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Morning dew glistened off the lilacs in Essek’s garden as he tended to it; trowel in his right and magic on his left for the dunamis flair that he was proud of. Caduceus had instructed him that some well-meaning magic was good for the plants, and he was happy to give his personal touch to the garden outside the small cottage he and his husband owned.
The sweet, damp smells of the morning were replaced by the drifting scents of bacon and eggs from the open window of their cottage. While the two of them were capable of using magic to sustain themselves, both Essek and Caleb agreed that they would learn how to cook (no matter how terrible their first tries may be). Jester had told him that imperfections are what make things perfect-- a thought that he would never have held back in the days of before the Mighty Nein.
“Breakfast ready in zehn !” Caleb’s voice brought a faint smile to his face as he called out for him. Essek lifted up his sun hat to see Caleb looking out to him; long reddish-brown hair, blue eyes, and the beautiful splattering of freckles that decorated Caleb’s body as if he was covered in amber.
“I’ll be inside in a minute,” Essek responded, holding up his trowel, “Just tending to my garden before the trouble arrives later.”
“We’re two wizards, we’re as trouble as trouble gets,” Caleb and Essek shared a chuckle at the callback before Caleb continued, “the rest of the Mighty Nein may give us a run for our money though.”
“Caduceus and Yasha were looking forward to seeing my garden, so I would hate for it to be anything less than perfect.”
“Don’t try to upstart my culinary skills, magic man.”
“I would never dare, Mr. Caleb.”
“Good thing, Mr. Widoghast,” Caleb smiled at him before popping his head back into the cottage, “I don’t think my bread can beat your flowers just yet.”
Caleb and Essek’s shared breakfast was a small meal of bacon, eggs and toast; the two of them having several platters to pick from on their small wooden table. Their days were spent quietly here, their own world while Caleb had no classes to teach; reading, studying, some magical experimenting, and just genuinely enjoying the presence of the other. While they were tinkering with their own demiplane, the cottage worked for now. However, their peaceful world would be invaded by their friends today. The Mighty Nein, although having gone separate ways, never stayed separated for long.
“Jester used Sending on me as I was fixing breakfast,” Caleb started, stopping to take a bite of toast as he thought of the best way to translate her many messages.
“Did she tell you that she was bringing sweets?” Essek asked, even though he already knew the answer
“ Ja ,” Caleb smiled in remembrance of the force of chaos and pastries that was Jester, “They’re bringing ‘Bowfists’, a classic of Rumblecusp.”
“That’s the island where you fought… Vokodo, was it?” Essek recalled Caleb mentioning it among the many conversations they had. Beauregard mentioned that there was a bar named after her there.
“Avocado, yes,” Caleb nodded, Essek left wondering why they fought an avocado as Caleb continued, “Next meeting of the Mighty Nein is to happen at their vacation resort there. Beau is eager to check on the bar that she unofficially owns.”
“I might have to ask Jester for assistance in appropriate clothing, I have not been to the tropical regions quite often,” Essek thought of his wardrobe of neutral colors, although with how often he disguised himself, Caleb was often the only one to see him in his own clothes.
“She would be more than eager to assist you,” Caleb thought for a second, “Knowing her, she might just suggest you go naked.”
“...You are probably correct,” Essek thought of the blue tiefling who was more than eager to watch him strip some of his clothing at the Aeor outpost.
“Not that I would mind you naked, it would probably not be the best idea around others,” Caleb couldn’t help but finish, causing Essek to momentarily choke on a piece of bacon.
“Is that a request for later, Caleb…?” Essek’s eyes met Caleb’s. Even though it was early in the morning, the fire in their eyes had begun to light anew. The two of them found they were quite adventurous in similar aspects.
“Perhaps, if we can even find a moment of rest tonight. Kingsley has a way of making the nights turn into days.”
“He is certainly good at making time pass too quickly,” Essek politely said, although both of them knew that they were putting it lightly. Even Caleb with his keen mind had a difficult time focusing when Kinglsey got his way.
The two of them cleaned the dishes together in a few moments with magical means before spending the remainder of the morning in the majority of the cottage that was the study. Books formed labyrinths and towers across the cottage floor, everything from magic to Caleb’s preference in smut to some recipe books recommended by Jester. While Essek was slow to discover the appeal of the second one, he found pieces that were quite pleasing, in both reading and in practice. Although that secret was only for the two of them, lest Jester found out and insisted on him reading Tusked Love again.
“Have you thought of a menu for tonight?” Essek paged through a magical tome about the study of magic for the usage of architecture and examples of such throughout the world. Essek had a few ideas that he thought would benefit their cottage and future demiplane, but had the lack of resources at the moment.
“Blueberry pancakes, chocolate-covered insects, vegetarian mac and cheese…” Caleb named off a few of the favorites from their previous stays in the tower. The difference now in that Caleb would make it by hand (with Caduceus’s assistance),“Do you have any other suggestions or preferences?”
“What about a beef stew?” Essek’s immediate suggestion caused Caleb to burst out into laughter, catching himself as to not knock over a stack of tomes by his feet. The two of them agreed that they should organize their cottage, but they always got distracted by reading or other things that were most definitely not reading. Even with the arrival of their friends, they found no progress in such tasks.
“You wasted no time in suggesting that, Essek.”
“We all have our preferences, and I saw an opportunity to include my own,” Essek looked at Caleb from his spot next to him on the couch. The humor was still in Caleb’s blue eyes as he looked back, the quiver of laughter on his lips. “Do I have to resort to drastic measures to help you regain your composure, Caleb?”
“ Ja ,” Caleb’s challenge was all Essek needed to lean in, his purple lips pressing against Caleb’s. What started as a gentle kiss was quick to turn into another, and then several more that were anything but gentle.
“How much time do we have till the Mighty Nein gets here,” Essek asked with a heated breath. Somehow Caleb had found the time to start undoing the top of his shirt.
“Three hours and twenty minutes,” Caleb replied, Essek smiling at how Caleb was still able to keep track of the time. Perhaps he should try to distract him from that…
“Plenty of time to review some lessons, don’t you agree?” Essek leaned into Caleb, who fell back to allow Essek to press him into the couch.
“I would think so,” Caleb took the initiative this time and pulled Essek by his lapels into an open kiss, neither of them wasting any time for their tongues to start dancing. Essek’s hand reached through the bottom of Caleb’s shirt, feeling the warm skin of his lover tremble slightly at his touch-
“WHAT’S UP BITCHES? WE’RE HERE!” Beau came through the window as a blur of cobalt blue, but froze the moment she laid eyes on the wizards.
“Essek, your flowers are lovely-” Yasha came through the door a moment later, and like her wife, froze as soon as she saw the scene.
“Ah, you’re early,” Essek, flustered, floated off of Caleb and attempted to regain his composure. He fumbled with his clothes to straighten them as he looked away in embarrassment.
“Should we wait outside for you to finish?” Yasha offered sincerely, causing Caleb to snort out a laugh.
“It’s quite al-”
“Please do, I’m sure Essek’s flowers will keep you entertained. He’s been working quite hard on them,” Caleb’s voice cut off Essek’s own, Essek looked back to see Caleb with a mischievous smile on his face.“I was in the middle of a lesson on dunamancy, as you can tell.”
“Don’t you mean… dic-” Beau was interrupted as Yasha practically dragged her outside. Essek and Caleb remained frozen till the two of them walked out of the door before looking at each other…
“DICKTOMANCY!” Beau yelled from outside, determined to get her joke off.
“Honestly, I would expect no less of the Mighty Nein.”
“Don’t forget you’re part of it too, shadow man,” Caleb, with that, pulled Essek back down onto the couch to continue their ‘lesson’.