...I had no idea the two of you were Bonded, Hubert.
[Lorenz said quietly, taking an understanding tone while he set out to straighten some of the mess. The piles of papers, the unsteadiness in the man... it was uncanny.]
She never really spoke much with me. Not that there are words lost between us.
[He deftly removed the empty glass, placing it aside before Hubert was tempted to refill it-- if such a temptation even existed.]
[Hubert's pen stills and his eyes narrow as Lorenz removes the glass. What was he, a child? The pain of loss made indignation so much easier.]
She saved my life in the tunnels. I repaid that debt in her sanity. [It... was not an easy Bond, given how belligerent Petra's very existence here tended to make Hubert, particularly in the beginning.]
Yes. It is. There are two separate kinds of forms. Do not mix them.
[The papers seemed to have some sort of legalize on them.]
[He was neither blind nor a fool-- and, for a young noble who hardly needed to participate in administrative affairs, he had an eye for organization. Papers were filed into piles to be dealt with later, whenever Hubert felt it appropriate.]
...She hardly exchanged words with me. Our paths rarely crossed, and after our initial meeting she didn't seek me out. I had... expressed concern over her choosing to side with Claude.
[A beat. He took a stack in his hands and gently tapped the edges on the table to level the pages.]
He is hardly a man who takes anyone into his confidence.
Whatever concerns I had are irrelevant, given her absence.
[He's curt. Hubert initialed two more papers and set them aside.]
And moot, prior. I have come to the conclusion that she is ultimately a perfect stranger. I do not know her, and never did—and the same regarding Bernadetta, and you. There's nothing more to say on the matter.
[And a full signature and date on the last sheet in that particular stack. Hubert stood and stalked to the cabinet, pointedly snatching his glass along the way.]
[Lorenz watched him pass by from under a furrowed brow, and gave the papers one last tap before setting them in the appropriate space and turning to watch the wizard. His expression was cool and smooth as the freshly fallen snow outside, but clearly he was quite alert. His ears were perked up, listening for any subtleties his eyes might miss.]
After a year and some months, are we still perfect strangers? We were among the first from Fodlan here, and now we are the remaining two.
I would like to think we were past this by now, Hubert.
[Hubert scowled at the unusually exquisite decanter as he uncorked it. It's almost gaudy in how intricate and showy the crystal vessel was, far beyond Edelgard's and Hubert's typical taste in aesthetics. A gift, most likely.]
[The drink Hubert pours himself is a moderate half-glass. He isn't lost to abandon, at least.]
And it is still a land I have never known, just as you have never known mind. The basis of which we are acquainted is strictly within this realm.
[Hubert finally turns to face Lorenz again, taking a drink of the liquor.] I'll concede you your year and some, but I hold no illusions of kinship over our homes sharing the same name.
Now, surely rehashing this argument isn't what you sought me for.
And is knowing each other solely from this realm really so bad?
[Lorenz asked, crossing the distance between the two of them. He barely batted an eye at the drink; similarly, he did not dare to help himself to any either. Without the heady pleasure of a buzz, there was minimal point in indulgence.]
Replaying this argument does little for either of us-- you know that as well as I. From separate realms though we may be, I still feel a certain... fondness for your presence, as it were.
The recent losses were all connected to you. You are in your right to mourn their absence. But, I do like to imagine that we have become closer than strangers after all this time.
[He took a breath, and levelled his gaze on Hubert. Taking in the brooding man, with how he even now comported himself like a wraith in the shadows, Lorenz knew he had his work cut out for him.]
...Clearly you're not faring well, Hubert. What do you need?
[Narrowed eyes and a deepening of his scowl was Lorenz' only answer for a time, and it was so very tempting to shove the faun away.]
[...But that was an irrational impulse. Lash out, for what? Lorenz being right? Hubert wasn't faring well, if it was taking everything he had to go about his daily business while feigning being unaffected, to keep Leslie from noticing his affliction's depth.]
[And above all, Hubert was human. He desired to not be in pain, same as anyone else.]
You've lost Bonds before, [the mage starts after a long moment. Technically, he had too, with Bernadetta's departure. But he'd had Edelgard, then, her Bond anchoring him against the sting of a severed one. What Hubert didn't know was if Lorenz had ever lost more than one at once.] What alleviated it? How do you staunch a wound that isn't there?
[The alcohol helped, to some minor and insufficient degree, a faint blunting of the sharpest edges. Some part of him knew this was made worse for the strength of his and Edelgard's interpersonal bond, as well. Hubert couldn't tell where the phantom pain of the Bonds ended and where more traditional loss began.]
[He had lost more than one Bond in quick succession, for Lapis and Sylvain both returned to their respective homes within days of each other. Those were times he did not like to look upon with the benefit of hindsight, but in this instance...
Lorenz knew the pained look in Hubert's eyes. He had seen it in the mirror.]
You don't.
[He said candidly, his tone gentle but not making light of the delicate scenario before him.]
In time it becomes less difficult and eventually fades, but there is little to help with the initial shock of it.
[Sighing, he turned his back on Hubert and instead peered at the adjacent window. Heavy blinds were still drawn. Inching them open just enough to let a stream of the fading natural light into the room, he stared into the snowy outdoors rather than at Hubert.
It was confession time.]
Truly, I hated being a Faun during the earliest days, because there isn't enough drink that can bring the peace of oblivion quickly enough. Not without tasting drink too strong for the human tongue to enjoy and emptying the contents of your wallet, anyway. But, I did indulge-- enough to take the edge off-- and I threw myself into work, into socializing, into putting on a show...
[In the end, he had fallen back on his old habits from the gilded ballrooms from the noble halls of his youth. It was easier to become a butterfly that flitted from flower to flower, enjoying the nepenthe of fake smiles, conceited laughter, and the singular rush of having eyes on the persona he had carefully crafted rather than the confused young man hiding beneath it.]
...There's potions supplied by the Coven that allegedly dull the effects of being unbonded. I have been using them as well, but nothing truly fills that ache beside your heart.
[Whatever tentative hope there had been died as swiftly and messily as it had come, and well enough that Lorenz had turned to the window. Hubert would rather him not see the way his gaze averted towards the floor.]
[He'd dealt with turmoil like this before, back when he was a child. It had carved his soul into something unrecognizable, but Hubert had survived. He would again; the agony would find only scars now, instead of something tender.]
[But waiting out the storm once more seemed like an appalling option, and his fingers briefly tightened around his glass. With a sigh, Hubert straightened, downing a larger portion of his drink than he had prior, and wandered back to his paperwork.]
I see. Nothing for it, then. [Nothing but carrying on. Such is life.] I will look into their offerings.
[He knew he would never know the depths of the pain Hubert must be going through, but the grim finality he heard in those words felt like a knife clattering on the floor. They were beings of two very different worlds, Lorenz knew. Where he himself preferred the anonymity of a crowd, Hubert preferred his very private and well curated circle. They were opposites in the ways that no one expected.
Lorenz preferred to give nothing to everyone; Hubert preferred to give everything to one single person.
...perhaps it was time for the both of them to break their cycle.]
...I have heard that taking a new Bond can help dull the ache,
[He confessed quickly, not budging from his place before the window.]
This isn't something I've tried. Truly, there's none that I trust enough to be a partner in this forsaken town at the edge of nowhere.
[He let those words hang in the air for a moment, finally peeking over his shoulder at the wizard before the silence drew too long.]
...If you are willing, it may be worth investigating.
[Hubert couldn't recall hearing a more dangerous peace offering in his life, and that was considering the war. He too stood still, at first, only glancing towards the window after the weight of Lorenz' words had settled around them.]
[There are none that he trusts enough, the faun claimed. Hubert did not trust him, either, not truly.]
[This was not about trust. It was about survival and catharsis.]
[Hubert's gaze swung silently back to the amber liquor of his drink. Survival and catharsis. Surely he would be considering it without the spirit's influence, even if he was moderating his intake. But it certainly made it easier.]
Remain here, [Hubert spoke at last, his glass clicking down on the desk. And for once, Hubert actually walked through the quiet house—even if it was such a simple jump, the man refused to teleport after imbibing, no matter how clear his thoughts seemed.]
[He's gone for just shy of two minutes, his steps slow and unhurried. When Hubert returned, he took a seat at the table with his paperwork, clinking down a small, silver-filled vial.]
[The curt departure was strange, but not out of character in Lorenz's view. Upon Hubert's return he would find that the Faun had turned his back to the wall and was facing the entry point-- a standard tactic used by both scheming nobles and soldiers alike when faced with the unknown. His posture was almost languid as he leaned against the wall in a very impolite and rather disreputable manner. Clearly someone had been taking tips about manners from the sailors in the harbor... or was tired of playing games.
A delicate eyebrow raised curiously underneath the swath of dark hair that was tied into a short braid over his shoulder.]
[No hesitation, no uncertainty in his voice at Lorenz' almost standoffish lack of approach. Hubert did not relax in his chair. ]
One broken between two living will cause us far more harm than severance from departure. [And if they were having problems enough as they were... ] I will not engage in this recklessly. A trial.
[Lorenz regarded him coolly for a moment, recalling Hubert's aggressive denial when he had requested several months ago. The blunt rebuttal still echoed in his ears at times when he was at his weakest, in the privacy of his own quarters. It was why he had not broached the topic earlier even if it may have been beneficial, and why he had not bothered overtly suggesting the idea even at this juncture.
They were quite different.
But, they were also quite alike.
Nodding, Lorenz crossed the distance and took a seat facing Hubert. He rested his hands arms on the table-- both as a way of indicating he was unarmed and not an overt threat.]
As methodical as always. [He commented shortly.] Good.
[Methodical, practical, and shamelessly honest about where his interests lie. Even discounting the considerable time that had passed since Lorenz' first proposal in the cellar, he would not lie: the biggest difference is that Hubert stood to gain, and gain significantly, from it this time.]
[But here, he lulls into a brief silence. Even if Hubert was far from inebriated, perhaps this was not the best course of action after he'd had a couple of drinks.]
Truthfully, I hadn't gotten that far. I only know it is a necessity—that I cannot carry on like this, even if my two familiars ensure I will be fine, magically. [At least, not without Leslie noticing.]
[Hubert did not trust Lorenz, not truly, but that could be said of Hubert's trust in nearly everyone. But something Petra said still clawed in his heart, and the sickening little realization it had brought Hubert to. Hubert closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly. This went against every fiber of his being, but...]
...Consider it a trial of whether or not such an arrangement requires terms, [Hubert said slowly. He did not trust Lorenz, but he could extend one singular gesture of trust.]
[Eyes narrowed and brow furrowed as Lorenz listened to the words, considering both the direct meaning and the possibilities of what remained unsaid. Hubert was nothing if not direct in his decision making process, and Lorenz knew what had changed between them:
Edelgard.
Indirectly, the Emperor's absence had placed both the wizard and the cavalier on an even footing. Thus, the nature of the 'trial' itself was revealed.
This was a test of character. For the both of them.
His gaze lingered briefly on the bottle Hubert had set on the table before he released a sigh. If trust was the question, then Lorenz knew the path he must take.]
Very well.
[He said stiffly, in the business-like tone he took when organizing shipping contracts and financial dealings for his father's land holdings. There was nothing personal between them-- thus, his conscience was clear.]
I will lay down a single term for you, Hubert:
Come back and talk to me about this when you've slept and haven't partaken of drink from the higher shelf. Though you seem clear headed enough, I cannot accept if there is room for any doubt or regret.
[He tossed that braid over his shoulder, momentarily wondering what Ferdinand would do in circumstances like these. Though the young noble was different from him in many ways as well-- Ferdinand was a more honest and genuine soul after all-- Lorenz trusted that man's judgement.
This was unprecedented.]
If you still feel the same in a day or so, I will gladly accept your trial. However, you need to be certain of where you stand.
[With that he stood, and stepped away from the table.]
Let's get you some coffee, perhaps. I've been meaning to share a cup with you.
[As the faun stepped towards the kitchen, an uncomfortable feeling draped itself across Hubert's shoulders like a heavy mantle. What a strange (terrible) feeling of vulnerability it was to be left here at the table with the potion and the remains of his drink both.]
[It was a rational term, and one Hubert himself would have levied if their positions were reversed. Still, he couldn't help feeling like something pitied, and Hubert resented being here at all in the first place because of his weakness and inability to cope.]
[Goddess, he was tired.]
Second upper cabinet on the left, [the mage muttered after a brief silence, knowing the faun could hear him. Let someone else make it, for once. Moving felt monumental; just this once in his life, Hubert wanted to be as tired as he felt.]
[It was hardly pity that drove Lorenz, but a cold and clear rationality that bit like the winter's wind that had swept the city's streets. Drink and grief had ways of clouding even the most rational of minds, and jumping to accept Hubert's offer would have been nothing short of predatory. Though in many ways a wolf among the deer, Lorenz would have rendered the same terms upon anyone-- even if the act seemed harsh.
Times like this made even remote gestures of kindness seem akin to cruelty.
Keeping one ear alert on the wizard's progression, he wordlessly made for the cabinet per the muttered directions and set about the task of making coffee. While tea was a skill he had mastered to an artform, coffee yet eluded him. Either through lack of reason or lack of interest, Lorenz had simply never bothered to learn more than out of an idle interest in being a pest to Hubert. Current interests had spurred him into borrowing books on the matter from the library and, though mimicry and written word were his only teachers at this juncture, it wasn't long before the heady aroma of coffee started to waft through the kitchen.]
You take it black, yes?
[He called, fishing for a pair of mugs in the kitchen. Coffee demanded a sturdier set of equipment just due to the culture surrounding the drink.]
Correct, [was all that dully answered Lorenz. In the meantime, Hubert had tucked away the potion to somewhere safer, and resumed the slow, steady progress of sifting through his legal papers. At some point he'd emptied the rest of his meager whiskey glass, setting it aside.]
[Mugs located, Lorenz poured them both off a healthy portion and brought them back to the work space. After finding a coaster to ensure the paperwork's safety, he set a mug down before Hubert.]
Here. Now sit and take a break for yourself. The paperwork isn't going anywhere.
[Peering dubiously into his mug, he added:]
And apologies if this isn't to your taste. I don't yet have much experience with coffee.
I doubt I will notice, presently. [Just as drink and grief clouded a person's mind, so too it dulled the senses. Since losing both his Bonds, deriving joy from even simple things has been... difficult. There's been little comfort in even his own brews, aside as something that kept him going.]
[Hubert frowns at the cup, reluctantly taking it up and leaning back in his chair. He hated being idle, even without a crisis of grief.] "Not going anywhere" does not make it any less necessary.
What's necessary right now is that you take care of yourself. And Leslie, of course.
[It was the first time he had mentioned the young lady that evening, but surely she would have remained in the massive, barren home with Hubert. Though nothing if not loyal and dutiful, the sheer responsibility of sundry pets was liable to be too heavy for the wizard in that moment.
The paperwork certainly was.
Taking a sip, Lorenz briefly scowled at the drink before wordlessy getting up to seach for sugar in the kitchen. The bracing bitterness was deeper and darker than even the strongest, smokiest tea he could name. It still bore no candle to the mystery of that peculiar blend in DiplomaTea that seemed to be everything tea was not in the most unpleasant of ways.]
Besides, you were ready to offer me the same proposition you turned down months ago when our positions were reversed. [He called from the kitchen-- after making a small, satisfied sound upon finding a small sugar pot and a spoon. Making his way back, he continued.] The paperwork can stand to wait a few days until you've rested some.
How bold of you to assume I will be able to, [Hubert drawled back misanthropically. Rest hadn't come easily to Hubert at the best of times in the last several years. The seemingly permanent dark circles under his eyes were testament to that.]
It is a proposition I now stand to benefit from. Even if it did not provide relief from these severances, it does not change the fact that I require a Bond. I am not content to tempt the forces of this world as so many Mirrorbound are.
[Even if he was among the safest Bondless witches, with two familiars.]
[Given his own history, Lorenz harbored no doubts that he was included that statement. Bonds were not a contract to be drawn into lightly, and knowing the nature of a possible partner was far preferable than knowing a stranger. But the ties of convenience among the nobility that were reinforced by the nature of shared histories and the territorial life within the Leicester Alliance had ill prepared him for the single act of trust.
Perhaps he truly was more like the Adrestrian nobles than he realized. The thought tightened in his chest.]
If you cannot rest your mind, then at least rest your body. No one can function under such duress forever.
And, if the paperwork truly must be completed before you can do so, then allow me to help. We can get it done more quickly that way.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2020-12-01 04:32 am (UTC)[Lorenz said quietly, taking an understanding tone while he set out to straighten some of the mess. The piles of papers, the unsteadiness in the man... it was uncanny.]
She never really spoke much with me. Not that there are words lost between us.
[He deftly removed the empty glass, placing it aside before Hubert was tempted to refill it-- if such a temptation even existed.]
It's... difficult, adjusting back to such quiet.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-01 05:32 am (UTC)She saved my life in the tunnels. I repaid that debt in her sanity. [It... was not an easy Bond, given how belligerent Petra's very existence here tended to make Hubert, particularly in the beginning.]
Yes. It is. There are two separate kinds of forms. Do not mix them.
[The papers seemed to have some sort of legalize on them.]
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Date: 2020-12-05 03:57 am (UTC)[He was neither blind nor a fool-- and, for a young noble who hardly needed to participate in administrative affairs, he had an eye for organization. Papers were filed into piles to be dealt with later, whenever Hubert felt it appropriate.]
...She hardly exchanged words with me. Our paths rarely crossed, and after our initial meeting she didn't seek me out. I had... expressed concern over her choosing to side with Claude.
[A beat. He took a stack in his hands and gently tapped the edges on the table to level the pages.]
He is hardly a man who takes anyone into his confidence.
[He glanced up.]
I'm sure you had similar concerns.
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Date: 2020-12-05 05:29 am (UTC)[He's curt. Hubert initialed two more papers and set them aside.]
And moot, prior. I have come to the conclusion that she is ultimately a perfect stranger. I do not know her, and never did—and the same regarding Bernadetta, and you. There's nothing more to say on the matter.
[And a full signature and date on the last sheet in that particular stack. Hubert stood and stalked to the cabinet, pointedly snatching his glass along the way.]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 03:12 am (UTC)After a year and some months, are we still perfect strangers? We were among the first from Fodlan here, and now we are the remaining two.
I would like to think we were past this by now, Hubert.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 03:48 am (UTC)[The drink Hubert pours himself is a moderate half-glass. He isn't lost to abandon, at least.]
And it is still a land I have never known, just as you have never known mind. The basis of which we are acquainted is strictly within this realm.
[Hubert finally turns to face Lorenz again, taking a drink of the liquor.] I'll concede you your year and some, but I hold no illusions of kinship over our homes sharing the same name.
Now, surely rehashing this argument isn't what you sought me for.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 04:01 am (UTC)[Lorenz asked, crossing the distance between the two of them. He barely batted an eye at the drink; similarly, he did not dare to help himself to any either. Without the heady pleasure of a buzz, there was minimal point in indulgence.]
Replaying this argument does little for either of us-- you know that as well as I. From separate realms though we may be, I still feel a certain... fondness for your presence, as it were.
The recent losses were all connected to you. You are in your right to mourn their absence. But, I do like to imagine that we have become closer than strangers after all this time.
[He took a breath, and levelled his gaze on Hubert. Taking in the brooding man, with how he even now comported himself like a wraith in the shadows, Lorenz knew he had his work cut out for him.]
...Clearly you're not faring well, Hubert. What do you need?
How can I help?
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 04:25 am (UTC)[...But that was an irrational impulse. Lash out, for what? Lorenz being right? Hubert wasn't faring well, if it was taking everything he had to go about his daily business while feigning being unaffected, to keep Leslie from noticing his affliction's depth.]
[And above all, Hubert was human. He desired to not be in pain, same as anyone else.]
You've lost Bonds before, [the mage starts after a long moment. Technically, he had too, with Bernadetta's departure. But he'd had Edelgard, then, her Bond anchoring him against the sting of a severed one. What Hubert didn't know was if Lorenz had ever lost more than one at once.] What alleviated it? How do you staunch a wound that isn't there?
[The alcohol helped, to some minor and insufficient degree, a faint blunting of the sharpest edges. Some part of him knew this was made worse for the strength of his and Edelgard's interpersonal bond, as well. Hubert couldn't tell where the phantom pain of the Bonds ended and where more traditional loss began.]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 04:41 am (UTC)Lorenz knew the pained look in Hubert's eyes. He had seen it in the mirror.]
You don't.
[He said candidly, his tone gentle but not making light of the delicate scenario before him.]
In time it becomes less difficult and eventually fades, but there is little to help with the initial shock of it.
[Sighing, he turned his back on Hubert and instead peered at the adjacent window. Heavy blinds were still drawn. Inching them open just enough to let a stream of the fading natural light into the room, he stared into the snowy outdoors rather than at Hubert.
It was confession time.]
Truly, I hated being a Faun during the earliest days, because there isn't enough drink that can bring the peace of oblivion quickly enough. Not without tasting drink too strong for the human tongue to enjoy and emptying the contents of your wallet, anyway. But, I did indulge-- enough to take the edge off-- and I threw myself into work, into socializing, into putting on a show...
[In the end, he had fallen back on his old habits from the gilded ballrooms from the noble halls of his youth. It was easier to become a butterfly that flitted from flower to flower, enjoying the nepenthe of fake smiles, conceited laughter, and the singular rush of having eyes on the persona he had carefully crafted rather than the confused young man hiding beneath it.]
...There's potions supplied by the Coven that allegedly dull the effects of being unbonded. I have been using them as well, but nothing truly fills that ache beside your heart.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 05:05 am (UTC)[Whatever tentative hope there had been died as swiftly and messily as it had come, and well enough that Lorenz had turned to the window. Hubert would rather him not see the way his gaze averted towards the floor.]
[He'd dealt with turmoil like this before, back when he was a child. It had carved his soul into something unrecognizable, but Hubert had survived. He would again; the agony would find only scars now, instead of something tender.]
[But waiting out the storm once more seemed like an appalling option, and his fingers briefly tightened around his glass. With a sigh, Hubert straightened, downing a larger portion of his drink than he had prior, and wandered back to his paperwork.]
I see. Nothing for it, then. [Nothing but carrying on. Such is life.] I will look into their offerings.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 05:16 am (UTC)Lorenz preferred to give nothing to everyone; Hubert preferred to give everything to one single person.
...perhaps it was time for the both of them to break their cycle.]
...I have heard that taking a new Bond can help dull the ache,
[He confessed quickly, not budging from his place before the window.]
This isn't something I've tried. Truly, there's none that I trust enough to be a partner in this forsaken town at the edge of nowhere.
[He let those words hang in the air for a moment, finally peeking over his shoulder at the wizard before the silence drew too long.]
...If you are willing, it may be worth investigating.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 05:52 am (UTC)[There are none that he trusts enough, the faun claimed. Hubert did not trust him, either, not truly.]
[This was not about trust. It was about survival and catharsis.]
[Hubert's gaze swung silently back to the amber liquor of his drink. Survival and catharsis. Surely he would be considering it without the spirit's influence, even if he was moderating his intake. But it certainly made it easier.]
Remain here, [Hubert spoke at last, his glass clicking down on the desk. And for once, Hubert actually walked through the quiet house—even if it was such a simple jump, the man refused to teleport after imbibing, no matter how clear his thoughts seemed.]
[He's gone for just shy of two minutes, his steps slow and unhurried. When Hubert returned, he took a seat at the table with his paperwork, clinking down a small, silver-filled vial.]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 06:39 pm (UTC)A delicate eyebrow raised curiously underneath the swath of dark hair that was tied into a short braid over his shoulder.]
What are you doing, Hubert?
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 06:58 pm (UTC)[No hesitation, no uncertainty in his voice at Lorenz' almost standoffish lack of approach. Hubert did not relax in his chair. ]
One broken between two living will cause us far more harm than severance from departure. [And if they were having problems enough as they were... ] I will not engage in this recklessly. A trial.
[Hence, the temporary Bond potion. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-08 07:06 pm (UTC)They were quite different.
But, they were also quite alike.
Nodding, Lorenz crossed the distance and took a seat facing Hubert. He rested his hands arms on the table-- both as a way of indicating he was unarmed and not an overt threat.]
As methodical as always. [He commented shortly.] Good.
What terms do you have in mind?
no subject
Date: 2020-12-09 02:35 am (UTC)[But here, he lulls into a brief silence. Even if Hubert was far from inebriated, perhaps this was not the best course of action after he'd had a couple of drinks.]
Truthfully, I hadn't gotten that far. I only know it is a necessity—that I cannot carry on like this, even if my two familiars ensure I will be fine, magically. [At least, not without Leslie noticing.]
[Hubert did not trust Lorenz, not truly, but that could be said of Hubert's trust in nearly everyone. But something Petra said still clawed in his heart, and the sickening little realization it had brought Hubert to. Hubert closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly. This went against every fiber of his being, but...]
...Consider it a trial of whether or not such an arrangement requires terms, [Hubert said slowly. He did not trust Lorenz, but he could extend one singular gesture of trust.]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-09 03:30 am (UTC)Edelgard.
Indirectly, the Emperor's absence had placed both the wizard and the cavalier on an even footing. Thus, the nature of the 'trial' itself was revealed.
This was a test of character. For the both of them.
His gaze lingered briefly on the bottle Hubert had set on the table before he released a sigh. If trust was the question, then Lorenz knew the path he must take.]
Very well.
[He said stiffly, in the business-like tone he took when organizing shipping contracts and financial dealings for his father's land holdings. There was nothing personal between them-- thus, his conscience was clear.]
I will lay down a single term for you, Hubert:
Come back and talk to me about this when you've slept and haven't partaken of drink from the higher shelf. Though you seem clear headed enough, I cannot accept if there is room for any doubt or regret.
[He tossed that braid over his shoulder, momentarily wondering what Ferdinand would do in circumstances like these. Though the young noble was different from him in many ways as well-- Ferdinand was a more honest and genuine soul after all-- Lorenz trusted that man's judgement.
This was unprecedented.]
If you still feel the same in a day or so, I will gladly accept your trial. However, you need to be certain of where you stand.
[With that he stood, and stepped away from the table.]
Let's get you some coffee, perhaps. I've been meaning to share a cup with you.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-09 02:05 pm (UTC)[It was a rational term, and one Hubert himself would have levied if their positions were reversed. Still, he couldn't help feeling like something pitied, and Hubert resented being here at all in the first place because of his weakness and inability to cope.]
[Goddess, he was tired.]
Second upper cabinet on the left, [the mage muttered after a brief silence, knowing the faun could hear him. Let someone else make it, for once. Moving felt monumental; just this once in his life, Hubert wanted to be as tired as he felt.]
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Date: 2020-12-10 04:56 am (UTC)Times like this made even remote gestures of kindness seem akin to cruelty.
Keeping one ear alert on the wizard's progression, he wordlessly made for the cabinet per the muttered directions and set about the task of making coffee. While tea was a skill he had mastered to an artform, coffee yet eluded him. Either through lack of reason or lack of interest, Lorenz had simply never bothered to learn more than out of an idle interest in being a pest to Hubert. Current interests had spurred him into borrowing books on the matter from the library and, though mimicry and written word were his only teachers at this juncture, it wasn't long before the heady aroma of coffee started to waft through the kitchen.]
You take it black, yes?
[He called, fishing for a pair of mugs in the kitchen. Coffee demanded a sturdier set of equipment just due to the culture surrounding the drink.]
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Date: 2020-12-10 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-10 05:39 am (UTC)[Mugs located, Lorenz poured them both off a healthy portion and brought them back to the work space. After finding a coaster to ensure the paperwork's safety, he set a mug down before Hubert.]
Here. Now sit and take a break for yourself. The paperwork isn't going anywhere.
[Peering dubiously into his mug, he added:]
And apologies if this isn't to your taste. I don't yet have much experience with coffee.
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Date: 2020-12-10 02:07 pm (UTC)[Hubert frowns at the cup, reluctantly taking it up and leaning back in his chair. He hated being idle, even without a crisis of grief.] "Not going anywhere" does not make it any less necessary.
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Date: 2020-12-10 09:10 pm (UTC)[It was the first time he had mentioned the young lady that evening, but surely she would have remained in the massive, barren home with Hubert. Though nothing if not loyal and dutiful, the sheer responsibility of sundry pets was liable to be too heavy for the wizard in that moment.
The paperwork certainly was.
Taking a sip, Lorenz briefly scowled at the drink before wordlessy getting up to seach for sugar in the kitchen. The bracing bitterness was deeper and darker than even the strongest, smokiest tea he could name. It still bore no candle to the mystery of that peculiar blend in DiplomaTea that seemed to be everything tea was not in the most unpleasant of ways.]
Besides, you were ready to offer me the same proposition you turned down months ago when our positions were reversed. [He called from the kitchen-- after making a small, satisfied sound upon finding a small sugar pot and a spoon. Making his way back, he continued.] The paperwork can stand to wait a few days until you've rested some.
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Date: 2020-12-11 04:05 am (UTC)It is a proposition I now stand to benefit from. Even if it did not provide relief from these severances, it does not change the fact that I require a Bond. I am not content to tempt the forces of this world as so many Mirrorbound are.
[Even if he was among the safest Bondless witches, with two familiars.]
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Date: 2020-12-11 04:25 am (UTC)Perhaps he truly was more like the Adrestrian nobles than he realized. The thought tightened in his chest.]
If you cannot rest your mind, then at least rest your body. No one can function under such duress forever.
And, if the paperwork truly must be completed before you can do so, then allow me to help. We can get it done more quickly that way.
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