bloodbound. (earinor & akira)

    • Was he really mad at Richard, though? He was an idiot, a lovely one, but sometimes he just tried a bit too hard for his fellow wolves liking. Maybe he should have just shut the fuck up, zipped it and ignored it like he usually did - but right now, he wasn't even sure. Was he still mad that Richard had just left him instead of staying in bed with him? Did he even care? That probably was one of the furthest things from Richards mind and the only reason Yujin was, currently and genuinely, fed up was, because he assumed he'd get in trouble for every single thing he did. He was done with being a caged bird, or whatever fancy metaphor someone could come up with, but he also knew that the cage was far from rusting while the key was long gone - the illusion of freedom still persisted, however, and he sighed. What was he to do with this dumbass anyway? There was no way to change any of this, and there also was no way and no sense in making Richard hate him for the last few months or whatever it was that he would be here - it didn't matter much, never did, never had and it wouldn't start to matter now - he was friends with the blonde because he'd seemed so lonely, lost and all kinds of things he could hardly explain. Letting go now was just an asshole move, and Yujin wasn't like that.

      Yujin was about to pick up the fabric, but figured someone else could do it - instead, he still eyed the way Richard behaved, what he did with his arm and he came to the conclusion that an ice pack and something he could at least rest it in would be the best solution. There weren't enough bandages in the sewing kit left, they'd mainly gone to the wound on Richards side and that seemed to be holding up pretty well so far. His other clothes were wet, that wasn't what he wanted to give Richard, so there was only one option anyway. "No need to thank me.", he said, shaking his head, before getting up - aimlessly kicking the sewing kit aside, almost as if to signal that he was done playing with it - and then he wondered if he'd always been like that, or if that was just who he thought himself to be. Odd, at best, if anything, was a good description. Yujin got another towel, and then a second one. "I can wash your hair if you lie down on your back and I'll take care of your back after that, how does that sound?" Sure, some people would find it icky to just wash their hair in what seemed to be their own blood, but this wasn't normal water that had to be brought in, either, so it should be fine to let it clean itself, right? "I'm not mad, just a bit hopeless.", he replied eventually, knowing that he very much had been pissed at Richard regardless, but that was all forgiven now, right? "Don't move your arm too much, and also ...", he mumbled, sorting strands of bloodied hair out of the blondes face. "Sorry. You're not supposed to feel bad, especially not on your birthday. It's just ... you always worry so much about things that are completely fine. Look, you're not weak because a stupid bear thrice your size got you, okay?"
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • Richard felt bad, he felt like he majorly upset Yujin and didn't exactly know why, but that was just like him. Just like his new self that was carelessly and rude even to the few people that actually cared about him, namely Yujin and Nayantai At this very moment he truly hated who he had become and he felt weak and beat, even questioning his whole agenda all together, but he also knew that he shouldn't tell Yujin that, because he would just get his hopes up for no reason. Richard wanted to lie down, be alone, maybe sleep, but he also didn't want to ruin the day for anyone and meet their expectations. This was his birthday for gods sake. He should be having fun and he wanted to, he wanted to sit together in the hut again and listen to stories, or do something else that normal people did during their birthday. He just needed to clean up and walk fifteen more minutes, then he could sit down in a warm room and just don't care about much more than eating and thinking about what he'd do with that fur. He would probably trade most of the meat, maybe he'd find the guy at the harbor too and could gift him something, since Yujin still didn't tell Richard what he owed.

      Richard looked up when Yujin got back on his feet, watching him to figure out what he was going to do next. He got more towels and Richard didn't want to cause Yujin any more trouble than necessary, so he fought himself back up, took the already shed and wet layer of clothing Yujin spread out and brought it over to the edge of the bath to be able to lie down there again. He felt odd having Yujin do this, but he doubted he'd be of much use with one good arm that was fairly exhausted too. Richards hair met the water and it got pretty long since he was here. Now it was afloat and some of the blood already washed out by itself, but that probably needed a lot more work. "I'm still sorry... to cause you so much trouble...", he mumbled and reached out his hand so Yujin would give him one towel too. He then dipped it in the water behind him to then try and rub some of the blood of his chest. This way they would be faster and Richard didn't just want to lie here and wait for Yujin to do all the work. If he did, he'd probably fall asleep anyway and he didn't want that either. Eventually however he took Yujins hand, just for a moment, just to hold it a little while it aleady was so close to his face. "I'll be careful...", Richard mumbled, then pressed Yujins bloodied hand against his bloodied face. "We're going to the hut, right? And you will stay the night...right? I'd be happy..."

    • Yujin was doing this because he liked Richard and he wanted this poor sap to have a good day for once in his life. However, it only went as good as once could expect, which was a good way of saying, not good at all. Was this what he'd have to deal with for the rest of his pathetic life, now that he found himself stuck in ice as old as time? Yujin didn't know, frankly, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to know and for now, even just for a moment, he gave up on wasting his thoughts on that. Instead, he wanted to get his hand into the water and wring out the blonde locks that spread out quite evenly, that had such a different texture from all the other thrian hair he'd ever felt, but it wasn't bad, just somewhat uncanny. Richard lived he, just for now and for an obcsure moment, but Yujin didn't mind, they'd keep this weird relationship of theirs going for as long as they could. "You are not, not more than anyone else would.", he answered, still not quite sure what he felt like. Yujin liked Richard, that much was for sure, but he wasn't sure if he loved him any more than he usually did - he'd confessed his feelings to him, yet he'd met quite the unfortunate answer and maybe, just maybe, he was much like everyone else - a petty bastard.

      "You better be or I'll seriously get ... worried ...", he admitted, but his gaze glued itself to the forlorn blonde that was just waiting for someone to give him a helping hand, just for a moment, but he knew better by now. This really was just a moment, right? Why get his hopes up at all? The wolf wanted to deny him, but instead, there was some sort of tingling in his stomach and his heart felt like it beat faster than before, especially when his hand touched Richards face. "You don't want to be here anyway, and frankly, I'd rather not be here, either." Yujin wanted to stay at the hut the last time, just in time for Richard to kind of get him out of there and then they wound up with ... a whole other mess. Not only did he not want to think about it for too long, he also guessed that whatever it was that would take him there, it was supposed to happen either way. "It's your birthday, I can hardly say no. But I can hardly say no to you in general, so of course I will.", the wolf said, and he just had committed to something he probably shouldn't have, yet, did it really matter? He still owed this silly goose a good nights sleep either way. Yujin stroked over Richards cheek with his thumb for a bit, using his other hand to comb through the bloodied strands of hair and get out whatever he could. This scenery looked quite dreamy, if a bit painful, but ... he couldn't ... just lean down ... and ... "Why do you always look so kissable?" Why did he say that aloud anyway!
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • Yujin still seemed unhappy, or upset but Richard couldn't quite discern it or tell why. He just looked at him somewhat tired, stopping with his own task of getting the blood of his body just for now. It was so nice and warm in here, even in just his underwear it was fine, but the bath probably looked like someone had been killed in here too and Richard lay right in the middle of this mess, all bloody himself. He probably looked more than the victim than the murderer and hopefully no one decided to take a bath now, or anytime soon. Some poor servant would have to clean up this mess, but first he probably needed to tell someone how this place looked and maybe question why. Richard actually wondered if someone else saw him with that bear and what they thought. He wasn't sure if usually there were more people for this ritual, when Yujin did it, probably his whole family was there rooting for him, right? Maybe even the whole town. Richard was fine though, he didn't need anyone else than his dad and Yujin. He was glad they both were there.

      "I'm sure it'll heal up just fine.", Richard answered with somewhat of a weak smile. He still hadn't looked, but he lay that arm back on the ice to cool it a little. Moving it hurt and it stung when the thread poked into his skin and flesh because the weight on his arm shifted either because of lying it down or simply gravity. Maybe some painkillers wouldn't be bad, but not now, at home after he ate. Richard smiled a little once Yujin basically agreed to join and stay with Richard. They just needed to clean him up properly, then they could finally leave. It was nice enough to relax for a second and close his eyes. The feeling on his cheek was nice and the tugging on Richards hair felt good to and for a moment he allowed himself to concentrate on that instead of the pain. Once Yujins voice reached him though, he opened his eyes again to meet him with a crooked smile. "I'm full of blood... and under that I probably look like a ghost.", he pointed out, then let go of Yujins hand. He still smiled a little, but he also got to work again and tried getting the blood off of his body.

    • "I'll give you a bandage for that later, though. It looks like it could use some cooling and a bit more support, but you'll do just fine." He'd have to get Richard into his clothes before that and then figure out what would be the most comfortable way for him to wear them. Was it fine to just throw him in there, assume he'd make do? No, Yujin didn't want that at all - it sounded almost as if he was genuinely worried for Richard and he was - he had many reasons to be worried, but this just topped it all off. If he was honest, the blonde was an idiot and he could have done so much more to keep himself safe, but he also knew that it didn't matter much. In the end, Richard just did what he wanted and Yujin was the one that played along because he felt as if he had to. He chuckled slightly, however, once he heard what he was told. Well, that wasn't too wrong, but he also, very much, knew that Richard was - without a doubt - a little tease sometimes and that he himself had meant what he'd said. Did it truly matter why Yujin found him attractive? Not necessarily, in the end, it was all up to them either way and if Richard didn't want any of this, he was very much welcome do deny him anyway.

      "I'd say you are a pretty hot ghost, though.", he complimented, before finally finding his hand freed and getting back to what he'd been doing initially - which was washing every last bit of blood out of the blonde hair that deserved better treatment than this. Yujin thought he did a good job, and soon enough, there wasn't any more blood in his hair left, aside from a few pinkish bits that he couldn't quite get out. It was fine, this was hardly noticeable and he finally found a reason to smile like an idiot. Richard wouldn't look so bad with a lot of pinkish hair, but that would be quite the odd haircolor as well, no? The wolf dipped one of the towels in water, ever so slightly, before he started to rub the blood off of Richards face with it, then drying it off. He had been right, he was pale, very much so, but he wasn't dead yet and Yujin gave him a kiss, almost as a reward for his victory earlier, something he'd completely forgotten about anyway. "I forgot to congratulate you, I hope this is acceptable?", he asked instead, straying away from the blondes lips the tiniest bit - if he wanted more, he could come get it, and if not, Yujin was close enough to shove away. Theoretically, that was a harsh way of thinking, but he was sure that Richard wasn't even nice to himself most of the time and therfore, could use someone that was nice to him instead, keeping him afloat in this endless sea.
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "Mh.. that might be nice.", Richard smiled, just a little bit and somewhat weak. He wasn't sure if having the stitches lie on something was worse than having to support his arm somehow, but Yujin was probably right, putting it in a noose was probably the best idea, since he still wasn't sure if there was something broken. It probably wasn't broken in half, that was for sure, maybe the bone was a little bit cracked though, besides his muscle hurt whenever he used it, so not having to was probably the best. The bandage on his side seemed very fine though and it didn't hurt that much, at least when he didn't move. There was no blood seeping through, which was a good thing, but he also knew that he still had dried bear blood on the other side and under the bandage, because it had been more important to fix it up than to clean him wholly. It was fine, he'd have to change that bandage tomorrow anyway and maybe he could wash the rest of his body too then. For now this worked and it would hold without any stitches, that was a good thing. He wondered if it would leave a scar though.

      "I could be the ugliest person and you'd still compliment me...", Richard mumbled with a slim smile. He continued rubbing off the blood, but he also had to remind himself every other minute to continue, because he'd stop and just concentrate on the tugging on his hair and rest for a bit. Everything seemed exhausting. Well Richard couldn't see what he was doing anymore when Yujin started to wipe his face anyway and he closed his eyes and mouth for it. Yujin was careful though, cleaning all up and eventually finishing Richards head. Then there was a sudden kiss. "You've already done enough for me.", Richard answered, putting some black strands of hair behind Yujins ear, since they got everywhere all the time, especially when he leaned over Richard like that. Then however he softly pushed Yujin away to sit up himself somewhat clumsily. He couldn't be a show off anymore and needed to use his hand to get himself up, too bad. Like the silly goose he was he also still wore the neckerchief, though he opened it up now, noticing that he probably could throw that away. It was fine, for now he just put it on the ground to then use the towel to try and clean the fragile skin around his neck. "Good thing Thrian clothes have those wide sleeves... I probably wouldn't get into my Adrestian clothes and I'd hate to cut them up..." maybe he'd not get in all layers, but he definitely didn't need to get rid of a sleeve to put his arm through a hole. When he looked down on his arm though there was still blood seeping through the stitches. This was quite normal, but they definitely had to bandage it too, but it didn't need to be right now. There was still a lot of cleaning up to do... this tradition was a pain kind of.

    • "You know what else would be nice?", he asked, teased more, actually and while he'd normally grin like an idiot about it, he just faintly smiled at Richard. This wasn't some misplaced, dirty joke but rather, he actually thought it'd be nicer than this, if he was honest. "Some good food for you, so you can get in some painkillers." Yujin could take some from here, just sneak some out of Shurens endless cabinets, but he'd rather not - he wasn't sure what worked and he also couldn't drag some opium with them and convince Richards old man that it was entirely fine to smoke that right then and then. Maybe he was exaggerating, eventually he found that there was no such thing however and that he worried too much about obviously superficial things. Was it the right thing to do? Most likely, especially in a situation like this, yet, Yujin was also fairly aware that he often times worried over nothing, time and time again, just because that seemed to be his thing, especially in Richards presence, especially when the blonde didn't want him too close, too soon - he seemed tired however, yet had insisted the wolf wouldn't carry him and while Yujin would have liked to try, he probably lacked strength and endurance to make it the whole fifteen minutes. What about the last five? That sounded somewhat dreamy either way.

      "Yes, because it's not always about looks." It never was, not in Richards case either way. He had tried to fix him at first, now he was trying to help him collect and put together pieces of himself and they both had ended up with what looked to be a mosaic of one another, made of many different parts that didn't even exactly belong were both of them had put them. After all, they both were struggling to figure themselves out and even when Richard rid himself of the wolf, he only chuckled and started wipping down his arms and soon after, his back to get rid of the blood. It was a shame he couldn't just throw him in there for a good soak, but they both were probably rather safe than sorry and Yujin couldn't blame him - it would have hurt as well, and he wanted Richard to relax, much like he did now. "Oh, shut it. I can do some more for you, whatever you want. Speaking of which, get up and let me dry you off, will you? I'll help you with the clothes, we'll figure that out together." That was the best way to do it anyway - not that he didn't trust Richard, but Yujin wanted him to feel warm and comfortable and that wasn't going to happen if they just did things quite half-assedly. Instead, he helped Richard back onto his feet and dried him off as best as he could, before taking off the laster layer of cloth that he wore on his upper body and started constructing something Richard could put his arm into, only to slightly tie it behind his neck. "Lets not cut those up, alright? I brought you the best thing I could find, but also ...", the wolf mumbled and soon waltzed over to the sewing kit he'd kicked away, to get the last bit of bandage he'd deemed too short for the noose, yet, it was enough to bandage the stitched wound. "That might sting a bit.", he warned, before getting to work once more.
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • Richard expected some dirty joke, something about kissing or who knew what, but no, Yujin actually said something constructive. "Yeah yeah... I will eat at home, maybe Nayantai even used the bear meat, so I can have my revenge.", Richard answered, half as a joke and half meaning it. He would like to taste what he killed eventually and he kind of would be able to ram his own teeth into its flesh. In the end he won, so that made him the stronger one, right? How many people were able to kill an icebear? "I'm sure we have some painkillers at home. Nayantai gave me some the whole journey here.", he then added, there was no need to worry. Some herbs Richard didn't know much about, but they helped, didn't they? Nayantai would probably make a tea out of it once he saw his damaged son. Richard was still embarrassed, especialy because he didn't even notice that he had been hurt. He actually wondered why Yujin didn't ask him why he played all strong when he quite obviously was hurt, but maybe he also felt that Richard didn't. He just didn't feel any pain until he started to settle down.

      "So I might be ugly after all.", Richard mused. If Yujin didn't care about that, who knew? Maybe blonde hair was the most ugliest thing and the scar wasn't making it better. His wolfish eyes that looked like he stole it didn't even fit in his face which otherwise looked very much Adrestian. Richard didn't say all that, instead he let himself be scrubbed and also helped whereever he got and eventually they managed to get most of the blood off of him. Richard knew that he didn't need to say it again, he knew he didn't need to tell he was sorry, or how much he appreciated the help, he had said that enough already and thus he simply stood up as Yujin requested and let himself get pulled onto his feet. He turned a little so Yujin could dry the parts off Richard couldn't reach himself and besides having some moist hair, he was fine. He did however wiggle himself out of his underwear, commenting only mumbling. "I probably should also get rid of this..." ujin already saw him naked plenty of times and he just needed a short while to rub some blood of his butt. He did all that while Yujin was constructin something. "We could have gotten something less... valuable.", Richard complained, but just that, he still let Yujin tie it together behind his neck, though he didn't test it fully quite yet, because he didn't want it to get bloody. Yujin got some of the last bandage too and started to wrap Richards arm into it, sealing the blood inside there. It did sting, just like he said, but it wasn't pulled as hard as the bandage around his stomach, so it was fine. After that was done however, Richard got the sling off again. "Let's get me into some clothes, then I'll wear it.", he suggested and already walked a little away from the bloody wet mess on the floor. He thre the towel to the ground to dry his feet with it too, then looked at Yujins clothes however. "You got all dirty too... I'm sorry..." Of course he did when he kneeled next to Richard. Some red-ish water had seeped into his clothes.

    • "We won't know until we get home! Do you even have any birthday traditions?" Yujin barely knew anything about Adrestia, or its people, or the things those people did to help themselves - regardless, he was mroe than happy to indulge for them for an hour or two, or just spend his time trying to figure it all out - he liked the stories that Richards old man told him and he liked Richard, as well as the stories he seemingly had to tell. In the end, it hardly mattered what he liked, however, as none of this was about him and nothing would change that - not up until now anyway. Was there something he'd missed out on? He didn't know, didn't want to know to be fair. "Then you might be in luck and I don't have to dismantle every medicine cabinet that I can find." All the good stuff was kept away anyway - most likely in the case that an unlikely intruder got in here and was nosy enough to snoop through the wrong places, and theoretically to keep Fei away from the dangerous stuff, just in case her baby hands got the wrong things. Still, she wasn't that young anymore, actually - that was weird, hadn't she been pint-sized a while ago? His memory was all messy, he feared he'd not recognize his own sister once she grew up anyway.

      "I could write you a poem and prove you wrong, but that would be painfully and utterly embarrassing and probably kind of dirty. So lets just say you're one of the most beautiful people I've ever laid my eyes on, even when you are as pale as a ghost.", he commented, knowing that he should have probably shut up before he said anything. Richard wasn't any worse than someone like Quan, though, Yujin still would prefer the blonde over the brunette, in terms of looks alone, and he honestly thought that often times, Richard just had the unbrittled ability to look like a painting, his skin so soft, so pliable, all the while he retained a sharp gaze and ... fuck, this wasn't what he was thinking about and when he looked back up, only to find Richard taking off his underwear, he probably stared a bit too much for a bit too long at a certain spot, with rosy cheeks, before averting his gaze and walking over to the clothing he'd sat aside for Richard when he'd brought it earlier. "Don't worry, it's fine. I can wash it if it gets dirty, and if it rips, I can sew it back up. Besides, it's not like the only set of clothing I have to wear." And it, theoretically, wasn't even that important. That was one of the lower layers anyway, nobody would care if the white of the next one was slightly off from the rest, hell, nobody would ask to begin with either. "Alright, let me help you then." And that he did, but ... fuck. "I didn't bring you any underwear, are you fine like that? Should I go get you some?", he asked, almost disappointed, but he'd truly believed that the half-wolves clothing endured a bit more. "Huh?" One quick look down his body, or at least his pants - given the fact the was shirtless anyway - actually did show the damage. "Oh, it's fine. There's worse. I'll just go dress up when we're done here."
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "Birthday traditions?", Richard asked and thought about it for a bit. "Usually we had a party, first with the family, then with friends that came over. We mostly have cake too and candles on top of it. I don't think you do that here. When you blow out the candles you can wish for something... well it's just some childrens story." As much as the firework wouldn't grant any wishes the candles wouldn't either. That was all about traditions though, there was no ritual of sorts. "What about your other birthdays?", Richard wanted to know. Like normal ones, all the seventeen Yujin had had before. Were there more rituals too? Hopefully not! "No one used it up, we should be fine." And Richard didn't want Yujin to go rummage around some more. He'd be caught and he'd not be allowed to leave... Richard wanted him with him. Actually he wanted to stay away from Yujin, but for some reason he couldn't. He liked him - a lot actually. He couldn't remember ever liking someone like he liked Yujin before, no one came to mind. How did it come that he thought about staying more often than not lately? His nightmares however reminded him of what he needed to do and of the fact that his life already had ended...

      "A poem? Are you good at writing those?", Richard wanted to know a little bit amused, but he probably didn't want to hear one. he#d just be majorly embarrassed, he knew that already. Richard raised an eyebrow though. "Hey... it isn't like you've never seen me naked before...", he mumbled after he noticed Yujin stare for quite a bit and he turned around afterwards since he got embarrassed himself. it wasn't before the staring, but it was now! "Still, having it wrapped up like this should be fine though.", he answered looking at his bandaged arm that was swollen too and thus a little bit thicker than it usually was. While he didn't have the sling to put his arm into, he pressed it against his body again for support. He just needed to get into his clothes, that was all. Richard turned around again to have Yujin help, even though he still was embarrassed and it got worse too! "Uh... mh... don't bother. I can walk fifteen minutes without... if you don't mind." It was Yujins clothes after all, but it wouldn't kill Richard to not wear underwear underneath for the rest of the night, right? "Well if you're going to get some other clothes for you too anyway you might as well bring me underwear though..." He almost asked to come with, but how if he didn't have clothes?! "I can get myself in the upper garments meanwhile." Maneuvering his arm through the sleeves would take a bit eventually, but he didn't need help with it. He just needed someone to tie it all together.

    • "We have a party as well, but there's no cake-thing and it's more just an excuse for adults to meet than for the children to actually celebrate something. Sure, you're getting gifts and all of that, but given the fact that I barely have any relatives, it was always kind of scarce and more filled with faces of people I barely knew, if at all. Just imagine it as an excuse to host a fancy event and get something out of all of your allies or to-be allies." Not that it was necessarily needed, this wasn't a time of war, nor was it anything of that sort. Yujin knew that he might as well be overreacting, that there was no reason to concern for as to why any of this happened, but it seemed to be fairly normal. Friends, sure, if one could call them that, but often enough it was just a bunch of people that ones parents wanted one to get along with, nothing more. Strangers, in the loosest sense of the word. "If not, I can still come and get some! Also, what's that cake stuff even like?" Yujin hadn't even heard of it, but the concept of special birthday food wasn't too foreign for him. Thrians had stuff like that as well, however, it was just traditional dishes, maybe prepared a different or kind of special way and that was it, nothing else to worry or break ones head over.

      "Hm, I actually don't know. Maybe the other Yujin was good at it, but I can't quite tell you if I'm still any use." Was he? Whenever he tried to think back, he liked to believe he was much like a carbon-copy of Shuren and the thought alone scared him, even when it wasn't necessarily rooted in reality. Who knew what he truly was? He didn't and at this rate, it was stuff out of dreams, something that nobody was able to recall anyway. "Yes, but ... uh ..." What? Was this suddenly awkward because he wasn't necessarily horny or thirsting over Richard and looking at his crotch like it was the first time he'd seen his dick? Gods, he was acting like a little girl! Yujin soon shook his head and diverted both gaze and attention from it - this was ridiculous. "Probably, and if not, we can still consult your dad or my dad, or someone entirely else." This was all about trial and error and Yujin felt almost as if, even if it were, and even if it would be, he didn't know how good the scar would look. Sure, they'd have to take out the stitches eventually, but there was no way of telling if it would be even or crooked - at least right now. Maybe there wouldn't even be one? "Pff, fine. I'll go get you some of my underwear, go put some clothes on in the meantime.", Yujin chuckled and soon left the bathroom, firmly closing the door behind him. It was much colder out here and while he generally wasn't afflicted by cold, the drop in temperature was, what made him wrap his arms around himself and force his way back to his room. Even when he figured that his clothing was leaving behind droplets of red liquid on the icy blue floor, he didn't care much and instead just got out of it as soon as he could, threw it somewhere and pulled out an entire new ou- ... this one was missing the outmost layer, what? Where did he leave that? Whatever, he put it on either way - only to grab a piece of underwear and head back to the bathroom. "I'm back! Also, did I ever wear this thing around you before?", he suddenly asked, as if Richard was able to recall all of the layers he wore in an instant - well, maybe he'd lost the cloak ages ago.
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "I think Adrestian parties are like that often. The nobles parties... but my parents never did much of that. Not when it was supposed to be about us, not them or the country.", Richard explained. Nayantai and Rain were very different to any other noble raising their children. Whoever they met for some deals or whatever it was, it was just to benefit Richard at some point when he got king, but his parents always took time off for them and when it was their birthday, they could invite whoever they wanted and they could also not invite people if they felt like they didn't like them. Well Richard mostly understood why sometimes grown ups had to meet people they hated, so he mostly invited the children of those people too, to make a good impression and he'd lie to his fathers telling them he did like them. Dayan was different, he didn't care at all about impressions. "'Cake stuff'?", Richard questioned shaking his head. "I'll tell you on the way... get going.", was his answer, they had plenty of time to talk but for now Richard didn't want to stand here naked anymore.

      "You didn't lose your skill of stitching people up, right? Why would it be different with poems?", Richard questioned. Maybe Yujin should just give it a try, maybe just not for him, he could write one for someone else maybe. "Stop.Staring.", Richard then made clear, god Yujin was such a dreamer sometimes and Richard didn't even want to think about what was going on in his head right now. Richard stood here hurt and exhausted and the wolf stared at his dick! That was outrageous, but kind of funny. Richard wasn't sure if he wanted to show Nayantai his arm though. But maybe he would anyway, just to have a second opinion and in the end he probably worried too much if he didn't see it for himself. "I will.", Richard then assured Yujin and waited for him to leave before he walked over to the hung up clothes Yujin brought before. Everything was kind of hard with one hand, but he had to get the lowest layer out of that clothes first and that already took a while. Then he slid in and thankfully the sleeve was actually wide enough, even with a swollen and bandaged arm. He also slid into the second and third layer, but only put his good arm into the fourth. There was still the coat, but he'd put them on later. Richard hid his naked body when the door opened up again and took the underwear out of Yujins hands. He put it on in a kind of complicated manner, trying not to hurt himself and once this was done he put on the rest and only waited for Yujin to tie everything together, even though by now he had figured out how that worked, just he couldn't with his hurt arm. he also only now took a look at Yujins clothes. "I... no idea actually. All of that looks the same to me, besides the color maybe...", he admitted.

    • Yujin watched Richard, he wanted to help him from the get-go, but maybe he considered that inappropriate, so he just let the blonde do as he wanted for a while, until he looked like he was ready to get all bundled up and leave the palace behind. Was this really all there was to it? Regardless, they both would be able to leave soon and the wolf would've loved nothing more than to do just that - he didn't want to spend the rest of his days cooped up in here, stuck in the exact same spot, trying to find an excuse aside from that it was warm in here and that they should enjoy said warmth just a little while longer before heading out. Actually, Yujin was fine in all those layers he wore, he didn't need an outer coat, unlike Richard, who'd do well with preserving heat instead. The wolf started bundling him up and proudly grinned once he was done - his clothes fit Richard very well, it was almost uncanny how well. "Hm, then I probably just left it somewhere. Stuff happens. Anyway, we're good to go now, right?" Yujin still had the present ... were exactly? Oh fuck. They hadn't been in his clothes when he changed them and he'd carelessly stuffed it in his sleeve earlier, when he grabbed Richards change of clothes, so that meant he probably ... lost it somewhere, right? Now, this night was going great.

      His eyes looked through the bathroom for a second, wondering if it had just fallen down when he'd gotten out of his clothes earlier, or if he'd not lost it in here to begin with - and that seemed to be the case. Did he lose it on the way to his room earlier? Not this again. "Do you want a poem? I could try writing one, just for fun, but I doubt I'd be any good." Yujin doubted himself often enough, many times in fact and now that he realized that he'd lost something else, he damned his forgetfulness once more. Was any of this fair? Hardly, but he somehow had to make do for a while now - it would all work out in the end was the only piece of advice he had. The wolf grumbled as he went over to the discarded fabrics from earlier, rummaging through his own, only to find what he'd lost among them, having slipped slightly over the icy floor - well, there it was! And he definitely shoved it back into his sleeve, only to join Richard again. "Hm, and now we put your arm in there? Or do you want to get out of a layer or two again? It should be all secured now and the sash will hold it in place ... and after that, we should probably get going or your dad will actually get worried and think we ditched him." That'd just be sad and Yujin, much like Richard probably, didn't want to disappoint Richards old man.
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • Once Richard was done he let Yujin bind the sash around him and by now he got used to someone else doing it, which was kind of lame. He knew how to now and yet he wouldn't be able to for a while, unless he somehow used his teeth and left the ends of the sash hanging somewhere. Thrian clothes were still way too complicated. At least Yujin and him had kind of the same size, but the neckerchief was missing. Richard didn't care for now - well he did, but there was nothing he could do about it and he simply pulled up the collar of his clothes and fiddled with his hair a little to hide the scar. "Yeah we can go... uhm... what about those clothes? Do you usually throw them out after this?", Richard asked. They were full of blood and they already told him no one could wash it out, but maybe there was more to it. He also didn't feel comfortable leaving behind such a mess, but he didn't want to stay her longer than necessary either. He wouldn't be able to clean the bath and Yujin probably didn't want to. Still Richard took a look around the bloody mess.

      Yujin also wasn't ready yet as it seemed and he started to wander around, trying to find something as it seemed. "Lost something...?", Richard asked, but he kept standing by the door and eventually took the sling Yujin made to figure out how he's wear it. His arm hurt enough already from standing around and dressing up. "I can listen to a poem... if it's not about me. But I'm probably not a good critic." he simply had no clue about that topic, especially not Thrian literature. It probably was different to what he was used to. "I'll... get out of the outer two I think...", Richard decided, simply because he wanted his arm closer to his body. He let Yujin help him get out of the sleeves, then he put the sling around his neck and eventually put his arm in. It hurt a little, but it was better than holding it up himself. Then Richard just pulled the two layers over his arm and stuffed some loose ends into the sash as well. The one sleeve hung down on his left side unused now. "Let's go...", Richard said with a short sigh. He was tired, but he'd manage fifteen minutes of walking. "A cake, by the way, is some Adrestian sweet... there are many flavors and forms though. You can add a lot of things, chocolate, strawberries, cream, other fruit... whatever. It's mostly made out of flour, eggs, sugar and milk." Richard thought about it for a second. "That's actually all things you have here... if you import some sugar that is, but the cold wouldn't damage it."

    • They had everything, they finally could leave and Yujin was more than happy that they didn't have to camp out here for the entire night. Not only that, however, he was also under the impression that he needed a bit of a breather either way - something that took him away from home, just to let him relax and that wouldn't be too bad. In the hut, it would just be the three of them and if Richard really got tired and hour or two into the celebration, Yujin wouldn't mind cuddling with him for all it was worth. "Yours? I'd say we leave them be and I'll bring them over once they are dry? I'm sure neither of us wants to carry around a bundle of bloody and dripping wet clothes, now that we're all bundled up." Richard only had one free hand anyway and Yujin kind of felt like holding it, now that they'd figured out what to do with his hurt arm and where it should go so that he'd at least have a somewhat comfortable way of carrying himself around without having to support it the entire time. Honestly, Yujin was spill kind of convinced that he wanted to carry Richard, but that wasn't it - instead, he grabbed his well-off hand and went for the door of the bathroom, then for the door outside, into the cold, but not before pulling up the hood for Richards cloak. "Your hair is wet, I don't want you to catch a cold.", he simply elaborated.

      The snow felt soft under his feet, softer than usual for this time of year, but someone like him wouldn't know anyway and they could head back to the hut the normal way, even if Yujin thought the other one to be more romantic - which was why he took it instead, so they could look at the glistening lights of Silesse while they walked without being directly blinded by them. "No worries, if it were about you, I'd probably die on the inside while reciting it. Give me two weeks and I'll have something for you!" Was that even enough? Coming up with a good poem would take half an eternity and he was rusty anyway, so all that he actually wanted was for his past self to finally die, turn into nothing but seafoam, something, anything, so that he'd be finally rid of this stupid thing. "But isn't chocolate already sweet? I think I tired it like, once, and I have to admit I don't really have the biggest of sweet tooths, so of course I didn't quite like it." Was he a picky eater? He wasn't exactly sure, but he didn't care anyway - he was a prince, guiding another one through heaps of snow, back to his small home. They both were kind of lost like this, all the way out here. "I can't cook or bake, so I can't really make you a cake, but ... uh ... I have a bit of a silly question? Do you like thrian sweets?"
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "You're right, but... you could also just throw them away I guess. Or isn't that something you do with those?", Richard asked. They were beyond repair anyway, the blood would never get out of the red fabric again. Besides that they were ripped too, so what was the point? "I feel bad for leaving behind such a mess though...", he added mumbling and took another look at the room. It looked like someone had been killed in here. The water was still red, there were bloody clothes spread on the floor, some remnants of the fixing Yujin did and the floor was bloody too. Richard knew that Yujin had servants that got paid for this kind of work and so did Richard in Adrestia, but when they got home all muddy and dirty and ruined the whole bathroom, Nayantai mostly started to clean up the mess and the servants just needed to make it shine again. Yujin however already took Richards hand to lead him out, but not before he didn't put the hood on Richards head, which he couldn't even adjust right now. "Thanks...", Richard mumbled and then he followed Yujin outside into the snow.

      They didn't walk through town again, which was fine by Richard. He walked a little slower than usual and let himself be pulled ahead by Yujin a little. With softer and slower steps there was less vibration in his body and Richards side and arm hurt less. The side was fine actually, but he generally was beat. Not only the bleeding wounds hurt, his legs did from walking, or actually pulling a heavy animal, his good arm too and his shoulders especially. He also landed rather unsafe on his back, that was probably another reason, but anyones muscles would hurt after pulling something twice or more their weight for an hour. "I'm not well educated with Thrian poems though...", Richard warned. He had to admit that the cold air was waking him up a little, after spending so much time in the steamy bath. It felt good on his skin, albeit maybe a little bit too cold as always. "It is both sweet, yes. But I guess that is the point.", Richard replied and afterwards shook his head. "After Nayantai told us how they were made we never wanted to taste those. Fat and snow? Are you serious?", Richard asked Yujin. Thrians were crazy people, who wanted to eat something like that? Why was that even called sweets?

    • “You normally keep them. Why, I don’t know, but it’s essentially part of the tradition. And once you’re ready to move on from that, you burn them.”, the wolf elaborated as they waddled through the snow. It was already getting colder, at least Yujin thought so and he wondered how long it would take until this piece of ice turned into more and more heaps of snow, until the temperatures dropped and dropped and there were even lit fireplaces in the castle - it wouldn’t he long until then, maybe after the fireworks. “Don’t worry about the mess, really.” The last time it had looked like that in there, well, Yujin couldn’t recall a last time but the most obvious time would be when Muhan or Xu returned from a night hunt or when … no, that didn’t make much sense anyway. He was sure he didn’t seek out the bathroom for what felt like ages after his little incident. “You’re welcome.”, the wolf chuckled instead and led the way home - towards Richards home that was, because after all, they didn’t share it. Was he particularly sad about it? No, probably not, he didn’t mind the castle of ice, or all of its flaws - it didn’t matter much in the end anyway, he was its prince and nobody else, aside from his older brother.

      “There’s different forms, but they are pretty easy anyway. I just have nothing I could come up with on the spot.” There were a plethora of words Yujin could use, but they all had to fit together and yet, it seemed unlikely that he’d be able to just assume them, or pretend he knew any of them. Sure, this wasn’t his field of expertise anymore and the longer he thought about it, the more alienated he felt from his former self. Why was that anyway? It seemed almost superficial to presume that he had completely forgotten who he was, there had to he remnants of his past self somewhere and he also was fairly convinced that, no matter what it was that he did, he’d eventually find himself faltering anyway, because he didn’t care enough. “Not my kind of thing, though. Would you like some chocolate? I can get you some!” Given the subzero temperatures out here, they wouldn’t melt either, at least not on the way here, but Yujin didn’t quite know if Richard even like that to begin with. Probably more than thrian sweets anyway. “Oh god, not that. Please. I mean, it’s the most common one out there but … that’s not what I meant. Would you like to try something that doesn’t entail fat and snow?”, Yujin asked, grinning like the idiot he was. Maybe Richard did, maybe he’d like it, but there hardly was anything that had the same texture or flavor as chocolate out here anyway.
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "Ready to move on? What does that even mean?", Richard asked. Maybe he should burn them before he left then? He wasn't sure what all of that entailed. Moving on from what? He wasn't really when all he could think about was his revenge and thus he hadn't changed only because he turned eighteen now either. If anything something else had changed him and now he was stuck. He knew that Yujin would tell him not to worry though and he didn't say any more. They already took a long time and it would take some more to walk home. Still, Richard liked living outside of town. "Roses are red, violets are blue...", Richard started mumbling the most boring beginning of any Adrestian poem. Not that he wanted to finish it or anything. "Don't worry about chocolate. I'm fine without.", Richard answered with a short smile. Yujin already got him the seeds and soil and it was too bad that no one would care for them after they already sprouted. At least caring for the plants had occupied Richard for a while and kept his mind off of things. It had been rather relaxing.

      "I mean... sure, why not.", Richard answered. He wasn't opposed to trying new things, other than Dayan was, but just fat and snow sounded gross. "As long as it isn't too spicy.", he added, since he already wasn't able to eat any Thrian food unless Nayantai made it for him. Meanwhile they reached the hut and since Richard didn't have a free hand, he let Yujin open the door, he always swung open with a big entrance. Richard was a little bit hesitant, but he stepped in, looking at the floor and cleaning his boots from some snow by hitting them to the floorboards. "Hey dad...", he mumbled kind of ashamed, because he didn't want to show him what had happened and he also noticed something else he hadn't said earlier. "I uh... broke my bow... by the way...", he admitted, pulling off the hood. Then he wasn't even sure how he'd get out of his coat, but figured he'd just slide out of it, catch it with his good hand and hang it up, before he actually faced Nayantai and whatever consequence. He didn't think he was angry or anything, but Richard was still embarrassed for some unknown reason.

    • “Hm. Kind of like, if you try to enter a part of your life so you can leave the old stuff behind?” That was the best explanation that Yujin could muster, but alas, his still existed and they weren’t going to go anywhere, either. He feared that, as long as his father existed and he just let him reign it all, there was no way of escaping his grasp, much like there was no way of getting out and even less of an opportunity to prove himself of being worthy of being left alone, to his own devices. It sounded silly, but that was about it and Yujin would have hated if he circled back to the same thoughts over and over again, given the joyous occasion. “Violets? Roses? I’ve never seen any of those things up close.” Illustrations from a book didn’t help much and no matter what it was that he tried, he’d probably be unable to propagate any seeds out here - and even if he did, they’d die in the frigid castle that all of them were expected to live in instead. Wasn’t that just an absolute mess? Still, getting chocolate was probably easier than this, way easier than raising plants and making them blossom in a climate they were never supposed to grow in in the first place. Why did anyone even live here? Silesse seemed to lack quality of life, yet, Yujin could have left before that, so why didn’t he?

      Once they arrived back at the hut, the wolf let Richard back inside and decided that they both would probably be far better off if they’d just never let the blonde do the coming of age ritual - Yujin felt sorry and the way he looked at Nayantai was, most likely, very telling as few people had an actual opportunity to look at a theoretical stranger with big, apologetic puppy eyes. Surely, the old man wouldn’t murder him over this, yet, Yujin also knew - very much - that Richard was probably the most precious thing in the old mans life and judging by the fact that he’d waited for them this long, he felt even worse. “Welcome home.”, the old man simply said and listened to what Richard had to say. Yujin, on the contrary, had no coat of his own to take off, so he just took off the outmost layer, as if to symbolize that yes, he was supposed to wear it like that and no, he had manners, so he took off his shoes too and sat them aside. “Your bow? We can get you a new one, that’s not an … issue …”, Nayantai mumbled before obviously stopping as Richard faced him. Yujin expected anything and he knew that at least Shuren would have been absolutely furious at him for even just hurting himself a bit, let alone needing to get stitches and then probably half-assing them, too. “How do you feel?”, was, what Nayantai asked instead, only to come closer and ruffle through Richards hair again. What? Yujin had expected an entirely different reaction. “First you kill a bear, then you drag it here while you’re obviously hurt … you’re just as stubborn as I am. No wonder you two took so long, you’re probably starving.”
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • Wouldn't Richard have had to burn those clothes when he got here? Or should he burn them when he left, because he left those month he spent here behind and Yujin too? For some reason the thought alone hurt and he didn't want to burn those if they meant something heavy like that. Richard wasn't sure what to do with them. "Did you burn yours?", he wanted to know from Yujin, but he also hadn't kept them for very long yet either, right? "I did, but it's just... if someone jokes about poems then they usually use this as a start. Like... roses are red, violet are blue, Silesse is cold and I have snow in my shoe.", Richard replied. Usually people ended with something like 'I love you', but he deliberately decided not to say something like that, because he didn't want Yujin to misunderstand him. If he had come here just for a vacation with his father, maybe it would be different. But like this he couldn't stay and he couldn't take Yujin with him either. It was probably stupid, Richard was probably stupid, but he couldn't let go. Maybe he had no right to burn those ritual clothes in the end.

      Nayantai didn't seem like he waited for too long, at least his voice didn't tell. The room was filled with the scent of grilled meat and some herbs. Sadly there weren't many things people could add around here, except spices, but that was all fine for Richard. Also Yujin might have noticed the green leafs that got much bigger in the pots. There was no fruit yet, but the plants were growing. Nayantai seemed to only notice a little bit after that Richard broke more than just his bow, when he came over and looked at his son. Richard didn't want Nayantai to worry, but if he did he hid it very well and instead just asked how Richard was doing, even though he didn't quite know what happened to him in the first place. He too however noticed that Richard hadn't even known himself when he came back. "It's fine.", Richard answered looking up into the face of his father. He was a grown up and still felt like a child somehow, maybe the ruffling of his hair didn't help. "Yujin wants me to take some pain medication, but it's really not that bad... I didn't intend to ruin your evening either.", he sighed and then nodded. "I am. I haven't eaten all day. And for the record... I didn't notice I was hurt. I'm sorry 'bout that." Richard used his feet to battle himself out of his shoes, casting them aside rather carelessly. He wanted to sit down.