked. And when she said it had been three years, I… I couldn’t understand.”
“After I took them back to my place in Shadycreek, I told them what happened with the Iron Shepherds and us. They wanted to find you guys as soon as possible, but I had no idea where you were going to pop up. So I just took them around on my missions, trying to keep them out of trouble.” A fond smile came onto Keg’s face as she looked at Mollymauk. “It was nice having someone else around. Like a younger sibling or something.”
“And I will never be able to repay Keg for her hospitality and kindness she showed me,” Mollymauk smiled back at her before turning to look at Yasha. “But I wanted to be with you guys… my family.”
Caleb looked to Yasha and saw her eyes welling up. It made Caleb’s breath catch in his throat. In the last three years, Yasha had become much more open and in tune with her feelings after traveling with the Mighty Nein. She had become very expressive to the rest of her family, and on more than one occasion Caleb could remember her crying. This, however, this felt different. This felt almost personal like she was giving the rest of the Mighty Nein permission to cry as well. Caleb felt his eyes begin to feel hot as well, his throat closing up and making him tighten his grip on Veth ever so slightly. But he felt a well-built hand on his, patting the back of it, and Caleb took a deep breath to steady himself.
Yasha stood then, making Beau startle slightly and look at her girlfriend’s back as the barbarian approached Mollymauk. She still towered over them, and when they looked up at her, Yasha just stared back. Then, like a dam breaking, Yasha enveloped Mollymauk in a hug, bringing the tiefling closer to her and wrapping her arms around their back. Yasha buried her head in their curls, and when the Mighty Nein heard the first sob, they moved as well. Veth was the first, jumping from Caleb’s lap and latching onto Mollymauk’s leg, burying her face into the fabric of their pants. Jester moved, followed by Fjord, to hug the group as well, Jester behind Mollymauk and Fjord next to Jester, Jester’s quiet sobs and Fjord’s silent tears joining the emotions that spilled from the group hug. Caleb stood up, moving closer and placing a hand on Mollymauk’s shoulder, squeezing it. Suddenly, however, Mollymauk shifted, and Yasha lifted her arms off of the tiefling, who turned to Caleb and, with their own faded red tears streaming down their face, pulled Caleb into a hug, arms around his neck and head buried in his shoulder.
Caleb wasn’t used to being hugged like this. He knew hands clapping on shoulders and squeezing the skin, bright smiles but brief altogether; he knew knuckles tapping together; he knew handshakes, but he did not know hugs that well. But when Mollymauk pulled him closer and buried their face into his neck, his arms wrapped around their middle and held onto them, avoiding being impaled on their horns but enjoying the closeness regardless.
Caleb’s family was full again.
~ . ☼ . ~
“There’s a festival happening this weekend, we should go check it out!” Jester announced four days after Mollymauk had found their way back to the Mighty Nein, walking into the kitchen bright-eyed and smiling as Caleb yawned loudly and scratched his back. Mollymauk was sitting on the counter, passing Caleb a mug full of dark coffee, which the wizard accepted with a quiet, “Danke, Liebling” under his breath. “It would be a fun kind of welcome home party for Molly!”
Beau, whose eyes were nearly closed at her place at the dining room table, muttered, “But there’ll be… guards and shit. And people. Too many people…”
“And alcohol, and fun games, and fireworks, and all kinds of fun things!” Jester continued, giggling at Beau’s responding groan. “Besides, we’ll try to not draw any extra attention to ourselves! Mollymauk deserves a proper welcome to the Xhorhaus and a proper party for rejoining the Mighty Nein!”
Moly chuckled, the spade end of their tail swaying in the air as they spoke. “I think a festival is appropriate for my arrival. After all — ”
“They are your god!” Jester, Caleb, and Beau said together, at varying volumes and levels of enthusiasm. “Long may they reign!”
Mollymauk looked shocked, eyes wide. “I had… no idea you remembered that.”
Beau gave the tiefling a look. “Of course we remembered, Molly. I…” Suddenly Beau’s mood seemed to sour for a moment before continuing, “I even used it in a toast. After you…”
She didn’t continue, but Mollymauk understood. Caleb knew Mollymauk knew what she meant. But it still stung, briefly. “Ah,” Mollymauk murmured before picking up a mug of their own with some tea in it — some of Caduceus’ blend from home, and though Caleb was used to Caduceus’ dead people tea after these years, he was surprised that Mollymauk had gotten over that interesting fact as quickly as they did. When Caduceus had told them that the tea he used was from his family’s graveyard, and explained it, they simply drank the rest of the tea that Caduceus had offered them.
Keg had left shortly after bringing Mollymauk back, explaining how she needed to get back to Shadycreek Run and protect it just in case bad guys came around. Caleb knew that she was embarrassed seeing Beau and Yasha be so in love when she and Beau had… a thing, back then. But after she had left, Jester rushed to the kitchen and shouted, “I’m making a dinner for Mollymauk, no one interrupts me!” to which the rest of the Mighty Nein simply looked around at each other and nodded and shrugged.
“So, what do you all say?” Jester asked, looking around at the three members in the kitchen, and Caduceus, who was entering the kitchen wearing a soft linen shirt and loose-fitting pants in his usual shade of green, pink hair messy but eyes bright. “Shall we go to the festival this weekend?”
Mollymauk beamed, Caleb nodded, and Beau groaned out what sounded like an approving noise.
***
Having Mollymauk back was an interesting experience.
Essek was more than happy to make a new room for them, across from Caleb’s on the first floor per their request, and Caleb was still getting used to seeing Mollymauk walking in the hallways or laughing in the kitchen and not immediately assume it was a hallucination, that Mollymauk was still dead and buried on the outskirts of Shadycreek Run. But no, they were here, no longer a ghost in Caleb’s head but real.
They were also much more physical with Caleb than he remembered them being.
The past few days that Mollymauk had been back, they always seemed to find the space next to Caleb and occupy it, from throwing an arm across his shoulder to having their tail wrap around Caleb’s wrist or even his waist the first night they were back, everyone either drunk or tipsy on the wine that Fjord kept in the cellar. Or maybe Caleb had just forgotten how touchy Mollymauk had been.
It was nice at the very least to be able to hold onto Mollymauk as he had done three years prior.
The night of the festival was met with a lot of commotion and excitement, not just from the Mighty Nein, but from the rest of the town they were located in as well. As the troupe walked into the town and followed the crowd of people, children ran around and through the crowd, joyfully shrieking and adding to the whimsical atmosphere the night already seemed to hold in store. Jester led their team with a skip in her step, Fjord following after her to make sure she wouldn’t get hurt. Veth had worn her yellow dress, the one that Caleb had bought her, and walked side by side with Caduceus, followed by Beau and Yasha holding hands. Caleb walked a bit behind Mollymauk, closing out their troupe and smiling softly at the children running around and couples walking hand in hand. Mollymauk would look back at him now and again, and Caleb would smile a bit brighter to make sure they knew he was okay. Eventually, Mollymauk hung back to match Caleb’s pace before they grabbed his arm and smiled brightly at the wizard, making Caleb flush slightly and smile brightly at the tiefling.
As soon as they reached the festival, Caleb felt a surge of warmth spread through his body. The warm lights illuminating the booths covered everyone in a soft yellow and orange light, making the whole event feel very personal. The booths were lined up one after another on two sides of a walkthrough around the plaza, selling everything from food to jewelry to even pets and such, with a section of the plaza dedicated to strength testing games, which Beau and Fjord instantly rushed towards, Yasha following after them with a private smile on her face. Jester, Veth, and Caduceus went towards the food booths first, Caduceus stopping at a booth selling honey, and Jester and Veth beelining to a booth selling pastries. Caleb chuckled at the sight, and Mollymauk’s arm looped with Caleb’s tugged him towards a booth selling jewelry.
“Hello there, friends!” A large man with white hair greeted the duo as they approached, smiling in a way that made Caleb instantly think that he was a great father. “Aren’t you an attractive couple? Well, take a look at my wares and see if anything strikes your fancy!” Before Caleb could interrupt and say that they weren’t a couple, the man has moved to the other side of the booth to talk to a teenager with wildly curly red hair (Caleb’s hair wasn’t even as vibrant as this kid’s) and a thin line of white paint going from his bottom lip and disappearing underneath his clothing.
Mollymauk did not comment on the “couple” comment, rather just smiling secretly at Caleb before letting go of Caleb's arm to inspect the jewelry. Although Caleb had no interest in wearing jewelry, he still looked at the necklaces and rings, seeing if one would be a good trinket for Veth. Though, as he was looking, he saw a thin gold necklace with a large orange stone wrapped with gold wire, curved points coming off of it to look like a sun. Fascinated by it, he picked it up to look closely at it, just as the owner of the booth came back to the duo
“Ah, that’s a great necklace!” He said. Caleb startled a bit at the booming voice and looking up at the man sheepishly. “It has a matching moon necklace as well if you were looking to get your partner something as well. Here, see,” he spun around, looking through the contents of a drawer from a table behind him. He spun back around with a thin silver necklace with a blue stone shaped to look like a crescent moon, wrapped in silver wire. “See, this one has been blessed by the Moonweaver, while that one there,” he gestured to the sun necklace in Caleb’s hand, “has been blessed by the Dawnfather. The sun god and moon goddess, opposites in nature, yet blessing these necklaces to give to a pair who reflect that very same nature.”
He looked between Caleb and Mollymauk and offered the moon necklace to Mollymauk. “You, my friend, have also been touched by the Moonweaver. While you do not have the personality of the moon,” he shared a secret smile and a wink, “destiny calls you to wear this necklace, my friend.”
Mollymauk held the necklace in cupped hands, eyes wide and a bewildered smile on their face. The booth owner turned to Caleb again. “And you, my friend! You have not been touched by any deity; never fear, I think the Dawnfather would have wanted you to have this necklace.” He gave that same secret smile minus the wink. “You need it to shine brighter.”
“Shine bright, circus man.”
Caleb nodded, reaching to pull out his money satchel. “ Ja, that… that works, how much?”
The man paused, a finger coming to rub at his chin. “See, normally I would run people like this higher than what they’re worth, but… for you two? I’ll give it to you at half price! That’ll be twenty gold.”
Caleb was already pulling out the gold pieces, Mollymauk looking shocked and incredulous at the exchange. “Here you are, friend.”
“Thank you kindly, sir! Have your partner there put that necklace on you, and you do the same, and you will be protected by the Moonweaver and the Dawnfather! A blessed night to you both.” The man smiled one last time before going back to the young man to their left.
Caleb laid his necklace on the booth counter before looking at Mollymauk, smiling softly. “Well, Liebling, want me to put your necklace on?”
Mollymauk looked stunned, a faint burgundy color painting their cheeks and pointed ears, eyes wide. “Why, Mister Caleb, I never thought you’d ask.”
Taking the necklace from Mollymauk, the tiefling turned around as Caleb unclasped the necklace and set it against Mollymauk’s neck, moving around Mollymauk’s horns before reclasping it, brushing the hair on the back of their neck out of the way as he closed the clasp. When they turned around after fixing the necklace to their liking, Caleb saw that the necklace rested against their sternum, which had been exposed all night because of the shirt they wore tonight. The cool-colored metal looked stark against their lavender skin, and Caleb found himself looking a bit too long at Mollymauk’s sternum before darting his eyes away with a blush on his face.
Mollymauk didn’t comment, only chuckle softly before holding a hand out. “Well, let me put yours on you.”
Blush still on his cheeks Caleb nodded, getting his sun necklace and handing it to Mollymauk. He turned around, noticing that Jester and Veth were watching him and Mollymauk intently with smiles that said “we know your secret, Caleb”, making his face flush harder and waving a hand at them. Mollymauk chuckled again, and the noise made Caleb jump since it was much closer to Caleb’s ear than he had expected. Mollymauk brought the necklace to Caleb’s front, and when they brushed his hair out of the way, he shivered at the feeling. He felt the necklace be reclasped and set against his skin, but as he was pulling it down to rest against his sternum, he felt the hand holding his hair out of the way not move and instead felt a hot breath on the back of his neck. He shivered again before going still at the feeling of soft lips pressing against the skin above the necklace, his flush becoming stronger. Mollymauk let his hair down a split second afterward, and with a quiet “There we go, darling” moved away and said, “Alrighty, I’m feeling kind of hungry. Want to accompany me, Caleb?”
Jester and Veth looked about as shocked as Caleb felt, and as he turned around, he swallowed the saliva that had gathered in his mouth from feeling those lips on his neck and nodded shortly, feeling shaky but with a renewed vigor as Mollymauk took his hand in theirs and dragged him along to the next booth they had set their eyes on, Caleb merely along for the ride as his mind memorized the way that Mollymauk’s lip felt on the back of his neck.
After getting some kind of bread filled with a chocolate paste that made Mollymauk moan at the taste and made Caleb feel like a kid again, the two of them decided to walk the path through the plaza before exciting it and finding a small park area with benches and trees to rest. Caleb sat down on the bench, continuing to eat the bread treat, as Mollymauk rested against the tree and played with the Moonweaver necklace.
“Caleb,” Mollymauk said, “are these necklaces actually touched by the gods like that guy said they were?”
Caleb shrugged. “I’m not good at recognizing deities like you or Jester are, so you would know better than I would on whether or not these have been blessed. But, I will say,” his hand came up to the necklace, thumb rubbing over the gemstone, “they do feel magical. So perhaps they are touched by the gods like he said.”
Mollymauk nodded, going quiet as they also started to run their thumb along the gemstone, following the shape of the moon as they looked at the lights twinkling from the festival. Caleb looked at them, eyes going from their horns to their face to their legs, drinking in their appearance. They looked so good tonight, a vision of silver and gold and lavender wrapped in lavish clothing and tied nicely together with the bright grin that seemed to follow them throughout the night. But when Mollymauk looked back at him, Caleb turned his head away, flushing.
Suddenly a hand was outstretched in front of Caleb, silver rings and red nails and lavender skin, and when he looked up, he saw that Mollymauk stood in front of him, smiling softly.
“Care to dance, Caleb?” The tiefling asked, gently, like they were telling a secret.
Caleb swallowed and stared at Mollymauk for a moment before returning the smile and taking their hand, letting the tiefling pull him to his feet and lead him in a circle.
“There is no music, lavendel, how will we dance?” Caleb asked as he and Mollymauk circled each other, hands still clasped together but held above their heads, before the circle they walked in became smaller.
“I’m not sure, but I’m certain we’ll make something work,” Mollymauk teased, which made Caleb’s smile brighter and he chuckled.
And as they circled each other still, the space between the two of them grew smaller and smaller until they were chest to chest, Caleb looking up slightly to look directly into Mollymauk’s eyes. Their clasped hands were no longer joined together, but Caleb could still feel the heat from their palm.
“Caleb…” Mollymauk murmured into the space between them, and something in the way they said his name made Caleb shiver. But, despite that, Caleb backed away slightly, giving Mollymauk some space.
“Mollymauk, I… I don’t know — ” Caleb started, but Mollymauk shook their head, a sad smile on their face.
“No, Caleb, it’s alright. I know what you’re going to say. You don’t have to let me down easy.”
Caleb tilted his head, confused. “ Was? What do you mean, Mollymauk?”
“I mean you don’t have to cushion the blow, Caleb. You can tell me that you don’t want me here and that you don’t like me that way, or whatever excuse you have planned — ”
“No!” Caleb rushed, grasping Mollymauk’s hands in his for a moment before releasing them as their hands had burned him. “ Nein, I — I am so excited to see you back! And I do want you here! I just… I had mourned you for a year, and continued to do what you had always strived to do — leave every town better than when I arrived — and I wanted to do right by your memory, and now that you’re back… I’m worried it was all for naught.”
“Oh, Caleb,” Mollymauk cooed, a hand reaching out to cup Caleb’s cheek, which he let them do, nuzzling into the warm flesh of their palm. “You did your best, and your best saved so many people.”
“Ja, I know that, but… without you, it felt,” Caleb floundered for a moment, trying to find the word, “ ratlos, it felt helpless without you there to… push us on. To keep me motivated. Keep me on this path of goodness when I am not good, when I never was good to begin with.” He moved away from Mollymauk’s hand, feeling that he would disintegrate if they kept that touch on his cheek.
Caleb heard fireworks being lit in the distance but was too focused on Mollymauk’s hand still hanging in the air. “Caleb — ”
“And I was lost without you,” Caleb cut them off, his rambling becoming more and more frantic, switching between Zemnian and Common on a hairpin, arms flailing around as he got more and more into his words. “ Ich war so... ohne dich verloren. And I wanted to tell myself that you were still alive, that you would come back to us — come back to me — but it never came! And when I would look over to find you, to celebrate our victory together, you weren't there. And not a day went by that I didn’t wish you were still here so I could hold onto you, so I could be close to you, so könnte ich dich küssen… so I could — I could kiss — ”
A hot mouth was suddenly on his, swallowing his rant and Caleb froze. Mollymauk cupped his cheeks with their palms and kissed him softly, tenderly, until all the tension left Caleb’s body, leaving him relaxed and groaning against the tiefling’s lips. Caleb’s hands went from being awkwardly held up in the air from his rant to gripping Mollymauk’s hips, tugging them closer. He felt Mollymauk’s tail curl around his wrist, and he smiled into their kiss. When they broke the kiss, he was panting again, the good kind of panting, a warm and pleasant feeling coursing through his body. Mollymauk’s thumbs softly stroked his skin and Caleb felt his cheeks heating under the affectionate look the tiefling was giving him.
“I can’t believe I had to die again for this to finally happen.” Mollymauk quipped after a beat of silence, and Caleb tossed his head back and laughed loudly, hair illuminated golden in the glow of the fireworks lighting the sky and eyes bright. He smiled at Mollymauk, eyes alight with joy.
“ Schatz,” Caleb rested his forehead against Mollymauk’s and chuckled softly, an echo of the laugh prior. "Why haven’t we done that sooner?"
Mollymauk gave Caleb one of their cryptic smiles before coping Caleb’s smile. "You tell me, Mister Caleb."
Caleb chuckled again, soft and private before he squeezed Mollymauk’s hips. " Scheiße, how is it — how can you do this to me?"
"Do what?" Mollymauk gave him a confused smile as Caleb suddenly wrapped his arms around their waist and lifted them off the ground a few inches, spinning the two of them around. " Caleb- ahahaha!" the tiefling laughed in surprise.
"How," as Caleb put Mollymauk back on the ground, he began kissing all over their face, punctuating each of his words with a kiss, "can you make me forget everything?"
"Well, I always did think that kisses solve everything, but — " before they could continue flirtatiously talking, Caleb pressed his lips against Mollymauk’s, effectively shutting them up.
"Caleb—" Mollymauk tried, but Caleb kept kissing him. "Caleb, c'mon—" Another kiss. "Dearheart, please!" A hand pressed against Caleb’s lips, stopping him from interrupting. "We need to talk about this!" Their voice was trying to maintain stability, but their smile and sore cheeks and kiss swollen lips and ruby eyes were alight with mirth and happiness and so much adoration.
Caleb just gave Mollymauk a full smile, nothing like his usual small smiles; something the tiefling had never seen before, bright and goofy and full of mirth. It looked beautiful on him, and Mollymauk wanted to see more of it. Mollymauk couldn't help but melt at it, knees going weak and smile going gooey.
“ Ja, that… that sounds like something we should do, eventually.” He said, still smiling. “But I would love to keep kissing you right now if that’s alright with you.” But as he leaned in for another kiss, the hand was back, and the wizard pouted at Mollymauk, puppy eyes big and blue and making Mollymauk smile, smitten and private.
“Dearheart, I would advise saving any more kissing for once we’re back in the Xhorhaus, where we can kiss all you want,” as they moved to whisper into Caleb’s ear, they smiled at the gasp that followed from the wizard, “and where I can make you scream my name until you forget your own.”
When they pulled back, Caleb’s eyes were wide and he was nodding excessively, making Mollymauk laugh. “Good boy. Now, how about we head back to join the others and get home, okay?”
Home. Caleb grew warm at that, the thought that the Xhorhaus was now Mollymauk’s home. But it wasn’t even that; the Mighty Nein was their home, Jester and Fjord and Beau and Yasha and Veth and Caduceus and Mollymauk were home, and home would be wherever they went together.
“ Ja, let’s… let’s go home, my Mollymauk.”