It's All Fun And Games

“It’s all fun and games-”

“Oh, would ya shut up with that, jackass?” growled Cordelia with a frown, “We’ve been walking for hours and all ya’ve been talking about is these damn games-”

“I haven’t been talking about games, dummy. If you’d let me finish the sentence-” Theodora tried to reply, her hands on her hips in defiance as her travel companion growled at her. Never trust a fae that could shapeshift, her father warned her, and yet here she was. But, then again, Cordelia was the first lead she had. So, she had to distract her from realizing her true form… because that could be disastrous. 

“Yer an idiot, that’s all,” Cordelia snapped back, “We’ve been hikin’ in this direction for four hours, Theodora. Are ya sure ya sense he’s this way?”

Theodora knew her father was this way, she could sense him after all, it was a safe scent, and she knew as soon as they descended on him, Cordelia would need to run away, and fast. But, she, for some unknown reason, wanted to be around the annoying fae for just a little bit longer, no matter how dangerous it was turning out to be. But, she could tell the woman had thicker skin than she was letting on, despite complaints, the woman wasn’t even shivering at the frost in the air, and there was a hint of musk coming off of her that humans never had. Not to mention those legs, especially the thighs, were muscular and much more so than Theodora was used to looking at in the fairy realm. 

And suddenly, she bumped into the taller woman, who was glaring at the other in disbelief, “Ya look pale. Are ya tired? Is that why yer trying to tell me some dumb bullshit story? We’ll set up camp… in this conveniently placed cave… let me check it out first, I don’t want there to be someone in there lurking and taking both of us out. I’m sure I could take ta anyone ta town, but with someone like ya here, I don’t know if I could focus," she winked again, and Theodora tried not to faint on the spot.

Theodora blushed a bright pink, tucking her chin into her chest before turning away to make sure she could keep a perimeter around the area until Cordelia returned. The fae was right, Theodora couldn’t fight, but she did have other supernatural abilities that made her an asset in fights- including surveillance, “Kay! Hollar-”

“We’re good, come in, ‘Dora,” Cordelia’s thick accent slipped through with the drop of the first part of her name. Theodora’s insides melted and were suddenly a red hot feeling, she tried not to think much about it as she nearly floated in, “Here’s the blanket, I reckon ya need it more than I.”

Theodora snuggled into the blanket they’d… acquired on the way to the mountain, sighing as Cordelia set up the fire from the wood stuffed into a magical bag the woman had found in a previous town, one that could hold pretty much anything. Theodora had been shocked when the fae had wandered about it, seeing as it was a fairy-enchanted item, but then she realized, somehow, it was her father’s. He’d dropped it in hopes someone who knew him would find it. Luckily for her, Cordelia had. She then grabbed an apple out, cutting it up with a spare rock, and giving part of it to the fairy next to her. For reference, Theodora had learned to become “human-size” a long time ago, a ritual that only the fairies allowed outside the communities learned, and it was deemed “human-sized” because they were the baseline for most of the fae and supernatural creatures. Cordelia just so happened to be a wolf-like fae, others would refer to her as a werewolf, but it seemed she was more of a hybrid than anything, taking on more human features in shape, but more wolfish features in terms of body and head, fur/hair, and more. Theodora wondered if they’d ever develop a friendship where they could discuss the inner workings of each other's kin. 

She glanced at the fae, scarfing down a piece of chicken, and she gulped. 

No, probably not. 

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Cordelia asked, looking over curiously, with a hint of caution, as if she couldn’t believe that Theodora would even want to speak to the woman despite days of travel together; but she supposed that in other cultures, days were far less time. In fairy culture, days were like years together. So, it’s ironic that Coredilia complained about the time it took to hike this far up, or perhaps she has an elongated sense of time as well, but just intense trust issues. 

She thought too much, this had always been a problem, she thought annoyedly. 

“Just the games,” she winked, as a joke of course, but blushed herself when the wolfish cheeks grew a tad bit red, “I’m serious though. The Games are an important part of these parts… these fairy parts. I know you’re fae-”

“How in Goddess’ name do ya know that?”

“You’ve got the hairiest legs I’ve seen in my entire life, your eyes are yellow, you have canines the size of my head in… in fairy form… and-”

“Yer a fairy?! And ya just traveled with me even though ya knew I was a fae? Are ya outta yer mind?” the woman growled, “Or just a right idiot?”

“I’m not an idiot,” she frowned in return, “You just haven’t hurt me yet-”

“Right! Yet! An idiot! Fae and human alike hunt fairies, yer lucky I like ya so much or I woulda returned ya to where ya deserved. Depths of hell, ya tricky creatures.”

“We don’t deserve to rot in hell, Cordelia, surely you don’t truly mean that,” Theodora begged, pleaded her to change her mind with her tone, she couldn’t bear to think someone she’d… grown to tolerate more than a fairy should a fae, could think such a way. 

Perhaps her father was right. 

“Ya don’t understand, ‘Dora. Yer kind are mischievous little ‘uckers who are constantly stealing me stuff, and then they ‘ave the audacity to try and befriend me to sell it back ta me! It’s annoyin’!”

“Annoying, sure, deserving of rotting-”

“Okay, sure I overexaggerated,” she waved her hands off with a sharp grin.

Theodora gridded her teeth, “You can’t just say that dummy!”

“Can’t I?”

Theodora stood but was dragged back down. Blushing, she glanced over to see the wolfish fae put her arm around the fairy- the audacity of this woman! “Cordelia-!”

“Oh come on, if you’re a true fairy ya’d die in the treck down or up. My body eats’ been the only thing keepin’ ya alive,” she grinned, “Besides, don’t act like ya haven’t been wantin’ to snuggle up ta me this entire time,” she winked. 

Theodora swore on the Fairy Goddess she’d get up.

Except she didn’t. 

She stayed there until the morning sun came up, to which they both rose and continued their trek to find her father. When they did, they fought off the kidnapper and were holding hands while doing it.