bloodbound. (earinor & akira)

"That does sound weird, but I'm glad you are at the same time.", he confessed, having expected the worst. Richard wasn't someone that gave up easily and yet it seemed almost as if Xu would have been someone that could make him, that would push him far enough to actually try and give up again, lose the spark he had clung to the past few weeks. Yujin was glad it wasn't the case. "That is good." A nod followed, confirming the odd suspicion. Often times he couldn't read his father and this time it was no exception. Over the years, he seemed to have honed his skills and made sure that no one could reach him, not from all the way down here, not when he was sitting up there, on a throne among the clouds, ever obsessed with his own idea of what the world should become, of how to shape and form a place that did not welcome him. "The only blood on Xu's robe was his own from when you hit him with that rock. I suppose he is, but Quan really isn't my concern right now. Would you sleep better if I took care of him?" Yujin didn't hate him outright, wouldn't kill him or hurt him too much - maybe he'd simply banish him away, as was his birthright after all. "Mhm."

"You should look after yourself first.", Yujin demanded, shaking his head. This was no way for Richard to endure the night and it would get worse - Yujin knew it would, at least if he didn't take the medication he was being offered right now. "I came up with somehing myself, it's working - for now.", he whispered. "And piss off your brother if he catches wind of it? Father isn't that insane." Insane enough to have this man kids competing for a throne that didn't exist still seemed to be insane enough to crown him the worst father anyone had ever had. There wasn't much time for that, he could lament his life at some point in his life, perhaps one beyond this one, one marred with the scars of someone else, shamefully tucked away. He held a lukewarm cup of water to Richards lips, it had been hot at some point, and let him drink, then put it back on the nightstand and finally, he cast his shoes aside and crawled into bed, snaking himself around the other man in a way that he could get comfortable in. "Yes. Who knows what he comes up with." Yujin was being honest, as much as he thought it was insane of him to do. "I'll put you on the sled, easy as that. You'll stay warm, I have storage for other stuff and you don't have to move an inch, either.", he proudly announced.

"I just... wanted more time with you and Dayan too. I thought he died. He didn't, but I am so far away from him.", Richard tried to explain. He might cause him trouble he knew, but still, he missed him and Nayantai. He already lost half of his family, why would he throw away the rest too? He wanted to go home so badly, partly because Silesse seemed much less welcoming the past couple weeks. When Yujin talked about Quan like that he looked up at him with a surprised look on his face. "Took care of him? No. I'm not worried he'd hurt you or me. I got him in trouble though." It seemed to be right to make sure he was okay, but he understood Yujins anger towards him as well. If he said he was probably alright then that had to be good enough.

"What about you looking after yourself? I'm used to this..." His head hurt enough so he'd just pass out eventually and slept through the rest of the pain, he was sure of it. "Something? Why so mysterious...?", he asked further. Maybe here wasn't the right place, but with Xu out of the picture, did Yujin still have to pretend? "He tends to be very protective...", Richard agreed and he knew he spouted all of this too, that his brother would burn this place to the ground if something happened to Richard, but he couldn't be sure of that if he was honest. Aside from his own motivations, he didn't have any soldiers which could withstand the cold. Richard took a few sips of water. Swallowing was hard, but he didn't complain. Then finally Yujin joined him. The bed shifted, which hurt a little, but again Richard just swallowed it down. Any position hurt anyway and laying on his back, the one he landed on, wasn't ideal either, but his leg also needed to be on a little pillow apparently. "I mean that solves that problem, but... we need food and firewood and possibly some other things. I don't want to be alone out there... Here you can just send a servant to get something to eat."

“If you want to see him nothing speaks against that. We can just invite him, how about it?” Richards brother was most definitely a busy man and likely not in the mood for something like this, Yujin was aware of most kings no nonsense attitude, but for his injured baby brother? Surely the mighty, benevolent King Dayan of Adrestia, or whatever that mans name and title was, found it within his grand heart to visit his baby brother. “You’re feeling bad for him?”, Yujin questioned, sounding astounded as he tried to cuddle close without coming too close. “He probably ratted you out without even giving it a second thought. You shouldn’t feel remorse for him even if Xu beat him to a pulp.” As harsh as it sounded, it was the truth. The only person Richard should pity was himself - they finally managed to snuggle and talk after what felt like forever and now, the next day, they couldn’t really do that because one of them had been splintered into a thousand pieces by the other ones brother. So much for Xu’s loving exterior and carefully crafted facade - keeping up appearances, especially around Yujin, was now impossible.

“You shouldn’t be, though. I wish it was different, but I can hardly swaddle you in hundreds of blankets and keep you save forever.” Or undo what had already been done to him. Yujin hated even thinking about it - Richard deserved better, deserved more and not someone that tore him limb from limb, shred for shred until pain became one of many companions. “Huh? Oh, no. Some formula for painkillers, I mean. I don’t want to bore you with the ingredients right now, but I can show you sometime. We have plenty of time now anyhow.” If they fled from the castle life was bound to become harder, perhaps even borderline impossible but Yujin wanted to at least try and make things work out for them, as far away from home as he could go without being tied back down. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn’t going to be good at this but he had to learn at some point. “Is he going to burn Silesse to the ground because of this?”, he wanted to know, looking at Richard with pleading eyes. Whether Yujin was asking to torch it or not, however, that remained up in the air it seemed. Many things did and as Richard raised his concerns, Yujin gently kissed him on the lips, a quick peck, nothing else. “I’ll manage. We’ll just bring you along, or bunker so much we won’t have to leave for a while. That good enough?”

"Well in my last letter I asked him to talk. There is some things we can't talk about over letter. I he wants that he'll either come here or send someone to bring me back." And if it was the latter, Richard would just take Yujin with him. Should he write to Dayan again? Tell him that he got injured? Maybe that was too much. Yujin cuddled closer and Richard just wanted to have him next to him, even if it hurt a little. "Maybe, but... I don't know. There has been enough death I think and I don't think he wants to help Xu, he's just scared. He sounded like he regretted what he did and he said he tried to keep you save. Maybe you two can talk? You're right to be angry, but having him on your side over Xus is a plus, right?" Banishing him from here seemed harsh, especially when Quan had no one looking out for him then. If something happened to him now, all eyes in the castle would be on Xu, if he just died somewhere in the middle of nowhere, nobody would even know.

"I'm making enemies everywhere..." Richard sighed with a pained expression on his face. Soon he'd have nowhere to go, because there was someone trying to kill him everywhere he went. "And you have access to that should we move to the hut?", Richard asked, still worried about the logistics. Richard couldn't hunt, especially not with a broken leg. He couldn't even get some fresh snow to boil and aside from tea, he didn't know how to cook, that was never something he needed to do. Living in the hut before, Nayantai did that. Of course Yujin would tell him all he needed to do was being here, but Richard didn't want to put everything on him. "Huh? No. He can be rash, like punching someone because they hurt me, before even thinking about it, but he's the kind of person that always apologized after. Burning some place down gives enough time to think it over. That revenge trip of mine, we weren't raised to be like that..." Dayan might have changed too, Richard didn't have enough time to figure out how he was doing, but he wouldn't be that brutal. Richard was surprised by the kiss, but it wasn't unwelcome. Yujin seemed to have set his mind to getting out of here and Richard understood why. Maybe they could just have a servant bring stuff every now and then, but either way, Richard agreed. "Yeah." He still had his worries about it, but they could try at least if it gave Yujin some peace of mind. "That medicine makes me tired...", he admitted, at least a wave of tiredness just washed over him and he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to keep his eyes open.

"Which isn't a bad thing, no?", he asked Richard with utmost sincerity. Yujin knew that no matter what, Richard seemed to at least want to try and talk to his brother one more time, no matter the cost. Making that happen already sounded insane enough but worse, it was even odder that he couldn't pull any strings to make it happen. Was there really a need for Dayan's intervention? As much as Yujin wanted to leave, he wasn't sure he could trust a stranger that, by all accounts, was hardly much better than his very own brother. "Mhm, maybe we two can talk. I'll try and talk to him soon, okay? You should get some rest for now and I'll take care of it sometime soon.", Yujin assured him, unsure himself if he could manage. No matter what, he wasn't sure if the likes of Quan were something he wanted to spend, no, waste his time with. That man, in his eyes, had not only lost all honor he had but also all credibility he ever possessed, all sympathy he'd had for him, even in his downright confusing state. But Richard seemed to want this, have a desire to see it through to the end and who was Yujin, if not a caring lover, that he didn't take care of both their worries in one fellow swoop?

"Can't wint them all I'd say, but you somehow manage to attract the most shady of characters at all times.", he agreed with Richard, even if he didn't want to. Somehow, some way, the only person Richard seemingly could rely on was him, at least for right now. Both his fathers were more useless than ever. "We are moving some of my stuff into the hut, it's as simple as that." Moving stuff he'd taken from Shuren wouldn't be impossible but it was only right that he looked into getting everything dealt with as soon as he could and make sure he got his grabby hands on his own things, too. What if his old man suddenly started demanding he repay him for raising him? With what, even? Yujin didn't want to think about the insane possibilities and implications. "I know, I'm only asking. I don't know your brother all that well after all and the only time I actually hear anything from him its mostly about how he's hurt you, you know?" Why Richard was here again in the first place, why Dayan somewhat sucked at being an older brother and why he was being so mean to Richard for all the wrong reasons. At times he believed the man he loved was influenced way too much by another person, namely that brother of his, who had no right snooping around in his personal affairs after all. "We should sleep. Big day tomorrow, no? It's okay, I'll keep you company. Promise.", Yujin mumbled, unsure if he would even manage to sleep at all tonight.

"If he wants to.", Richard reminded Yujin and he also accepted him being not so sure if he wanted to talk to Quan. All Richard cared about was that he didn't lay there in his hut, slowly dying because who knew what Xu did. If Yujin wanted his death as well, it was hardly Richards place to intervene, but at least it should be quick and merciful. "Are you shady?", he then asked Yujin with a smile. The move to the hut was all but confirmed as well it seemed. Richard was still unsure about it, he didn't want to be a burden after all. "Hurt me?", he asked about Dayan. Richard did say that he only wanted him out of the way and stuff like that, but he'd just felt incredibly useless and beat himself up more than he intended to talk badly about his brother. "I do think he only sent me here because he knew somewhat that I met you here and I think he thought I'd be getting better away from Adrestia, Ares and also Nayantai.", he tried to explain. Dayan was definitely not like Xu. For now however sleep sounded splendid and Richard made himself as comfortable as he could. He fell asleep fairly quickly.

The next day he was eventually woken up by Yujin who told him excitedly that everything was ready. He already brought a bunch of stuff to the hut, or let it be brought and the only thing left was Richard and the kittens, who they didn't talk about, but Richard wouldn't let them here and Yujin probably wouldn't either. Richard still hurt all over and he had a headache that was worse than the day before. Still he tried to show as little as possible of it, as to not worry Yujin or incite him to be even more careful. Meanwhile his throat turned blue and so did most of his back. "I don't know if I can even make it out of bed...", he admitted to Yujin. The broken leg wasn't even the biggest issue, the issue was that his head, neck, spine and ribcage hurt whenever he did anything. Even pushing himself into a sitting position seemed nearly impossible.

While moving everything someplace else was easy, the last bit of baggage - Richard himself - seemed to be the most daunting task. With him being unable to both move anywhere and get around on his own, it was like lugging around a block of iron, more than a single sack of rice and getting him to the sled wasn't easy either. Yujin found that lifting Richard was easy, moving just likely hurt him, which wasn't optimal. In the end, though, they had settled for the hut and there was nothing they could change about that, not here and now anyway. As he paced about the room, he wondered if that was what they both had to endure - a life that was squandered by others, for their own gains, for making sure all they possessed was but the hopes and dreams and aspirations of others, life being always about them and never someone else. He was sick and tired of it, of waking in a world that would never be his own, to live day in and day out in a haze he couldn't make any sense of. Yujin wanted to be done with this, wanted to make the unsurmountable possible, desired nothing more than to be by his lonesome with the single person in this world he could seemingly trust.

When he went to check in on Quan today, who lived unscathed, there was nothing he coudl tell him - all he could do was make sure the man himself was alive, about as well as he could be and see to it that Xu didn't sink his claws into his flesh, into his brain, again. Quan seemed terrified and Yujin sneered at him, his shadow feeling much longer, much more imposing than ever before. There was nothing to be gained from this, other than a cheap intimidation tactic, to make him scared of the one person he should very much actually be scared of, not Xu. Their conversation was brief, nothing of note and retired soon enough. Quan would bring him what he needed when he needed it, no questions asked and Yujin got to keep him in check - one bother more, one worry less. "Can you hold on?", he asked, leaning over to Richard, trying to figure out where to touch, yet it seemed as if every spot was a bad one - Yujin didn't want to hurt him, much less did he have any sort of need for something like that. Everything seemed to be stacked against him. "Hm, how are your hands feeling? I can carry you on my back."

Richard appreciated the thought and he appreciated that Yujin wanted to get away from here, from everyone, to live his own life without being controlled or threatened, but at the same time Richard felt like the move to the hut was rushed and not to his benefit. He could probably make it there and whether he suffered in bed here or someplace else didn't matter. Still, it felt like moving him one day after he fell out a window was a bit much and he wasn't sure if Yujin was doing it for himself, or because he thought it was the best for Richard. At the same time he wondered if Yujin didn't take on too much. Could he really live there on his own? He was a prince, much like Richard, but Richard had lived there and he had lived on the go with Nayantai, hunting, making fires, gathering wood and all that. Did Yujin know how to do this and not just for a single trip, but for days and weeks and months? He'd have to get snow, warm it up, fill their tub, then grab Richard, help him wash as long as he couldn't move enough himself. It wasn#t a simple matter of getting some servants to help, and bringing him down to the always hot baths.

However Yujin tried to touch him it hurt, but that wouldn't change anytime soon. His hesitance made this much more difficult than it had to be. "That won't work...", he sighed. His hands were fine and so were his arms for the most part, but one his shoulders hurt like hell and maybe had a crack or two in them and whenever he used his arms in any way that required his chest muscles as well, his entire upper body started burning. "Just pick me up any way you like and get this over with.", he told him. He better didn't change his mind anytime soon and drag him back in here. Richard just wanted to sleep and recover, not ponder how to not hurt him for twenty more minutes when that was simply impossible.

Yujin sighed at the display before him, knowing he had little choice. Nothing he was doing would be working out, nothing he needed to be doing right now anyhow. Comforting Richard and keeping him save was one of his tasks, yes, but it wasn't like that was so very impossible to do. "That's why I asked.", he told Richard, letting his shoulders slump a little bit. Today wasn't for him, it seemed like it had been for just about everyone else and nothing mattered beyond that Richard was feeling like he could just huddle up somewhere. Yujin wasn't sure he didn't regret the spur of the moment decision, yet had no idea wherever else he was supposed to go - they both didn't like it here anymore and dragging servants back to the hut was an idiotic idea by itself. "Mhm." No more time to waste, then? Without too much care he grabbed Richard where he could, bundled him into his arms and brought him outside to where he had put the sled - he sat him down, then made sure he was secured in place and went inside one last time to go get the kittens, which he had contained in a basket that he put and secured on the sled as well.

For now he simply pushed them forward, the snow and ice making it easy despite everything loaded onto the sled itself - the way to the hut was silent, entirely so and when they arrived by the hut, Yujin made sure to bring the basket with the kittens inside first and set it down gently, out of his way, to go and grab Richard. "That wasn't so bad?", he asked more than he stated, unfastening the other man from the sled and ultimately carrying him inside. He had made sure to light the fireplace before he left to go get him, and he had taken care of the few things that had been in disrepair. For now, though, he maneuvred them both to Richards room and put him down on the bed of furs, still unsure if he shouldn't replace it with a proper one. "How's this feel?", he wanted to know, propping Richards leg back up on a pillow and leaning over him to draw the curtains shut a slight bit more. It was somewhat dusty in here, despite Yujins efforts but at the very least it was warm and cozy.

Yujin did what Richard asked of him. It hurt and he was frustrated that once more he was at the mercy of others, unable to do anything himself. He wanted to be able to go out the castle gates on his own, brave the world because he felt better and stronger, not be carried out like a sack of potatoes and strung around by others, in this case Yujin. Maybe it would have been healthy getting there himself, much as it would have maybe helped to go to the hut on his own and face his fears. He was put on the sled and secured, the cats in a basket close to him. They meowed loudly, they didn't know what was happening and he felt bad for them. They were probably cold too, at least Richard was out here. Yujin tried his best, he knew that, but as so often he just did whatever he wanted, because he thought it was the best for Richard. When he pushed him away and didn't want to be friends with him, when he tried to stop this relationship, when he came over even though he was not invited, when he helped Richard with all sorts of things he rather would have been forced to do alone and now, when he decided the best place for them was the hut and thus they would go there.

Sure Richard could have said a harder no, could have told him to stop even now, but he didn't. He swallowed it down, believing that he voiced plenty of worries before, which Yujin simply brushed aside. Nayantai forced him to Silesse, Dayan did the same and now Yujin forced him over here. Was Richard allowed to decide himself where he was going? Well, the one time he did decide didn't end well. When they arrived there lay a stone in Richards stomach. He didn't say anything as Yujin carried him inside, into his former room and bed that was barely one. This place, even though Richard only lived here for a short time, bore a lot of memories. He'd been an ass to his father, but in the end they grew closer again and Richard was more appreciative. It was bare and they didn't have much to begin with, but the fact that his father wasn't here but miles away from him made it look even more lonely. He wanted to be alone and just rest, but the cats were still meowing and he figured he should be helping them acclimate to their new environment. "Can you let the cats out? Maybe here on the bed...? They might feel more comfortable around me."

Was this a mistake? It didn't seem like it could be - there was nothing he could do, not for either of them, outside of moving them from one place to the next. There was nothing to be gained from worrying about the obvious, much less was there anything to be gained from staying where they simply wouldn't be welcome. Yujin hadn't stopped to ask anyone for permission, he had just went and if somebody had anything against that, they could as well bring it up to that face of his that bore a souring expression every once in a while now. "Sure, I don't see why not." They weren't his priority, Richard was, but if he demanded them by his side, there was no reason for them not to be. Thusly, he walked back to where he had left the kittens, made sure the door was closed properly and brought the basket over to Richards room, only to open it back up there and let them out, onto Richards bed. There was plenty of stuff to unpack, plenty to do and it now fell all back to him. The realization came late, much like the cold feet he should have considered before moving them both here. Was his father going to hound them to the ends of the earth? Who was to say he wouldn't.

The little rascals seemed insecure about their everchanging environment but recognized Richard, clearly a source of comfort for them, which proved useful in the long run. For now, all they had was a single room in the castle but that was gone now, had disappeared on the horizon and Yujin eyed the three of them, the kittens that so curiously started sniffing the fur Richard lay on. "Do you want more painkillers? Anything to drink? Something to eat?", he cautiously asked, unsure where all of this would lead in the long run if they eventually found that living together like this was for neither of them. Yujin could make do, he had to, now that he had decided on something that mattered just about nothing in the grand scheme of things, whoever's that would be. Was his father under the assumption he was going through a rebellious phase or was he finally accepting what had happened? There were more than just those thoughts, they clung to him like regret that plagued him over and over again. Did he really, surely think this through? "If not I can stay or leave you be for now, in case you want a nap or something?" Insecurities didn't help, they really never did.

Yujin did what Richard asked of him and set the basket with the kittens on his bed. They slowly ventured out, more confident once they spotted Richard. One of them came to cuddle and wanted comfort after what just happened and Richard obliged, slowly raising his hand on his stomach and like this he was able to at least wiggle his fingers to give the cat much needed attention. The other one was more daring and started to examine the bed and all the furs and smells it had on it, but neither of them seemed eager to hop off for now. Richard liked them here, he was glad they were bustling around and he wouldn't be all alone when Yujin had to leave to a different room. He watched them both occupying his mind with them instead of something else, instead of any worries or anything else negative that creeped around in his head.

Yujin seemed a bit lost and Richard wasn't in the mood to talk much. "No I'm fine.", he told him. He wasn't hungry and he didn't want to do anything else. He also didn't want to take too much of whatever it was whoever of this family brewed up. After what they did to Yujin, he didn't trust their medicine much, even if he himself was never hurt by it thus far. He took Yujins offer though. "Yeah I think I just need to rest.", he told him which was partly true, but partly he just needed to be alone a bit. This wasn't just any hut or any room to him, but he also wanted to deal with it on his own, especially after Yujin already dragged him here without taking his concerns seriously. He just needed to acclimate and figure out how not to be reminded of his father all the time by just being here.

"If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, just call for me, okay? I'll check in on you, but I don't want to invade your personal space." The hut wasn't that large and if Yujin honored all that had transpired here before, it was clear it held little space for him if he didn't spend time by Richards side - he didn't want to jeopardize his fathers room with his own ideas, something he noticed only when sticking his head in through the door that this room wasn't anywhere he wanted to be, either. For now he closed the door to Richards room, to give him some privacy and looked at what needed fixing still. Dusting the place was a start, tossing some of the things that had been left behind and gone bad and then setting up some of the stuff he had brought over would help, wouldn't it? For now, Yujin cleaned the place, fixed any of the warped wooden boards with some nails if he could and made sure there wasn't too much of the cold coming from anywhere. He restocked on some of the spices as they were, their containers partially worn as well and moved the sacks of rice inside that he had brought, lest they got wet, as well as some of the cured meat and greens.

For now he put some of Richards hardier plants by the window, others closer to the fireplace to keep them warm, but left watering out for now. Yujin simply kept unpacking, moved things to where they belonged or should belong and went along with the flow of his own inner clock - he had time, enough to actually hunker down over the kitchen table and his own notes, to take out both mortar and pestle and grind some of the things he had brought into fine powder, mixing it with one another. This would be fine as a painkiller, he was sure of it and as long as it worked for himself, it would work for Richard as well. Was he mad at him? Yujin probably just ... ugh, he was an idiot, wasn't he? He had decided over Richards head, just done what he felt like, like he always did and always would. Annoyed at himself, he tied up what he was doing and stashed the painkiller and equipment as well - he could cook something, anything, and it would likely be enough to quench both of their hunger, though, maybe it was better he stopped being so up in his own head about all of this. What if he was just attributing this too much thought? Richard needed rest more than anything to heal.

Richard agreed to call if he needed anything, but for now he simply wanted to be alone and have some peace and quiet. Every position he could put his body in hurt. He couldn't lie on his side and his back was battered and bruised. His head hurt too as well as his spine and he just hoped moving here didn't break or misalign anything. One of the cats thought it was a good idea to venture onto his chest, which just made him cough and move it off. He wasn't mad, of course not, those were kittens and they didn't know, but it was a bit annoying that that weight alone was enough to hurt him. Richard tried to sleep and he managed a few minutes here and there but he woke up again every time. For a while he just looked at the kittens which ventured a bit further every time he looked up. One of them went to the closed door, probably hearing Yujin on the other side, wondering what was there and slightly pawing at the door. This hut also had multiple fireplaces. One in the kitchen and one in Richards room. The other cat moved there and enjoyed some warmth.

It grew dark and only the fireplace lit the hut. Richard imagined people to suddenly see the small dots in the distance again that were the windows, a silent testament of someone living here again. It was so far away rom the village, which was probably a good thing. Richard wondered if Yujin kept the fire in the kitchen going as well. He didn't need to. Richard was confined to in here anyway and this wooden hut heated up much better than a castle of ice. Yujin would just be too hot. Richard had had enough time alone and he realized being angry at Yujin was just silly. Thus he tried to raise his voice as best he could. "Yujin?", he called out. He heard him rummage for a bit but it had since stopped. There was only so much he could do. "Are you busy?"

There were books he brought, mostly for himself, but he could share the ones he didn't need for himself with Richard - there was food to be made, corners to be dusted, snow to be cleared at least in front of their entryway and there still was some sort of epiphany stuck in his head: Where on earth would he put his stuff? There was nowhere for him to go, there was an unused room that he didn't want to claim, out of both respect and other reasons, but that only left Richards room, which once more pulled them closer. In the end he had settled on clearing the kettle, on fetching some snow for water and on setting up a pot to simmer some soup, nothing too hearty and nothing too meager. While all of that cooked he took note of the things they'd need, that he didn't bring and wondered if they could simply build another room, to give him something to do outside of cuddling and cooing over Richard, likely making him feel like an idiot. Yujin was caring, that much was obvious to anyone that had two working eyes in their skull, yet he didn't need or want to be overbearing.

As he fed another piece of wood to the fireplace in the living room, he heard Richards voice over the constant crackling and simmering that kept going and reminded him that there was still some dedication left within that fire that kept it going, longer and longer. "Yes?", he called out in turn, abandoning what he was doing before opening the door to Richards room a bit and sticking his head in. "No, just making dinner. Do you need anything?" Without even asking he took a step inside, only for one of the rascals to try and bolt from Richards room. Yujin caught it in time, sighing as he held it up. "It's not nice to just run off, you know.", he told the kitten and shook his head, trying to make it understand something that was beyond it. Regardless of that, he brought it back to Richards bed and let go of it, hoping that it wouldn't immediately bolt into the same direction yet again. It probably would. These little guys were such assholes at times. "If you're lonely I'm not busy at all. I was making a list of things we are missing earlier, so I know what to get tomorrow." Which meant he'd actually have to leave Richard for a bit, but he'd be fine, right?

Yujin didn't take long to come in and it smelled a bit like food from the outside. "I just can't sleep anymore.", he told him. He tried the whole day and now he felt like it was futile. One of the cats tried to escape to the outside, but Yujin caught it. "Anything dangerous for them outside?", he asked, wondering if they'd be able to roam the whole hut, or would remain in this room. "What are we missing?", he asked. Richard could do with some distraction. He could use his hands, but that was about it and he didn't feel like reading and possibly wouldn't anytime soon. He wasn't beat enough to just sleep until he felt better either though. Yujin had enough things to do, now that they lived here alone, so Richard didn't want to ask him for any favors. Whenever Richard woke up he heard Yujin rummage around outside. Dinner sounded possible for Richard though, maybe that would make him feel better. Could Yujin even cook?

"You don't have to keep the fire in the kitchen going by the way. I mean when you're not cooking. You're probably too warm already and I won't leave this room anyway, so I don't mind if it's cooler out there." Speaking of, Richard still wore the warm clothes they put on him in the castle, so he wouldn't freeze in the heartless room. Now this room warmed up quite a bit. It was still not warm enough to compare to anywhere in Adrestia, but Richard wasn't cold. Maybe he was even a bit hot under all the clothes and blankets. "Can you help me get out of some layers? Just one or two?", he asked. He doubted he'd be able to on his own, even sitting up was a task he could not complete alone at the moment.

“I can’t blame you. I could bring you some books from the library, or show you how to sew?”, he suggested with a sheepish smile, not to get Richard off his back but to help him be useful out here, even when he was bedbound for the time being. Yujin was glad it wasn’t him who was the one stuck in bed instead, yet, if this were the old Richard - whom he didn’t miss terribly, yet longed for every once in a while - he’d likely not have minded being the one in bed at all. Would he still have acted like a cat, all hissy and acting like he didn’t enjoy those domestic displays of affection? He could only fathom, knowing well enough that it could mean nothing at all, too. “No, I’m just not sure if there isn’t some tiny crevice these little rascals can get into but not out of and I’d rather save us both the headache this late.” Thria had nothing - a kitten wasn’t worth the hunt for a wolf that was used to bigger, heartier prey after all. “Cheese, furs, books, some specific herbs, anything to keep you entertained, mostly - well and food.”, Yujin snorted - that was for eating, not playing. They had enough rice to last them a few months if they so wanted, some dried fish and herbs, not just for cooking but remedies as well.

“It’s not good for the wood of the hut if I let it be so cold all the time. Muhan told me that anyway, I think servants went out of their way to keep this one warm every other day before you came around.” Which was to say, Thrians could deal with this, Yujin was warm, had shed some of his own layers, but it wasn’t like he’d be the one losing sleep over it. Speaking of, was he to share a bed with Richard? Or mostly stay elsewhere? While chasing after a simple thought like that, it seemed Richard needed more than just a companion to share his opinions with. “What are you feeling like?”, he asked with a nod, helping Richard sit up. Yujin took one layer off first, folded it neatly and held it for the time being, wondering if he could put it somewhere or should hang it up by the door. “How’s this feel? Better or still too warm?” Should he feed more wood to Richards fireplace? Likely, but for now it seemed to be enough. “Also I’m sorry if you’re bored of soup, it’s the easiest thing I know how to whip up and the most common thing eaten in winter in Silesse.”

"That's nice of you, I just don't know if I can concentrate on anything right now.", Richard replied with a pained smile. The thought of reading a book alone gave him another headache on top of the one he already had and pulling a tiny string through a needle sounded equally as taxing. "We should get them some hiding places and maybe something to play with." The kittens were probably bored, but at least they had each other. There was already a fur layed out in front of the fireplace for them to have it cozy and warm if they didn't want to be in bed all the time, which they usually wanted anyway. "Furs? Don't we have plenty?", Richard asked. After all Nayantai gathered a lot of them somehow and most of them were Richards bed. Yujin could take some if he needed them. As for Richards entertainment, he didn't feel like he was capable of doing anything if he was honest, not in the next few days at least.

"I usually don't see you like this, only fully clothed, or naked.", Richard let out. Wearing something almost summer-y, if that was a thing in Thria, was new. Even Silessians wore a lot of clothes during the day out in the cold, or if their home was a castle made of ice. Meanwhile Yujin helped him sit up and Richard bit his tongue. Getting out of a layer was difficult enough and Richard still felt a bit warm. "Maybe one more. My body feels hot. Not feverish, just healing.", he told Yujin who helped him out of another. "I am not supposed to eat much more than soup anyway." Richard lay back down, this felt better already and also not as stuffy. It was nice not to wear so much all the time, even at home and in bed. "You can hang up the clothes in my closet. Should be empty aside from a few things we couldn't take with us."

"No, it's okay. Sorry, I dragged you out here and didn't think about if you wanted to be here or if I had anything for you to do when I'm busy in the first place." Or if he even could. Yujin couldn't muster a smile this time, he sounded apologetic and like he realized something after all - he was still the same old idiot, his head stuck in the clouds and all he did was behave like a selfish brat. "I can try and build something or ... we can try and build something, actually? And yes, toys would be nice." They would at least be occupied by something for a while, have a place to sleep that wasn't Richards bed and overall would be less of a handful to deal with in the long run. That wasn't such a bad idea. Then, though, what would they do if they suddenly grew too independent? Yujin wasn't sure he wanted that and yet, he worried for nothing. "Thick ones, yes. We need something thinner, I don't know if your bed has any of those and I don't necessarily want to move you around and make it more uncomfortable for you. Maybe we can compromise and figure out how to build you a real bed, if you want that?", he gently brought up the idea, as gentle as possible in a situation like this anyway.

"Pff, what's that supposed to mean? Does it look bad?", Yujin inquired. Richard wasn't wrong. Either he wore all his clothes or nothing at all, showed decorum, acted like he knew what he was doing and wasn't just waffling about seventy things at once. The warmth in here had taken that from him. "It's kind of weird, I do feel more naked than if I wore nothing, I think, but it's also like, freeing? So many layers get heavy and a bit restricting." Not that Richard didn't know that but it seemed as if even Yujin wasn't used to that yet. There was nothing to be gained from lying to him, either, and thus, why would he? This was nice. "One more it is." Once again he peeled him free from another layer, adjusted the lower ones and then folded the clothes again, walking to the closet Richard had pointed out. "Better?", he asked as he hung them up as instructed, eyeing the things that had been left behind - not many, but still some. Whatever need would Richard have for all these things back then, whence he crawled back into a country that spat him back out, huh? "I put some meat and vegetables in, how did you feel after the dinner anyway?" He hadn't gotten around to ask but saw Richard eat bits here and there before it all went to shit. "That reminds me, do you still miss your coat? The one I sank on accident."

"It's okay. I'll get better. I'm sure the headache subsides in a few days." Hopefully, but his head would recover and so would the rest of his body. It would probably take up to a month or even more for the broken bones to heal though. But that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to move around in here before that." I'll probably not be much help anytime soon. They liked to climb the curtains of my bed too. This place is much more empty, but also warmer, so I assume they'll hide less under the blankets." They'd be busy looking around for a bit but bot forever. Of there were mice in Silesse, they'd probably be in trouble with two bored cats around." Pulling out a few furs won't hurt. I like my bed though actually... " It was his, Nayantai built it if one could call it that. It was comfortable too, but he also realized it was just a heap of fur in the corner of the room. It looked like messy storage, not a bed.

Richard looked at Yujin and smiled. "No, I like it. I can actually see what's underneath those clothes, at least a little bit. Every person in Silesse has the same body with all those clothes." Now he saw that Yujin got stronger and how he moved under all those layers. Richard felt better wearing less too, but the cold still seeped in everywhere. The wood kept the warmth of the fire much better than ice though." Yeah thanks. ", he answered Yujin who opened the closet only for one of the cats putting their paws up, interested in the new space but not quite adventurous enough yet. "I felt fine. It wasn't spicey either, but I didn't eat that much. Some vegetables won't kill me." Shuren just said to take it slow but now he wondered if he held Richard back on purpose for some reason. "My coat? No. It wasn't anything special, I just lost so much, I couldn't bear losing anymore..."