bloodbound. (earinor & akira)

It almost was as if two different worlds collided and neither of them had an ounce of understanding for the other. Surely, he'd understand Richard after he'd gotten to know him, but when would that be? And would that ever happen to begin with? Yujin had a hunch that the blonde didn't want to be friends, not with someone like him and to be honest, he couldn't blame him, not here and not now, not for something that neither of them had control over and not because of the past that was bothering them so much - or at least one of them. "Do you know any of the dialects or just the traditional one?", he asked, but it appeared to be the latter case. Richard wouldn't have any difficulty if he did, in fact understand all of it and somehow, that was something that pipqued his interest even more. Nayantai spoke their tongue just fine, so why wouldn't he teach his son the same? Why was it that, in the end, the two of them were conversing in more than one language, just because the blonde refused to let the wolves language leave his lips? "So it isn't all that different from me, huh?", Yujin expressed, but he wasn't the one that was clinging to the silver lining that his life was connected to, he wasn't the one that had lost his father and his siblings and was somewhere where he didn't want to be. That, in turn, also meant that they weren't as alike as he wanted them to be, or claimed they were.

"No, that wasn't what I was insinuating. I couldn't care less about your heritage, I'm just curious - just because you have blonde hair doesn't mean that you're worth less than I am." People would stare, gossip would spread and rumors would take root if they got to see the blonde, but all in all, why were wolves like that? Over the past few years, they kind of had adapted to their adrestian counterparts and while their primitive descriptions of one another - wolves and sheeps - were merely considered insults by now, a relic of the past, a lot of people used them, still. Remnants of the war, so to speak and while Yujin should know better, he grew up among them. "I don't know what's going on between the two of you, or what happened and I can't speak for any of you, but ... are you sure?", the wolf asked once more. Nayantai was someone that he maybe heard a few stories about, that people either hated or adored and that few of them actually knew - he'd forfeited his title and land to be in Adrestia, to be with whom, exactly? Not, that Yujin cared, but if he came back like this, with someone in tow, that had to mean that something hadn't gone as it should, wasn't that it? "No one said anything about dresses, I'm talking about my coat, you dork", he clarified as he looked over to the blonde who, actually, seemed to be getting cold and yet, he was out here, sulking and talking to him, watching the crashing waves and the flickering lights beyond the sea. "Sometimes, people are just a means to an end, you know? But did you never want to meet her, even if you could have?"

"Hm, so, you want to try? I mean, I don't know all of the dialects myself, but we could at least pinpoint what you do know - how's that sound?", he asked, as if he was waiting for an affirmation. Right now, he was the one blabbering like this, not even trying to hide his heavy, disgusting accent - but all of this was farce, something that he used to play and Richard probably assumed that he was an idiot, some country bumpkin that knew nothing and maybe, in some ways, he was right. Yujin, on the other hand, just enjoyed games, no matter their nature, no matter the reason. "You think it is? We have some things in common, not all of them I admit, but maybe you're just thinking too much about it all", he declared, knowing fully well that he probably was annoying the fuck out of the blonde already. What else could he be doing out here, if not that and why else would he try doing something different if he didn't have to? Yujin wanted Richard to stop sulking, even though he barely knew him and crawled out of a window for him, followed him all the way up here and still questioned if he was sane, but as long as he didn't push him off this godforsaken cliff and killed him, this was nothing to worry about, was it now? Someone like him wouldn't be as stupid and if anything, he could find a shore somehow, he could swim, the cold water wasn't going to kill him immediately, right?

"You're new and in a shitty mood - of course I'd want to know why. That's what makes you interesting, not that blonde hair of yours." Why else would he care? Because he himself was a stupid bastard that wanted nothing more than the recognition of others and knowledge of those that found themselves in his homeland? Somehow, it was stupid to sit here, talk with an angry boy that merely had eyes for himself and yet, he did, somehow swallowed the bitter medicine he handed himself and didn't give much of a fuck about it. "Alright, alright - this isn't my place to pry, I'm not going to ask either of you and I'll stop meddling with your business." In the end, this situation seemed like it was escalating for no coherent reason, because all of this was being stupid and because Yujin couldn't shut his stupid trap, not for once. Instead, he still sat there, watched Richard and how he seemed to just sit there, enjoy the fact that he was this close to death if the ice gave in, but maybe he was just wrong. "The offer still stands if you're shivering anytime soon, you don't have to like how it looks, it will at least keep you from freezing to death", he suddenly explained, as if Richard was going to give a damn about him or this coat just because of an explanation like that, but what else was he supposed to do anyway? "And the one that gave you your eyes, then, I suppose, among other things that is", he summarized out loud, even though he hadn't intended to do that - but in the end, who cared? Only the howling wind and the crashing waves could hear them and they all absorbed any noises they could potentially make. "No idea. I won't make you smile or laugh, so I'm guessing you're stuck with me for a while."

"Anything else then, except maybe wanting me gone? Or is that really what you want? Sitting out here, all alone, won't make you happy, trust me", he retaliated. No, Yujin wasn't mad, but he was done being friendly with someone that didn't seem to have enough respect in that body of his and that only sought to maybe, just maybe, help himself to something if he felt like it. In the end, they weren't so different from one another, just like he had said, but this time, there was no need to apologize, instead, why wasn't he beating the guy that was already, seemingly, confined to the floor, at least emotionally? "As much as you hate it here, you still can't just leave, don't you? I don't care for details, or for your father, or whatever - call me and my people stupid, in the end, you're just wasting your breath and anger because it feels like it's the right thing to do and you don't have any other outlet for your frustration, do you?" People were often granted many facettes, but not all of them were able to keep themselves in one piece or even do things that made any sense, instead, Yujin was chuckling about it. Silesse was nothing more than a brick of ice, worth nothing because it had as much and that, in turn, meant that Richard wasn't wrong, but why should he care? Insults about his land, his tradition and the fact that he was apparently pea-brained, well, not that he gave a damn - he was used to stupid comments, to idiotic questions and all in all, he just shrugged his shoulders at the blonde.

"Look, I'm not trying to piss you off or get under your skin, I'm just trying to understand you, for whatever it's worth. If you want to tell me something, you will and if you don't, you won't. It's as simple as that." It always had been, even if he wasn't having a conversation like this with someone like Richard, deep down, everyone was very much the same and that meant, to a certain degree at least, that the world that he found before him was, without much of a doubt, the one that he was supposed to be a part of, no? "If you say so", he answered, just shaking his head and listening to whatever came from the blonde that, all of a sudden, was even more pissed off than he had been before. Who knew, maybe he should actually take a dive in the cold waters down below, in the end, maybe it would cool him down - but who knew, he probably got sick, lost or actually died down there in the pitch black water, lest he hit a stray piece of ice. "No idea, why should I care? I don't like my eyes all that much, maybe because they earn me weird stares, but I'm not saying that yours are bad. As for friends, I have a few, not that I need more and what should I care for insults? In the end, they only waste their breath on me and at the end of the day, I know who I am - and that isn't who they think I am. So, why do you automatically assume that I just tagged along and kept asking you questions for my personal gain? Why would I? If I wanted to, I could just ask someone that knew, not you yourself, you know?"

"No one's forcing you to be either." Speaking to Richard felt like talking to a fucking wall, but instead, the wall had something to say and it rarely was anything good or enjoyable. Sure, this was fun while it lasted, but by now, he got the feeling that he should have never followed him out here, that he actually wanted to be alone and gave not one single damn about the situation or the fact that just one of them had to be tipped off and push the other over the edge to have all of this result in a disaster with at least, most likely, one injured or drowning person. Factually, would that help? No, but it was at least worth a try, now that the blonde had chosen to raise his voice at him once more and direct his anger towards him as well. Not that he did mind, in fact, he had had worse and therefore, all of this wasn't so bad, in the end, words spoken out of anger would mean nothing and especially like this, it didn't matter to Yujin. "If you throw me off this cliff, will that make you feel any better?", he suddenly asked, looking up at the blonde that no longer could stand to sit beside him and for one, Yujin wondered if he'd pried too much, asked too much or just assumed too much about someone he barely even knew. Truth be told, he had no clue about most of the things he blabbered, but Richard himself didn't seem like he was the smartest person he'd met, either.

In the end, he got up as well and it felt like this world had slowed down to a crawl, now that he was actually being yelled at. Was it the world that loathed him so much or was it the fact that Richard himself couldn't stand being alive like this that led to all of these things happening? Truthfully, Yujin knew no answer, at least no definite one and had to disappoint himself and the blonde, even though he just let him ramble on, lend him his ear and accepted what he was saying for the time being. Arguing with someone that was sad, angry and very much just on the verge of doing something stupid was an even worse idea than taking a fall off of this cliff, but instead, now that he stood on both of his legs, he looked at Richard and wondered why he suddenly was divulging all of this information to him - because it needed to leave his system, because he actually wanted to have someone to lend him a shoulder? Or just because he'd annoyed him enough to actually open his mouth? "Look, I didn't even know who you were until a few hours ago and the oonly thing I do know now is your name and some other minor details. I don't care if you are a prince or not and I have no reason to laugh in your face for losing what you've lost, or even making fun of you." Yujin grabbed one of Richards hands, pulled the blonde into his direction, only to switch places with him and stand there, at the edge of the cliff, before pressing the blondes hand against his chest and letting go off it. "Push me off the cliff, you'll feel better, trust me."

"Might be, just a tad bit, but considering who raised me, that isn't anything to worry about", he proclaimed with a smile on his face, even. His parents weren't bad at what they were doing or intentionally guiding their kids to become who they were, but Yujin was, in fact, often just judged by some odd glances, be it for his eyes, for his heritage or the things he did or said, all of it wasn't any different than the situation they were going through right now and that meant it barely mattered what all of this would lead to, as long as Richard found himself feeling better in the end, no? Wallowing in self-pity was something that brought no one anyhwere and thinking about all the things that had happened tied one to the past, the things that weren't changeable and came with a bunch of selfhatred. Yes, sure, they all were doing there best to be understood as who they were, they were trying to help themselves to many more things than the ones they, in the end, perceived as their duties, but all in all, none of it amounted to anything when all that history had to offer were dead faces of people that had moved on, that had no longer a story of their own to tell and like this, what did it matter if he just got thrown off of a cliff, hit his head on some ice and that was it? Naturally, that sounded gruesome and the tugging on his fabric told a story, but all of this was how life went, no?

"I'm not pushing you, you're supposed to be pushing me, dork", he calmly explained, as if there wasn't a good chance that this was his last moment of being alive, but he knew that he either wouldn't be pushed, just berated by the blonde for being a fucking idiot and setting him up like that, or it was going to get really fucking cold really fucking soon - whatever came first, well, he'd figure that out soon enough. Before Yujin could do anything however, he was let go off, not with a definite push, but it was enough to make him stumble backwards and fall off of the little cliff that he stood on. His heart stopped in his chest, just for a second and he, among other things, wondered how that would feel, now that he ... god, Richard was the stupid one, wasn't he? Of course he didn't want to do this, was regretting his actions and reaching after him, but even that was in vain, he pretty much was out of his grasp already, or so he thought, once he extended his hand towards the blonde and actually grabbed a few of his fingers - and thus, gravity did to the rest for them and he was the one pulling the blonde down with him. "Why would you do that!", he yelled, almost immediately before being swallowed by the big, dark waves that had been crashing into the ice earlier. Being in the water right now, having the fucking cold fill his body like that, felt almost gruesome - and the moment he came up, gasping for air, he was looking for the blondie that had fallen in here with him and, very much, used him as a landing platform. Eugh, they had to get out of here, at least onto one of the floes - this was going swimmingly.

Now, that wasn't how he wanted to spend an afternoon, but it seemingly made Richard take his mind off of things and focus on the tasks at hand, so it couldn't be so bad, could it now? In the end, he was the one that tried his best, that tried to keep the blonde engaged, but all that had brought them was falling face first into ... whatever this puddle of water was and it also netted them nothing but the wanning realization that throwing one another into the open sea, in the dead of the night, wasn't a fun game to begin with. Was it even night yet? For all he knew, it could be three in the afternoon, but who gave a damn about that? After this, he'd be tired enough to warrant a good nights sleep. Eventually, he heard his name being called out, all the while he frantically searched around him for the blonde, but he couldn't find him anywhere - moving was especially annoying with his clothes, but that wasn't really an obstacle he'd let himself held back by now, he just pushed past any wave that was surging before he'd be slammed headfirst into a piece of stubborn ice. "Richard!?", he called out, looking around, until he eventually saw at least something that wasn't an icefloe or water move - god, they shouldn't have done this, but now they already had committed to it and the regret that was welling up inside either of them had to wait until all of this was over.

Yujin was either too prideful to discard some of his clothing or just straight up insane, but whatever it was, he just swam towards where he thought that Richard was, which wouldn't be such a big deal if the goddamn waves weren't holding him back, though, he was used to this is all that he had to tell himself, he knew that this was what he'd wanted and therefore, he had not a single right to complain. Instead, he moved closer and closer, piece by piece and let some icefloes guide him along the way - how the hell did they even get as far apart from one another? Though, all of this felt like a crawl, he eventually reached the blonde on his little safe haven, but he made no attempts to crawl onto it himself, only hanging onto the edge. "Let's get out of here, I'll gladly lend you a hand", he said, extending it towards the blonde, but what would he do once he didn't want to get back in here, just because it was cold and gross? Well, Yujin would have to force him, but that wasn't what he wanted either, was it now? They actually had to devise some sort of plan and suddenly, he started looking for the shore - or at least a place where they could climb back up without much trouble, but all he found in the distance was endless white and ... it was too dark to see more than that, but there seemed to be some platforms over there, no? "You see that ice over there?", he asked, pointing in its direction. "I think that's our safest bet to get out of here."

They both were stupid, weren't they? Insisting on one thing, doing the other, but in the end, this somehow was fun - much more funny than he thought it would be, to be fair. Yujin was, without a doubt, still amazed by the fact that the blonde didn't drop dead and that he seemingly was fine, just like that, even though he froze quite a bit - at least his shivering form told him as much. Getting rid of all their clothes wasn't an option, in fact, it never had been, but he considered it, though, that wouldn't help them one bit, not like this, not right now and especially not when drowning was still a valid option. Though, Yujin was just happy that neither of them had been injured, that they both were as fine as they could be and yet, they weren't out of harms way or anywhere remotely safe. Instead, he was being growled at again - so Richard wasn't even easily appeased with a nice, cold shower against his hot and almost bursting temper, what a shame. "Whatever you say", he answered, gifted the blonde a smile and that was it - if he didn't want his hand, he'd keep it to himself and that was about all there was to it. Sure, he could have done something else and sure, there was no need for him to act like this, fancy what was happening or the way he was treated, but by god, he didn't mind, not one bit.

"You sure? I don't want you to get swept up by the waves, carried away and then I have to explain why I let you drown", Yujin said, but instead of waiting for a reply, he got going and just hoped that all of this was going to be over soon. The water was going to get to him, but not anytime soon - as for Richard, however, he didn't know. Wolf genes were useful, but he still wasn't used to the climate he was in and not any wolf would survive out here, either, especially not in this water and especially not without the suns influence to begin with. Truth be told, he figured out by himself that this idea was stupid, that neither of them should have done this, but it was fine, at least for the time being, at least to him. "I don't know, I lost my footing when you let go of me - but you really shouldn't have reached after me, I thought that would quell your anger, you know?" In the end, it was all for naught and now he was the one that the blonde directed his anger at, but ... Yujin didn't care, instead, he just checked back a few times, swam ahead, wanted to make sure that the blonde wasn't falling behind - and once they caught up to the shore, he was relieved to be out of the water and have somewhat hard footing under his feet. "Well, that was quite the adventure - you want to go back home now?"

Keeping calm and not letting things get to him, that had always been the only thing that he gave a definite damn about, no? Yujin wanted nothing more than a ferw happy memories, things to enjoy, nothing more than that, but his life itself was kind of not considering that, in the end, he was a prince of Silesse and should act accordingly, so why was he so damn pressed about having people around him that liked him, that gave a damn about him and not just about the fact that they all had to like him anyway, regardless of their opinions? Or was it that he just couldn't stand seeing someone who had a worse time than him? Yujin wouldn't call himself good-natured or even slightly interested in strangers problems, but alas, what else was he supposed to do or think of himself like this, especially when he didn't even have the time to consider other things? All in all, it only mattered that they got back to the shore, that he felt the ice and snow under his feet - and ass, now that he was sitting there - but it was better than being afloat and not knowing if they were going to make it to begin with. This idea had been stupid, yes, but when wasn't he an idiot and when didn't he try to come up with good solutions for horrible things? The world was, albeit not his own to shape, still something that he should be wary of, as much as he loathed to do just that sometimes.

"Explaining something like that can't be fun, thanks for looking out for me", he chuckled, amused by the fact that for some reason, this little ice prince cared about him some more than he let on. He wasn't complaining, nto one bit, and he'd keep it that way, mainly for the sake of his own sanity and because he had nothing to gain from acting like a stubborn idiot that could only come up with the simplest of things for entertainment, so to speak. "What? Idiotic? Cheerful? Annoying?", he asked, now that Richard hadn't finished his sentence - he woul do that, just for him, because in the end, why wouldn't he? "I don't know, I'm just trying to help." That was all the explanations that Yujin had for his behavior and truth be told, he didn't need any more than those to make all of this worth his while, did he now? In the end, he was merely being played with, just like a fiddle, by himself and what did he care? Not one bit, because in the end, it was fun - as much fun as it could be. "I'm used to the cold, as for my back, doesn't exactly hurt, my clothes are pretty patted out, you know? I'm more worried about you and the way you're grasping for air. But I expected something like this, you're not used to any of this yet, so ... take it easy, alright?", Yujin implored Richard, before he got off of his own ass - his clothes were soaked and Richards belongings, cloak and silk, were gone and to be swept away by the waves. A shame, if he thought about it, but nothing that either of them needed to cry about. Instead, he looked at the icy walls above them and the fact that they had to climb these without slipping, falling and breaking their skulls open. "Hm, you know, we have two options. Either climb up from here, or we'll walk a bit until we reach that part over there, there should at least be a ladder or something. But we'd be pretty close to town that way, so it would be easier to go to my home than yours ... I really don't want you to turn into an icicle."

"Yes, yes, I will", he assured Richard - but he wouldn't, not when he had been working so hard on changing the latters mood or even making him give a damn about anything - this was some sort of victory, wasn't it? Sure, he could try as he might, but in reality, they both were their own people with their own problems and that meant they had to care about something, somehow that was. "This is Silesse, if you think it's cold already, it isn't cold enough just yet. Which also means that we do have some time before we freeze to death, actually. And I'm glad my smile is stupid enough", he chuckled. That meant that Richard was, at least, focusing on something else that wasn't himself or any of the things he had to live with, wasn't that it? Sure, Yujin could have been a bit friendlier when he explained things, but for some reason, that didn't get through that thick skull that the blonde seemed to have - and the fact, that most of his stupidity was played, well, none of it was even remotely obvious to Richard, not that it sounded like it anyway. What now, though? Was he supposed to try and figure the rest out on his own or was it all in vain? "Honest? Oh, I am. Look, I don't mind and I offered you to throw me in there - the one thing that confused me was that you took a dip in there, right after me. So I'm just trying to fix things."

Solemn was anything bust this journey ahead of them, but soon enough, he put his hands on some of the ice before him and tried to pull himself up, gain footing, but all that happened was, that he dug his fingernails into the ice and found himself back on the floor. So there was no way in hell they'd get up there from here, well, that meant walking, no? "Uh, a lot? I mean, we go for a swim when we want to, doesn't matter how cold the water is - it's not like we can choose." Plus, the cold built resistance and while some wolves did get sick, Yujin didn't remember the last time that he actually caught something that was as severe as Richard was making this - and the upcoming after-effects - out to be. So, why should they stand around here like this? It was better to get going and thus, he did, signaling the blonde to just follow after him, all the while he just listened to the ridiculous things that poored out of his mouth, which probably was agape by now. "If you say so, I'll leave you to it - but before you freeze to the floor or can't move, tell me, will you?", he made clear before going on ahead. God, his hair would dry into icy clumbs sometime soon and that wasn't going to feel great, but at least his hair wasn't wet, right? For now, it stuck to his head and any of the strands he tried to get out of his face fell right back into it, how annoying. "Then get a move on, Richard."

They both had their own secrets to keep and the last time Yujin even cared about himself or his health in partifular was when he actually feld blood quell from his body, not now, his adrenaline was still running high and there had been no reason for him to even think about changing anything about that to begin with. Sure, this wasn't easy and he still felt his wet clothes partially dragging along the icy, frozen floor that he was walking over, but what else was he going to do? Take it off, leave it where they were and then hope for something to happen, or was all of this just a thought that he couldn't bear to be his own? "Like I said, I thought you'd feel better if I did and here I am, figuring out that I might have been wrong - but at least I distracted you for a second", he admitted, knowing that none of this was helping either of them. Sure, they both were trying and yes, happiness was't given out like candy to little children, but right now, he felt like either of them deserved at least some of of it, no matter how he thought about it, this wasn't being fair, was it now? In the end, what did he know, really? Yujin could have crashlanded into some ice and found himself sleeping with the fishes, or he was just lucky enough to ignore everything around him. Why not lead either of them back to the hut now, though?

"No one said anything about fixing you, I'm trying to help - bandages don't automatically fix things, you know?", he suggested to his newfound friend, even though Richard didn't seem to be as enthralled by the fact that he was the one that was now annoying the everloving fuck out of him. Sure, they could try as they might, think about it and then give it another thought, but as all of this went, he was sure that none of this was leading either of them anywhere, except closer to the glistening lights that they'd watched from afar not too long ago. "I could, but where'd the fun be? I don't see what I'd gain from that, actually", he let the blonde know, going further and further, as far as his feet were willing to drag him. Actually, this wasn't so bad for a nightly workout, wasn't it? Not that he'd repeat it, but at least he was having fun, not as much as Richard though, who seemed to be ticked off by the slightest of things. What was it with him anyway? "I'm just being cautious, you're not used to anything here, right? How would you know how to behave? I don't blame you, there's time to learn and I don't see why I wouldn't give you that. And now, stop putting words into my mouth." When did he ever insinuate that either of them were going to die of this cold to begin with? In the end, he was the one that grew up here, that knew the ropes and Richard was, for the lack of a better word, someone that didn't need to, not yet. "Arikin? Oh my, your dad's cheesy, isn't he? But ... do you even want to be called that? You wouldn't have introduced yourself as Richard if you'd want me to, would you?"