[Hubert hummed an acknowledging note as he removed one glove. Then, he broke the seal and downed approximately half the little vial. Without further ado, Hubert offers the silvery potion, and by extension, his bare hand.]
[The cycling of magic was even more important than any potential emotional balm, particularly for a Monster. Hubert had his familiars, at least.]
[Even a half-Bond could be refreshing. After so long with true Bonds, the stop-gap potion was jarring, like the haphazard stapling of two souls rather than something seamlessly woven together. Once Lorenz had his half, even with the muffled nature of the temporary link, he'd be able to easily feel Hubert's turmoil. Given the man's state for the last while, it's not a shock that he'd been deeply affected by the departures—but so little of it, relatively, touched the surface. He was in agony. A screaming roil of loss, grief, and loneliness sat under the surface of sour apathy, and also something much keener and much older, like a ill-healed wound that'd been torn open again.]
[The depth of such internal wounds upon Hubert's soul initially took Lorenz's breath away. Going in, he had anticipated Hubert would have depths much deeper than he showed, but the sheer intensity was nearly a shock to the system. There was pain greater than what Lorenz had anticipated.
Pain to the degree that he had not quite felt anything similar.
His own edges were frayed after being Bondless for months, held together by potions supplied by the Coven, lunar trysts with others in a similar state, and his own stubborn will to not surrender so easily. The initial pain of losing bonds so suddenly had ebbed into a lingering discomfort-- nothing he couldn't cover with practiced smile and a day of keeping himself busy. His own vulnerabilities and a desire to be seen lingered in his actions.
The sudden sense of connection brought with it a sense of relief on it's own, and it stirred up his drive to fuss over and try to fix what was wrong.
But, there was no fixing this. Instead, Lorenz sat with Hubert in the place he was, neither pushing nor pulling in any direction.
This was a Choice. He was not going to steer the course any more than necessary.]
[For someone who behaved so emotionlessly and valued logic, Hubert was a terribly emotional man.]
[There was... something comforting, even in the shoddy link. Even if nothing else, the ever analytical part of his mind appreciated the insight into Lorenz's self—but it was a two-way street, and the discomfort of being seen far outweighed that particular benefit. Instead, Hubert closed his eyes, focusing on the tenuous connection and turning a blind eye to both of their vulnerabilities.]
...It helps, [he murmured.] And it doesn't. [A small shake of his head. Like a child that had lost something sentimental—another object, even if exactly the same, soothed the loss, but wasn't that one that had been lost.]
[But it's strangely comforting to have that presence in his head again, a feeling once so alien and wrong.]
It's not unlike the loss of a limb, and being given another. An unparalleled boon to have the chance to carry on, but the substitute does nothing for the wound itself.
[He uttered with a quiet sympathy in his tone. While the Golden Deer as a collectively barely held a candle to the sheer vibrance of Edelgard's presence and personality, their absence in this realm was had left Lorenz adrift-- nothing compared to the dynamic they shared, and nothing could replace that.
And yet...
With Hubert there was a unique dynamic, and one that Lorenz was protective of in a similar manner. Neither of them could replace what they didn't have, and yet...]
No one is asking you to, either. Each Bond is different and unique, and I do not dare to compare myself to anyone you have known-- as I do not compare you to others that I have know.
[There's no malice in that. To Hubert, it was simply fact, and even without the factor of Bonds themselves, no one could compare to Edelgard. Or Petra, for that matter, even if this was not the Petra he'd known for years.]
[He sighs.] I am... satisfied if you are.
[Satisfied was too strong a word, but the semantics mattered little. There were no immediately, glaring red flags, and if a Bond did alleviate his affliction... there wasn't much of a choice, from his perspective.]
[The connection lacked the feverish intimacy and vulnerability that dominated his Bond with Lapis, compounded by her strange manner with people and her obsessive way of protecting what she deemed 'hers'. Yet, it also lacked the dubious consent and the sheer level of frustration that had dominated his Bond with Sylvain.
It was simply business with someone who was upfront about the sort of person that they were.
That alone was Enough.]
I'm quite satisfied, Hubert. You are... like a breath of fresh air.
[He knew that storms lurked within Hubert, just as they did within himself... but it was nothing unforseen.
For the first time in a long time, there was no undercurrent of something only nature could control lingering in the background.
[No, they weren't unforeseen. The exact intensity of those storms might be guesswork, but the past year in this odd land had done well to expose the both of them to each other's turmoil.]
[The Bond would only make it closer from here on out than either of them liked. But it was no less necessary for it, and if Lorenz consented to harbor Hubert's current emotional suffering in the back of his head, that was enough.]
Not a phrase that's ever been applied to me. [He shook his head, standing.] I will see you at the Coven, then?
[There was nothing unexpected here. Hubert was nothing if not himself, and for a person who had lived in a world steeped with deceit, that alone was a privilege to experience.]
Indeed, I'll be meeting you at the Coven. This should certainly be a good partnership for the both of us.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bloodypath) wrote2019-10-03 11:06 am
no subject
[Because the vulnerability was there for the both of them, and it wasn't a look that Lorenz was comfortable wearing before others.
In the end, it would be both of their intensely private natures that would do them in.]
I intend to take the duties seriously as well. This is not an endeavor to be taken lightly.
no subject
[The cycling of magic was even more important than any potential emotional balm, particularly for a Monster. Hubert had his familiars, at least.]
[Even a half-Bond could be refreshing. After so long with true Bonds, the stop-gap potion was jarring, like the haphazard stapling of two souls rather than something seamlessly woven together. Once Lorenz had his half, even with the muffled nature of the temporary link, he'd be able to easily feel Hubert's turmoil. Given the man's state for the last while, it's not a shock that he'd been deeply affected by the departures—but so little of it, relatively, touched the surface. He was in agony. A screaming roil of loss, grief, and loneliness sat under the surface of sour apathy, and also something much keener and much older, like a ill-healed wound that'd been torn open again.]
no subject
Pain to the degree that he had not quite felt anything similar.
His own edges were frayed after being Bondless for months, held together by potions supplied by the Coven, lunar trysts with others in a similar state, and his own stubborn will to not surrender so easily. The initial pain of losing bonds so suddenly had ebbed into a lingering discomfort-- nothing he couldn't cover with practiced smile and a day of keeping himself busy. His own vulnerabilities and a desire to be seen lingered in his actions.
The sudden sense of connection brought with it a sense of relief on it's own, and it stirred up his drive to fuss over and try to fix what was wrong.
But, there was no fixing this. Instead, Lorenz sat with Hubert in the place he was, neither pushing nor pulling in any direction.
This was a Choice. He was not going to steer the course any more than necessary.]
no subject
[There was... something comforting, even in the shoddy link. Even if nothing else, the ever analytical part of his mind appreciated the insight into Lorenz's self—but it was a two-way street, and the discomfort of being seen far outweighed that particular benefit. Instead, Hubert closed his eyes, focusing on the tenuous connection and turning a blind eye to both of their vulnerabilities.]
...It helps, [he murmured.] And it doesn't. [A small shake of his head. Like a child that had lost something sentimental—another object, even if exactly the same, soothed the loss, but wasn't that one that had been lost.]
[But it's strangely comforting to have that presence in his head again, a feeling once so alien and wrong.]
It's not unlike the loss of a limb, and being given another. An unparalleled boon to have the chance to carry on, but the substitute does nothing for the wound itself.
no subject
[He uttered with a quiet sympathy in his tone. While the Golden Deer as a collectively barely held a candle to the sheer vibrance of Edelgard's presence and personality, their absence in this realm was had left Lorenz adrift-- nothing compared to the dynamic they shared, and nothing could replace that.
And yet...
With Hubert there was a unique dynamic, and one that Lorenz was protective of in a similar manner. Neither of them could replace what they didn't have, and yet...]
No one is asking you to, either. Each Bond is different and unique, and I do not dare to compare myself to anyone you have known-- as I do not compare you to others that I have know.
no subject
[There's no malice in that. To Hubert, it was simply fact, and even without the factor of Bonds themselves, no one could compare to Edelgard. Or Petra, for that matter, even if this was not the Petra he'd known for years.]
[He sighs.] I am... satisfied if you are.
[Satisfied was too strong a word, but the semantics mattered little. There were no immediately, glaring red flags, and if a Bond did alleviate his affliction... there wasn't much of a choice, from his perspective.]
no subject
It was simply business with someone who was upfront about the sort of person that they were.
That alone was Enough.]
I'm quite satisfied, Hubert. You are... like a breath of fresh air.
[He knew that storms lurked within Hubert, just as they did within himself... but it was nothing unforseen.
For the first time in a long time, there was no undercurrent of something only nature could control lingering in the background.
This would certainly be enough.]
no subject
[The Bond would only make it closer from here on out than either of them liked. But it was no less necessary for it, and if Lorenz consented to harbor Hubert's current emotional suffering in the back of his head, that was enough.]
Not a phrase that's ever been applied to me. [He shook his head, standing.] I will see you at the Coven, then?
no subject
[There was nothing unexpected here. Hubert was nothing if not himself, and for a person who had lived in a world steeped with deceit, that alone was a privilege to experience.]
Indeed, I'll be meeting you at the Coven. This should certainly be a good partnership for the both of us.