#rqg azu

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Stimboard for Azu from Rusty Quill Gaming

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[ID: All PCs from RQG (Azu, Bertie, Sasha, Cel, Zolf, Hamid, and Grizzop) along with Skraak and Wilde posing in one big group. Everyone has a smile on their face except Bertie, who is looking to the side distractedly. Azu, Wilde, and Bertie are in the back row. Azu and Bertie are holding a big sign strung between them that says “Thank you RQG”. Next to the sign on opposite sides are Sasha and Cel. On the bottom row is Zolf, Hamid, Grizzop, and Skraak. End ID.]

Please click on the image I promise its not that blurry!

I don’t even know where to begin with this. RQG ended about a week ago and I’m still thinking about the Finale. I only started listening in May but this podcast brought me so much comfort and joy throughout the summer and into my first year at university. I genuinely cried when it ended and I’m gonna miss it so much! I’m so glad I got a chance to listen while it aired and to meet so many fun characters on the way c:

 and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-orien and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-orien and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-orien and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-orien and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-orien and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-orien and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-orien and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-orien and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-orien and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-orien

 and for the last part (5/5) of my rqg end party doodle dump… these slightly more canon-oriented things! the first one is the first ever thing i ever drew for the campaign… and the silhouettes from the end i sketched a week or so ago. they won’t be gone, but, my world. what a ride. what incredible amounts of love. it’s been an honor, you all ♥


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part 4 of my rqg-end-party-doodle-dump! some very slightly fancier doodles and wips from- mostly fropart 4 of my rqg-end-party-doodle-dump! some very slightly fancier doodles and wips from- mostly fropart 4 of my rqg-end-party-doodle-dump! some very slightly fancier doodles and wips from- mostly fropart 4 of my rqg-end-party-doodle-dump! some very slightly fancier doodles and wips from- mostly fropart 4 of my rqg-end-party-doodle-dump! some very slightly fancier doodles and wips from- mostly fropart 4 of my rqg-end-party-doodle-dump! some very slightly fancier doodles and wips from- mostly fropart 4 of my rqg-end-party-doodle-dump! some very slightly fancier doodles and wips from- mostly fropart 4 of my rqg-end-party-doodle-dump! some very slightly fancier doodles and wips from- mostly fropart 4 of my rqg-end-party-doodle-dump! some very slightly fancier doodles and wips from- mostly fro

part 4 of my rqg-end-party-doodle-dump! some very slightly fancier doodles and wips from- mostly from this year, i think, actually? hope you like them!


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 for this momentous day just before rqg ends, i dug through all my unshared wips and doodles from be for this momentous day just before rqg ends, i dug through all my unshared wips and doodles from be for this momentous day just before rqg ends, i dug through all my unshared wips and doodles from be for this momentous day just before rqg ends, i dug through all my unshared wips and doodles from be for this momentous day just before rqg ends, i dug through all my unshared wips and doodles from be for this momentous day just before rqg ends, i dug through all my unshared wips and doodles from be for this momentous day just before rqg ends, i dug through all my unshared wips and doodles from be for this momentous day just before rqg ends, i dug through all my unshared wips and doodles from be for this momentous day just before rqg ends, i dug through all my unshared wips and doodles from be

 for this momentous day just before rqg ends, i dug through all my unshared wips and doodles from between when i started listening last year and now, and put together a 5 part doodle dump! this first part is the sketchiest, and they may not look like much but faces just come out so funny when they’re done in a line or two. most of these are from last year, and among the veery first things i ever drew of this cast, so they’re very awkward and outdated. the first four, however, are part of all the sketches it took me to get to the on the trail piece i shared some months ago. stay tuned for 4 more parts, and a merry end party to you all!


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 ENDGAME ☄️  to a line erased, to friends coming together, to my favorite campaign in the whole worl ENDGAME ☄️  to a line erased, to friends coming together, to my favorite campaign in the whole worl ENDGAME ☄️  to a line erased, to friends coming together, to my favorite campaign in the whole worl ENDGAME ☄️  to a line erased, to friends coming together, to my favorite campaign in the whole worl ENDGAME ☄️  to a line erased, to friends coming together, to my favorite campaign in the whole worl ENDGAME ☄️  to a line erased, to friends coming together, to my favorite campaign in the whole worl ENDGAME ☄️  to a line erased, to friends coming together, to my favorite campaign in the whole worl ENDGAME ☄️  to a line erased, to friends coming together, to my favorite campaign in the whole worl

ENDGAME☄️

 to a line erased, to friends coming together, to my favorite campaign in the whole world. THANK YOU!

 i just needed to complete the set i made last year with a piece for the ending, regardless of how long it took. and what it took were a bunch of sketches, a handful of different proposals, and weeks of work spread out through months. i love the end result and how different this one is from the rest -turns out i’ve learned a lot and was much more certain about how i wanted to go about this one in comparison to the others, what with opting for a composition where no one in the party was at the center, with going just ham with the outfits, with taking my time with every detail and not skimping on the background, etc. i do think it’s very sweet how wanting to avoid anyone being a central character here was something i realized very early on that i wanted to work with, and, meanwhile, in all previous three pieces it just happened naturally… i like to think it speaks of how the campaign and the team worked. i love them so much. i’m so happy i got to draw wilde and skraak like this, seeing the full party in this style and scene is just so so great. i wanted something epic and i think it worked, this went through a lot of tweaks and i’m very glad the final piece is so nice. i just love rqg so much.

 here’s some close-ups of the characters and patterns!

[cel// azu//hamid//zolf//sasha//bertie | wilde | skraak | grizzop//blue, green, black//red, purple//gold, ochre//pink]

 and here’s a twitter thread with all the preliminary sketches! 

 i made this poster in honor of the story ending, and have one more planned in honor of the podcast itself. here’s to hoping it turns out just as good

 also, do check the previous three pieces! they’re still super cute and complete this crazy timeline!

 ID under the cut, it’s a long one!

[ID: a digital, full-color illustration for the endgame of erasing the line. it is drawn with medium-thin lines and is heavily stylized, in a way that all figures are broken down into sharp, strong-shaped segments with bold colors and filled in with intricate patterns. the characters’ poses and features are accordingly angular, and it’s made so everyone’s faces are turned into sharp profiles from the camera.
   the scene is of the lolomg standing battle-ready on the roof of the houses of parliament, with big ben behind them. on the frontmost layer is a low, triangle-shaped rooftop over with the party stands, three to one side and three to the other. behind them is another layer of walls and roofs from the building, with big ben at the center, and the furthermost layer corresponds to the sky. the scene is put together so nobody in the team stands at the center, and that space is instead occupied by the clock tower standing tall in the near background. the roofs are blue with a checkered pattern, the walls a faded yellow, and the windows dark. there are cracks, stains and blue bushes with small flowers all across the visible building, which is symmetrical and made from two mirrored halves.
   to our left, from bottom to top, are skraak, wilde, and azu, all facing left. in the same manner, to our right are zolf, cel, and hamid, all facing right. skraak is standing closer to the leftmost edge of the roof, with wilde a little further up behind him, and a twelve-foot tall azu behind them both. on the other side, zolf is closest to the triangular rooftop with his glaive upright just at the tip of it. behind him but closer to the right border is cel, and flying just behind and a little above them, is hamid.
   to start on the left half, skraak is half-crouched menacingly with an angry snarl on his face. his figure is the only one made up mostly of curves, so from the tip of his snout to his knee he his curled over like a sideways U. his tail follows that direction further and curls a little towards the bottom, with a sharp, curved blade attached to the side end of it, looking a bit like half of an axe. only his frontmost arm is visible, holding the dagger of stalking with the blade back and curving upwards, his elbow high up. his left leg is taking a step forward while the right balances him out from behind. he’s colored bright red and has patches of lighter and darker scales in his legs, tail, arms and face. he has a tight, short-sleeved, black upper-body armor that ends when it reaches the belts by his waist. the armor has a streak of silver scales across his chest and a section of red spiral patterns going down his abdomen. he has gray gloves and light-brown bracers around the wrist and bicep, along with matching shin-guards. he has a long snout, many fangs, narrowed yellow eyes and two sets of yellow horns, the first shorter than the next. his neck frill begins above his eye like a furrowed eyebrow and extends back, ending below his jaw in a scaly patch. the webs of it are yellow and every other one has a mosaic-like scale pattern. his striped horns, the spikes along his tail and his claws are also yellow.
   behind him, wilde is also giving a step forward with his left leg and the right bends behind him. he’s pale, tall and skinny, and his stance is such that his back is towards us, with his right arm bent and the hand obscured by his hip, and his left arm is held up just above his head with the sparkle of a spell around his outstretched index finger. unlike skraak, he merely has narrowed, focused eyes and a slight frown. he has eyebags that look like running eyeliner, in short vertical streaks running down. his hair is long and brown, falling behind him, and it has two broad streaks of white down the side, with spiral patterns all throughout them. his robes of the resplendent thespian have a first layer of deep red long sleeves with silver frilly ends; then poofy, pink short sleeves, and then a glimmering two-tailed coat, the ends of which whip towards our left. the short sleeves have alternating rows of a slim, white curling pattern over pale pink, and of pale pink flowers over hot pink. the body of the coat has stripes of yellow, lilac and purple, and wherever they meet there are dark magenta lines with small white diamond shapes on them. there are tiny sparkles on the stripes of color. we can see the inside of the two tails and they’re red as the long sleeves, alternating between vertical rows of red spirals and flowery, swirling yellow patterns. he has poofy, short magenta shorts with stripes of purple and lines of pale pink. he has white leggings and ankle-high red boots, high heeled and with white spats.
   towering above him is azu, who yells angrily to our left, holding her right hand high as if she was ordering whatever is coming off-screen to stop. her left hand is holding her great axe steady across her shoulders, so her outstretched arm follows in the direction of the handle of it. she stands with her body facing towards the center of the illustration, left leg bent near the cusp of the roof, supporting her weight as she leans in on it, leaving her right leg outstretched and following on the leaning. her broad form is clad in a glimmering pink breastplate, with a big, sparkling pink heart in the center, surrounded by pale pink and silver feathers in the manner of short wings. the edges of the layered breastplate have thin swirling designs each following on the borders of it, and when the breastplate ends below her ribs, there is another two layers of feathers by the side, and below them comes a tasset colored in pale yellow, with patterns of swirls and leaves on it. there are two layers of shoulder pauldrons, with the topmost one sharing that same yellow color scheme and patterns, and the one below it following in the pink of the breastplate. the shirt underneath her armor has wide, poofy short-sleeves that resemble wilde’s, pale pink with thin-lined chains of lowercase, cursive “e” shapes. her skin is dark brown, her shaved hair is darker and covered in spiral patterns. she has a small cut on her visible eyebrow, the same running dark lines as wilde under her eye, and from this side we can see her non-broken tusk where she indignantly opens her mouth. her lower lip is painted hot pink, like her nails. she has arm-guards with spiral patterns in pinks and purples, followed by fingerless pink armor on her hands. her great axe is a wide, hot pink blade with thin, white curling patterns across the edges of it. from beneath her amor comes a long, two-layered pink battle skirt that whips in the wind towards the leftmost border of the drawing, the tips of it disappearing off-screen. the first layer is a warmer pink, the one below it is a colder purple. both layers alternate between one plait being just color, and the next being covered in spiral and floral patterns. visible on her supporting leg are pale yellow pants, and knee-high dark pink greaves. they have three hearts along the middle, a marble-patterned spike-like cover by the knee, and then a layer beneath covers the boots with the same pink and purple patterns from the arm guards. with her in the back, her lower half is slightly obscured in a blue haze; skraak reaches up to about the knee of her right leg, and wilde is just below the heart on her breastplate.
   moving onto the right half, near the center is zolf. he’s down on one knee, left leg down and right leg up, body facing towards our left while his head turns right. his right hand is holding his flaming glaive upright, and on the left he’s holding one side of a pair of headphones to the ear we can’t see. these connect to babbage, whom he’s carrying on a backpack or case made of metal and glass. the brain floats in a green, bubbly liquid. zolf’s mouth is obscured by his single-plait beard and his mustache, so only his stern look is visible. his eyes are green and have the same dark lines running down the lower eyelid. his hair is short, white and pointy. there are spirals and concentric circles down the braid of his beard. the mantle of faith is light gray, with an embroidered yellow border and matching four-point stars across a darker stripe just above the edge of the cape. it drags down behind him and the inside of it folds in such a way that every other stripe has a design of golden suns with beaming rays, and the remaining ones are a paler yellow with floating laurels on them. his breatsplate is a light brown-gray, with a laurel pattern on the edges, and two more layers of armor running below it. the second curves with his belly and ends by his midriff; it has a sun design at the center, like the ones in the cape, right below a central dip in the breastplate, and then come rows of laurels and stripes. the last layer is a tasset covering the sides of his thighs, like azu’s, but his are simple and rounded and have the same beaming sun at their center. he’s wearing a chainmail and plain brown elbow-length gloves with arm guards, which have gray and gold curved stripes. his trousers are plain dark gray and his boots of levitation are white, high-heeled, and go up to his shins. they have gold embroidery in the form of little swirls by the tip and along the side, and both the heels and upper fold of the shoes are deep blue. his glaive reaches just below the clock face, the fire of it white, orange and yellow, with multiple spiral and striped designs on it.
   more to the center of the right half is cel. they’re starting to fly, just a feet or two above the roof, mid transformation, with an emptied potion on their right hand and a handful of bombs in the other. they have sprouted just one wing, still half closed and beginning to stretch to our right, while their right leg and left arm have turned into something clawed and fuzzy, brown-orange and with dotted lines and alternating tones in a pattern reminiscent of a sweater. their wing is also orange and appears fuzzy at the edges, bat-like with a black claw where it bends and dark red and brown, spotted sections on the webs. their head and body are facing to the right of the illustration, snarling at something off-camera with angry narrowed eyes and a mouthful of big fangs. they have the same dark marks under their eyes, pale skin, their nose has gone crooked from the transformation, and we can see their burnt ear. their hair is a gray blond, wild and vertical, slightly swept back. they have their green-lensed goggles on their forehead. they’re holding their right arm up, bending at the elbow so the empty potion bottle is pointing downwards, held by a hand in an elbow-length dark blue glove. their other arm passes over their chest and holds the three bombs in a dark-clawed hand just to the right of the potion. they’re a little hunched over in their flight, making their anger seem more feral, and their long, lanky leg curves downwards next to their other, transforming limb. their long, plain brown coat whips to the right behind them, like a fan, and the inside of it is filled with gray swirls. their shirt is visible where their coat is open by their chest, and it has small spirals filled in with light green and orange. there are two bandoliers crossed over their chest.
   just above them, by the height where the blade of zolf’s glaive begins, is hamid. he has taken off flying and is holding the rod of maximize with both hands, the head of it pointing back, diagonally downwards, along with his cape and wings. he’s flying diagonally upwards towards the right, looking on with a determined look on his face. his eyes are narrowed and bitter, brow furrowed low with the same dark lines. he has sharp eyeliner and bright red eyeshadow. his mouth is sternly closed but two fangs are poking out. he has stubble on his chin and his dark brown hair is slicked back, but there are sharp strands poking out in curved ends as they follow the direction of his scalp. he’s wearing a black button-up with rolled up sleeves, the sleeves of many garments up to his elbows. his skin is dark brown but there are a myriad of orange and yellow scales down the side of his face, just above his eyes, and on his nose. his arms are completely covered in them as well. his cravat is white and his waistcoat is dark red, with a yellow border and a grid-like design of diamonds and X shapes on it. his trousers are plain black, the shape of them going all the way down to his pointy dress shoes, and he isn’t wearing a suit jacket. like cel, he’s facing fully towards the right, flying with his left leg up and the right matching the direction of his speed, just like his cape as it trails behind him. the upper part of the cape is a dark magenta, with golden ends and spiral designs on the lower portion of it. the front of it reaches midway down his chest, and the back of it is long and it fans out in segments covered with concentric half-circles in lighter and darker purples. his left hand holds the lower end of the staff up, the shaft of it in line with his forearm and the whole of his right arm, holding the rod back. the shaft is black, and the head is gold, spiky and symetric, the shapes of it floating around one another and with one big red crystal in the center. following in the rod’s shaft, the shapes are like a spiky U containing the cristal, followed by a sort of wide M, with crescent shapes on either side of it. his one visible, draconic wing splays to the left behind him, and it’s a dark orange in color, sporting the same mosaic-like scales in the webs as those in his arms and on skraak’s frill.
   lastly, above in the center, guivres’ wings spread from behind the tip of big ben. they’re a glimmering gold, with blue vine-like patterns across most of the structure of them, and with a shinning mosaic of gold and blue scales on the webs. there are sharp spikes on the ends and bends of it. just above them, the sun shines down menacingly in an orange-blue dust-ridden sky, and blue petals storm around the party as if they were coming from her, unseen behind the tower half covered in blue, blooming bushes. end ID]


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[ID: digital drawing of dahlia, a half-orc half-tiefling original character, hanging out with azu and zoya from the rusty quill gaming podcast.

the three of them are sitting comfortably around a tea table. zoya, a tiefling with deep red skin and golden hair and eyes wearing casual clothes in muted colors, lounges on a couch with one arm around azu’s back. azu, a black orc with a buzzcut and a pink top, seashell necklace, and heart earrings, holds a teacup and excitedly shares a story with dahlia. dahlia, a tief-orc with both horns and tusks, magenta skin, and loose purple and yellow clothes has her chin propped up on her hands as she listens with sparkling eyes. end ID]

on a scale of one to “drawing your own rpg character meeting characters from your favorite rpg podcast” how self indulgent is your art

au in which nobody* dies and hamid convinces everyone to dress up fancy for a dinner party or smth iau in which nobody* dies and hamid convinces everyone to dress up fancy for a dinner party or smth iau in which nobody* dies and hamid convinces everyone to dress up fancy for a dinner party or smth iau in which nobody* dies and hamid convinces everyone to dress up fancy for a dinner party or smth iau in which nobody* dies and hamid convinces everyone to dress up fancy for a dinner party or smth iau in which nobody* dies and hamid convinces everyone to dress up fancy for a dinner party or smth iau in which nobody* dies and hamid convinces everyone to dress up fancy for a dinner party or smth i

au in which nobody* dies and hamid convinces everyone to dress up fancy for a dinner party or smth idk.

*that we actually care about

[Image Description: Several pictures of characters from the Rusty Quill Gaming podcast; Sasha Racket, Zolf Smith, Azu, Hamid al-Tahan, Grizzop drik acht Amsterdam, and Cel Sidebottom. In the first image, they are standing clumped together in the center of the image.

Sasha is a pale-skinned human woman with short, dark hair. She is wearing a very dark blue tuxedo jacket with black lapels, a black waistcoat, black suit trousers, and a maroon bowtie. The jacket is buttoned. She is holding a martini glass with an olive in it and smiling, one hand in her pocket.

Zolf is a pale dwarvish man with short white hair and a long beard, which is tied in a single braid and bound with a gold circlet with an emerald in it. He is wearing a charcoal-gray double-breasted suit with a yellow carnation in the lapel and a pink shirt. He is standing with one hand behind his back and the other holding a scotch glass.

Azu is a tall, bald, dark-skinned orcish woman with a pair of tusks, one of which is broken. She is wearing a pink ballgown with a sweetheart neckline, off-the-shoulder sleeves, and lots of translucent ruffles, as well as a necklace with the Heart of Aphrodite, depicted as a blue clam shell, and pearl bracelets. She is smiling serenely, holding a martini glass. She is standing behind the other characters.

Hamid is a short halfling man with medium-brown skin and short, curly dark hair. He is wearing a purple tailcoat tuxedo with a gold waistcoat and a gold bowtie. He is smiling, with both hands proudly gripping the lapels of his tuxedo.

Grizzop is a lanky, gray-skinned goblin with large pointed ears, red eyes, and feet that are shaped like hands. He is wearing an emerald green tuxedo jacket with black lapels, black suit trousers, and a matching lime green cummerbund and bowtie, as well as a pair of emerald green gloves for his feet. He has many gold piercings in his ears, and is smiling at the camera with one hand on his hip, the other holding a champagne flute.

Cel is a tall, nonbinary half-elf with pale skin and very pale blond hair that sticks straight up. They are wearing a golden tuxedo jacket embellished with several bows, a white shirt with ruffled collar, sleeves, and front. Additionally, they are wearing a large golden bow tie, and a black skirt parted in the middle, edged with gold, that trails on the floor behind them. It is tied at the waist with a golden bow, and underneath they are wearing black suit trousers. They are standing with their weight on one foot, smiling at the camera, and holding a champagne flute.

The remaining images depict the above, but each character is separate from the others. End ID.]


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Even though the grunt of pain from Kiko was quiet and muffled by clattering wood, Azu heard it from the far side of the structure that would, according to Cel, one day become a ship.  She moved swiftly to her side and knelt down next to her.

“Kiko?  Are you alright?”

“I just cut my hand, it’s fine.”  She held out her arm to show Azu the gash that now ran from back of her hand and partially down her forearm.

Instinctively, Azu took Kiko’s injured hand in her own and shut her eyes tight.  Under her breath, she murmured a prayer to Aphrodite, begging her to heal Kiko and keep her safe in this and in all things.

When she opened her eyes and saw that the wound had not sealed itself up in a glow of pink, she let out a defeated sigh.

“You forgot again, didn’t you?”  Kiko asked cautiously.

Azu nodded.  “Sometimes I think that if… that if I pray hard enough, she’ll still hear me.”  Then she shook her head.  “I have some bandages.  We should clean this up before it gets infected.”

As Azu tenderly cleaned and bandaged Kiko’s injury with the supplies she kept on her person at all times, Kiko watched her features with a mixture of concern and admiration.

“There you go, all set. I’ll change the bandages later and see how it’s doing.”

Despite her words, Azu continued holding Kiko’s hand, and Kiko made no attempt to pull away.

“Listen, I don’t know how it all works now.  But… if Aphrodite is still out there, I know she can hear you,” Kiko insisted.  “And maybe she can’t help you with spells or healing anymore, but she’s still here, in her own way.”

Azu let out a heavy breath. “I just don’t know.  It’s hard.  It feels… empty, now.”

Kiko squeezed Azu’s hand a little tighter.  “I’m sorry. And I know nothing can fill that void.  But she’s the goddess of love.  As long as there’s love in the world, she’s still here.  As long as you still love - and you love so muchandso deeply - then she’s still there with you, even if it’s hard to feel her presence.  And you are so strong to keep going, to keep fighting and believing in her when you can’t hear her call back to you.”

With a shudder, Azu slumped forward against Kiko, who wrapped her arms around her and tugged her as far into her lap as she could manage.  Azu didn’t cry, but her fingers shook as she made fists in Kiko’s shirt, pain and despair and loss all mingling together as one.  A few moments later, she released her grip somewhat so that she could meet Kiko’s gaze.

“It’s hard to be without her.  But you’re right.  As long as there’s love in the world, Aphrodite is still here.  And maybe I can’t feel her anymore, not in the same way, but maybe she can still hear me.”

Kiko caressed Azu’s cheek. “For what it’s worth, I do know that there will always be love in the world so long as I’m around.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.  Because I love you.”

Azu smiled and chuckled, then pressed a quick kiss to Kiko’s lips.  “I love you too.”

“And I’m not saying that to try and distract you from losing your god or anything, I just-”

“I know.  It helps.  Youhelp.”

“You do too.”  Kiko gestured with her bandaged hand.   “Not just with healing, but… in so many ways.  I don’t know much about gods, but I do know that I love you, and nothing can change that.”

Day 6 of @the-line-is-erased:Damascus- Party - The choices we make and the consequences, whether good or bad, therein.
aka when Paladins have conflicting oaths

How could she be so blind? There was more at stake than just the life of one person she cared about.  If they didn’t shut down the factory, stop the production of the simulacra, the entire world was going to fall, including her brother.

Grizzop vibrated with rage. Azu just stood there, acting like love conquered all.  Foolish. But he shouldn’t have expected anything else from the Aphrodite lot.

Of course he wanted to go after Vesseek.  It was hard enough to leave them alone with their clutch, but it all hinged on the fact that the entire world could fall apart if someone didn’t do what needed to be done to save it.  And if Grizzop had to leave in order to be that person, then he would be.

Vesseek knew that the greater good came first.  They understood this from the start.  And Grizzop remembered his oath to Artemis.

As much as he longed to run off to Rome and save Vesseek and the others, he set his sights on the funnel above and the machinery around them.  There was still work to be done.

~~~

How could he be so heartless?  Was the life of someone he loved worth so little to him that he would let them be beaten and tortured by the Cult of Hades?  If they didn’t go to save their loved ones, all of them, then they would be killed.

Azu clenched her fists tight.  Grizzop just stood there, acting like the world would fall in an instant if he didn’t try to stop it.  Foolish. But she shouldn’t have expected anything else from the Artemis lot.

Of course she knew that their current mission was important.  It was a major setback to have to leave the factory as it was, but Emeka and the others could dieifsomeone didn’t do what needed to be done to save them.  And if Azu had to be that person, then she would be.

Emeka knew that love came first.  He understood that when she left their village in the first place.  And Azu remembered her oath to Aphrodite.

As much as she wanted to finish the task at hand, to destroy the factory and stop more simulacra from being made, she racked her mind for any knowledge she had of Rome.  There was a long journey ahead of them.

~~~

Then Azu noticed the tears in Grizzop’s eyes, tears he tried to blink back as he looked at anything and everything but her.

“Grizzop,” she said softly. “We’ll rescue them.  All of them, okay?”

“Please.”  Grizzop never sounded or acted his size, but in that word, he was smaller than he ever was before.  With a cough and a shake of his head, he puffed out his chest and, in a clearer voice, added, “I know you will.  And I’ll take care of things here.  We both have our own jobs to do.”

Azu nodded.  “And we both have our own oaths to fulfill.”

With a toothy smile, Grizzop met her gaze.  “Thanks, Azu. I’ll meet up with you all when I can, yeah?  And tell Vesseek… tell them…”

“I will.”

Grizzop gave one last nod and then climbed up to the top of the funnel with an adamantine arrow between his teeth.  He didn’t need to worry about Vesseek – Azu was on her way, and she would never let anything happen to them.

“Come on in, Zolf, the water’s lovely!”

He shook his head, a safe distance away on the jetty.  At least the moon was mostly full, so Hamid, Cel, and Azu’s midnight swim wasn’t as dangerous as it could have been, even if it was still extremely ill-advised.

“Nah, I’m good,” Zolf called back to Hamid.  “Someone’s got to get help if something happens.”  Given how tipsy he was, he wasn’t entirely sure if he’d be able to make it back up the walkway regardless, but he could at least make an attempt and yell loud enough someone might hear.  And besides, it was a good excuse that kept him out of the water.

“Wait, do you not want to because… Poseidon, and all that?”  Hamid spoke the god’s name furtively, as if whispering a deep dark secret.

“No, sod him, I don’t care about that.  We’re all drunk and it’s dark; we shouldn’t be out in the ocean at all.”

“Pfft,” Cel said, taking a break from making dolphin noises as they splashed around.  “Zolf, you gotta swim with us.”

“I do not,” he insisted.

With that, Azu climbed out of the water and back onto the beach, marching straight toward Zolf.

“I’m going to pick you up now,” she said.

“No, no, no…”

“Just because I’m getting older doesn’t mean I’m not still strong enough to carry you into the sea with us.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Zolf cried as Azu lifted him out of his chair and gently carried him toward the water.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Hamid added as they crossed the sand.  “We’re not going to force you.”

“I can put you back,” Azu offered, and Zolf shook his head.

“Eh, why not?”  He said with a shrug.  The whole idea of swimming at night while drunk was already a bad idea, but they’d survived worse.  He might as well have some fun. “I’m not sure how well I can tread water or balance with only half my legs, though.”

“We won’t let you sink, don’t worry,” Cel said.

“I can give you a floating piggyback ride if you want,” Azu suggested as she stepped into the waves.

“Uh, yeah, let’s try that, if that’s okay.”

“Of course!”

Azu set Zolf down just at the edge of the water, then knelt down so that she could carry him on her back instead of in her arms like a baby as she had been.  Once he was repositioned, she stood up and walked slowly into the sea, careful to make sure Zolf’s head was still safely above the waves.  Cel and Hamid cheered as the whole crew entered the water.

“Yeah, alright, this isn’t so bad,” Zolf admitted, even cracking a smile.  He had his arms on Azu’s shoulders so that he wouldn’t drift off, but he was managing to float on his own without too much trouble.  The waves were much calmer than they were on their last visit to that beach.

“Told you!”  Cel yelled.  Then, their eyes went wide with an even more ill-advised idea.  “Azu, put Zolf on your shoulders, and I’ll put Hamid on mine, and we’ll do a chicken fight!”

“Zolf?”  Hamid asked, checking to make sure Zolf was alright with the plan before he agreed.

Zolf laughed, shaking his head with the ridiculousness of the situation, but then he narrowed his eyes.  “You know what?  You’re on.  And you’re going down.”

“Knock knock,” Cel called instead of actually knocking on the door.  “Everyone decent?”

Azu chuckled.  “It’s just me.  Come on in.”

Cel stepped inside Azu’s cabin aboard the Venga, clearly trying and failing to hide something behind their back.

“Is everything alright?” Azu asked, even though she could tell from the glee in Cel’s expression that they were not bearing unfortunate news.

“Yes!  I have a gift for you!”  They shoved the box previously half-hidden behind their back into Azu’s face, all the while rocking back and forth on the balls of their feet with barely restrained excitement.

Azu gasped in concern.  “Wait, did I miss a holiday?  I know I get a little confused with days out at sea here… I don’t have anything for you, I’m so sorry, Cel.”

“Pfft, no, it’s nothing like that.  I just wanted to make something nice for you, that’s all.”

“Oh, that’s so kind.” Azu still wanted to apologize for not having anything to offer Cel in return, but instead she reached out and took the box still hovering inches from her nose.

She removed the lid to reveal a pair of work boots colored in a subtle shade of pink.  Azu’s hand flew to her mouth.

“You didn’t…”

“I did!”  Cel exclaimed.  “I know you’re still rocking the pink, but you couldn’t find any good pink boots, so I went ahead and made you some!  I hope they fit; I did sneak into your cabin and measure your other boots one night while you were asleep, so they should fit, but if not, let me know!”

Azu ignored Cel’s admission of sneaking into her cabin – something she and Kiko already suspected after waking up to hearing someone softly humming dramatic music as they crept around the space – and instead sat down to remove her current boots and try on the new set.

The pink wasn’t garish, but it was still poignant enough to reflect Azu’s continuing faith in Aphrodite.  She wiggled her toes and did a couple jumping jacks to test them out, beaming all the while.

“I love them.  Thank you, Cel, this is amazing.”

“I’m so glad you like them!  Can we hug?”

“Of course,” Azu said with a chuckle.

Cel launched themselves into Azu’s arms and gave her a tight squeeze, then stepped back.  “Look at you, turning me into a full-on hugger,” they laughed.  “Anyway, I should probably get back to Sassraa before anything explodes again, but I wanted to get these to you right away.”

They were already exiting the cabin as Azu started to reply, “Thank you again!”  Once Cel disappeared down the hall, Azu sat back down on her bed and held her legs out to examine the boots.

Aphrodite might no longer exist in their world, but the power of her love would always remain, even in the slightest gesture, the most grandiose display, or in the gifting of a pair of pink boots.

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