bloodbound. (earinor & akira)

There he was, obviously the victim of a crime, bleeding out in his own bed, with a little devil cuddling up to him and acting like the only reason he'd done it was for his personal enjoyment, and that boredom haunted him, soon after waking from his endless slumber. The cold nose let a shiver run down Yujins spine and before he was able to relax, it had moved again, leaving him ample time to get his mind out of the gutter - and then, it reminded him that no matter what he was doing, he couldn't escape it. "Good morning.", he chuckled, somewhat as a replacement for everything that had happened up until that point. "Did you sleep well?", he soon enough inquired, but he wasn't all that awake yet, merely cuddling with some blankets and pillows, while Richard was bored by the monotony of his current life - finally -, but also up and ready to go. "I can see that ...", he yawned, finding a biscuit stuff in his mouth and a smile on Richards face that, in turn, made him smile as well. Without much complaining, he ate the biscuit - something that would have tasted better fresh and with tea, no doubt about it - only to lick the crumbs off of the corner of his mouth and longingly look at the plate, then back to Richard. What the hell did he want. "You weren't, I don't mind if you do that ...", he grumbled, putting his arms around Richards waist, with his head staying away.

For a moment, he held onto the blonde, that found both his voice and motivation again, after a long night no less, but all those words were too much for Yujins peabrain, that wasn't sure on what stage of medication withdrawal it currently was and how long all of this would go on for. Did his head hurt? No, not yet, but his leg seemed fine too - and still, Yujin felt sluggish. "Only if you eat a biscuit.", Yujin mumbled into the mattress, the comforter or one of their blankets, still not moving much and still not letting go of Richard, who might as well stay in bed with him. Was he a kid, throwing a tantrum, or was he the older one of the two, trying his earnest to give both of them some sort of idea what he was expecting? "Why are you so eager ... it's so early ...", he whined, but even then, he eventually let go, sat up and stretched for a bit, just listening to what Richard had to say for a change and wondering how much more would happen in-between. Did all those resolves come from one, long, fruitful night of sleep? It seemed that way, and yet Yujin couldn't say what had changed overnight; he was still the same, while Richard had undergone another metamorphosis ... or was he imagining that. Once he found himself to be quite awake, wiping the sand out of his eyes, he nodded. "I'll teach you both, then. Reading thrian will be the actual hurdle, the silessian accent isn't that bad, we realized that before.", he spoke, with conviction. When was before? Right, a good while ago - around a year, maybe. "Yes, anything works. Starting small is key, no? Nobody moved a mountain in a day ... and besides, I dreamt about climbing a mountain with you, we didn't do that before ... or did we?" Yujin wasn't sure what answer he found himself anticipating, but he soon enough brushed some hair out of Richards face. "You seem well rested. I think that's the first time I've ever seen you like that, but I ... like it."

Yujin was tired and it was rare that Richard was the one waking up first. The previous day didn#t end on the best of notes, but Richard still slept well and it also had been fun most of the time. He still had a nightmare, but he also got enough sleep in and Richard felt good, even more determined to get better fast and give Yujin everything he deserved. Said boyfriend giggled and Richard nodded his head. Usually Yujin didn't ask this question, but today the answer was yes, so he did. "Did you sleep well?", he gave the question back and hoped that yes Yujin did. Once Yujin ate up the buiscit he looked at the plate again and thus Richard picked up another one to put it into Yujins mouth. Then he found himself hugged and wondered if he should just let himself fall on top of the tired Yujin, but no, he kept in his position kind of nervously wagging his foot, because he seemingly had excess energy today and his body tried to get rid of it.

"I'm not allowed to eat buiscits.", Richard replied and eyed the plate somewhat suspiciously. He didn't want to throw up and ruin this day, when he finally felt like doing something with his life. "Because I want to get better, for you.", Richard answered with a smile and tilted his head as Yujin finally sat up too. Wasn't he cute when he was tired? "Look, I was angry and then sad and I figured before all of that I was quite happy. Maybe if I act normal I will feel normal." he didn't know if that made sense and would always work out, but he wanted to try. "Besides, having something to do will keep me from overthinking." Hopefully at least and maybe he eventually forgot all that had happened to him. Learning would be good and having some form of his own training would be even better, even if it was just walking in circles. "Hm, no not a mountain. But when we fell from that cliff, we pondered if we want to climb the cliff back up, or go all the way around.", that was the closest they got to a mountain anyway. Were there even mountains in Silesse? "The lesson is already starting?", Richard asked upon hearing that accent and then he grabbed Yujins hands. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to hurt you and I'm determined to getting my life back in order."

Richard was glad that Yujin had slept well too and he kept smiling. He watched him swallow the biscuit slowly and then he listened to what Yujin dreamt of, though there wasn't much information on it, probably because Richard had woken Yujin up before the dream could go further. "Are there mountains in Silesse?", he asked and only knew of the Thrian mountains at the south that formed a border there and stretched over to Wezette, Fhaergus and even Lavern too. "There are many mountains in Fhaergus. That is where my family originates from before my father moved to Myriad when he became king." When was the last time Richard was there? It was too long ago, they mostly went there with their grandfathers, sometimes Rain joined too, but the cold wasn't good for him. "It's pretty cold and snowy there, maybe if I do better we could at some point visit there. Well... if my rother allows me to come back for a bit that is." If he got rid of Ares and Richard was allowed some vacation in his home. Dreaming was allowed, right?

"Mh your father probably won't allow it.", Richard answered about the buiscits, but at some point they should at least eat breakfast. "For you and for me, but I wouldn't care about myself if it wasn't for you.", Richard explained with another smile. "Well I think a year ago I was doing better because I had a goal and things I wanted to pack into my day, like my training. I think having a goal and a schedule might be good for me." He was done with Yujin picking him up all the time. He wanted to try to find a way for him to get better himself. Something to look forwards to that got him out of bed and his mind occupied would surely help. "I was angry about the coat.", he then nodded to encourage Yujin since he once more remembered something. Then there was some words Richard didn't quite get and he looked at Yujin puzzled. "I just want understand people if they talk in the Silessian accent.", he clarified. So maybe smalltalk would do for the start. Then Yujin suddenly got all cheasy and recited a vow that made Richard blush, but he accepted it and nodded with red cheeks. "Thank you.", he expressed. "Maybe breakfast and then for your training and my walk. How about we make a schedule. Training first, then a bath, learning to read and speak Silessian, then some alone time for both of us and afterwards together time until bed?" Richard needed alone time to carve the wood he'd probably get and Yujin probably wanted to plan something for Richards birthday, so they both could use one or two hours apart for some little projects.

Spending time with Richard was all that Yujin wanted - everything he asked for at this point, and something that he looked forward to every single night, when they both drifted off to different shores, letting their minds wander all over the place. Often enough, none of that was any good - but today and tonight, their sleep seemed to have been exceptionally good, something that hardly ever happened - and Yujin was all giddy about it, because he was happy for Richard, who finally found a good nights rest; it was a miracle, considering everything that happened. “There’s one I know of, and we went there already. I doubt it qualifies as a mountain, though, unless you approach it from the other side.” In theory, a slope led up there and the climb wasn’t a steep one, but even then, they both would have to be on their best behavior and quite fit - which Richard, sadly, wasn’t just yet. Yujin, in turn, yearned for some freedom, for something someplace else - not without the blonde though, and definitely not on his own, either. “Fhaergus? Oh, you mean that place that’s just closed off by a mountain range?”, he giggled. Yujin had heard of that, Shuren had spoken of that weird little place from time to time - and he’d sucked it all up, like the little kid he’d been, listening to a dreamlike fairytale. “It sounds lovely, do you want me to ask your brother? I mean, you could ask him yourself, but I don’t want him to be an ass to you again.” Dayan sounded somewhat vile, based on some stories that Richard had told.

Even then, what would he do? Accuse Dayan of being an asshole in the worst possible way and in the same sentence, begging him to let the two of them have a vacation? Probably, but maybe Yujin could also convey Richards feelings in another way - and to tell his brother that he, out of anyone, would benefit the most of Ares untimely death, or something in the same vein. “He’s stuck up, half a biscuit won’t hurt - I’ll eat the other half, if you’ll indulge me?”, the wolf soon asked, ready to be turned down once more - he didn’t mind, and in all honesty, Richard had every right to not want a shitty, stale biscuit from last night. “Hey, don’t say that. What are you going to do if I’m not there? Theoretically. Dying and wasting away aren’t good options, and besides, I’m sure that someone else would fall for your handsome face.”, Yujin teased once more. He’d be jealous, that was a given, but if, on the off-chance that he bit the grass or was sent away, Richard needed something or someone else to obsess over, or to cling to. “That means you need a new goal now, hm? How about … I work on remembering you and myself, and you work on … hm … how about protecting me?”, he suggested, yet, didn’t sound too serious. It was a suggestion, but even then, Yujin could protect himself and Richard if push came to shove and his opponent was someone else than Muhan, he was sure of that. “Hm, didn’t you hog mine for a considerable amount of time, though?” Why did he remember that? He had never done that before, and he wondered if, now that he took all things into account, he was already doing better than before - skipping his medication wasn’t so bad. “Nothing to thank me for, and … yes, that works for a schedule. You’re sure you want to learn from me? And are you abandoning me? Haha, all jokes aside, let’s get up then. Unless you want breakfast in bed again?” Yujin beamed and was all smiles again already, grabbing Richards hands and squeezing them. “I’ll support you, every step of the way.”

"You mean the hill we watched the fireworks from? Yujin, do you even know how a real mountain looks like?", Richard asked smiling, now wondering what the prince had dreamt about. That hill hardly qualified as a mountain, not when you knew what Fhaergus had in store and he wondered if Yujin would like it there. Richard did, more so when he was a child, when Dayan and him got older they often times got bored there, much rather being at home where they could walk into the city when they wanted to. Fhaergus capital was more a village than anything else but in hindsight Richard regretted not visiting more often. "Mhm, we have a mansion there. My father didn't do well in the cold however and Myriad had always housed the king so we lived in the castle there. When Thria and my father decided to fight back, Fhaergus was the first they conquered and that's where they built their first base. I'm sure your parents know Fhaergus very well too." After all they had been with them all the way. "Oh I just wrote him a letter... I will wait for his answer and besides, I don't think I'm comfortable going there right now...", Richard mumbled, his mood a bit dampened, but he was still fine. Asking his brother for a fever was nothing he fancied however.

Richard much rather picked up one of the biscuits for himself and bit off half of it, before stuffing the rest into Yujins mouth again. It was dry, Richard wasn't used to dry food anymore, it was odd, but the crunch was nice, something he also wasn't used to anymore. And sugar, something that wasn't used very often in Silesse. "Mh... it's true though. I mean... no, I don't want to manipulate you into staying with me, it's just... I don't think I would have even started talking again without you around." On one hand Richard was pretty sure that he'd die without Yujin, on the other he couldn't tell him that, lest he of course would stay, but for all the wrong reasons. Then Richard nodded. "I'd like to be able to protect you again." Their roles had shifted and Richard theoretically didn't have an issue with that, yet he felt more comfortable fighting for Yujin and be able to finally solve that damn mystery about his accident. He needed to be able to go out again first though. Richards cheeks turned red in an instant when Yujin mentioned the coat however. He forgot about that until now. "Mh...", he simply answered kind of agreeing to hogging that coat of his. Was it still in the hut? Maybe Yujin had found it at one point and taken it back home. "I... at this point I don't want to ask someone else... and no, but you want to plan some things for my birthday right? I probably shouldn't watch you all the time." And Richard had his own little project Yujin was well aware of.

"No, not that one! The one that leads to ... you know. The cave of my untimely demise, or whatever we want to call that spot.", he elaborated and then, now that he thought about it ... no, he had no idea what a mountain as supposed to look like and even worse, he just assumed that a slightly steep hill was one. A sigh left his lips, and it seemed apparent that, for one reason or another, he'd been defeated by his own stupidity again. "Alright, no, I don't have an idea. I just imagine this ... really giant rock, that's partially full of snow, and if you fall down, you can kiss your life goodbye. Those types of things?" Silesse had no mountains to speak of, and even if it did, they didn't qualify as such - they were steep slopes, made of ice that had grown into something like that over the years, and for the lack of better presentation, that was also how Yujin imagined those mountains of his, that seemed so near yet so far, all at the same time. Was that even a mountain in his dream, then? "Your father didn't do well in the cold? But Fhaergus is the coldest place in Adrestia, isn't it? How come ... oh, no. Your mom was silessian, you said that. And yes, my two old men know Fhaergus well, but all that I have of that place are stories. I doubt we ever left Silesse as a family - father doesn't like Adrestia very much, dad seems indifferent.", he elaborated, shrugging his shoulders in retaliation.

Whatever was he supposed to do? He'd been a child, at best, and as far as he could think, it didn't occur to him that he could just beg for some sort of vacation - it wasn't needed, and none of them felt particularly comfortable away from home, especially some place like Adrestia. However, even with that in mind, Shuren still proved to be the biggest obstacle in their way, even if Yujin didn't want it to be that way. "We'll wait for the next one then! And don't worry about it, though, it won't hurt to ask if we're welcome there. Or, if, you know ... he comes to whisk you away, I'd like to stay with you.", he mumbled, but soon found his mouth occupied with another one of those dry biscuits - Richard had taken him up on his offer, it seemed, and was now working on feeding those stale baked goods to him, rather than eating them himself. How mean! "Im glath!", he exclaimed, despite his mouth being full, and chewed throughly before swallowing. "It's not manipulation, you're just being honest. I like that." In some weird way, it almost sinded like praise to Yujin, as a person, and as someone that didn't know how to deal with himself. Not facing his own fears and trauma was, what he'd done all the time up until now and if he'd come to realize anything, then it'd be that ignoring the problem was by far easier than facing it head-on. "I like your voice, I always did ... and I'm glad you're talking again! ... How bad was the biscuit?", he soon enough beamed - Yujin was a pretty boring person, he knew that, but he also knew that he was capable of making a few decisions himself. "Like a valiant knight in shining armor, I'd like to see that. Hm, actually, we'd just benefit from being able to protect one another, no?" That meant they could go on trips, too, and if Yujin was honest, he'd love to do that, as soon as possible - he didn't want to be here for the scream-fight that both Shuren and Yins father might have, at some point in the near future. "Is it still there?", he asked, sheepishly, as he got back up on his feet and then decided upon something. "Let's go eat breakfast in the courtyard, how's that sound?" ... And you caught me red-handed. How did you even know I was planning something?"

"Oh.. I'm sorry. But technically that is a hole anyway.On a hill maybe, but... mountains in Fhaergus are much higher than what we climbed up there.", Richard explained, looking at Yujin who seemed a bit upset by the fact that he didn't know what a mountain was supposed to look like. Richard softly reached out for him and brushed over his cheek, trying to cheer him up. "That sounds about right. I'll show you mountains one day and flowers and meadows. I think that is what I will make my actual goal." He needed to get better. If he was able to defend himself again, maybe the outside wouldn't look that scary anymore and should Dayan be able to deal with Ares then maybe they could use the mansion for one or two weeks. Yujin would be able to see trees and meadowns, flowers and hills, everything he wanted. Some insects buzzing around, loud birds constantly singing, he probably would be overwhelmed by all of that. Silesse was scarce and there wasn't much life after all. Richard wondered how the Thrians that went to war in Adrestia felt. "Yes it is the coldest place and my mother is from Silesse. My father had always been sick since he was born and though it wasn't as bad as the doctors made it out to be, he still was stuck in a tent as long as he was in Thria."And he died too young. Given, compared to commoners he wasn't even that young when he died, but...

Richard averted his gaze a bit when he thought about Dayan, his eyes stuck at the window for some reason. "I can't really say what my brother thinks anymore... He might want me around, but at the same time I don't think he really does. But he sent me here to get better I think... not to exile me, that was just also part of it conviniently..." At least that was what Richard wanted to believe, yet still... if Dayan wanted him back it felt like he'd be more of an accessoire or a pet, just so he could feel good about having his brother close, rather than actually wanting him around. Maybe Richard was unfair to him though, but their little interactions in the castle left behind different scars on Richards soul. Dayan had never before acted like that and it engraved itself in Richards head, because he was unable to categorize it. "There is too honest too.", Richard eventually mumbled, but didn#t add that Yujin probably didn't know that. Actuall Richard didn't mind his honesty, at least he always knew where he stood. Richard looked back at Yujin with a soft smile. "It was good, it's nice to have something crunchy between my teeth." And yet he suddenly wanted to ask for an egg, unsure if there even were chickens in Silesse. maybe those wird other birds lay eggs too? "Mhm.", Richard nodded. "There might even be an armor in Fhaergus, though I'm not sure if it would fit either of us. my father had a custom one during the war and my grandfather was the last one wearing the decorative one before all went down. I might be a little too small for it." Though they had lots of festive armor in Fhaergus, from old to new that belonged to many knights of the family. None of those were used in combat, they had been for show, though they also had some used and broken ones there. "Maybe.", he answered regarding the coat and Richard wouldn't stop Yujin if he wanted to check in his alone time. Once Yujin finally stood up, Richard did too and he got himself a new set of clothes to change into. He nodded, eating in the courtyard sounded nice, why not and then he smiled again. "It's just something you do. I know you wouldn't let my birthday slide without getting me something, even if I told you there is no need."

"No, no! It's fine, I think I just made up too much stuff, you can feel free to call me out on it. I want to see those mountains, and maybe even climb them, though.", he suggested. Surely, if he wanted to get into Fhaergus in the first place, he'd have to climb one set or mountains - if they didn't leave for Adrestia by boat, which seemed likely enough. But even then, it didn't matter - they still had a long way until they got there, or got to a point that made Richard want to leave the castle again, as bitter as it sounded. "That sounds beautiful! I'll look forward to it!" If someone could have the intensity, the smile of a thousand suns, it was Yujin, who seemed to know what he wanted often enough - who seemed to be blissfully unaware of the world and the hurt that one could experience, just by existing. All that happened was, despite none of his own doubts persisting, like the whims of fate, spun from a feeble thread in the gods' minds, wrapping its delicate form around all that persisted in a hopeless world. Just imagining all the green, the lush grass and the warm breeze, as well as both flora and fauna of a land unknown excited him - he giggled, much like a kid at that. "But you're fine, hm? Well, seems like you lucked out, though. And I'm glad you did - even if you didn't come here out of your own volition, twice in a row. I'm sorry.", Yujin was the one that apologized this time around, but even now that he did so, he was doing it with a smile.

"Sounds like an asshole to me ... and I mean, I know that I'm not a good replacement and my family isn't but you're always welcome here, and I'm sure they won't mind you as part of the family." Yujin himself yearned for more affection from those that seemingly had no time to gift it to anyone, not even himself, and with that, he found himself attached to the blonde by the hip - one of them was without family, robbed of them and feeling lonely as a result, and the other one of them had everything one could ask for, but no attention from them, and thus, felt lonely in the process. All in all, it felt like a mess, but even then, Yujin didn't mind - he was Richards mess, and Richard was his mess; and despite all that, they worked together perfectly fine, spectacularly at times. "Sometimes it's alright to sugarcoat things. You don't have to shy away from the truth with me, though." That came from someone that had, all things considered, just straight up lied in the face that he smiled at now; and if he were honest about it, he, too, would come to realize that nothing that he did was helping any of them. "Who knows, maybe I can see if you're allowed something else aside from soup today? It would be a nice step in the right direction." Yujin couldn't eat any more bland soup and dumplings, or meat for that matter - he liked sneaking it over to Richard, though, but even then, he wanted some flavor, even if it came without much spice. "Oh, maybe you could get your own then, when we're back? Or we can find one that fits you - and if it doesn't, I guess you gotta grow a bit more. Come to think of it, did you grow? No, me either, though." Would they stay like that? Wasn't Richards dad a giant? Muhan wasn't much smaller than that guy anyway! And Xu was tall too! Where was Yujins fair share of height!? "Maybe you'd like it back?", he asked, with a grin, shuffling back into his boots and grabbing some clothes for himself out of Richards closet, too - they both shared everything at this point, well, aside from one or two things. "Was I overbearing last time? Or did you just assume that, based on my personality?" Yujin grabbed Richards free hand before leaving the room with him and asking a servant to bring them their breakfast to the courtyard, to which they promptly walked - Muhan wasn't there just yet, but he'd catch a whiff of their whereabouts sooner than later. "I asked them about some wood yesterday, they said you'd get some today ... I thought I should mention that."

Richard nodded. He hoped someday he could show Yujin real mountains and so much more. He'd probably get excited over a grasshopper or a butterfly, like a child that started to explore the world. Richard wanted to see him be happy and excited, it was the most beautiful thing he could imagine right about now. Yujin would probably be hot, even in Fhaergus, but Richard knew that it was suvivable, it was for Nayantai at least. Right... maybe Richard could see him again too, without either of them freaking out. From all the pain and suffering Richard had to endure in Olette, being seperated from Nayantai like that, as if he was dead too, was probably the most hurtful thing that happened. Richard shook his head to disperse those thoughts, he much rather stuck to his schedule today, he made that for a reason and it worked, because he could concentrate on that. "Almost fine, yes, but... don't worry." he wasn't sure if Yujin forgot about his own condition again, Richard had told him about it back then and also now, but if he forgot that was fine. "You don't need to be sorry.", he said though, he was glad he came here twice. There was no Yujin somewhere else.

"He's... no. He lost his family too, all of them in fact until he found us again a view months ago. We left him there to die... I understand why he is angry...", Richard defended his brother. He didn't want to paint him in a bad light, he sent him here to get better and Richard was doing just that. How could that be a bad thing? Then Richard nodded once more, maybe an actual breakfast was possible. Soup for breakast, lunch and dinner got incredibly boring after all. Maybe just some bread, or whatever else Silesse had to offer. "I don't think I'd need an armor.", Richard smiled, he actually had enough of fighting after what had happened. "I don't think I did, no.", he added and looked at his height compared to Yujins. If Richard would for once stand straight they were about the same height. Richards father had been pretty small, the chances of Dayan to get as big as Nayantai were higher, though... Caelan had bin tall too. "No not at all, it's just that I know you'll go to great lengths for presents. It's just how you are, at least I thinkt that." With that Richard let himself be brought to the courtyard where they looked for a nice place to sit and Richard even promptly got brought another blanket like yesterday. He'd get the wood too as it seemed and though Richard knew how he wanted the pendant to look at, he wasn't very proficient in carving things, so he wasn#t sure about any of that. maybe his motive was too complicated?

Adrestia seemed like a wondrous place, one that Yujin had never seen with his very own eyes and, at the pace that he was taking, would never see to begin with. it wasn't bad, in fact, it could be worse and the sole thought of making his way there, together with Richard, was exhilarating to say the least. Obviously, that also encompassed packing an adequate amount of equipment for their trip, and being able to defend one another in the eyes of danger, but even then, they both could only do so much without having healed properly. Normally, Yujin would worry about Richard and Richard alone, at least he figured that that was a him thing to do, but right now, his own leg was worrying him to - his memories seemed clearer than the days before that, and while that leg of his wasn't acting up just yet, he knew fairly well that it would, in due time no less, and once that would happen, he was nothing more than a liability to someone that, as things stood, couldn't and wouldn't fend for himself. It was almost scary to consider who Richard had been before that - Yujin swallowed his worries, unwilling to let them consume his thoughts for the rest of the day that they had yet to conquer. Was it silly to think that way? "I know, we could still prod my father about something that might help, yes?", he suggested once more. Shuren had answers for questions nobody asked anyway. "I'm just glad to have you back."

Their way had let them into the courtyard where they sat down, and a servant had soon trailed after them, given Richard a blanket and then hurried away again - Yujin wondered if she'd bring tea, too - and in the end, she showed up with two cups instead of one, handing each of them their own. "I mean, I ... can kind of understand him, but he just threw you aside like that.", Yujin claimed, shaking his head in disbelief. Even if his sibling did something, they'd never think of casting one another aside and maybe that was why all of that seemed so unbelievable to Yujin in the first place. Was it anything to be proud of? No, not in the slightest - but even then, there wasn't much he could object to - both him and Richard had vastly differing opinions sometimes. "No armor, no height ... I just feel sad, Muhan is so tall and I could've been tall too. But maybe not being tall is good.", Yujin nodded, but after that, he heard a raspy voice. "Muhan? And who'd that be?" Busted, by his own dad no less. "Dad! We were just talking about-" "Being tall, I heard that. I brought you two breakfast, eat up.", the rugged wolf spoke, offering each of them their own platter. For once, it didn't seem like soup on either of their plates, but instead it was ... fluffy, scrambled eggs? Yujin prodded at the steaming thing in his bowl, using the chopsticks his dad had handed him. "Baba, what on ea-" "Don't tell your father.", Muhan once again sighed, looking at the two of them. "You look well rested. Eat up, you had me waiting for a while, I thought you two weren't going to come out of your room again!" His old man wore a bright grin on his face, but he vanished to the other side of the courtyard soon enough, to check in on their props and weapons. "He's ... something sometimes. Anyways, yes, I do like giving you gifts, alright? Can I just ask ... what I gave you last time? I just remember something like, an explosion of color. The rest is fuzzy.", he admitted, digging into the egg, seemingly still somewhat runny, only to descover a bit of rice beneath - it wasn't much, but it probably was more than enough for Richard, whom he eyed a bit. "Want a spoon?"

"Mh... we can, but he's doing enough already and besides, since I'm here I didn't have any problems...", Richard mused, though he knew that it was only a matter of time. Once every view months, it happened in Adrestia too, maybe also in Olette, but he lost conciousness so often down there, he didn't always know why. His hand wandered towards his own heart as if he could ask it when he needed to prepare for the next incident, but of course he didn't know and right now it beat fine. There was nothing he was doing right now that would be dangerous anyway. He wasn't climbing any mountains or trees, nor was he hunted down by a bear or a soldier, even if it acted up it would only bind him to his bed for an afternoon and that was it. It would mess with his schedule, but he probably could live with that, he had to live with it the first time he was in Silesse too. A week of sickness there and another week where he could barely move... it turned out well in the end.

Once they sat down and Richard got a blanket he put over his legs, the servant came back to bring two cups of tea. One of which Richard took with a thankful nod to warm his hands. He sipped on it, feeling the warm liquid running down his throat and ending up in his stomach where it warmed him up from the inside. It was kind of cold out here, but not too cold for Richard and once he started moving, it would get better. "He cared for me, but I didn't get better, so he sent me here... I don't even think it was his idea. It was Luciens...", Richard mumbled, looking at the steam that came from his cup. Lucien wanted to get rid of Richard and so he did. Dayan was already angry at Nayantai so he probably didn't care about sending him away too... that was the feeling Richard got at least. Yujin incooperated some Silessian words so Richard would learn it seemed, but before he could answer, Muhan showed up, putting two plates of food in front of them - no soup this time, but not necessarily approved by Shuren as it seemed. Richard didn't complain, in fact he wondered why he got eggs when he wished for some previously without voicing it. Maybe he was lucky for once. Muhan soon walked away again and Richard started to eat, or at least he tried, though the eggs and the hidden rice fell off his chopsticks most of the time. "You gifted me some of these.", Richard answered pointing at his neck where the usual neckerchief sat, then he looked at his plate again. "Mh...", he didn't want a spoon, he was no child after all, but he also didn't quite know how to eat his food.

"You mentioned that, but it's also always good to be prepared for any occassion. And even a little bit helps, right?" Shuren might not have something for Richard after all, but even then, that only meant that both him and Richard had time to experiment - or rather, his father had the devices to make attempts in that regard, unlike his son, that wanted to help but feared that he'd only hurt Richard with the attempts he made, as well as the assumptions that he was any good at mixing medicine at this point. He drank from his untouched cup of tea now, and after that, nothing much would follow - they'd eat, then train, and then they would study silessian for a bit, before they would go their seperate ways for once. Yujin hadn't asked for eggs, he hadn't even wished for them, but in hindsight, it made sense. Once he took a bite, he found that it was delicious, and the rice as soft as it could be - Muhan had picked that for sure, probably because he prefered basic meals over lavish ones, or because he didn't want them to eat another serving of lukewarm, tasteless soup. "If you look at it like that, Lucien got your brother and I got you, no?", he mumbled, unsure who that guy even was. Richard didn't seem to like him and he'd said that he was more of a thorn in his side than anything; Yujin was inclined to believe that.

"But even then, I think it's save to assume that this Lucien guy is a weird one. I'm not sure, I don't think I'd feel really comfortable in his presence.", he admitted. No, Yujin wouldn't, and for a fact, he'd most likely try not to think about it too much - he wanted to think about breakfast and about Richard, about that smooth skin of his, about how rough it was around the edges and how overwhelming all those scars had to be. He wanted to cherish them, one step at a time, and while it was easy for him to accept them as part of Richard, he himself seemed to have problems in that regard, something that Yujin had thought of before, and yet didn't want to voice, in fear of chasing him away and making him believe that, if anything, Yujin only cared about that part of him in the first place. "Neckerchiefs? Hm, makes sense. I think that gives me an idea.", Yujin mused, finally starting to eat, fast at that, as if he had little appreciation for both presentation and what his food looked like; instead, he dug in, watching Richard and smiling in between bites, who made a disgruntled noise. Richard seemed like he was trailing after the wolf soon enough, unable to do something like that on his own, despite practice, and Yujin didn't mind, instead demonstrating how to do it himself - only to offer the piece he'd picked up to Richard, instead of eating it himself. "I don't mind.", he admitted, and no, he'd never cared much about needing to lend Richard a hand - he'd always seemed so happy, contend without smiling, and the thought alone made the prince smile, even slightly blush, too.

"You're probably right...", Richard mumbled, but aside from the checkups Shuren had performed, there was no occassion Richard had talked to him befoer and he felt weird asking for a favor like that. it was rude, shouldn't he at least exchange pleasantries every now and then? Shuren didn't even get paid for his services and knowledge. Richard looked at this eggs, he didn't even uphold his rules right now, though at least his very own husband had brought Yujin and Richard those eggs, so it wasn't really Richards fault. Still, Muhan sounded like he wanted them to eat up quickly, probably so Shuren wouldn't spot them with those plates, but he probably knew anyhow when the cooks reported there was leftover soup and instead some missing rice and eggs. "Yeah... I think Dayan is happy, so I guess I should be happy for him and not be annoyed at his boyfriend. I think he sent me here because he found the pendant. It was one of the very first things he asked me about." Maybe Dayan also just wanted to boat with his own ring, but maybe not.

"He is the son of the man that is at fault for my siblings death and for locking Nayantai and me up... I can't say I'm a fand of him.", Richard summed up, leaving out the part of Lucien kiling his own father. Aramais had done the same, he sacrificed his own father so he would live and hold control over Olette. Why would Lucien be any better? The way he interacted with Dayan seemed too over the top to be genuine too and whenever he interacted with Richard it seemed like he lost patience with him after only a view minutes. "An idea? More of those...?", Richard asked. Whatever present Yujin wanted to give Richard, he'd love it regardless, but he felt bad for missing Yujins birthday twice. Yujin now picked up some of Richards food with his own chopsticks to feed it to the blonde. He usually didn't mind, but Muhan was right there and he was a bit embarrassed, still taking the bite. At one point he was quite good with those things, he just needed to practice a bit. "Go train. I'll eat up and then stroll around until you're down.", he expressed with a smile, then tried to fish some food for himself.

"We'll see!", he tried to encourage Richard. They could try, and even if they didn't, it wasn't going to hurt too much - a suggestion was everything this was, nothing more, and for once, Yujin didn't fear repercussions, just because he asked something. Who knew, maybe his father was, for once in his life, busy relaxing and not paying too close attention to the man he was supposed to treat; something that seemed nigh impossile, considering that he showed up for check-ups once in a while and those biscuits that he'd gotten yesterday were, all things considered, preferably made for Richard, if he'd eaten them somewhat fresh and not after they'd stayed out in the open for an entire night. Not much was perishable out here, in fact, it survived a tad bit longer, thanks to the temperatures, but even then, eternal winter wasn't something that everyone liked to live through for the rest of their lives. "Hm, you could be happy for him, or maybe you'd like to be happy for yourself? I'm happy that you're here and doing so much better, for example. And I'm happy you kept that pendant.", Yujin admitted, but he did't know anything about Dayan, or the type of person he was supposed to be. To him, he was a stranger, and if it stayed that way, he probably wouldn't mind it either.

"I ... can see why. Sounds like he's not really popular, for a lot of the right reasons.", he concluded, nodding his head. Lucien seemed, all things considered, to be the person that Richard mostly blamed for his fate, not all of it, but the part that led him back to Silesse, into unending winter, and while Yujin should be glad that he was here, which he openly expressed, he couldn't help but hurt for Richard as well, taking into consideration that, among all those things, he still yearned for his own family and not someone like him. "No, not quite. You'll see once I have everything, but until then, that'll be a secret. I don't want to ruin the surprise." Did Richard like surprises? Not that he knew, but he also didn't want to make it particularly easy on the blonde, or ruin a good birthday gift by giving away what he'd thought about - Yujin would spend his alone time, however long that would be, thinking things up and jotting down ideas. A grand birthday party with lots of unknown faces wouldn't do, but a small celebration with just the two of them was more than fine; Yujin figured as much. His eyes trailed back to his chopsticks and followed Richards lips, hesitantly taking the food for himself - was Muhan making him nervous? "Okay, okay! If you need any spoons, just ask a servant - and if you need help, just ask me!", the wolf spoke, quickly chowing down the rest of his food and chugging the remainder of his tea, before booping Richards nose. "Tag, you're it.", he joked, but he got up soon enough, running over to his dad, who took him into a headlock and ruined his already bad bed hair, before letting go of it, after much protest from his son. Then, however, they went straight to training - and this time he wouldn't try to look at Richard all the time! ... If that'd work. "Stay focused this time.", Muhan instructed. "Yes, yes - I am, bring it on." His dad didn't wait much longer, and while he was at it, Yujin tried to mostly evade or block his blows, before striking back - he needed a good strategy for this.

Yujin didn't make much sense to Richard so he just smiled, looking at his scrambled egg that looked a little less appealing now. Richard wasn't sure if he should be happy for Dayan, or if he should be worried, after all this Lucien could only mean bad news... right? The blonde wasn't sure and telling Dayan to be careful would do nothing, so he much rather shut up and hoped for the best. It didn't matter much, he was in Silesse and his brother was in Myriad, they were weeks if not months apart and each of them kind of lived their own life now. Richard wrote him a letter, but he didn't know what to say in it, so he just made a little report on his situation and progress here, whereas he wrote multiple pages to Nayantai. It was unfair and maybe he'd been upset, but Richard just felt like he didn't know him anymore. They had been so close and now, even though Dayan was still alive, it elt like he lost him once more and his father too. Richard felt alone.

The blonde looked up at Yujin still smiling, but it was the same smile his father wore so often when they came in when he actually felt very sick. it had been hard to tell and the bigger indicators were servants or Nayantai shooing the children out of the room. "That't fine. I can wait.", he replied regarding his birthday surprise, Yujin would make it way too grand wouldn't he? Richard doubted it would be any more than just the two of them, but it still would be big, right? Richard nodded once more when he gained back control over his food and then he watched Yujin run over to his dad. Not before feeling a finger on his nose, but Richard could hardly react to that. Muhan was pulling Yujin in to rough up his hair and it was almost painful to watch for Richard. Muhan was cheerier and his smile seemed less tired than Nayantais and still he reminded Richard of him and not only that, how he interacted with his son reminded Richard of his old life too. He had been close to his dads, he was again after a bit of time here in Silesse and now there was a different gap between him and Nayantai, one he couldn't quite cross. He wished he could have his father like Yujin had his and he felt bad to not be happy for Yujin instead. He was actually, but not as much as he wanted to be as he watched them spar. After he ate he still kept watching, but he started to wal around the courtyard a bit as promised.

Richard watched the two of them closely while making his laps and his fingers started twitching. He knew he could hardly keep up with them right now, but his mind focused on Muhans movements and tried to find a way to use one of those openings Yujin missed over and over again. Richard wasn#t very proficient in fighting an enemy with a spear, nayantai long since switched to a sword and it was the only thing Dayan and him had trained with as well. Even back here in Silesse, Richard trained on his own and back in Adrestia Nayantai used his own sword. No one there used a spear either. It excited him even more and he wanted to find a way to beat that weapon. Caelan would have known, he fought countless of wolves, but overall the advantage of Adrestia seemed to be their number and their armor, not their weapon of choice. Swings with the sword were faster however, albeit having to get closer and whereas a wooden stick hurt when it hit you, it hurt less than a blade.

Yujin grew tired, Richard could see that very clearly and he almost got hit. While Muhan was still aggitated about the avoided strike, Yujin tried to use that opening, but he was too slow and soon landed on his butt once more. That was it for today, Yujin had spent all his energy and he grew impatient and frustrated. Richard wasn't one to talk about such emotions, but when he fougt in Adrestia he learned to keep his feelings outside of the battle and deal with them later. Again Yujins hair was messed with and when Muhan waved at Richard he slowly came closer to join them. Soon enough a hand reached out for Richards own hand and he twitched a little bit, making himself smaller when his hair got ruffled up too. This was odd and he looked up at Yujins father once he took his hand off. Yujin was ready to go and take a bath while Richard was too, yet he eyed that wooden training sword that still was in Yujins hand. Then he shook his head, questioning his own ideas. "I'm good too.", he nodded in response.

Richard watched Muhan trail off before Yujin as well got close and ruffled through Richards hair. Again he ducked a bit and he was embarassed too. He didn't see anyone around just now, but still someone surely saw that just now and Richards cheeks turned red. He didn't say anything however and his own self would have probably punched Yujin right in his face. He did nothing of that sort, he just let it happen and looked up to Yujin afterwards, who seemed so much bigger, but actually Richard just made himself small all the time. "Mh...", Richard mumbled regarding Yujins training, he actually didn#t want to intrude or act like he knew better. He knew how to fight with a sword but he probably could hardly lift one now. He also didn't have much if any experience when it came to fighting an opponent with a spear, so he kept his thoughts to himself for now. maybe at some point he'd feel strong enough to try and beat Muhan himself, but until then Yujin surely would have managed it already.

Richards hand was promptly grabbed and they both made their way to the giant bath. Richard liked it there, it was warm and humid. Yujin locked the door and only let go of Richard to get out of his clothes and Richard did the same. He went into the water fast, as usual, partly because the ice that made up the floor was cold on his feet, but more so to hide himself, to hide his body, even though Yujin already had seen it. Scars weren't inheritable and Nayantai wasn't even related to Richard, but they shared a pretty messed up back now. Richard wondered if Dayan anaged to be jealous about that too. Who knew, maybe he thought too bad about him, he should stop. Richard sank into the water and moved to the edge to put his arms on it and burry his face. He had been feeling good this morning and he had been feeling good before after a certain low, but now it seemed to go downwards again. He wasn't sure how to deal with those sudden mood shifts, when a single little thought was enough to make him think about things he rather forgot. The day only started and he had a lot of things planned yet his motivation wasn't as high as in the morning. He wanted to get better for Yujin and he felt awful for that not being a good enough motivator as it seemed. He felt like he didn#t care about Yujin enough.