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Sandcastles and Fireworks	By : DarklingWillow & BronxWench Category: +M through R > Neverwinter Nights Views: 1524 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: We do not own Neverwinter Nights, nor the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

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Willow bowed and thanked Bronwen, and tugged her boys to the side so they would not block the entrance to the restaurant.

Satoshi grabbed Kansas as the little imp tried to slip off after the tall blond elf, and Kansas rewarded them all with one of his little pouts.

“None of that, little imp. You’re getting alcohol, and there’s plenty of people to chat with besides them. And we’re here for a week, you silly thing, so you’ll have plenty of time to chat. Here comes the waiter with our drinks, so be nice, little one,” Willow said, stroking Kansas’ cheek.

“He’s sexy,” Kansas said, and grinned happily as a couple of people near them turned to look at him.

Satoshi gave a squeak of horror and grabbed the alcopop off the waiter’s tray and shoved it into Kansas’ hand.
“Shut up, don’t be so rude,” he whispered in Japanese, bowing his head quickly at the waiter as he took his own drink. His heart was hammering in his chest and he knew his cheeks were still dark pink, and probably would be for the rest of the night, if the alcohol didn’t turn him fire engine red by his third drink. Kansas had managed to shock him quite hard with that rude question, and now he could not help but wonder what the white haired lady and her two elven escorts would think of them.

“I need a smoke,” Satoshi whispered and Yuji reached out to squeeze the back of his neck lightly.

“I think we can go out there, and smoke. At least it looks like there are people smoking there. If we can’t, I’ve got our e-cigarettes,” Yuji said and pointed towards the balcony, where a small group of people were standing under a large space heater which looked like a beautiful street lamp. “You go, and I’ll be right behind you, my love.”

Satoshi nodded his head, looked to Willow for permission and then took off in a manner that made him seem almost invisible to the people around him.

“Those two are interesting,” Yuji said to his wife as Kansas scampered off behind Satoshi. “The blond one is very shapely, I think he likes you.”

“He couldn’t take his eyes off you, you cheeky bastard,” Willow said and giggled into her wine. “Go smoke with skittish and skittier, and I’m going to go over there and mingle a bit. I think I saw someone I know, and I want to say hi. We’ll meet at the table, when the dinner is served, alright?”

Yuji kissed the back of Willow’s hand gently and bowed, then waltzed off after Kansas and Satoshi, turning heads in his wake, but Willow headed towards the bar where she had indeed seen a fellow author whom she had been friendly with for a few years.

Bronwen headed into the throng of writers and guests, stopping to chat with everyone. Vale and Sand laid siege to a waiter, managing to secure large flutes of the Armagnac Vale had discovered. It gave them a moment for a quiet conversation, conducted in the lilting elven language.

“What do you think, my sun? Of all the people we have met, they seem terribly intriguing. Well, perhaps not the youngest one. He seems very innocent, and I am not sure we should indulge ourselves with him, but the other two were quite lovely.” Sand stroked Vale’s arm, the gesture ever so slightly possessive. “Not that I am not entirely content as we are, my heart.”

“I know, my moon. I know. I’m not entirely clear on the rules for this week myself. We’ll quiz Bronwen later, since I doubt we’ll do more than mingle tonight. Tomorrow, when she starts with her activities, well, that’s another thing entirely.” Vale twirled his glass between slim fingers thoughtfully. “Of course, it’ll all depend on whether or not they’re free to play. Miss Archer may not want to let them wander too far, pretty as they are. Especially the tall one. And the little one, he’s such an innocent. Did you feel it, too?”

“Whatever I felt, I shall keep it to myself, and I suggest you do the same.” Sand smiled suddenly, and his handsome face lit up, becoming youthful and almost as innocent as the young Kansas. “But we need not be gloomy. The night is young, we look wonderful, and there are lovely drinks to be had, and foods to be enjoyed. Let us catch up to Bronwen and make our prettiest apologies for deserting her side, and then we shall live in the moment, as befits such dashing elves as we are.”

The pair of kilted elves made good on those words, and Bronwen did not seem put out by their brief absence, not when she saw so many eyes following her pretty pair. She allowed Sand to take her arm, Vale on her other side as she moved through the many guests during the cocktail hour. Vale was charming, and Sand witty, and together her elves managed to be amusing as well as decorative. They sipped and nibbled, and made sure to converse politely with every writer there, and those pets who were in attendance.

At last the maître d’ caught Bronwen’s eye, alerting her it was time for everyone to take their seats for dinner. Bronwen made her way to the center of the room, and spoke, her words managing to carry clearly although she never raised her voice.

“I’m told it’s time for us to take our seats, so we can give our dinner orders,” Bronwen said. “You should have been pointed to your tables when you arrived, but if you’re not sure, just ask. I promise, no speeches until after dinner, and even then, we’ll keep it short.”

Willow smiled as she sat down by their designated table, happy to see that she had been seated with an author which she knew personally, a middle aged Dutchman living in South Korea who often travelled to Japan on research related to his writing. He had brought with him two companions; one a gumiho who had taken the shape of a gorgeous, slightly androgynous Korean youth with the most glorious, bright red hair, the other a female gwisin, a pale, haunting beauty, the air around her as cold as the sorrow etched on her face.

Another of their tablemates was a young French woman, known for her strong heroines, who Willow had often spoken to through phone and video conferences. She had brought as her companion, she insisted rather than pet, the heroine of her books, the strong-willed French resistance fighter who had gone undercover with the enemy to save her country during World War two, albeit in a slightly alternative universe.

As Willow’s three companions joined her at the table, she introduced them to their tablemates, and was not surprised when the little Kansas poked and prodded her and Yuji until they switched seats with him, so he could sit the furthest away from the Korean ghost lady.

Once the introductions were done, and the waiters had poured their drinks, the four of them gave their dinner orders, Kansas all but giddy that he was being allowed to drink along with the adults, despite the fact that he had already been allowed to legally drink in Japan since late August just past.

Satoshi decided not to remind his little imp of that fact, simply because Satoshi was enjoying the beautiful smile on the youngster’s face, and the light in his eyes. It had been far too long since he had seen that smile and that light, and he was determined to enjoy it, no matter how long, or short, it would last. The past year had been hard on them, on all of them, and Satoshi had reached a point where he was willing to take the least hint of happiness and just enjoy it while it lasted.

Kansas squirmed on his seat next to Satoshi as they enjoyed their appetizer, wriggling as he tried his best to catch a glimpse of Bronwen and her two elves.

“Stop trying to see through the back of your head, imps,” Satoshi whispered in Japanese, and shot the youngster a quick little grin. “You asked Yuji to switch seats with you, so you ended up right behind them. If you’d stayed in your original seat, you would be able to enjoy the view unhindered.”

“I’d still have your big head blocking my view,” Kansas grumbled, and lightly kicked Satoshi’s ankle underneath the table. “What’s his name again? The dark haired one? He looked yummy.”

“Iradiru,” Satoshi answered without hesitation, but then stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth. “No, wait…”

“Iraridiru?” Kansas asked and wriggled a little to catch a peek of the dark haired elf over his shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“It was something like that. What was it?” Satoshi said, turning to Willow, but found her busy discussing the bombings of London and Dresden in World War Two with the French lady. Satoshi turned to Yuji, only to shudder and decide against interrupting Yuji’s conversation with the Korean ghost lady.

“It was something like that,” he repeated and turned back to Kansas, his eyebrows knotted.

“Irirarodareru?” Kansas asked with a helpful tone, and Satoshi laughed.

“No, it definitely wasn’t,” he answered and sipped at his wine. “Alright, the given name was easy. Sando… Suna, it was the English word for Suna. Sand.The family name was different.” Satoshi paused, humming softly to himself four notes, before he continued, “Sa, n, d I, ra, di, l. It’s Sand. Sand Iradiru.”

Kansas drew a deep breath as the air around Satoshi smelled noticeably sweeter, and the pure notes of Satoshi’s laugh made both Yuji and Willow turn their heads in his direction, along with a few other people at the surrounding tables. Kansas giggled and flashed a pearly white grin over his shoulder, his grey-blue eyes sparkling brightly. Then he turned to Satoshi again, and switched to English, saying in a voice that was just loud enough for the two elves behind him to hear him. “He was totally checking you out, you know.”

Vale looked over at the other table to see what had caught Sand’s attention, having heard Kansas clearly. He shot a sidelong look at his fellow elf, and managed to refrain from any reaction when the raven-haired elf turned his head to look at the sweet young man behind him, his eyes bright with agreement. He murmured in elven, his voice soft. “Oh, you wicked thing, so you were.”

Sand waved one thin hand at his fellow elf, his eyes still on Kansas, his smile widening just a little. “My name. My lady mother has a sense of humor.”

Satoshi squeaked softly and swatted at Kansas as the little imp giggled sweetly and twisted a little in his chair to see the two elves better.

“My name means dragon becoming, because of the kanji we use to write it. His name means wise one, or a wise man,” Kansas said, using his whole hand to indicate Satoshi, and his English not nearly as accented as it had been earlier. “I also go by Kansas. That’s a state in the United States, where you can use tornadoes to travel to a magical land called Oz.”

“That’s a movie, imps,” Satoshi squeaked and turned a little to bow clumsily at the dark haired elf, his cheeks flaming red. “I do apologize. His manners aren’t the best. I’m sorry that he’s bothering you.”

“I also go by imps, and sometimes Sweets, but only the three of them call me that. Why did your mother name you Sand, Iradiru-san?” Kansas asked sweetly, batting his long lashes at Sand, ignoring it when Satoshi swatted at him again and growled.

“Tatsuya, yamerou.”

Kansas shot Satoshi a quick little pout, then turned back to the elves and smiled one of his charming little smiles, batting his eyelashes again. “He’s shy,” he stated, and his smile turned into a triumphant grin when Satoshi made that strangled squeak again and sank in on himself in his chair, trying to hide his blush behind his dark green hair and his food.

“Oh, but Kansas is not bothering me at all,” Sand replied. “Quite the opposite. Dragon becoming, that is a powerful name. I think, were I not an elf, I would quite like to be a dragon.” Despite his curiously formal speech, Sand’s voice was lilting and musical. “And perhaps a wise man is always humble enough to be shy?”

Vale murmured to Bronwen in elven, his voice barely a whisper. “Sweet Seldarine, our moon is flirting. Are we allowed to flirt? You never did say, and that’s so unfair. I’d love to flirt. There are some absolutely gorgeous people here. Are writers off limits?”

“Satoshi makes humble an artform, really,” Kansas answered blithely, and bent one of his legs at the knee so he could sit on it, turning almost completely around on his seat, his food forgotten, and his cheeks rosy from the sake that he had gotten with his food. “It’s a bit of a Japanese thing, actually, but Satoshi never likes to make waves. Which is a shame, because he is glorious. He should be up on stage, shining like a star for everyone to see, but he’s too shy.”

“Tatsuya, seriously,” Satoshi gasped, and looked up at the young man. “Don’t do that, you’re just talking silly now.” He hiccuped as he turned to look at the dark haired elf, wanting to apologize, but the moment he met those dark blue eyes his mind just went blank and his throat seized up on him. Satoshi made a strange, soft sound and bowed his head at Sand again, apologizing under his breath as he turned back to his food.

“See,” Kansas said and grinned wide at Sand, resting his chin on the back of his chair as he continued. “I am a dragon, you know.” Kansas glanced down at himself quickly, then grinned back at the elves. “A very small dragon, but still a dragon.”

“I know.” Sand did not seem at all surprised by the news. “But I have a feeling you might not be so small for much longer. Do you think I might join you at your table for a bit? There is an extra chair, and this way, you can enjoy your food. The menu is very extensive, is it not? There are even a few delicacies from my home.”

Bronwen patted Vale’s hand. “I do think our moon is making his own rules, which shouldn’t be a surprise. And flirting is fine, as long as one remembers anything which happens must be consensual. I know that isn’t a problem for you, or for our pretty moon elf, but some humans might not understand they can say no. You, in particular, have a strong personality, and people want to please you without understanding why.”

Vale made a small noise, watching Sand from the corner of his eye. “He’s happy, though. I like to see him happy.”

Kansas looked surprised at the empty chair next to himself, then grinned when he remembered that the French lady author had mentioned that a fourth writer had been supposed to be seated there, but he had been forced to cancel at the last minute.

“Of course you can come and sit with me,” Kansas said, spinning around so fast he almost made himself dizzy, and then he struggled to pull the chair out from under the table for the moon elf. Kansas grinned at the French author’s World War Two resistance fighter heroine, and asked quietly, “You don’t mind, do you, miss?”

She only smiled at him, and helped him pull the chair out, barely even looking away from the conversation she was having with her author and Willow. But then Kansas paused and turned to Satoshi, whispering hoarsely. “Satoshi, the chair is empty, isn’t it? There’s nobody sitting there?”

Satoshi made a small sound of surprise, but when he saw the look on Kansas’ face he looked across the little imp at the empty chair and peered his eyes a little bit. Then he smiled and nodded his head, whispering back. “It’s empty. I don’t think the guy who cancelled sent anyone or anything in his place. And Yuji’s still flirting with the gwisin.”

Kansas nodded in thanks, then turned back to see if Sand was really going to join him, grinning wide. “I’m not likely to grow much more, you know. My doctor says that I’m done growing. Stopped it a while back, actually. And given how fast I burn, I’m probably not going to grow much sideways either. What food is from your homeworld? Where is your homeworld? Are you real, or imagined?”

Satoshi coughed around a bite of his meat, looking up at Kansas, and whispered in Japanese. “Breathe, Sweets, breathe, you have to give him time to answer.”

Sand seated himself with fluid grace, his plate in his hand. A waiter hurried to supply eating utensils, and to bring his drink, while Sand focused on Kansas, charmed by the young man.

“It has been my understanding dragons, in humanoid form, do not bear any resemblance to their true selves when it comes to size. Vale, my fellow elf, has had some experience with dragons, and he would most likely agree. So you might very well be quite a large dragon, you know.” Sand’s smile was utterly open and warm. “I am quite real, actually. We both are, Vale and I. We met Bronwen some time ago, and she found inspiration in Vale. I enjoy traveling, so I come with him when he visits her, and we simply could not resist this week.”

The raven-haired elf waved for the waiter, and ordered a dish whose name sounded like a snatch of a song. Then he turned back to Kansas. “I asked for one of the treats from my home. Since we are enjoying a first course, it seemed proper.They are a sort of shellfish, with a most delicate flavor. We enjoy them with a bit of juice from a sour fruit, something like a lemon, if I am remembering the fruits here correctly.”

Sand took a sip of his wine. “My world, well. That might be a bit harder to explain. It is as much a when as a where, or maybe it is just a where. Vale is more adept at traveling from one Plane to another, but for us, the universe holds an infinite number of Planes. It is a multiverse. This world exists on a Plane separate from the one which holds my world, but all Planes are connected by means of the Astral Plane. I could tell you the name of my world, or of my homeland on my world, and it would not be familiar to you, not even from legends.” He laughed, blushing a little. “I apologize. I must sound very boring. Here come the voratae now. Will you try some?”

“You’re not boring at all, Sand-san,” Kansas said, watching the elf’s every move, taking in the names of the food that he was showing Kansas. “I’d love to try that shellfish thing. I like shellfish,” he said and pulled up the ornate metal chopsticks next to his plate, craning his neck to see where Sand had pointed. “I like everything, so I like to try everything.”

“You do not like everything, Sweets,” Satoshi said with a small sigh, and looked up at his little lover.

“Yes I do, I love all foods,” Kansas answered with a pout.

“Coffee flavored things, that aren’t coffee. Natto, fried fish. Fish that you feel has been glazed too much, or boiled too much. Like half of the nigiri and maki at the sushi restaurant back home. Crabs,” Satoshi listed, putting his own fork down on his plate. “And that’s just what I can remember right off the top of my head. Oh, Durian.”

Kansas made an audible gagging sound, then turned to Satoshi and smacked him on the arm. “That’s gross, Satoshi. I’m trying to eat here. So, there are a few things that I can’t eat very well. But I like shellfish,” he said, sounding just a tiny bit miffed at Satoshi.

He turned back to Sand and smiled his prettiest smile. “At least I don’t have any allergies, so I can eat everything without worrying about it killing me. What’s your favorite?”

Sand laughed again. “I like these shellfish, and I like sweet things. I am very fond of sweet things. I hope we will have some of my favorites for dessert, so I can introduce you to the delights of sweet ramberries in custard, or these lovely fruits which are sliced, gently fried, and then dipped in browned honey sauce.” He watched as Kansas chose a plump shellfish to taste, offering him a slice of the tart, slightly bitter fruit native to his world. “I would love to try some of the foods native to your home as well. Bronwen has explained each country has food which might be different, and I find I am curious. What is nigiri, and maki, and sushi? And why does durian make you frown like that? And how do you eat with your sticks?”

“Listen to him go on,” Vale said over his shoulder, addressing Kansas and Satoshi. His green eyes danced with amusement, but the look he gave Sand was tender. “You’d think he was actually acquainted with a kitchen or something. The truth is, he loves sweet things, and he’ll eat if I put food in front of him, or drag him to the inn his friend owns, but other than that, he’ll spend the night with his nose in a scroll and forget about food. He lives on endless cups of tea brewed on his workbench, which means they most likely contain traces of poison more often than honey, and moonbeams.”

“I do not have my nose in a scroll tonight, my love, and I am sharing voratae with Kansas, and Satoshi if he will have one.” Sand’s cheeks were faintly pink, the delicate flush against his alabaster skin making him look even more like a statue come to life.

Kansas laughed as Satoshi looked up at the raven haired elf with a squeak, lifting his hand to wave off the invitation, but dropped his hand to the table again when Sand’s attention turned to Vale.

“You should try some,” Kansas whispered at Satoshi in Japanese, making the pierced man blush. “Don’t be so shy. Live a little. We all said we were going to.” Kansas turned back to Sand and took the offered slice of the fruit, biting into it without hesitation. He squeaked softly then purred, and his eyes grew hooded as he sucked on the tart fruit. “That’s good,” he said, his grin wide. “I prefer sour things. We have this citrus fruit, back home, called yuzu, and everyone thinks it’s too sour, but I love it. I eat it like an orange.”

Satoshi gave the elf a shy smile, then turned to see if he could catch a waiter’s attention. He had barely made eye contact with one before the man was standing by Satoshi’s chair and bowed a little so Satoshi would not need to raise his voice.

Satoshi asked in quiet tones whether the hotel kitchen had sushi on offer and the waiter answered him that the kitchen would be able to provide whatever he wanted. Satoshi hesitated for only a moment, then told the waiter exactly what he wanted, the waiter nodding with each item, and assuring Satoshi that the kitchen would have all of the fish that Satoshi inquired about.

Meanwhile Kansas pursed his lips at Sand, and giggled. “So many questions, you’re like Ryuu,” he said, laughing brightly. “But, durian is a disgusting thing. People say it’s a fruit, and they say it actually tastes quite nice, but it smells like something died in your dirty sock drawer, and then just stayed there in the middle of the summer. It’s horrible. It makes me cry and throw up just smelling it. I’ve never eaten it, because I can’t, because of the smell. Maki and nigiri are both sushi. Sushi is a type of food, it’s little pieces of fish put on top of a little ball of rice. It’s really good. I eat it a lot, especially during school days. There’s a Hamazushi place just around the corner from my school, so me and my friends go there a lot for lunch. As for these…” Kansas stopped and lifted his chopsticks, clicking the tips lightly together in front of Sand’s face. “We always eat with these. They’re called hashi, and everyone in Japan eats with them. Just look at Yuji, he’s so clumsy with the fork and knife. I’m still terrible with a fork and knife. Sometimes, I just give up and make Satoshi cut my meat for me.”

“That’s just because you’re lazy, and claim to be too weak, you silly thing,” Satoshi said and grinned at Kansas. “They’re called chopsticks, in English, Sand-san. But in Japanese, it’s ohashi or just hashi. There are a lot of nations in Asia who use chopsticks over forks and knives. Spoons and chopsticks.”

“Hashi,” Sand repeated, his indigo eyes focused on the way Kansas manipulated the sticks. “Perhaps I will try those, but not tonight.” He held up a delicate three tined trident just large enough to spear his food, and a thin, sharp knife. “These are perhaps safer for now. Do you like the sisyita, the fruit? I like to add its juice to the shellfish for a bit of difference.”

Bronwen tugged Vale until he turned around. “I’ll part with him for dinner, but you are mine for this meal,” she teased, as the waiter refilled her wine glass.

“I think I would like this fish on balls of rice,” Sand continued, oblivious to Vale’s amusement. “We eat a great deal of fish on my world. We eat meat as well, but not as much. We do not keep animals, you see, so we must hunt for our meat, or fish for our supper. It makes us mindful of the blessings of the gods. We do have orchards, and we do farm for vegetables, or trade for such things. But we are careful not to bend the land to our will too much, for we are only guests, and it will endure long after we have gone.”

“Wow, we just go to the store and buy everything,” Kansas said, in a tone of voice that suggested that he had never even pondered where the food at the store actually came from. “We eat a lot of fish, back home, and a bit of meat. We also eat noodles, and a lot of vegetables. But our diet is just a little bit different than most Japanese, because of Willow. She cooks a lot of stuff from England, and then growls about it not tasting quite right, because she can’t find the right stuff.” Kansas gobbled down a couple more of the delicious shellfish, then washed it down with nearly half a cup of sake.

Satoshi looked up with alarm as Kansas squirmed next to him, and he reached out to put a hand on Kansas’ arm. “Sweets, slow down,” he admonished gently, and Kansas looked at him with a small frown. “You’re eating too fast. You know what happens when you eat too fast. And you should drink a little slower too.” Satoshi reached up to stroke the black and blue hair lovingly, and Kansas blushed.

The youngster burped quietly and then nodded his head. “Sorry, I’ll slow down. But now I’ve got to pee. I’ll be right back, Sand-san. Why don’t you see if you can’t make Satoshi spontaneously combust,” Kansas said and stood up with the sweetest of grins, then twirled away from the table and bounced off in one direction, only to turn on his toes and head off in a different direction after asking a waiter for the bathrooms.

Satoshi squeaked and gulped, staring wide eyed at the dark elf, then blushed the most interesting shade of crimson when the waiter reappeared by the table and put a small tray on the table next to Satoshi’s plate. “Your sushi, sir,” the waiter said, bowed and disappeared again.
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Sandcastles and Fireworks