TRP: Bee and Irah (Glowing Peak)

[SETTING: Glimmerton, Day 409.]

Sam had only just disappeared into the cave that led to the Underdark, and Irah had only just had time to get back into Glimmerton -- a small fishing village in the shadow of Morningstar Keep, up on the ridge -- when he heard a soft, pleasant voice call him by name.

"Irah?"

When he looked toward it, he saw a young, fair-skinned person with messy black hair and dark brown eyes. They were well but simply dressed in dark clothes, and held a parasol over their shoulder to shade their skin. They had a bag slung over their shoulder, and a harp strung to it, and a tiger's eye pendant on a long chain hung around their neck, but didn't appear to be traditionally armed.

"It is Irah, isn't it?" they asked.

JEN

Irah straightened up, the net he'd been mending in hand. He looked the person who'd called his name up and down, trying to remember if he knew... them. It didn't spark any memory. Their eyes, though, they seemed... off.

Two-faced, someone suggested.

Who is that? How do they know him?

"Yeah?" He said, finding himself avoiding their gaze.

IZZY

"My name is Bee." They stepped forward and offered him their hand to shake.

JEN

He took it, hesitantly, but quickly let go.

IZZY

They smiled, and explained, "I'm a friend of Sam's."

JEN

"Oh." He blinked and looked them in the eyes for a brief moment. Well, that... that might explain how they knew his name. Did Sam talk about him..?

IZZY

"I was hoping to speak with him, but I'm afraid I missed him. Was he going into the Underdark?" they asked, tilting their head curiously.

JEN

"Uh," Irah said, very helpfully. He about told them yes, Sam was going, but then thought better of it. Something seemed off about them, and not just the eyes. Something odd...

"How do you know Sam," he asked. "He's never talked about you."

IZZY

"Oh, we met a long time ago," they said pleasantly. "I'm not surprised he hasn't mentioned me. We haven't seen each other in quite a long time."

JEN

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said before thinking that was odd. How did they know Sam was in the underdark then? Why did they need confirmation?

IZZY

"I've been trying to get in touch with him," they said. "He was with some adventurer types, wasn't he?"

JEN

Irah half nodded, half shrugged, the net still in his hands. "I don't really know them."

IZZY

"Hm. I'm a bit concerned about him, to be honest," they said delicately, spinning their parasol in their hand a little. "The Underdark is a dangerous place."

JEN

"He didn't want me to come," he said, a little of the disappointment coming through. "But I believe he's going to be okay."

IZZY

"Oh." They offered a sympathetic frown. "Was he concerned you'd get hurt?"

JEN

Irah did the half-nod-half-shrug again.

IZZY

"That's like him. He's a very caring person." They spun their parasol idly, again. "Have you known him long?"

JEN

He shook his head, feeling a little embarrassed. "A couple... couple weeks maybe. I, uh. I helped him... with something. That's how we met."

IZZY

"Oh?" They tilted their head again. "What did you help him with?"

JEN

Don't tell him, they warned.

She knows. She knows.

Irah looked away, fingers rubbing the fibers of the net. "I don't think he'd..."

Shut up. Not like this.

Stupid.

"Uh..." Irah squeezed his eyes shut. He had trouble thinking through the voices. "He, uhm. He needed... a book. From the library. I do, ah... I did. Work there."

IZZY

They smiled faintly. "You met at a library?"

JEN

Irah nodded.

IZZY

"That's very sweet." They kept twirling their parasol, smiling. "Do you have feelings for him?"

JEN

His eyes went wide even though he wasn't looking at Bee. He opened his mouth but no words came out, so he shut it and shook his head.

IZZY

"Irah," they said, amused. "There's no need to lie."

JEN

"Why're you asking?"

IZZY

"I'm just curious, I suppose. He seems to have gained quite a few friends since the last time I spoke to him."

JEN

"He's my friend," Irah said. "Friends. We're friends, and I- I don't think I... uh." He looked down at the net in his hand and the torn strands. He focused on that and they mended back together.

IZZY

"Oh." Bee frowned, suddenly. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

JEN

"I have to work," he said lamely, lifting the net a bit.

IZZY

"I won't be any bother," they promised.

JEN

Seeing no way out short of running away, Irah nodded again and sat down with the net.

IZZY

They sat with him, tilting the parasol to offer him some shade, too. They were quiet, for a beat, then gently asked, "Are you worried he doesn't feel the same way you feel?"

JEN

"No," he said, because he wasn't. Irah didn't know how he felt in the first place.

IZZY

"What is it that you don't think, then?"

JEN

He shrugged, uncomfortable, and mended another tear.

IZZY

"I only want to help," Bee said simply. "It's ... important to me that Sam has friends. I wouldn't want you to drift apart. He seemed quite fond of you."

JEN

"He..." Irah paused. He looked at Bee, directly this time. "I thought you hadn't seen him in a long time." Right. And there'd been the other thing. "How do you know me?"

IZZY

"I saw you together," they said. "Before he joined the other adventurers."

JEN

"You were..."

Watching.

Told you. Someone's there. They were there.

Poor Irah. They were watching.

Irah just stared and said nothing. They'd been right. They'd told him, hadn't they? They often said someone was watching... they's been telling the truth. What it they always were? What if Aziz had been wrong?

IZZY

They tilted their head in concern. "Yes. I've been trying to find Sam for some time. Are you all right?"

JEN

Irah shook his head to clear it, then hastily nodded. Don't let them see.

"Why, uh..." They weren't shutting up. He wanted to yell at them but then Bee would know. "Why did you not... come talk to him?" he asked slowly.

IZZY

"He looked busy," they said regretfully. "He gets very focused on the task he has in front of him, and can be hard to pull away."

JEN

"Oh. Yeah."

IZZY

They smiled, a little. "I suppose you've seen that, even only knowing him a couple of weeks."

JEN

"Yes. We... we did some researching together. I helped him find stuff in books. He was very focused."

IZZY

"Mm." They nodded. "Do you know about his patron?"

JEN

"Yes," he said, careful as if stepping on ice.

IZZY

"When I knew him before, his focus was on bringing his patron over to our plane."

JEN

"Yes. He... yes."

IZZY

Bee tilted their head, watching him closely. "Are you aware of who his patron is, Irah?"

JEN

He wasn't making eye contact and now he turned his head for a moment. "Yes."

IZZY

"Hm," they said thoughtfully, and then nothing else.

JEN

Irah kept the silence for a while. He stared down at the net in his hands, at the rip he needed to fix but his thoughts were occupied and he couldn't focus on it.

After a while, he quietly said, "He's going to help me."

IZZY

"Sam is, or the demon?" they asked.

JEN

"His patron."

IZZY

"Why?"

JEN

"Ah... that's not..." he worried his lip, and the net in his fingers. "It's not easy to say."

IZZY

Bee looked concerned. "Can you tell me why it's difficult?"

JEN

He shook his head.

IZZY

"I see." They considered this. "Has Pride agreed to help you because you're Sam's friend?"

JEN

"I... suppose."

IZZY

"Mm." They were quiet for another moment. "You know, I ... I saw how Sam behaved with you. He seemed so genuinely happy when he looked at you, and saddened to leave you behind. I want you to know," they said carefully, "how conditional that is."

JEN

Irah glanced at them. "What do you mean?"

IZZY

"When Sam and I were close," they said, "we spent almost all of our time together. Meals, sleep, leisure time. I have, genuinely, never been as close to anyone as I was to him, and haven't been with anyone since. He was and is deeply important to me. But I expressed reservations about Pride. I refused to help him as readily as you have, and I sought out proof that helping the demon cross over was ... wise. I'm a paladin of a righteous deity, you see, and my god forbade me from helping him."

They played idly with the pendant around their neck.

"I betrayed Sam's trust, and because of that, he broke all ties with me. It's important that you know, however, that what put the first cracks into our relationship was simply doubting the demon that he loves." They looked to Irah. "He values his patron above everything else. He will always choose Pride over you."

JEN

"Well," Irah started but then fell silent for a moment. That sounded... sounded like Bee had really been hurt by that. But Irah had betrayed Sam's trust and he hadn't cut him off. He'd... he had understood. And offered to help. It was different, to whatever Bee had done. Must be. And, besides... "They're in love," Irah said. "It's... it's normal to have someone you will... chose over everyone else. If you love them." He looked at Bee. "What did you do?"

IZZY

They smiled sadly. "You can ask him. He'll tell you the truth. Does he love you?"

JEN

"We're friends," he said again, drawing up his shoulders a bit. He felt weird in his stomach at the question and his face grew warm.

IZZY

Bee touched Irah's shoulder, briefly. "Please try to keep it that way."

They stood, as if to leave.

JEN

"Did you love him?" Irah asked.

IZZY

"I do," they said.

JEN

"Oh." Irah glanced away. "I'm sorry."

IZZY

They spun their parasol, quiet for a moment. "Don't make my mistakes," they said finally. "Be there for him. I'm not able to, any longer. I have a different part to play."

JEN

"What part?"

IZZY

"It remains to be seen."

JEN

Irah blinked, not looking at them. He didn't like the sound of that. Or maybe he did, but... "Are you... trying to keep Pride on the other side?" he asked.

IZZY

They didn't say anything, and just twirled their parasol with a vaguely wistful expression.

JEN

"No," Irah pushed to his feet. "No, you- you can't! He's... Sam needs him. And he, he's... he's gonna help me, too."

IZZY

Bee looked weary, but they smiled.

"What is he going to help you with?"

JEN

"Ah... " Irah drew back a little. "It's... I... there's something that's happening to me and I... I don't want to talk about it."

IZZY

"If he doesn't help you," they said, "or if he can't, please seek out of the Glowing Peak, in the northern mountains. I have an associate there. Her name is Zelda. She'll help you with whatever you need."

JEN

"Your god is good, are they?"

IZZY

"Yes."

JEN

Irah bit his lip. He wanted it. So bad, he was willing to help a demon cross over. But if this person could help him... "Can you kill demons?" he asked, then ducked his head as if expecting something to hit him.

IZZY

"Yes," they said again.

JEN

Irah nodded. "Okay. I- okay."

IZZY

"Okay ... what?" they asked slowly, clearly puzzled.

JEN

"I'll remember it." Irah chewed his lip, half turned away to hide how embarrassed he must look. He wasn't doing a good job of hiding them. Not good at all. Bee saw. They'd know.

IZZY

"Please don't do anything to jeopardize your relationship with Sam," they said. "Tell him that I spoke to you. Tell him what I said. Will you do that?"

JEN

"Yes." He paused. "I won't. Do anything, I mean. I promised I wouldn't."

IZZY

"That's good." They watched him for a moment. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I hope that the demon will help you."

JEN

He nodded. He did, too.

IZZY

"Have a good day, Irah," they said, and turned to leave.

[END]