Protective Giant - Tumblr Posts

War

Sage and Arthur are playing cards and having fun while Cade is in the middle of the worst phone call ever. Poor guy.

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"This is so stupid!"

Arthur grinned in amusement as he added more cards to his stack, "You just need to get good."

Sage crossed her arms. "How can I get good at a game based completely on luck?" She complained as she watched Arthur's large hand sweep more of her cards away. "Give me a strategy game and I'll beat you every single time," she declared as she pointed a minuscule finger up at him.

He chuckled at that. If Arthur had known Sage was this competitive he would have brought out the cards sooner. Currently, they were playing a game called War. He figured it's a simple enough card game to learn for someone who's never even seen a deck of cards before. It's also one of the few games Arthur could think of that didn't involve holding a deck of cards. All Sage had to do is flip the top card off her stack and see if it's a higher number than Arthur's. It's a pretty easy and chill game. Unless you're a sore loser like a certain fairy huffing irritably on a table.

Seeing the side of her that actually trusted him enough to argue was a breath of fresh air. He honestly couldn't imagine how terrifying it is to openly disagree with someone twenty times their size. She still tenses up whenever he moves around, especially if he moves his hands, but he can definitely see some progress in their relationship.

"Whatever you say Pipsqueak," his voice dripped in sarcasm.

He pinched his next card in between his fingers and glanced as Sage. He waited until both her hands gripped the very last card in her deck and braced herself to flip a card nearly as tall as her.

Their eyes met, both filled with determination. "One. Two. Three. War!" They said in unison as both cards flipped onto the middle of the table.

A three of hearts and a queen of spades were pitted against each other.

"Yes!" A voice whispered-yelled in triumph, remembering to keep the volume down for the smaller ears nearby. Arthur laughed as he eagerly swept the last of the cards into his deck, trying his best not to shake the table and disturb the small woman on top.

Sage clapped her hands slowly. "Congrats, you beat the tiny, crippled fairy at a game based on luck." She snarked. Her annoyed comment didn't hide the smile in her voice, clearly enjoying the game nevertheless.

Arthur watched as she slowly lowered herself to a seated position keeping her bad leg stretched out. A part of him still couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at the tiny fairy. She was so out of place surrounded by everyday objects that towered over her head. The huge bandage covering her leg made her seem even smaller. More fragile. All Arthur wanted to do was scoop her up and keep her safe, but he knew how much Sage would hate him if he did that. It was strange how much he desired the approval from a woman that could fit in his hand.

At that train of thought an idea popped into his head. With a muttered warning, he rose from his chair and went to the kitchen counter. He carefully slid the tiny items into his hand then sat back down, orange eyes curiously tracking his movements. Slowly, he lowered his hand so Sage could see what rested in his palm.

She hesitated for a moment then used one of his fingers to help her back onto her feet. Sage peered into his palm and her face immediately brightened.

"I thought I lost these!" She exclaimed, relief washing over her features. Her wings slightly fluttered with glee but no pain crossed the fairy's face as she stared at her gear.

To Arthur's surprise, she willingly climbed into his hand and began grabbing the parts of her blue armor. She gently dropped them on the table before going back to the center of his palm for her sword. The silver blade shined as she lifted it into the light. She ran a hand over the flat part of the sword and inspected it closely for any damage.

He remained completely frozen as he watched on. This was the first time Arthur ever held a tiny, and of course this one was holding a sharp sword ready to stab him if he did anything wrong. He had no doubts the blade could do serious damage, especially with how Sage was handling it. She clearly knows her way around the weapon.

Her nearly weightless footsteps sent a tickling sensation over his skin and Arthur resisted the urge to jerk his hand away. He couldn't help but notice how much his fingers outsized Sage. And most likely overpowered her too. The knowledge that a whole person sat in the palm of his hand sent his heart racing. It was all up to him not to screw this up like he did when he first met Sage. She's just so tiny that one careless motion from Arthur could worsen her injuries.

Arthur didn't know how Cade could work with tinies all the time, much less injured and terrified tinies. It felt like every minuscule movement he made, even movements he wasn't aware of, affected Sage. He felt the need to scoop her up in his hands and protect her, but at the same time he didn't even want to risk touching her in fear of causing more harm. Arthur had to remind himself to breathe a few times already. This was too much power for one person to have over another.

Finally, Sage met his wide eyes with her own. She beamed, oblivious to the human's disturbed thoughts."I-I've had this gear for so long, It's like a part of me...."  Her pale cheeks began to redden and she glanced down at the palm underneath her. That seemed to sober her up as she remembered where she sat.  "I really appreciate this, thank you Arthur." Sage finished abruptly.

She quickly climbed off his hand and distractingly sorted through her plates of armor.

For a moment, all he could focus on where the phantom sensations left behind by Sage. He rubbed his palm with a thumb in an attempt to get rid of the strange feeling. Finally, he looked back at the fairy again. Arthur couldn't help but be amused by her sheepishness. He smiled kindly as he put his hand back onto his lap, "It's the least I could do." He paused for a moment, "Just watch where you point that sword, please." He added.

Sage chuckled, "You won't get stabbed as long as you behave." She promised.

The fairy paid him no mind as he laid his arms on the table and rested his head on top. Arthur studied the tiny pieces of armor. He noted the expert craftsmanship and the almost invisible dents and scratches from many battles. It was strange to think of Sage as a soldier. Arthur always imagined the fae as peaceful beings who only ever concerned themselves with nature.

His blue eyes widened as he noticed something unexpected among the pieces of armor. It looked like a white overcoat decorated with intricate gold designs that reminded him of royalty.

"What's that?" He nodded his head towards the coat.

Sage jumped at the sudden question causing Arthur to wince. She quickly played it off and lifted the coat into the air, a proud smile donned her face. "It shows my rank as commander," she straightened her shoulders and puffed out her chest.

Arthur lifted his head from his arms. "You're a commander!?"

"Yep! I command the Air Force." Sage stood up and buckled the brown belt around her waist, sheathing her sword so it hung by her side. Next she shrugged on her sleeveless overcoat, being extremely careful when putting her wings through the hole in the back.

She spun around to show off part of her uniform to Arthur. The white and gold stood out against her black jumpsuit giving her the appearance of a noble. Sage no longer looked like a beaten down fairy whose size and fragility scared Arthur, she was proud and strong and a respected protector of her people.

Sage seemed to notice the awe displayed on the giant face in front of her and paused. Her pale face turned red and she awkwardly tucked a strand of brown hair that fell out of her braid behind her ear.

That's when Arthur realized he was staring and his own cheeks darkened. A sheepish smile formed on his lips, "That's really cool. I wish our military had badass armor like that." He chuckled softly, "I might actually join if they did."

The fairy shook her head, "I don't think there's enough acorns in the forest to cover you up, big guy." She joked.

At that, her eyes immediately turned towards the back window that had a perfect view of her forest home. The snow had reached the middle of the window and continued to fall hard with no signs of stopping. The large trees in the distance could barely be seen through the white hue that covered air.

Sage's non-splinted wing drooped and a look of longing took over her eyes. The prideful demeanor she wore only seconds ago vanished at the reminder of how close yet so far her home was. How out of place she was in a human home surrounded by human things. There's no foliage to fly through or blue skies for her armor to blend in to. The only people she can speak to are humans big enough to trap her in a fist.

Arthur opened his mouth to say something he hoped would comfort her. But he didn't even have a chance to get a single word out before she closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and turned back to the plates of armor still lying on the table.

Sage briskly walked past his arms still resting on the table and started to gather her gear.

"I'm just gonna put these in my room so I don't lose them," she stated as she balanced the pieces in her arms. A knee pad fell out of the capricious tower she was holding. Sage tried using her foot to kick it back up into her hands but just couldn't get it high enough without knocking the rest of the stack. She huffed in annoyance.

Before she could put down her pile and start again, a large finger very gently nudge her side and guided her a few steps back. Then, more fingers swooped in and tried, and failed, to pick up the knee pad. They were simply too big and clumsy to pluck up the comparatively minuscule piece of armor. Like watching tree trunks trying to pick up a pebble.

Arthur's brows furrowed and he cursed under his breath as he tried to get the right angle, but it continued to slip out of his grip. After more than enough failed attempts, he finally opted to carefully slide the knee pad off the table and into his palm. The blue armor was so small it almost got lost in the creases of his hand.

He heard stifled laughter coming from the table and he playfully glared at the source. "Wow, you're gonna laugh at someone helping you? This is the last time I ever do anything for you." Arthur complained.

This got Sage to burst out in laughter. The stack in her arms swayed dangerously and she shuffled her feet to keep it steady, her un-splinted wing fanning out to give her more balance. He quirked an eyebrow, silently impressed when no other pieces fell out of her arms. A small part of Arthur wanted to shake the table to get back at Sage for laughing at him, but he decided that would be too mean.

So, Arthur wore a flat look on his face as he watched Sage finally contain her laughter after a few heavy breaths, but she still had a grin on her lips stretching ear to ear.

She started to walk towards the box on the table, "Don't worry Arthur, I appreciate your help." Her voice sputtered but she held back another laughing fit. Sage shook her head, her brown braid swinging side to side. "That was just so sad to watch."

"Uh huh," Arthur said sounding unimpressed.

Once Sage reached the doorway of the box, she ducked in and set her things in the far corner. She poked her head out and quickly grabbed the knee pad resting on the tip of Arthur's finger, reuniting it with the other pieces of armor. Sage frowned at the absence of her helmet, which was lost in the blizzard with an arrow sticking through it. At least that wasn't her head.

When she stepped back onto the table, Arthur checked the clock on the wall. It was already past noon.

With a sigh, he stood up from his chair. His back cracked loudly after sitting on the stiff chair all morning. "I think it's about time Cade joined us, whattdaya think?" He asked Sage as he stretched his arms into the air.

Sage quietly watched the immense human stretch in both fear and awe. She nodded her head after Arthur looked back down at her, "I think that's a good idea." She agreed. Out of the two humans, Cade was the one that gained her trust first. Even if he acted a little strange to her.

—————

"My name is Lisa with the Tiny Assistance and Protection Agency, how may I help you?" A nice female voice sounded over the phone.

Cade spun in his chair, "Hi, I- uh- have a few questions I was hoping you could answer."

"Ask away."

He looked back over to his computer in the office. Over the last few hours, he'd been combing through a number of different articles and websites about the fae. They mostly told him about the environments fairies used to live in, what they ate, and what they looked like. These were definitely helpful to him, but Cade needed more information if wanted to ensure Sage made it out of his home alright.

Unfortunately, with fairies being all but extinct, there was little on what he really desired to know. Cade couldn't find any reliable resources on the autonomy or magical properties of the fae that didn't come from legends.

He severely doubted fairies kidnapped human kids and turned them into fae as a means to reproduce.

Cade was able to make a list of questions while he was on hold with the T. A. P. A.

"So," his brown eyes scanned the list, "Do you have any fairies in your care right now?"

"Unfortunately sir, I don't have the liberty to answer that question since the fae are endangered."

Cade cringed slightly at that response. He knew it made him sound like a weirdo but he still thought it was important to ask.

He awkwardly ran his hand through his messy brown hair. He cleared his throat, "That's alright, I just need to know a few things about them. Like the autonomy of theirs wings and - uh" He tapped his pen on the notebook, "magic abilities." Cade inwardly sighed as the words left his mouth. Now he sounded like a weirdo and a creep.

There was silence over the phone. It stayed like that for a few long moments. "Sir," she began, "What is your name?"

Cade pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, dammit! He frustratedly thought to himself. They were probably going to put him on some sort of watch list.

Reluctantly, he answered. "Cade Williams."

"Okay. And why are you asking these questions about the fae, Mr. Williams?" Lisa asked in a suspiciously kind voice.

She's definitely putting his name on a list.

"'Cause I got an injured fairy on my kitchen table and I need to know how to treat her." He replied casually as if they were talking about the weather.

".... Can you repeat that please?" The shock in Lisa's voice was clear as day.

"There's an injured fairy in my kitchen and I need more information to treat her." He repeated more bluntly, patience already wearing thin.

"Alright, I'm gonna put you on hold for a second."

Cade let out a heavy sigh as the waiting music started to play again. He let the hand holding his phone drop onto the desk. He wasn't planning on staying away from Arthur and Sage this long. All he was going to do was see if he was treating Sage's injuries correctly. In and out.

Instead, the research has felt like a wild goose chase. Websites taking him to different pages and links that ended up being blocked and now TAPA putting him on hold. It shouldn't be this hard to find same damn information on fairies.

Cade knew for a fact there were lots of fairies when he was a kid. Sure, they were scarce and well hidden, but they've been around for centuries! Researchers were quick to know practically everything about nymphs, sprites, and borrowers, so why not fairies?

Nothing was adding up for Cade the more he thought about it.

The music on the other end cut off. "Hello? Mr. Williams?" A voice asked. She sounded older than the last woman.

Cade quickly put the phone back up to his ear, "I'm here."

"Hello, my name is Molly Kim. I am the director of the Tiny Assistance and Protection Agency." She paused, letting that information sink in. Her voice was strong and authoritative, letting everyone who spoke to her know she meant business. 

If Cade thought this was just going to be an easy phone call before, he was definitely mistaken now.

He should have grabbed another cup of coffee when he had the chance.

Ms. Kim continued, "Mr. Williams, from what I understand, you have an injured fairy in your house?"

"That is correct, Ms. Kim." He confirmed, trying his best to remain calm. This call was beginning to freak him out. All he wanted to do was learn more about fairies so he could help Sage!

"What's their name?"

"Her name is Sage."

"How old is she?"

"Not sure, somewhere around her twenties."

"Where did you find her?"

"In the forest behind my house. She was knocked out and face down in the snow."

"What are her injuries?"

"The most concerning ones is the arrow through her left leg and her right wing is torn vertically." Cade shifted uncomfortably in his seat from the sudden rapid fire of questions. This was starting to feel like an interrogation.

Ms. Kim let out a long breath and he heard what sounded like a pen dropping onto the desk. "Alright Mr. Williams, tell me your address so we can send a chopper over to pick her up."

"Wait, what?!" He sputtered out in shock. Cade abruptly stood from his chair and began pacing around the office. A worried hand rested on top of his head, clutching fistfuls of hair. "What the hell do you mean 'pick her up?'" He demanded.

Ms. Kim's voice remained chillingly calm, clearly unfazed by his outburst. "Sage needs to be monitored at a facility qualified to take care of tinies."

"I'm an EMT, I had to pass a whole exam on how to treat tinies." He waved a hand in the air, "I've treated more borrowers than I can count! Trust me, I'm qualified." Cade growled out.

He honestly didn't know where his sudden protectiveness over Sage came from. Just yesterday he was convincing Arthur that calling TAPA was the right choice. Now he was arguing with the damn freaking TAPA director herself to not take Sage.

Maybe it came from watching someone so beaten down regain their strength because of him, or it was watching Sage slowly learn how to trust him. Maybe it was seeing Arthur's face light up like it used to when he spoke to Sage, or her demanding personality despite her situation. Maybe it was all of those combined. Or none of them.

Cade wasn't sure, and it didn't really matter, because he wasn't going to let that agency take Sage away from him. Still, he forced himself to breathe and relax. As he learned from his line of work, yelling never solved anything.

He calmly sat down on the red couch in the middle of the room. "My deepest apologies, Ms. Kim. That was rude of me." Cade said in his most professional voice. "I just feel like it would be best if Sage stayed here. She trusts me and has already significantly recovered from the majority of her injuries. I'm hopeful she'll be able to go home once the blizzard is over." He waited with bated breath for her response, worried he just severed any chance of winning Ms. Kim over.

The director was quick to respond. "I understand your sentiments and appreciate your apology, Mr. Williams. I know how easy it is to grow protective of a tiny." Cade could have sworn there was hint of pride in her monotone voice, but he quickly dismissed it. "If you insist on taking care of Sage, then I will have to speak to the fairy myself to ensure her wellbeing. She has the right to decide where she wants to be, after all." Ms. Kim said matter-of-factly.

This made Cade's shoulders tense up even more. He had no idea how Sage would feel about talking to another human. Hopefully it would go better than his and Arthur's first time meeting the fairy since this conversation would be over the phone. Still, Ms. Kim had a way of talking that sent shivers up his spine. It felt like she already knew everything about him and his life.

Cade licked his dry lips,"Yeah that's fine. I'll bring you to her now."

This was going to be a long day.

Can we get some art of Ulthane doing the dont talk to me or my child again with some humans to an angel?

I'm sorry, I got carried away, but this is sort of the same thing, isn't it?