TRP: Azriel, Ba'ob, and Jasper (Reunited)

**ABBY**

[Setting: Day 222, Inn at Sienna Springs.]

Ba'ob's arm (the one left) was hooked around Jasper's neck.
Been a while since he'd been carried. ...Was nice. Could just close his eyes
and lean into her-- big, strong, safe.

Still noisy though. Sounded like people. Chattering,
yelling, tamed animals barking, neighing. Sounded like a city. Didn't like.
Didn't look up as Jasper kept carrying, through people noises, up stairs, in a
room. Did look up when she spoke.

"Hey nerd, what's up?" Sounded like she did when
she was trying to be cool. Carefully setting Ba'ob's arm, the one off, still
with metal, on a table. Maybe used to Ba'ob'd do something-- pull her hair or
something. Not now though. Now he just stared at who she was talking to.

Azriel. Last he'd seen he'd... Ba'ob whimpered slightly and
clung a little tighter, staring. What if Azriel was mad. Ba'ob'd deserve it.

**IZZY**

Azriel jerked upright, nearly dropping his viol entirely,
tuning it to entertain himself forgotten.

Ba'ob.

Didn't have a fucking hand.

Most of his lower arm, actually -- and, well, Jasper
appeared to have kept it, and he wasn't bleeding, someone had healed him
already, but what was he even doing here, and what had happened, and how could
Azriel make it better and fix it and --

"Oh, my fucking god." He felt himself pale,
glancing between Jasper -- who looked like she was purposefully keeping herself
together -- and Ba'b, who largely just looked to be in shock. Of course he was.
Of course he was. Mask.

That was what Azriel could fix, though -- he set his viol
down and crossed over to them, rolling up on to his toes to hold Ba'ob's face
and look him over. He wanted to ask what in every god's name had happened, and
if Ba'ob was ... okay, but it was more important to whisper, "It's all
right, love. You're safe." He glanced up at Jasper, then over to the --
arm. The cuff was off, now. At least that much. "We've got you now. You're
all right."

**ABBY**

Ba'ob felt a shudder run through him when Azriel touched
him. His breath caught. But it wasn't pain. Didn't hurt. Was just... Azriel.

Felt tears gathering up. Didn't bother to stop them. "Sorry,"
he said, high, broken. "I didn't-- didn't want to."

**COYOTE**

 Jasper let her sword drop to the ground off her back. She
wrapped the arm in cloth and set it aside. Her hands hurt from being clenched.
"They killed the bitch who did it," Jasper said, jerking her chin in
the vague direction of the others. "Some thief. Scarlett, they said her
name was. No more fucking cuff problems."

**IZZY**

Azriel shot her a puzzled look, hoping she might explain
more, but not pressing, for now. Some thief? Had what -- put the cuff on
initially, or cut off Ba'ob's arm? (He couldn't determine if it was a mercy or
not; Ba'ob was an archer and he needed both his arms; perhaps they could get
him to a cleric or a druid who could help him; the cuff was off, now, that was
the thing to focus on, and deal with the rest later.)

He kept his voice low and soothing. Ba'ob had flinched
looking at him, and at his touch, and it broke his heart. His wolf boy looked
... broken. Azriel would fucking mangle everyone who had hurt him. "That's
right," he said, petting Ba'ob's face to show him it was okay. "No
more problems. Everything will be fine, now. We'll get you fixed up, darling.
No matter the price, understand?" He gently tapped his forehead against
Ba'ob's. "I'll take care of it. We'll take care of it."

**ABBY**

Ba'ob noded slightly. No more problems. Cept him but. Didn't
want to think about that right now. Just wanted to-- know he was okay. Had hurt
Azriel, an' Azriel wasn't hurting back. Jasper freed him. Wasn't useful enough
for Bala to want him back. Wolf was alive. Was good enough.

Slowly he wrapped his good arm around Azriel, letting the empty
one dangle at his side. Leaned in and closed his eyes, taking in a shuddering
breath. "Don't want fixed," he said quietly. "Just want...
safe."

**IZZY**

Azriel wrapped both arms around Ba'ob, squeezing him
tightly, if a bit tentatively. He wasn't used to this. Ba'ob was normally
energetic and ferocious; he was full of life. Seeing him meek and defeated was
unsettling, just as hearing him speak in full sentences had been.

He felt vaguely guilty for all the fleeting moments he'd
wished Ba'ob were easier to handle, less willful, less wild, less ... hells,
less himself. It wasn't worth it. Azriel would much rather he were back to
himself, stabbing furniture and chewing on things not meant to be chewed on,
eating worrisome plants and snarling at passers-by.

It was get better, he told himself. Ba'ob was in shock. He
would return to himself.

His arm, however, wouldn't, and Azriel felt a creeping
wretched sense of vindictiveness that the woman who had done this to him was
apparently already dead, and Azriel couldn't look her in the eyes -- a thief,
was she? -- and tell her about the exquisite pain his ancestor was going to
inflict upon her in the afterlife for fucking with his family.

"Both," he promised. "Fixed and safe. I'll
find a druid who can grow your arm back, good as new."

**ABBY**

Ba'ob wanted to relax. Jasper was here, Azriel was here,
wolf was pressed up against his leg. Should be enough. Wasn't though. Azriel
wanted to fix. He tensed up slightly. Wasn't listening. "No," he
whined, tugging back and looking up. "Safer not fixed." Stopped,
shook his head. Sentences. "It's safer for me to not be fixed," he
said slowly. "Not useful. They won't want me."

Azriel still wanted him, and Jasper. Safe people. Bala...
didn't need a one armed archer. This was better.

**IZZY**

Azriel frowned. "No," he said automatically, then
stopped himself, and thought ahead. Ba'ob was distressed, and he needed Ba'ob
to not be distressed; that was the priority. Later, possibly, he would bring it
up again, or just take Ba'ob somewhere to heal him under some pretense, or ...

Ah, he was feeling something else -- incredible sadness
warring with the anger. The combination made his eyes teary.

"All right then. Very well." He slid closer to
Ba'ob and pulled his wolf boy against him. "I'll do anything for you, do
you know that, love?" he said softly. "Anything. You're mine, and I
take care of what's mine. No one else will harm you. I promise."

**ABBY**

Ba'ob flinched slightly. 'Mine'. Did Azriel mean it like...?
Maybe that was okay though. Had wanted Azriel to watch him. And Azriel wouldn't
hurt him. Yeah. This worked.

"Okay," Ba'ob said, leaning into the hug. For a
moment wished that he could promise to protect Azriel back- but couldn't. Wolf
could though. They'd watch out for each other. "Thank you."

**IZZY**

The flinch again. Azriel's brow knit. With Ba'ob having been
-- controlled and owned by people, perhaps his possessiveness wasn't the most
comforting thing to hear. Damn. He could have predicted that if he'd only
thought about it, but this genuine emotion thing made it ... difficult, at
times.

"Nonsense. We're family," he said firmly.
"You'd do the same for me. After all, you've saved my life before. So has
Jasper." He glanced her way. "It's a given, love. That's what
belonging to each other means."

**ABBY**

"Not always," Ba'ob recalled quietly. Sometimes
belonging meant being stuck in a room for most the day. Sometimes belonging
meant cooking and cleaning and still not having enough done when the master
came home. Sometimes, belonging meant holding the one person who cared about
you and being able to do nothing as she cried in pain.

It'd be better with Azriel. Would. "Won't mind
belonging to you," he said. "Be-- It'll be okay." No cuff, now,
to hurt with. (Not that it was needed-- but Azriel wouldn't. Wouldn't let
anyone else either.)

**IZZY**

Hm. Azriel felt he may have made a misstep here that would
be ... tricky to repair. It likely wasn't worth pursuing right now, just like
the arm -- he would ease his way into it, pick at it piece by piece, dismantle
this disturbing notion that woman had seemed to plant in Ba'ob's head.

He settled for, "Yes. It will be okay," and then
paused, unable to entirely let it alone, mind whirling at the problem from
different angles. "Would you ... like to hear a story, about our
family?"

**ABBY**

"Okay," Ba'ob said. Story sounded nice. Hm. He
pulled back and stepped towards the couch, tugging lightly at Azriel's arm.
Jasper too. He looked at her and gestured with his empty arm at the couch.
"Let's sit?" Azriel one side, Jasper the other, wolf in front- that
sounded nice. Sounded safe.

**IZZY**

"Good."

Azriel went along easily, snagging his viol on the way and
settling next to Ba'ob. He gave the strings a few plucks -- they were already
in tune, really, he was just a perfectionist. Then he rested it against his
neck and softly played a song about the moon.

"They say," he said, "that all tieflings have
a demonic ancestor who passed down our horns, and tails, and magic. Well, in
our family, you see -- my ancestor is no simple, run-of-the-mill demon. He's a
god, Ba'ob." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "The god of
tricksters and thieves and those who creep at night. And he watches out for
people like me, and Larkin, and you, too, and gives us extra luck and makes our
steps extra light.

"But he's my great-grandfather, you know. He takes care
of me especially well." Difficult to really believe anymore, given all
that had befallen the Melaines, but it was what he had always been told, for
better or worse. "That's what family does. And you're my family, now, love,
so I'm looking after you, and that means Mask is, as well. A god, you
understand? No one is going to hurt you again. And I'll bet that Jasper's
goddess watches over you, too," he added, angling his chin towards his
sister, "and keeps you safe, just as she does. You'll always be safe,
love. We'll always come for you."

**ABBY**

Ba'ob hummed a little bit along with the song. He missed
that. Azriel's viol, the music. It was a good story too. Could tell it was
supposed to be comforting. He wasn't sure if he- got it though.

"Don't-- I don't get gods," he said. "I have
heard stories. Some. But..." Ba'ob shrugged. "I don't-
understand."

**IZZY**

Azriel gestured vaguely with his bow for an off beat,
resuming playing as soon as he'd stopped. "Well, for most people the
connection isn't so readily apparent. I'll admit a certain confusion, myself.
But while some feel a calling -- your paladins, your clerics -- for us, it is
innate. Some gods watch over their followers as if they were children, but we
are Mask's children, and you, my love, are adopted now."

**ABBY**

Ba'ob stared at Azriel, brow furrowed. Yep. Still didn't get
it. Sounded nice though. Having another person watching out for him-- one he'd
never met. Or maybe that wasn't as nice as first thought. "...Okay,"
he said quietly. Wasn't like he could ask them to stop.

**IZZY**

[END]

Title: Reunited. Summary: Jasper brings freshly-armless
Ba'ob to Azriel for comfort, cuddles, and a story.