RynRyn is a Dumbass

Diplomacy was definitely a useless job in this dumb town. ‘Oh, let's just send Rukk to be a diplomat in the town we've been allied with for longer than the elves there can live! He’ll feel so useful!’ They should have just told him he was useless until his scars healed. Oh well. At least it's easy work. 

He walks into the Almorne household. It was massive, it would still be even if there weren't so many sisters and cousins living there. The magic that crawls through their blood is well paying work. He greets Ms. Seryll and Ms. Lizia in the restaurant portion, then Old Gerrys in the overcrowded magic store. Down the winding corridors of workshops and bedrooms… all the way down to Petoryns little room. He had a workshop just a few doors up, yet Petoryn sat with all the trinkets that guild helped him rob from a grave on his bed. His glasses all had their lenses down and Rukks entrance was drowned out by the obnoxious clicking of whatever thing the half-elf was tinkering with.

“If you get haunted, don't say I didn't warn you.” Rukk says, low voice grumbling the words out. Petoryn pops up and looks at him like a meerkat, back popping loudly.

“OW ow ow….” Petoryn immediately begins slouching again and rubs his back. A mechanical hand he had attuned weeks ago whizzes from a pile and flicks the smaller lenses of his thick glasses up. “Oo…. hello, Rukk. What brings you here?”

“Checking in on your worka-”

“I am not a workaholic”

“Fine, fine, your busy ass.” Rukk snorts. “Come on. Clean up. Let's do some rounds.” Petoryn sighs at that.

“Rukk, listen, I'm really busy,” he gestures to the tons of trinkets piled inside of his room.

“And you need a break. Come on.” Rukk moves closer, stepping around the leather bug that has been scurrying around the room since last week.

“I take breaks!” Petoryn huffs, grumbling and getting back to his trinket.

“Petoryn.”

“I do!”

“Ryn.”

“Oh gods, Rukk, stop.”

“Ryyyynryyyyyyn” Rukk says sing-songily with a shit eating grin, grabbing Petoryns arm.

“Rukk!” Petoryn whines in response. He poutily drops the trinket and starts getting up, bones creaking and popping. “Oof- fine, I'll go”

Rukk smiles as Petoryn is dragged to the doorframe. The half-elf sighs deeply as he flicks a switch on his wall that powers all the magic in his room down. 

Once hes in the hallway… gods. Rukk doesnt want to be rude, but… “Dude, you look like shit!”

Petoryns slicked back hair is even messier than usual, and his glasses were crooked so Rukk could see the eye bags deep enough to fit groceries in. Plus, his clothes were all wrinkled.

“Enough to maybe get back to my studies?” Petoryn shows some puppy dog eyes, super effective when all magnified by those glasses. But not effective on Rukk.

“Hell no.” He says. “I don't think you'll ever get that bad again.” Rukk shivers remembering finding the other man knocked out, bloody and covered in grass seeds and moss, glasses shattered. Just because he had wanted to find a magical vein and woke up dormant golems instead. Stupid.

Petoryn sighs and allows himself to be pulled back through the hallways, saying good morning to Great Aunt Gerrys in the magic shop, and Aunties Seryll and Lizia in the restaurant before being toted out the door. Rukk noticed how Petoryn flinched at the sunlight and chuckled at him. Petoryn couldn't hide a grin as he rolled his eyes at the Orc.

“So, what route are you doing today?” Petoryn asks, looking to the left and then the right.

“M thinkin the full one, the one that goes round through the residential an all in between the town.”

“Oh, youre trying to torture me.” Petoryn playfully complains.

“You’ll enjoy yourself” Rukk grunts with a smile, gesturing for him to follow. “C’mon, lets get started.”

The diplomatic rounds were mostly just chats with those who were out in the afternoon. It should have been to probe magic users for the next magical pulse, but when youre friends with the biggest magical family on the island… it turns more to asking about how Mr. Eliak’s kids were, or the Kadra sisters how the fish business is going. Once Petoryn is done with playfully grumbling about being interrupted while studying, he joins the banter as well. Hes such a good conversationalist, Rukk thinks its a shame he stays so cooped up. 

By the time they were done with Mrs. Glia and asking about her crops, her family, the sales that day, it was sunset. Petoryn finally yawned on the walk back.

“Tuckered?” Rukk smiles gently.

“Only because we were out all day” Petoryn smiles back. 

“Well, at least we’re done here. What say we get you back home?” Rukk pats the half-elf on the back.

“Are you sure you dont want me to walk you back to your village?”

“Please,” Rukk huffs, “Every time you get near the woods you manage to get yourself almost killed.”

“Maybe so, maybe so.” Petoryn agrees. 

They walk back to the Almorne household in peaceful silence. 

“Welcome back, boys!” Ms. Seryll says, looping around from a customer. “Stay for dinner, Ruru?”

“No thanks, ma’am, cant miss the community meal, yknow?” Rukk says, continuing on.

“Yes, yes, well, we’ll see you some other time then!” She delivers the order. Rukk hums.

As they twist all the way back to Petoryns room, Rukk can notice Petoryn dragging his feet a little more. So, when they finally get there, Rukk enters the room before its owner and begins scooping trinkets off of the bed and onto the floor.

“Hey, I hope you know Im still working on those!” Petoryn complains.

“Not tonight. Break time includes sleep time.” Rukk insists while shoveling another pile onto the floor. Petoryn sighs.

“Its only sunset, Rukk, I’ll be fine.”

“Well, start early to make up for the past couple of weeks I know youve missed,” Hes started to smooth and pull back the covers. “In.”

“Come on, Rukk.” Petoryn sighs.

“What, you want me to drag you in and hold you down?” Rukk teases, lifting the eyebrow over his good eye. Again, Petoryn sighs.

“No, no, Im alright.” He climbs into bed, and before he can reach for his covers, Rukk tucks him in.

“Rest well, Petoryn. I’ll come back tomorrowish?” Petoryn takes his glasses off, setting them aside and looking at Rukk with those sharp, blue-green eyes. 

“Looking forward to it”

Rukk shuts the door and ventures back out, saying goodbye to Old Gerrys, Ms. Seryll, and Ms. Lizia. He walks back to his village through the well-walked path. Diplomacy is a useless fucking job. But he likes it.