bloodbound. (earinor & akira)

He lost his cool there, as if he had lost the last few marbles that had been sliding through his head, too. What a shame, really, he wanted nothing more than to keep doing this and get some sort of satisfaction out of that, but alas, he really didn't, he just wanted to offer Richard some sort of cloth to wipe his face off with, but now wasn't the time to do that, was it now? Yujin sighed, let him go on about it all, listened and felt like it was crawling in through one ear and then out the other. This was bullshit, wasn't it? Seemingly it was, it never had been anything else - or at least it felt like that. "Look, I don't know what kind of insecurities you have, but my fucking face hurts because you insisted on breaking my nose. I meant punch me, not break my face and possibly turn it into pulp, you got that wrong. I'm not sure why you want to get under my skin so bad with whatever you're saying, but it's annoying", Yujin sighed and then, he was about to let go of Richard, why wouldn't he? Hopefully, this wasn't going to end in some sort of disaster or something else that he'd have to explain. Sure, there were many things that he could do right now, but watching Richard struggle was kind of cute too, no?

"And you're going on about that, again. It's obvious to anyone that's ever met you that you're angry and you have your reasons, but really, your anger is misplaced when you use it like that." Yujin was right, but Richard was the sort of guy that didn't want to hear all of that, instead he smiled at him again, as if there genuinely was something wrong within him and he was just going from one personality to the other, as if his entire demeanor was a coat that he kept changing. "If I were, I'd have punched you in front of the guards, the moment I saw your ugly mug", he replied, still grinning at Richard and ignoring any gaze that had been shot at him - why would he give a fuck? Punching and spitting on him hadn't satisified him at all, so what was he going to do? Just hope for a change, hope for something that made some sort of sense? "Buhu, I'm almost hurt. By the gods, spare me this kind of shit. I wasn't lying when I said that I wanted to help and yet you're here, acting like a little kid", he grumbled, grabbing his own sleeve, taking his hand out of those blonde strands of hair and starting to wipe Richards face - and he actually wasn't rough about it, he wanted to clean him up nicely, just before it dawned upon him. "You act like you don't know any thrian and yet you understand me, why are you such a stuck up little bitch?"

Was it easy to be strong as a wolf or hard to be weak? Whatever it was, Yujin took his own strength for almost granted, accepted that Richard couldn't just find his way out of his grasp but then again, he didn't understand why he wouldn't, he did pack a punch and had broken his fucking nose in one swift punch yesterday. That meant that Richard himself wasn't weak just because he told himself and for one reason or the other, Yujin didn't mind that, he actually liked thinking about all of this twice and just let Richard there, now that he looked kind of appalled. "If I leave you alone that's not going to change anything about you being angry, is it?", he asked, yet, why was he even making any of these attempts to appease the blonde, why wasn't he just trying something, anything, really? Now that he could use his hands for violence, he could use them for other things to and it wasn't that far off to believe that the two of them would at least get along somehow. Their fathers had done that, for years now, why wouldn't the two of them figure out something that suited either of them and that made them stick together? Was it so hard to quell ones anger, frustration even over all those things that now lay in the past? Sure, he didn't understand because all that Richard had was gone now and the little things that remained seemingly didn't make him happy.

"I'm cleaning up the mess I made", he simply responded but he let go off Richard once his hand was shoved away, even though there seemed to be no serious malicious intend behind it - that was good, no? What else was he supposed to do now, though? Just let him get up, let him leave? Apparently he did, they had gotten the payback they wanted and were even, but that also meant that the only reason for him to show up at the blondes doorstep was if he actually came to pick up his clothes. "Actually, before you go", Yujin suddenly blurted out and then walked over to Richard, only to grab his wrist once more, hold it lightly and hinder him from going anywhere. What was he going to do now? Let him run off because he hadn't thought this through, because he couldn't finish this goddamn sentence? "I want to try something, can I? I don't know if you're one for surprises or if you even want my hands near you, but I'm curious about something. It won't hurt and I'm not trying to humiliate you", he suddenly clarified, as if that was going to change anything. And what was he going to do? Just have Richard sit in front of his mirror, with all those different things plastered over the table right there and braid his hair? Why not? He could use some dolling up and maybe it would give him some other ideas. And maybe, Yujins puppy-like gaze helped.

"Well, you don't seem to be that angry right now but like, uh", Yujin was opening his mouth and not thinking about the shit he said again, wasn't he? Truth be told, he wanted nothing more than to catch a break and decipher anything that came out of anybodies mouth at this moment, but in the end, he was the one that ran his stupid mouth before anyone else could. "I'm just saying, you might need a shoulder to lean onto in the future to catch a break once a while, no? Wouldn't it be better if it was someone that at least gives a damn about you and not some random stranger?", he suddenly suggested. In this scenario, he was the random stranger and that also meant that he was about to get something thrown at his face again, verbally at least, because he wasn't supposed to think about all of this the way he did. Wasn't he stupid for insinuating to Richard that he wanted to be more than just a stranger to him, something akin to a friend that he could actually rely on? Not that it mattered, the words had already left his mouth and he was the one that kept ahold of the blonde, still unwilling to elt him go anywhere - and definitely not home, not right now, not like this. Why even? He was sure that an ice palace, made of blue and white ice, wasn't a good place for someone that enjoyed warmth and yet he wasn't relinquishing the blonde to anyone.

"My hand doesn't hurt so bad, I put some ice onto it last night, as well as my face. Do you need a cold cloth?", he suddenly asked, as if he truly gave a damn about Richard and whatever he did to his hand besides burning it yesterday night. Yujin, for a fact, gave a damn about him and about everything that his friend had to offer. Did this really mean that he enjoyed himself, enjoyed the opportunities he was gifted or was it all for naught once they'd let go of one another again? "I figured as much, but really, it's not a bad surprise - no malicious intentions on my part, really", Yujin reassured him, as if he hadn't already and then he wondered, once more, if any of this was even going to bring something to fruition. Maybe the two of them could figure something out, find a middleground for the two of them to stand on as equals, but for now, wasn't all of that naught? "Hmm, I can get you that and a cold cloth, if you want? Or, well, I can order a servant to get us some if I'm lazy enough." Richard would know how his life was - well, despite the fact that he lived in an ice palace, he hadn't introduced himself as some sort of noble and for all the blonde knew, he could be a scholars son and living here because of his fathers work, but ... Shuren was too fucked up for that, wasn't he? Yujin guided the blonde to the table that was probably more akin to adrestian furniture and had him sit down on the chair in front of the mirror. "If you don't want me to talk while I'm doing it, I can shut up during it already, so yes", was all he added before reaching for one of the combs. Was he really going to try to figure out hair so different from his own and if it could be used to make some thrian braids? Why not, he was crazy enough - according to Richards words anyway.

"Yes, I got that, one way or the other, actually", Yujin reassured Richard. They still were strangers and there was no need to forget about things that were fresh in ones mind, no? Actually, distraction was good, but Richard seemingly didn't want any of that, so what did it matter? There was no reason to spell out the obvious and there also was no sense in figuring out the things that were better left hidden behind the worlds ugly surface. "You aren't, that's not the point, but be honest, do you really want to confide into him for everything you eventually will cry out or need to talk about? He's your father and if I had to guess, you aren't all that fond of the idea of him helping you, isn't it that?", he asked. He only had figured that because the asshat with the blonde hair kept going on about his own fathers and said stuff that was meant to insult him, yet Yujin didn't even care - his relationship with his parents wasn't strained, he was fine, confident even and the sole thought of just using them for his own, personal gain was wrong, though, Richard seemingly was upset about something that the wolf didn't want to pry into. None of this was his business, not yet anyway. "I am a stranger right now, but I don't have to be sometime in the future when you actually need someone, just ... that's not meant to undermine you, your situation or anything else. I'm just here if you need someone."

Was he supposed to tell the blonde that none of this would be sufficient, that he was just trying his earnest to keep this little boat afloat that he found himself on, or that it was kind of hard when his moodswings seemingly went two ways? Who knew, who cared. "Oh, why would I? I beat up my brothers all the time and they beat me up ... speaking of which, not that you need to care, but the guy that bowed to you earlier was the crown prince, so to speak", he informed Richard, shrugged with his shoudlers thereafter and then just stopped in his tracks. He should stop caking open wounds with a generous serving of salt, shouldn't he? "Oh, right, you are ... no, you were a prince too. That's awkward and it wasn't intentional, I'm sorry", he apologized and yet he left Richard for a second, just to stride out of the door and grab ahold of one of the guards, order him around in some hastily spoken words and then get back inside to where the blonde still sat. Did he wonder about any of those bottles strewn on this godforsaken desk? Hopefully not because Yujin himself had stopped caring about his fathers, Shurens, gifts and about all the things that were supposed to be useful to him, his scarred skin or any other part of him that sometimes hurt. Instead, he just continued brushing the blonde hair before he was certain that it was as well-combed as could be. "Trying something, I know you're no doll, but", he set aside the comb, took some strands of Richards hair and parted it, eyeballing the measurements - he always did that with himself. "You're partially thrian, right? I'm trying to figure out if I can use traditional braiding styles for you, too." Yujin took one of his hands off of the blonde hair for a while and then pointed at those own braids in his hair, partially hidden behind what seemed to be another curtain of hair - if Richard peered up from here he sat, he could see what the wolf meant in the mirror.

"Wanting and being able to are two different things, but I'm sure you understand that, better than anyone, actually." There was something about Richard that struck him odd, but maybe he was just putting too much thought into things that made no sense and had never meant to be sensical - though, what did he know? For all Yujin cared, this world could be rotten down to the core and he'd still insist on seeing something good in it, especially after all the stuff that he'd felt so far and found himself not being able to answer. Silence was the last thing he wanted, it reminded him of the fact that one way or another, all of them were lonely and the world wasn't exactly revolving around them but rather all of them. What did it mean, though? Was it all just a farce, the slow understanding of the situation at hand or did he really, truly, not get what had been thrown in his face a few too many times already? Whatever it was, Yujin didn't care, not now and he wouldn't care about it once they started letting their fists speak once more. "Well, I'm never going to be crowned either, but I can see why it would be different for you. It'd be as someone took my sheepish, well-mannered older brother, dragged him and his family through the mud, killed all of us and then expected him and someone like Muhan to succumb to their wounds or their grief." Was it that? Yujin was the kind of person that liked to play games, that fooled around more often than not and that seemed like he was going to break his very own bones one day, just because he was hellbent on entertaining someone. Whatever else was it, that occupied his own head and that reminded him of the fact that not everything was to be about as smooth as he thought it would be when he envisioned it?

"A lot of adrestians are spineless cowards and I mean, you punched me square in the face and looked like you were going to smash it to bits. And also, you're about as cold as Thria itself sometimes." That was all there was about either of them and he wondered if he could even say it like that. Surely, Richard was a different person behind the mask he wore right now but when would he figure that out? There was nothing that would happen anytime soon and none of that would even make sense to him if he thought about it twice. Sure, maybe he'd think too hard about it, or he just had expectations that nobody could fulfill, but the know at his door dragged him away from his victim for a bit. There weren't any words to be spoken, just an extended hand that he took something from and then slightly bowed, before closing the door again. "Girly? I don't think they really are, it's just the differences between our countries, if I'm honest", he answered and as he walked over, offered Richard the ice-cold cloth silently, putting it into his hand before the blonde could even decline the offer to begin with. "You don't have to even try, though. You don't fit into Adrestia or Thria, that's just how it is - but you still can try out both things. Blonde hair isn't a death sentence for fun, you know." Richard was bound to get picked on, but he also could pack a punch and people their age were usually stupid anyway. Instead, Yujin just chuckled lightly as he went back to braiding and eventually reached for some red strings, strewn across the table. "Just curious, it kind of looks somewhat hastily cut or, well, not like anyone thought it was going to get that long", Yujin mumbled, not sure how Richard would take all of that. Right, his hair was pretty short for a wolf his age and while no one even insinuated that anyone had to keep it that long, few wolves actually cut it off - and those who did mainly did it because of personal preferences. Some things were rooted into peoples brains, despite the fact that no rules existed that stated anything like that. "Did you ever have a girlfriend?"

Thria wasn't Adrestia and Adrestia wasn't Thria. Surely, Daein was one of the thrian countries the had almost molten into one of the adrestian ones, but to be fair, Wezette had been generous even after what the residents of Daein did to their farmers and even though that reality was only the stuff of dreams, the amount of bones and makeshift graveyards even gave someone like him an idea what it had been like to live there, on either side of the war. But the war had died down what felt like ages ago and those who saw it through had either passed, were too young to remember or too tired to even think about all the atrocities that had been committed. Surely, some of them had been riddled with guilt or pulled apart by hatred, but none of that mattered when it all came together in one big and endless clump of mixed feelings and barely understanding anything. What was this, if not how the world went? "There's no one that can hear me here, except you and the endless ice that this castle is crafted out of. So in the end, unless you want to break my nose some more, karma won't come for me ... but you're right, I should be happy about what I have." His family was precious to him, despite sometimes being annoying, but why would he care? All of this was part of his life and Yujin was sure that all of the things that happened to him did so because they were intended to, not because it had to happen at some point. "Personally? Not even an entire adrestian. From stories and history? Too many." The wolves loved to educate their childrens on the wrongdoings of this world, on the things that had been done to them because they existed, but all of this hate had turned into simmering animosity over the years until it was gone. Yujin wanted none of it and frankly, he didn't even care all that much about it - in the end, the war had been years before his birth and all that mattered to him was the future that he could have, or rather the present in his case. Meanwhile, Richard dwelled in the past and Yujins own brother only focused on the future - all three of them were odd, weren't they? "That's why I said a lot, not all. But the same thing applies to thrians, really ... even though a lot of us are dead." Dead or seriously injured, maybe even unrecognizable through the things that had been done to them, but he really didn't want to think about that right now, instead, he remained silent and looked at what his hands were doing.

"The thing is, that isn't ice. I'm guessing it was, but it's not salt water." That meant that someone had to make it melt, therefore, that meant that someone had to actually do work to offer Richard even a wet towel that wasn't going to make him smell like the sea breeze or feel uncomfortable because all of the salty residue glued tiself to his face. "It was wet, that's the problem. But no one's wearing shit when they usually go for a dive, so that wouldn't be the problem. If you want, I can show you? Plus, I also owe you a coat", he reminded Richard. Theoretically, he didn't, but the blonde had let his sink to the bottom of the ocean and even if it didn't, it wouldn't wash up on this shore and not anytime soon, at least Yujin guessed as much. "Oh, I know. Fhaergus was blue, right? Like, a nice deep blue. I wish I had blue to offer but I only use red myself", Yujin quickly elaborated, only to eye his desk. "Hm, actually. Can you see that small knife over there? If it's not too much of a hassle, could you hand it over?" If he had no blue fabric, he'd find himself some - right now, he felt as if he were trying to comfort Richard and maybe he was, maybe all of this was better than distracting him. Embracing the obvious, yes? "A painting? Don't get me wrong, but why cut your hair for a painting that could be modified to anyones liking anyway?", he asked, almost confused. It wasn't that Shuren had none of them, or that he wasn't the one that coaxed his entire family into getting some drawn, but ... this was just absurd, absolutely absurd. "I'm not going to cut your hair off with that knife, if you think that, by the way, so don't worry", he clarified once more, then let go of the blonde locks and stretched himself a bit. Being able to talk like this with someone that, seemingly, had always been so angry not only felt weird but somehow satisfying. Was this going to take him anywhere? Who knew, really. "I'm just curious." Yujin smiled at Richard from the mirror, their gazes wouldn't meet any other way. "So you actually dragged girls back home? My, what a rowdy person you are. And you dated none of them? Wow. Classy."

"Oh, I am", he replied, not saying anything after that. Yujin was the one in the wrong and also the one that could trust someone that had lost everything that had ever belonged to him and his advice, or at least the words pouring from his lips. Incidentally, Yujin wondered how it felt to be in Richards position but for some reason or the other, he knew that there was someone else - at least two of them, actually - that he could ask, that went through similar but not the same things. In the end, though, nobody gave a damn and even he had to admit that he was talking about all of this a bit too fearlessly, mainly too nonchalantly. If something happened, he wouldn't be overjoyed about it and while he wasn't sure if he'd let the anger overtake him, the grief would most definitely swallow him whole at some point - but that was natural, perfectly normal even and warranting it a second thought was out of line, not when he had his hands full with things. "Adrestia also went to war against a country because a wolf, apparently, killed one of their royals and her son, all the while they had no prove but the words of a man that, in the end, had been lying his way up the chain of power - didn't it go like that?" Yujin was too tired to focus on the centerpieces, on the names and their stories, on all those individual - and dead - people, but Richard was related to most of them, wasn't he?

Somehow, this still felt wrong to say, to decide who was right and who was wrong, but if he was terribly honest, the sheep - that painted themselves innocent for the entirety of the war - were the instigators and for what? To gain the last of the land that they hadn't stolen when they crawled onto this godforsaken continent? Whatever, though, this was something for the past and all of this stupidity was best kept away from him. "You'll freeze at some point and once these start to get tattered, you'll have to get new ones - and I'm not sure if anyone would make you adrestian clothes, not down here." Silesse did evolve and also agreed to trade with some of Adrestia, but alas, rarely anyone came down here to pick up wares so the few sailors, that steadily increased in numbers, came all the way up there just to sell and trade. No wonder that barely anyone knew shit about the sheep or gave a definite damn about them. For the people of Silesse, whatever happened, happened outside of their reach - no one would come down here, there weren't enough people like the former Duke of Fhaergus or Richard himself that could stand the cold for more than a few minutes. "Balls? Like those fancy, annoying meetings all the nobles have just to strut their stuff?", Yujin inquired, taking the knife and walking away from Richard, to an array of some fabric that had been neatly folded and stored away in a wooden dresser that had been, almost a tad bit too elaborately, decorated. Now, he was the one eyeing colors and figuring out what of his clothing had similar colors to those of Fhaergus, only to take one of them out and start looking for some loose strands or other sorts of smaller tokens in that color. "I fucked some people, alright. I mean, I do have a girlfriend and all that, and I'm not going to cheat on her, but I'm just saying it's odd for you to not have had at least a single one", Yujin said as if it was the most common information to the divulge, only to cut something - thin stripes of deep blue fabric - from one of his robes. Once he was done and happy with how the measurements were, he brought them back over to Richard, carelessly put the knife back on the table and then fixed up the loose ends of the braid with one of his makeshift ribbons. "Well, you could stand to let your hair grow out a bit more but it fits."

"Well, you ain't wrong", Yujin mumbled. The war was just a way for all that pain and rumors to turn into something actual, to make it become something it wasn't before, but the sheep were insane for the things they did, while the wolves weren't much better in any regard. No matter what one side did, the other was there to outdo them, or at least try and make it worse for them - and truth be told, both of them were pretty good at doing just that. Whatever one side came up with, the other knew a response, at least for a while, all the way until the war seemed like it needn't drag on any longer, until the wolves grew tired and any theoretically, factually right response was wrong. Who cared, though? They had needed help and they took it from those that were willing to offer it, namely Nayantai and Rains father, only to turn into a small army of nothing and be regarded as such by many and then overthrow almost anything in their way. Somehow, it felt like a story in a picture book, something indescribable that no one truly and really wanted to deal with. Now, the only repercussion was, that something was going to happen eventually once someone grew tired of somebody - and that had happened, which was why Adrestia seemingly was in disarray now. Maybe hecould find something out if he asked the right people, no?

"I'd say about ten times", he replied, stretching himself and wondering how to spend the rest of his day, now that his object of affection wanted to run off and be all alone again. Maybe find his brother among all those people and follow him around like the stray dog he was, or did it suffice for him to just stay here, figure things out by himself? "I doubt you were, but it sounds more like a chore than fun", plus, what did thrian nobles care for that? Sure, there were gatherings of different kind, but none were as pompous and as annoying as an adrestian ball must be - how the hell did Richards not-father even willingly attend any of those? Or did he? Yujin couldn't wrap his head around it, then shook it. "There's endless possibilities and you'd be lying if you said you don't want to go back home. Like, home-home", he let the blonde know and then just let him off the hook like that. No need to run after him, to pretend to care this time, he could go anywhere he wanted, everytime he wanted. There wasn't any need for the two of them to stay together like this all the time and have one annoy the hell out of the other. "Don't slip and fall, then ... and take care on your way out in general", Yujin said and once Richard disappeared out of his door and he couldn't hear his footsteps any longer, he did the same. What poor soul could he annoy this time around?