hellbound. (earinor & akira)

    Aufgrund einer größeren Serverwartung kann es aktuell zu vereinzelten Fehlern kommen. Meldet diese gerne unter: https://www.anime-rpg-city.de/index.php?board/7-fragen-ideen-und-probleme/

    • Who would go against their own king? Dayan didn't know, but he also was fairly convinced that no matter what, in the end, it all would culminate in him finding out something about somebody that tried to be slick. If he had Olettes support, as much as Alsters, there wasn't much to worry about - Stenz was sticking by his side, as much as Wezette did and Fhaergus was his to begin with, so that left Lavern, which was nothing that a few pretty words and empty promises couldn't fix, actually. "Hm, chewing food does sound more enjoyable than drinking it, anyway. Unless you have a broken jaw", he joked, which, actually, wasn't something that he'd like to experience - not that he did, he just had come close to it and it already had hurt and disturbed him in more ways than one. Dayan mulled over many things at once and he was fairly certain that he would have been fine with being ... what, exactly? A commoner? Some duke? Or just the adopted son of the king, with no name and no title except that of his actual father, who had forfeited all of it to be here? At some point, Dayan did think that Nayantai had lost all of his marbles - for not allowing him to be a Prince of Thria, a wolf with a title and a name, but in the end, he kind of understood his father. Wanting to be with Rain, with the person he loved, like this, wouldn't have worked out if he went back to rule a wartorn country, though, he didn't know more than that.

      "Not stupid then, inexperienced. But starting tomorrow, I'd like to ask for your help", he admitted. Being lonely wasn't his forte and whenever he could, he annoyed his grandfathers, his fathers or his siblings. Namely, he couldn't sit still and when someone didn't give him the desired attention, he just went on to the next person and, oops, no, he actually hadn't meant to fuck that maid ... that was one embarrassing incident. Almost as if all those thoughts that rampaged through his head were too much for him, Dayan sighed, then wrung with himself, yet he still couldn't muster much of a smile - it seemed to come close to his fathers 'neutral face of displeasure', as he called it. "So do I!" This usually was a matter that he'd fret over with his brother, yet, he didn't drag Richard to get new clothes all the time, maybe just once in a while when he wanted something that matched and actually something that looked good - not, that the fabric and quality that he got was any less than that of his brother, Dayan just liked stuff to match exactly, for some odd reason, but they were like twins to some degree, too. "Hm, so odd blanks in that case would be that, since I'm not the former kings legitimate son, that my father was a wolf. Which one is traceable, I'm guessing, since his father used to be the to-be Duke of Alster, but whoever my grandfathers father was is basically lost to history, huh?", he mulled. Not that he knew who his great-grandfather was, just some nameless wolf that his own grandfather never talked about. But why? Odd. "Because Fhaergus, Alster and Thria aren't known for their wines?", he asked, emptying his own glass before Lucien poured him another. "I like alcohol, regardless of what it is, though, some of the stuff that my father drank, if any, was just ... eugh, a bit too bitter?", Dayan carefully explained. Even if Nayantai didn't drink a lot, sometimes he'd been gifted some thrian concoctions and whatever those were, they definitely only burned in his throat, nothing else. "Do you only like wine, though? Anything else?"
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "Did you ever have one? A broken jaw?", Lucien asked smiling. He himself didn't. Though there had been some broken bones, none of them were in his face, it mostly was his fingers really. Still not every meal in his life had been a feast. He didn't care much about food or eating in general, he often enough forgot to get something in his stomach if no one reminded him, but he still cherished food f it was good. Luciens siblings were different. Lucille was spoiled in every way, she always got what she wanted and Ares was pretty much eating everything, yet he hadn't been fed something disgusting in his life. If he was to inherit Olette, why would he ever eat something not expensive? Something that wasn't exactly his taste? Sometimes Lucien wondered how it would have been to be the first born son. He would have gotten rid of all that torture if he would have just killed Ares, or his father, but then again, thinking about him was enough to rob him of air to breath. It made him feel hot, as if he had a fever. He couldn't kill either of them and now it was unnecessary anyway. The past had happened, nothing would change that and Lucien was save now.

      "Inexperienced yes, but that's fine too. Ask for anything you want.", Lucien smiled, that was why he was here after all. "You do? Shopping is always fun.", Lucien laughed, he didn't think Dayan was going to like that. He'd taken him for the sort of guy that just wore whatever was there and didn't think twice about it, but maybe Lucien was wrong. "Most books still claim Darragh of Alster had two sons, his own ancestry is odd however, because he basically came out of nowhere and the parents he claimed to have don't really look anything like him. I guess nobody cared to check his background when he married the Duchesse of Alster. By the way, did you know she once was promised to Allard of Fhaergus? Caelan of Fhaergus father. But that was thrown over when his brother decided to not take the title of next duke. I wonder how history would have played out if that didn't happen." Lucien chuckled. Darragh of Alster might have never married anyone important, there wouldn't have been a noble half breed, maybe there wouldn't have been a war in the first place. Everything would have been different probably. "I don't know. Maybe. You just seem like the kind of guy that drinks harder liquor.", Lucien answered. He thought Dayan was out to get drunk fast if he drank. "Hm. I like wine for the taste, I'm usually not out to get drunk. Everything else seems to be made for that goal and it doesn't taste as good in my opinion.", Lucien explained, took his glass and took a taste of the other wine. Well it was sweet, he liked that, but Myriad surely had something better in store too. Well maybe they needed to empty the other two bottles first, but what they did couldn't truly be called tasting with only two different bottles.

    • "Almost. I fell out of a bunch of trees as a kid and tried a bunch of stupid stuff, without even caring about the voice of reason. I cracked my jaw once, that was annoying enough", he admitted. Talking like this with someone that didn't know was nice, refreshing even and Dayan wondered if Lucien only listened to his stories because he ought to, because he thought he had to, or if he actually entertained the thought of making his king smile at some point. This was ludicrous, they were only doing their best and their earnest because they had to, somehow, some way and nothing else would come of that to begin with, so it was futile to even think a bit too much about it all. "What about you? Broken jaw? Any broken bones in general? You don't strike me like the type of person that'll just get up and be like 'I will cause problems on purpose'." That, by definition, was a sentence to describe Dayans life with and the fact that he couldn't think about any of that quite clearly was, strangely enough, another hurdle in his way. What else was he to do, though? Lounging around, thinking about it all and then wondering where life led him was one thing, but not even knowing what to do with his life, the newly acquired chances he had and the poor understanding of his title that he had, it all led to something and in some way, it was quite ridiculous.

      "Anything? I don't think that's a good idea." Dayan wouldn't ask to fuck Lucien or even try, they both were nobles, he was king and he couldn't just keep whoring around, couldn't just start to think that every single person he met belonged to him and yet, wasn't it stupid to have a reaction like that to a sentence that was just poorly constructed? "Sometimes, not always, but that depends, too. I like having company, that's all", he elaborated. Richard wasn't there and Flora and Atwick were dead, none of his siblings were present to annoy - much like his fathers that had disappeared, one into the unknown, the other into the afterlife and therefore, he had to make do somehow, as painful as it was. "That means Alster and Fhaergus had a few rendezvous for quite some time, that's ... odd. Well, in the end I guess I ended up happening?", he chuckled and it wasn't wrong, but their bloodlines didn't intermingle their, he was of Alster by blood but carried no title, yet, he did carry of Fhaergus as a title, despite not having a blood connection to them. "So, what if they were just trying to quickly fill in the blanks after Allard of Fhaergus went and married someone else? One short oversight and you have a nameless, lying lunatic on your throne that kills the actual duchesse, is out for his sons blood and in true maniac fashion also starts a war. I'm glad my great uncle isn't like his father", Dayan sighed, piercing a piece of meat with his fork, cutting it small and then eating from it, as if it currently was hard to even remember the most basic of table manners. "Mh, not wrong. But I only enjoy it when the timing is right, currently, I'd rather stay on the sober-ish side." With that, however, he took another sip of his wine, before calling one of the servants over - nobody had time to drink two bottles of subpar liquor, which was why he ordered them to bring some more, they had enough anyway. "Were you ever drunk?"
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • Lucien chuckled while listening to the princes words. "You seem like the type, it's no surprising.", he answered and it wasn't like Lucien knew nothing about it. He didn't just pop out and was going to be king he lived in Adrestia for his whole life and t some occasions Lucien and Dayan probably even met, or at least walked past one another at some party. Richard has been the one he actually talked to once or twice, but that didn't bear any fruit. Either way, Lucien knew some stories of Dayan as well, how wild he was, that was nothing new, though now he didn't seem like it, or maybe he hid it, because he was going to be king. But his brother hadn't been better, so there was no need to probably. "Me?", Lucien asked acting surprised, then he shook his head. "My brother is the one always hurting himself, though since he's old enough to fight in the tournaments, at least there is some purpose behind it. He wanted to train with me once, he hit me with his wooden sword and broke my arm. He's always expecting too much of me. But other than that I didn't break anything, no.", he explained and the story wasn't even fabricated. That did happen and Ares didn't break his arm on purpose, he just thought Lucien was able to block his attack, but he wasn't. He generally wasn't as good at sword fighting. That he didn't break anything else was a lie though. He did, or rather someone broke his bones, even though that happened seldom. His fingers as punishment, his wrists because his father got angry though Lucien wasn't even sure if he did that on purpose. Maybe a rib or two at some point, he wouldn't know.

      "Why not? There is no harm in asking, I can still say no, but I also don't think there'd be anything I'd say no to.", Lucien chuckled, wondering what went on in that head. Well there was nothing Lucien couldn't do for him anyway. "Ah. Well. I'm glad to keep you company then, it'll be fun, just like this meal is enjoyable so far, right?", Lucien smiled. Well since there was no one left Dayan probably was glad for anyone spending time with him, which was not necessarily a compliment for Lucien then, but at least he was here. Lucien noticed the chuckle though, so there was another expression Dayan could make, wasn't that nice? "True. If Alster and Fhaergus would have joined together we both would probably not have been born and that would be boring.", Lucien answered, then eyed the new crown prince. "Hm. No one suspected a thing back then.", Lucien commented but approving, like he was the same opinion as Dayan. Though who knew if Declan of Alster wasn't a snake just like his father was? Darragh of Alster wasn't exactly popular but nobody would have thought he'd kill his own wife. Lucien didn't believe he was, but maybe Dayan would grow to mistrust him at some point. "Nothing wrong with that.", Lucien smiled eventually, yet a little bit more wine wouldn't do Dayan any harm, right? He got the servants to bring some more anyway, so they didn't have to finish the other two bottles, before they got more, great! Then the red haired noble started laughing. "Who do you take me for? I went to the same events you did, of course I got drunk once in a while there. It's hard to find a bottle of water at those things anyway.", he answered, though that wasn't quite true. Yes he had been drunk before, but not on any of those parties in some mansion, he needed to drink a whole lot to actually feel the alcohol and besides, he didn't even fancy that, he usually liked to keep his senses straight. But Dayan didn't need to know that Lucien actually had to empty those bottles and some more alone to get truly drunk. Wine still tasted good, Lucien liked drinking it for the taste, as he had said before.

      Dieser Beitrag wurde bereits 1 mal editiert, zuletzt von Earinor ()

    • "I had no princely obligations after all and judging who raised me, I'm not surprised myself." Whenever Dayan was met with Rains neutral face of displeasure, though, he felt as if part of his soul was leaving that body of his and he wondered if anything like that was worth something, if anything of this was going to be of good value to anyone, but in the end, he was the one that had a broken bone, one of many, and that had to justify his stupidity somehow, that thought that nothing would be happening and that nothing serious was the case. In the end, all those broken bones healed and after all, he was still a wolf, he could take all of this, no doubt about it, without wondering too much about how and why - his father had gone through so much, had lived to see another day over and over again, so what were some broken bones to him? Nothing was going to stop him, not a single thing, not like this and in the end, nothing was worth anything if everybody only kept denying it. "Hm, your bones sound pretty brittle if a wooden sword can just break it ... or your brother is just strong", Dayan mused, wondering how much of a terrifying opponent Ares of Olette would really be, at least one they'd meet at some tournament - though, he wouldn't have an opportunity to fight in those from here on out, he was the king and supposed to oversee them, wasn't he? "How about we train, then? Just for fun, that is - you can deny if you want to." He merely thought it would be fun to get out of his shell and do something, to give Lucien a hand in the things he did and liked to do and to see if the redhead like it, too.

      "It was just a silly thought, no need to entertain it", he answered and shook his head, before he resumed his meal, at least for one or two bites before moving on and listening to Lucien, who, by all means, was just trying his best to entertain some kind of stupid guy that didn't know how to help anyone, let alone himself, didn't he? "This meal is very enjoyable", Dayan commented, though he wish he could actually give the redhead a reassuring smile, yet he couldn't muster one, just chuckle as it seemed and that didn't even seem to genuine, not when it came out of his mouth like that, unprompted and unwanted without a care in the world. Wasn't he supposed to be just that? Yet, he couldn't be and that was one of the biggest flaws that he found himself confronted with. "But there'd be not much room for war", the wolf merely suggested while eating some greens off of his plate - how much food were they served and why? Was it because a small meal wasn't worthy of a king? Or because even the kitchen staff couldn't let go? Either way, this was getting quite ridiculous. "The only one who did got threatened with death, chased out of Adrestia and when he came back it was too late anyway", Dayan sighed and didn't wonder much beyohnd that - Ronan couldn't do much, not while stuck at the coldest place on fucking Gaia and he paid for that, too, even if he barely spoke about it to begin with as it seemed. "If you want water, though, there's always a way to get it and even if you drink some, I don't think you'd be one that just, I don't know, needs two bottles and slumps over like he's dying. Still, you don't like hard liquor, but I hope the wine is enjoyable so far."
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • Lucien chuckled some more and took another sip of his wine. "Well I heard your brother wasn't the type to sit idly by either, crown prince or not.", he answered, testing the waters there since he wasn't sure if bringing up Dayans family was a good idea, on the other hand some people felt better after talking about the dead or in this case vanished. Lucien and his father had yet to find him themselves, but if Dayans aunt didn't talk to him, he probably wasn't with her. So where did this old dog run off to? He was a coward for doing that in the first place. Maybe Dayans brother was dead already anyway, Lucien heard there had been a lot of blood not belonging to Dayan or his siblings, who knew if he made it? "My brother is strong, trust me. He fights with wooden and steel swords since he can hold one and he trains every day. I took the full blow with my arm and it broke. Even if I'd held up my sword, I probably would have strained my wrist." Lucien hadn't noticed his arm was broken in the first place. He let go of his sword and when he wanted to pick it up, he couldn't and Ares brought him to their doctor. Lucille chastised Ares for days and told him he was a brute and he shouldn't be so stupid and she told Lucien to be angry at him, but he wasn't. "Train?", Lucien asked genuinely surprised now. Dayan seemed like he truly wanted to do this while Lucien... well he wasn't helpless but sword fighting wasn't his forte. He was crafty and sly, though against Ares? No chance. "If you want to, that's fine by me.", Lucien smiled, simply because it seemed like a way to get closer to Dayan. "But I won't be able to defeat my brother in a hundred years.", he also informed him with a short laugh.

      "But now I'm curious!", Lucien laughed, but shook his head right after. "Well, you don't have to tell me though." Dayan was soon to be king, he didn't need to tell anyone anything if he didn't want to, but that didn't mean Lucien didn't want to know. "I'm glad.", Lucien smiled, having Dayan enjoy something was an achievement on its own right? Though he didn't seem to be the type that was all gloomy and sad to begin with, of course he lost his family, but he seemed like having something else to think about, something fun for a change, was exactly what he needed and also wanted. "Well I think the war wasn't too bad. I mean, sure people died, parts of both our families, but your fathers built a new kingdom, one that is in tune with Thria and thus, maybe it had to happen, instead of living in hate or fear of one another a couple more hundred years. You're a wolf and you will be king, without the war that wouldn't even be possible.", Lucien commented. Sometimes things needed to be broken first in order to advance. "My grandfather didn't like Darragh of Alster either... should we even call him 'of Alster'? Well anyway, he should have paid more attention, maybe he would have gotten rid of him earlier, but he was too focused on himself.", Lucien commented. He also had been focused on the king back then, even though he knew he was a nutcase and when he decided to become king himself, it was already way too late. His grandfather was an idiot and Luciens father didn't get tired of mentioning the same, though he knew that he never forgave king Rain for killing his father. "I always have someone bring me a glass of something, but you're right, with all of it. I can handle some alcohol before I get drunk.", he nodded and as if on cue he emptied his glass and urged Dayan to do the same so he could pour them another glass of a different wine. "The first one wasn't that great, the second is more my taste, but we have a long way ahead if we want to find the right one for the coronation.", he chuckled. If they were merely tasting maybe Lucien shouldn't fill up their glasses like that, but as long as Dayan didn't say anything against it, it was fine, right?

    • “I like to believe that I wasn’t the best influence”, he informed Lucien, but he knew that he wasn’t - Richard ended up being who he was because his older brother was an idiot, all things considered. However, not only that, he also liked to get the blonde in trouble whenever he found something new ans exciting, as childish as it was, he enjoyed every second of it and the truth was that no matter what, he always found himself doing things that weren’t necessary at all. “So you’re glad it wasn’t a sword made of steel, lest he’d chopped off your arm? That wouldn’t be all that handy, I assume”, Dayan mumbled and thought about a scenario like that. Sure, he and Richard had their fair square of fake tournaments with one another and some sparring that they’d do eventually, but nothing had come quite close to breaking a bone like that - was Ares of Olette just strong or was Lucien of Olette weak? “No need to worry about being your brother, but there isn’t anyone else I can ask for a spar before my coronation, can I? Aside from that, I think that my father would have better chances at beating your brother than either of us … then again, my father never fought for fightings or funs sake, but to kill.”

      Nayantai didn’t speak much of what lay beyond those mythical curtains, beyond the stories that everyone deluded themselves into believing, but there wasn’t one time that he’d genuinely admit to liking a fight that he found himself in. Sure, Dayan knew instances where his old man taught him something worthwhile, but in the end, he still was nothing more than a product of war. “It’s silly, maybe I’ll tell you when I’m in the right mood”, Dayan let him know, but there was no way of knowing either way - Lucien would do what he wanted, as much as the to-be king would wonder why waves of nostalgia washed over him and had him in their grasp like that. Wasn’t it almost embarrassing? “The war itself was … something, but the outcome isn’t that bad, you’re right about that. Still, there could have been a peaceful solution, especially if someone would’ve talked it out. But that’s just wishful thinking, words can’t always fix everything.” That was the truth and to a certain degree, even someone like him had to live with that - if the war never had happened, he’d not be alive right now, at least not like this, wouldn’t he? “Theoretically it is Darragh of Alster, or well, Darragh of wherever the person that he stole the name and identity from was from. We don’t even know his actual name, so calling him a snake suffices.” There wasn’t a single droplet of blood he shared with that man and yet, his own grandfather harbored enough animosity against him that he’d be able to light a whole village with that. “Then I don’t have to worry about drinking you under the table”, the young prince eventually said, grinning ever so slightly before drinking the contents of his glass and finding himself awarded with more. “There’s only so much that two people can drink, though.”
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "That sounds probably worse than it is. You two were always together, right? So he must have not minded even if you were. My twin sister probably also would go wherever I drag her to. She never liked it when I'm away for weeks or even months.", Lucien answered with another smile. He was the same at times, right? He wondered why his father let him grow up as close to her. When they were little they even shared a room, only for him to take all of that away from his son. It would have been easier if he hadn't liked her in the first place, but now it didn't matter, he didn't harbor any hard feelings, in fact he felt nothing at all. He still played the loving a few seconds older brother that absolutely adored his sister as much as she adored him, but the truth was that was nothing more than an act, a facade to keep the family image up and to not let her ask questions about things she should know nothing about. Nobody should. "I'm glad it was only wood. Missing an arm would be a pain.", Lucien chuckled and took another sip of his wine as well as he ate some of the food on his plate. "If the prince wishes it, I'm not saying no to a little spar, but I'm probably not a worthy opponent.", he answered with a short nod. He probably couldn't keep up with someone like Dayan, not if it was supposed to be fair. "Ares fights because he loves fighting and I think he would prefer another war, but he makes do with the tournaments. Without the killing part of course. But lately no one dares to challenge him anymore and he is bored. So he started to fight without a weapon, or multiple people at once, but nothing seems to satisfy him."

      "The right mood? What mood is that then?", Lucien asked with a chuckle but he didn't intend to pry any further, he knew when no actually meant no and whatever it was Dayan was thinking, it probably wasn't important. Right now they had some fun, while also having a meaningful conversation and judging by Dayans servants, he didn't have that in a while, because no one dared to speak to him in the first place. "I think if there was a way to solve this peacefully, your father would have taken it. This is why I think there was no peaceful solution to be found anywhere.", Lucien answered. The dead king had been described as way too kind, so kind in fact that every death on the battlefield had hurt him, yet he continued the war until the end. Telling Dayan that Lucien respected his family would help and this was his actual opinion. "Snake then!", Lucien laughed and raised his glass to that, the third wine they tasted was even better and the redhaired noble smiled satisfied while he looked at the equally red liquid that swirled in his glass. "Ah. You say that and yet you sound very confident you could.", Lucien pointed out with a smile and noticed the slight grin on Dayans face. Well that had been easy, huh? "Well it's not like we have to finish those bottles, but we should at least try to remember our verdicts on those we tasted." Lucien started to rearrange the bottles in the order of best to worse, then he left a gap and the rest of the untasted bottles remained there. "I like that one.", he pointed out, meaning the wine currently in their glasses and he took another sip of it.

    • “I think my brother would loathe it if I was gone for some time, too. Not that I wouldn’t, it’s just … I’ve always kind of strung him along, I hope he isn’t all too helpless without me.” That was Dayans role now - being helpless and somewhat miserable that was, but he’d make do, somehow and some way, after all, he had Lucien who - by no means - was a good substitute for Richard and who’d be gone by the time to coronation was over, but until then, he could at least lean onto him and not carry this stupendously heavy burden all by himself. “A pain and inconvenient. You do need two arms, one way or the other, having just a single one would cause more problems than it’s really worth. You’d need help with simple tasks like dressing yourself, that sounds annoying.” It was, as much as it was impractical and questionable to begin with. Who’d cut off someones arm? Dumb children that were just playing some sort of game that, by any means, weren’t able to make any judgements or good decisions and then, they were presented with something they couldn’t even fathom. “Well, the prince would appreciate it if the lord in front of him would drop the formalities”, he retaliated and gave the redhead a genuine smile - they were the same age, no need for all this stuff. “Seems like fighting him could be fun and entails at least a broken bone or black eye.”

      Why were they talking about Luciens siblings, though? This was fun, still and despite all that, Dayan had to tell himself that there was no need to be gloomy about anything - that no matter what, he’d only fuck himself over if he thought too much about it and that it always a stupid mistake that he couldn’t quite comprehend. Why did all of this happen to him? Was that why his father had once, jokingly, called his life riled with streaks of bad luck just because he stopped worshipping the gods? Wasn’t all of this silly? “Incredibly drunk and senseless”, Dayan eventually admitted, knowing fully well that no matter what, alcohol wasn’t going to soothe any of the pain he was experiencing and no matter how much red liquid Lucien poured him, it almost didn’t matter anymore - alcohol should burn and numb him, and not be enjoyable but it was, as much as the food. “As some people like to say, peace wasn’t an option but it might be by now”, Dayan mumbled, hoping that it was and that any conflict would die down already. “Snake fits a lot of people, though. Actually, I have a question - is there even any chance to find out who or what he was before?” If Darragh wasn’t a noble already, the chances were slim, even if he was a bastard son and judging by what he’d done and how he’d done it, the chances of him being any of that were slim, too. “We can try if you’d like. Also, feigning confidence is one of my best abilities to begin with - if I don’t have it, I at least pretend that I do.” It wasn’t too easy sometimes, but it was nothing that Dayan of Fhaergus couldn’t combat and alcohol sometimes was the key to the most annoying of situations. “Lets taste some first and then drink the better ones, if you’re up for that”, the wolf suggested. Usually, there’d be a toothy grin to support that statement, but instead, his face stayed almost painfully and questionably blank. Then, he eyed the bottles that Lucien arranged. “Agreed”, he let out, before wondering … “Should we limit ourselves to red wine only? What about white?”
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "You think he is? I'm sure he's fine wherever he is. He might even come home at some point.", Lucien answered. Well preferable he was dead, on the other hand if Lucien managed to find him and brought him home, maybe there was something in it for him, but for now it had to suffice to find out where the actual crown prince was. He sure wasn't helpless but judging by the blood he might be dead. Dayan probably knew as much, but why crush his hopes, he'd just kick Lucien out. What if Dayan was king and Richard came back? Would they switch places? Was that even possible? Well if Lucien stuck to Dayan he still also would have a hold on his brother, right? "Holding my books would be a pain with just one arm...", Lucien answered but it didn't matter, he had both and he tried to keep it that way. "Alright! I get it.", Lucien laughed, no formalities then, no calling him prince, or should he? "Well how am I to address you then? Not prince Dayan I assume, not Lord Dayan either, no your majesty, what else? Just plain and simple Dayan? Or with a nickname? Do you have one?", Lucien joked and was a little bit cocky doing so. Well Dayan didn't want formalities, so why not? "I never fought him since then, I'd just get hurt again. But I bet he'd not say no if you asked for a match.", Lucien chuckled. "Even a king can show off his strength sometimes."

      Lucien laughed. "Well since you don't want to get drunk, I guess that's out of the picture. Maybe at the coronation." Lucien didn't gain much from getting Dayan drunk right now, though it was kind of fun to drink some wine with him and see where his limit was. He certainly didn't reach it yet and wouldn't anytime soon though, not with a few sips of wine and the question was how long he truly wanted to sit here with his guest. "We have peace now and I'm sure you'll be able to uphold it. The coronation is the first step.", Lucien nodded and drank up, then reached for the bottles to pick a new one. He wondered, would snake fit himself? "Are you interested in that? Well if he was a commoner it will be hard to find out who he was, but I bet he was kind of close to those he stole his title from. Maybe he worked for them, or maybe he even was a distant relative without a land. I'd assume he at least was from that region and if we follow that trail and see who might have been killed to keep his lie alive, we might also find out who he truly was, even if it was a long time ago.", Lucien suggested, he wasn't against some little detective games, he could try to figure these things out if Dayan wanted to know. "Oh so maybe we won't stay on the sober-ish side today?", Lucien asked using the same words Dayan did before. "Or do you think you're still sober when I'm already drunk?" Getting him truly drunk was very hard, but he could act like it, though he already was open and high spirited, right? "Sue, tasting is fun." And with that Lucien poured himself another glass, not that full though and then he placed the bottle near Dayan so he could keep up when he emptied his current glass. Before the noble tasted he got rid of the taste from the previous one with some bread. "I'm not picky. I prefer red usually, but there are also some fine white ones, so if you want to taste those too, I'm in."

    • "If he does I'll scold him for leaving me alone", Dayan suddenly said, but he did so with a grin - that would be a legitimate reason to scold Richard, something silly like that, that reminded him of things better left in the unspoken past. Sure, there were things that could and would change and there'd be some stuff that, no matter what, he couldn't exactly be able to deal with. Indications of a life long lost, of something muddled up in the inbetween, in the cracks of history, none of it was of serious interest to Dayan, as none of it would be any interest to anyone if they went on and just smiled ever so slightly, gave it nothing more than a single thought and had him, without much of a doubt, think about things that weren't exactly necessary either. What was it with him and the unforseen challenges that he found in his life, as much as what was it with him and the stuff he couldn't quite make out to be something to begin with? It all felt as if it would be building up inside of him, whisking him away and telling him that no matter what, he'd always be the same person and yet, wasn't that silly? "I'm sure there's plenty of servants that would help you", the wolf said, knowing fully well that the two of them wouldn't be stuck, even if they only had one arm each, they'd probably learn how to help themselves. "Nickname? No, Dayan is fine. I mean, my second name is Eamon, but nobody ever uses that - it's just on paper." What did Nayantai even think when naming him? "That and even someone like me can show you the ropes so you can at least defend yourself, how's that sound?"

      "Is it wise to get shitfaced at my own coronation?", he suddenly asked. It probably wasn't, it never was, but a fast flowing environment was probably what Dayan needed to get his mind off of things, to finally start figuring things out on his own and to give all of this another useful thought. Surely, there was something he could pry out of the redheads grasp, somehow. "That's true, but after that, there's enough to take care of as well." It would be easier to talk to the only other queen on this continent, especially if she was family, but that still meant that a close-knit group of people was ruling and deciding over such a vast piece of land - it was stupid, wasn't it? But aside from that, he found himself asking why he was presented with Luciens insight anyway. "I never got anything out of my grandfather, he really didn't like talking about his past and I can't blame him too much, but I might just want to know who this guy was, especially if nobody else does. But death records would be a good thing to sift through first." A little game to keep their curiousity alive and something to distract Dayan with, something that was long lost to time and no longer a concern of the living, but rather something that the dead would deal with in due time. "It's about having fun, not drinking, right?", the wolf eventually said and mustered a grin, trying his hardest to not seem like a pushover when he savored the next one, at least the whisk that he took of it and tried to form his opinion on what the taste entailed. "You really aren't picky, huh? And here I thought a fellow noble would be entitled enough to actually pick and choose what he really wants. You're full of surprises."
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • Lucien smiled at Dayan. He probably would never let go of his brother, or the hope that he might still be alive. He would never believe he ran off for some wicked reason either as well as he didn't want to admit, that his father had killed his siblings, took Richard probably with him and almost killed Dayan too. This family was held together too tightly, then again Luciens family was probably the same. If one of them vanished they wouldn't expect them to have a secret plan to overthrow their own family, that wasn't like Olette at all. Family was the most important, they learned to stick together, why would they do anything else? "Ah, but their presence annoys me. I rather don't know they are there unless I want something from them.", Lucien answered. He preferred to be alone and especially when he was reading, he didn't want anyone to stare at him. He didn't need any servants to fold the pages of his books or help him dress. "I see. No nickname then... I can't think of something good anyway, not sure what to make of that name. Yan? Da... no, nothing works. Thrian names are hard to nickname, aren't they?", Lucien mused. Nayantai had been such an unnecessarily long name too. Thrian names were odd...

      "You'll be king, you can do whatever you want. Maybe having some fun wouldn't be so bad, it's better than the other way around, right?", Lucien smiled. Well maybe Dayan shouldn't be completely wasted, but as long as he was just having fun, why not? It would help with his current problems regarding large crowds probably. "Sure, but there won't be a war that easily, even if you need more time to get used to rule.", Lucien answered. Dayan worried too much, as long as he had so many dukes approving of him, nothing would happen. His family had close ties to Alster and Stenz, Fhaergus belonged to him as well as Myriad and Olette was obviously on his side too. He didn't know Lavern was basically under Olettes control, but he probably knew that Wezette was no threat at all and their duke too was friends with the former king. There was nothing much that could go wrong. "It might be possible to figure things out, you have the name he assumed to be his, that's a good start and maybe some more ancestry will reveal if he actually looks like any small noble family around there or if he in fact was just a mere commoner. If yes, that would be outrages, wouldn't it be?!" A peasant just assuming the seat of a duke! If that was what happened he had some balls. "What's the difference?", Lucien then asked grinning. "Drinking is fun at times." Especially right now, Dayan had fun right? Maybe not because they drank, but it contributed to it. "With wine? No. I like wine. With clothes? Very much yes, I'm also picky about my books and about the people I call my friends.", Lucien explained. Did he even have true friends? Probably not, but that didn't matter, he truly was picky with people if it wasn't exactly connected to an assignment is father gave him.

    • "Needing someone to help you probably isn't all that fun either way, especially not in a permanent way like that", the prince eventually answered, but he wondered if it was anything like the time he had a broken arm and where it was almost impossible to get him in one of his own shirts. Dayan had always been the wild sort of person, an unruly kid, ripe with bad ideas and stupid jokes, just like his father might have been, but he never got confirmation for that. "Shortening an already short name rarely works." Sometimes, names also weren't quite useful to make nicknames out of - Richards wasn't, his own wasn't and Floras hadn't been, either. If he had been creative, Atwick might have gotten something better than just Wick, but he hadn't been and in the end, it sufficed. "Too short, too similar. That's not going to work, but Dayan is just fine. And they are, well, I'm sure they are easier to take apart for someone that was born and raised as thrian, but then again, my father said he never had one and he also told me that it's incredibly impolite to shorten it, even among family. Honor and all that", he sighed and shook his head. Dayan could understand that to a certain degree, he also carried the name of a deceased family member and was trying to honor it as he should - at least by thrian values - but even that was hard when he was supposed to ascend to an adrestian throne.

      "It's better than locking myself up and limiting myself to the boring things in life." A king couldn't just go out, go climb a tree, fall off and not cause a huge ruckus, he was stuck with who he was and there was no need for him to even question why all of this was the way it was - Dayan was limited in the things he could do, but that didn't mean that he couldn't be someone that he didn't like to be. "Mhm, after all, I'm not here to start one." Some people, even if they didn't speak their minds, would still benefit from a war and yet, Dayan wished that none of this would ever happen again, hoped that he found himself enthralled by freedom instead and he wouldn't mind breaking some of his own rules, just to keep Adrestia and Thria in one piece. It was fine if they coexisted alongside one another, this was as it was supposed to be. "We do know that he was Darragh of Alster for most of his life and claimed to be from a lesser noble family of Wezette. There seems to be one feat attributed to him, which is a battle against some of Daeins wolves that he quelled all by his own in his early adulthood - considering that he, apparently, did give my grandfathers some rather harsh training sessions, we can assume that was his own doing. So, either he was an insanely skilled peasant that worked for some nobles or all of that is a lie, too", he mused. Somebody had told him about the rebellion at Wezettes outskirts, had told him that Darragh - supposedly - fought for the people there, but then something dawned upon him. "If he turns out to not be a noble, does that even make my uncle eligible for Alsters throne?" Why on earth was he asking that? "Jokes aside, both can be the same, but it doesn't have to. Sometimes you drink for fun, or to numb the pain. I'm assuming you're picky about that as well, but jokes aside, if you are picky about clothes, there have to be colors and fabrics you despise."
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "I just won't fight against my brother, especially not with a real sword. That happened ages ago anyway, I think I was ten and he was twelve or something.", Lucien smiled. Why would he fight against his brother, even if it was only for fun? Well now he also knew how strong he was and that he couldn't just cut somebodies limbs off in a tournament setting, Lucien just had been the one to show him that he needed to be careful with other people, even though Lucille was the only one being mad about it. Lucien wasn't and their father wasn't either, at neither of them. He was proud of Ares strength and he didn't mind Lucien not keeping up with him, after all he never was trained like that. "Hm. Then I probably have to give you another nickname, one that has nothing to do with your actual name.", Lucien mused. "That is fine for Thrians, right? So how about... hm... if I meant prince or king as nickname it wouldn't come across right, would it now? And you're way less grumpy than people say, so 'grumpy' won't work. I don't know how to call you, hun! Honey?", Lucien kept joking, he couldn't really call his king any names, could he now? Especially since they only truly knew each other since this morning.

      "I think you think being king locks you up in here. You can still go places, you can travel, you can hunt, no one wil stop you. And if you want a good fight, just name any person in Adrestia and they will fight you.", Lucien explained. Sure people wouldn't be too happy to see him leave alone, because it was dangerous and what would Adrestia do if their king died, but he still could do that too, as long as he kept in mind that he better came back alive. "Most people have enough of the war, I'm sure. It won't be easy to start one, also no rebellion against you.", Lucien smiled, then listened to Dayan still going on about his great grandfather, not sure why that topic interested him so much. "I believe his name was already known when he fought those wolves. Or he started to spread rumors about a noble he actually wasn't. Or just told the people he was in fact a noble in disguise all the time, so it was more believable, though I don't think he fought them to gain anything. Maybe the praise was the reason he came up with the idea to become something more.", Lucien thought out loud and then chuckled. "Why? Do you want it instead? His mother was still the rightful heir to Alsters legacy, even bastard sons can become Lords, one half is enough and if he wouldn't be eligible you wouldn't be either.", Lucien noted and tasted the wine he poured in his glass. Then he tried to figure out which place it belonged to in their wine ranking. "I'm drinking because I enjoy the taste most of the time. And yes, I don't want my clothes to look cheap and I don't want them to be scratchy. The color must be right... I don't know, I know what I like when I see it, but often enough it takes a good while. the tailor will not be pleased I'm around tomorrow. Only the best for our king."

    • “Ages? Aren’t you seventeen?”, he inquired. It would’ve been ages ago for either of their parents, but he knew himself that it didn’t matter what it was - sometimes, a year could feel like an eternity and at other times, it didn’t, it felt like a short-lived breeze that carried waves of nostalgia with it, but it dissipated as fast as it had appeared. “I broke my own arm once when I tried to beat my instructor in a swordfight. He said, and I quote ‘The attempt wasn’t so bad, but the execution was more than reckless and I’d rather not have you break all your bones to win a silly fight like this.’ But I beat him.” That wasn’t so hard, but likewise, it wasn’t all that hard to ambush Nayantai on his blind side - at least that was until either Richard or him snickered, stepped down to hard or alerted the old man to their position. Sure, it was fun to attack him and just playfight, but they’d grown out of that stage now and there wasn’t much going for his father in terms of innocence. He still had it in him to kill, huh? “You’re hellbent on giving me one, huh? Either way, something completely different should be fine … but …”, Dayan could quite contain a short, almost childish giggle. “Isn’t honey a bit too, I don’t know, telling? I wouldn’t mind, though. But am I really deserving of something so sweet?”

      Dayan deserved many things, but right now it wasn’t the food on his plate, the attention and affection that Lucien gave him and definitely not a sickeningly sweet nickname that sounded like a lot of things, but especially overly affectionate. “Fair, I’m just thinking too much about something that should have never happened and now I’m paying for it”, the prince added, before continuing with his meal for a short while. If he kept Lucien around, a feat that was barely possible anyway, maybe he’d not be completely lonely and sad, maybe his head wouldn’t be filled with a plethora of thoughts all the time and eventually, he’d … what would he even do? Putting his anger issues to good use by trying to beat a fellow noble black and blue? Just thinking about it sounded wrong, but then again, a lot of things didn’t sound right. “Why rebel against me if I can squash them like bugs?”, he suggested eventually. This didn’t sound like a vision his father had, yet Dayan was just being theoretical and quite practical. “No, I’m not interested in Alster and a raging bunch of bored racists. I’m just thinking in a theoretical way, but if we’re talking bloodties, I’d not be king anyway.” For fucks sake, why were Adrestians so stuck up when it came to marriage anyway? Thrians didn’t care about their offspring not having bloodties with them as long as they had some - this was ridiculous. “The tailor is there to merely suggest things and if we don’t like those suggestions, we can shut him down and propose something else - isn’t taking critique and adapting part of his job?”
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "I was ten, that is forever ago!", Lucien retaliated and it was a long time ago. Many things had happened since then. "So you're as crazy as Ares. He'd do anything to win I think, but in the end valuing his life or simply his limbs will do you both better. If you win but lose an arm, what's the point? You'll never be able to fight like you used to.", Lucien answered. He himself valued his life, if he knew he wasn't able to win a fight, why would he start it in the first place? He'd give up and walk away or find any other way to have the situation turn out in his favor. He rather begged for his life than die a stupid death. In general he tried to avoid such situations though, he'd not have a problem. "Why not? It's fun.", Lucien said with a slight smirk on his face. Thinking up other names for his king was kind of odd, but why wouldn't he treat him like a friend if he wanted it that way? Dayan needed one, someone who listened to him and took his mind off with stupid things like finding a nickname. "Telling? Wouldn't there need to be something to tell for it to be that?", Lucien chuckled. "I won't call you hun in front of anyone, they'd expect you to behead me! But why wouldn't you get something sweet? You didn't give me any reason to fear you."

      Lucien continued his meal, though he had eaten quite enough already. Trying to get rid of all the food that was brought before them was unrealistic, there wasn't even a need to try. Lucien just grabbed some more bread for him to eat between the sips of wine, so he was better able to taste it. They had a lot of bottles to go, even if they only took a sip of each and in order to not sit here all night, Lucien took another bottle to pour both of them another glass. Then he started laughing. "Ha! You're right! It's probably better to shut anything down right away. Wasn't that the biggest mistake the late Lord of Lavern made? Not killing your father when he had the chance? Instead he gave him the opportunity to raise a whole army! From what I've heard he'd never even thought about it if he would have just left him alone." And he ran off, that sickly young man that never set a foot outside. And he crushed him when he came back. Funny. "I guess we adapt more Thrian values here in Adrestia than your father thought. If you were born a few years later, maybe you'd been crown prince from the start.", Lucien commented with a smile, then tasted the wine and set the glass aside afterwards. He leaned back now, crossing one leg over the other. "Oh it is! But he'll have to work all day if I'm around!"

    • “… Seven years ago, but it does feel like forever”, Dayan added and now that he thought about it, it did. Not only that, it was also hard to imagine who he’d been back then, as hard as it was to recall how his life had went and how fleeting those days were that he spent chasing Richard around the palace, skirting after his fathers and generally wondering how any of this went. What was it worth, though? Memories could tear one up from inside out and it definitely was happening right now, especially to him. “I’ll not lose my arm to win a fight, breaking it is fine. If anything, I’d not even call your brother crazy - actually, I think he just doesn’t have much regard for his own life.” His father was the same, except for the fact that suddenly, Rain became this weird anchor that kept him from sinking deeper and deeper into this whole mess. What was it with those two anyway? Dayan didn’t know, but what he did know was, that they had been very much in love. “True, there’s nothing to tell, but people will run their mouths regardless - empty words never stopped anyone from doing anything”, the prince eventually said, brushing one uneven strand of hair out of his face - fuck, he needed a haircut. “And yet I’d not call myself sweet either.”

      Honey, or hun, didn’t sound too bad - but Lucien wasn’t his lover or some middleaged woman that saw all people that were significantly younger than herself as her children. Eventually, he grimaced at the food - at a basically empty plate - and shoved it aside. That was a mountain of meat, of vegetables and other things, something that nobody ever would be able to eat on their own like that, Dayan knew and he wasn’t going to challenge himself to do it, not when he barely had eaten anything the few days before and his stomach would rebel one way or the other. “And that proves that some people are just self-absorbed and stupid, doesn’t it? First he tries to gain the favor of the king, then he can’t even kill someone that wasn’t meant to live that long to begin with and even when all odds are somehow in his favor, he gets himself and his entire bloodline wiped out for good.” Grayson of Lavern was, by far, an idiot and Dayan couldn’t care about that smudge on the more recent history books that he’d poured over, just because, when it came to an idiot like that. “Who knows? At least they don’t burn people at the stake for being who they are anymore, but as long as there’s still some trace of that snake left in Alster, there’s no way of sorting all of this out the friendly way.” There never had been, but instead he put the glass of wine to his lips and drank, just to grab another and offer some up to Lucien by his own accord. “Are you that picky? Well, considering you’re still a Lord of Olette, you have every right to be. Aside from that, let’s just hope he does his job well.” If he didn’t, there was always the easy way out and Dayan knew that he didn’t want to be pissed off right about now. “Do you have a sweettooth, by any chance?”
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "Ares and I were children back then, now we're not anymore. It does feel like a long time ago. Though he hasn't changed much I'd say.", Lucien answered. After all Ares had been raised to what he was now from early on, there wasn't much change going on, if anything he grew bored and reckless even more. On the other hand Lucien doubted he got himself killed anytime soon. A quick glance up told Lucien that Dayan thought about his own family right now and he didn't like doing it. There probably was no way around getting reminded of them all the time, especially not when Lucien talked about his own very much alive siblings. "Breaking an arm hurts, it depends on the fight, but if it's not a life or death situation, why sacrifice something for a win?", Lucien asked even though a broken arm was noting he'd even flinch about. But it would be a hassle to wait for it to heal. "Nah, he's just overly confident and thinks he can survive anything. He is also constantly proving that to himself by fighting fights with a disadvantage and he wins those too.", Lucien explained. Ares didn't want to die, but he also didn't want to lose, Lucien wasn't sure what would be worse for him. "Are you scared of people running their mouth about something like that?", Lucien simply asked instead of answering to what Dayan had said. If anyone said something Lucien didn't like he knew how to get rid of them, but right now he was only joking anyway. "What would you call yourself then?"

      "Well, he underestimated you father as did many people I guess. In the time of war everyone was focused on skills with the sword, on strength and so on, but in the end it just needed someone smart to win, right?", Lucien smiled and he'd count himself to the smart people as well, he wasn't very strong in the first place. Why would he be though, if he didn't need to fight in the first place? He was able to send other people to fight his fights or he'd stop them from happening in the first place. Lucien was very confident himself, just like his brother, or rather like his whole family. Lucien smiled even more and hid the smirk behind his glass while taking a sip. Dayan wasn't as kind as the former king that much was clear and if he saw someone as his enemy, he'd probably crush them instead of trying to talk to them. That was interesting. Maybe there would be some blood spilling at some point, some nobles that needed to die, because they still tried to hold onto the old days, who knew? Maybe a push in the right direction was enough to get rid of someone. Lucien held his glass towards Dayan to let it be filled up again with a different wine Dayan picked himself. "I don't like people bringing me mediocre stuff and you shouldn't either, you're the king soon, only the best for you.", Lucien smiled and leaned back again to smell and eventually taste the wine he just got. "Are you asking if I want dessert? I could eat a bite. I like sweets yeah, cake, cookies, chocolate, but I have to watch my waistline.", Lucien chuckled. He didn't. He could also just stop eating for a while, holding a diet wasn't hard for him but he truly liked to eat sweets if he had to choose some food, but he also knew that he couldn't live off of cake alone.

    • Did it sting? Dayan wasn't quite sure, but his ribs did hurt, his entire ribcage did and the sole thought that something was amiss, that anything could be happening right about now, all of that almost made him flinch. Not only was it hard to judge whether or not he'd rather get out of the bandages altogether, he was having a good time with Lucien right about now and excusing himself away, just to take care of that temporarily broken body of his seemed out of place. Perhaps it'd be easier to come up with an excuse, but even that didn't seem sufficent. "Some people change, others don't - but even those who seemingly don't tend to become someone else overnight", Dayan eventually said and if anything, he either was talking about himself and the pain that he suffered, fast and inhuman, almost begrudgingly so, but it did change him overnight and Lucien would be the one to witness what came after that, once simmering, scalding pain become more endurable and yet, ones ideals were anything but noble. "Hm, I'd say that sometimes, you just want to win, no matter what, no matter how silly and idiotic it seems to be. The same can be said for your brother, as useless as a broken limb in a pretend fight seems." Yet, he wasn't one to judge all of this wholly, not when one of his fathers was known for wandering battlefields halfdead and his grandfather, on the other side of his family, didn't seem much better. "Why would I be scared?", he retaliated, raised a brow and sighed, almsot deeply. "Stuck in a situation with a title I don't want, but that hardly makes for a good nickname."

      "Sometimes, especially when the situation is dire, people just focus on things they can see. Well, someone has to lose a war so somebody else can win it, though, I wouldn't want to know how all of this would have gone if my father had lost." Dayan knew that, by blood, he wasn't supposed to be the smart one, that it wasn't his country to shape, but it wasn't his fathers either, not his brothers and still, they both were better equipped than him - the son of an actual crown prince who threw it all away to be with the one he loved. His old man was a silly goose, wasn't he? The wolf smiled back at the redhead, not because he should have done so to appear like he was friendly, like he actually gave a damn about what they were trying to build here, but because he felt as if he owed Lucien something, really, anything at least. A bottle of wine was hardly enough, was it? Dayan took a whisk and he wondered when the last time had been that he had actually tried to drink as many different things, yet, he couldn't recall a single instance - fuck, he really had been wasted, hadn't he? But right now, he wasn't and that was good. "Which means, only the best for you, too, right? As long as you stick around, anyway", the wolf proposed and it wasn't more than that - an almsot silent proposal of sorts, a thing that he couldn't quite understand, pinpoint, or call his own for that matter. "Your waistline? Not in a million years, you look like you can't put on a pound ... but what will it be, then? A slice of cake? I can ask them to make you whatever you can think of, you know." Luciens ideas were getting to his head, not the wine, while he grabbed another bottle and poured the redhead a new glass - wasn't this fun?
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • Ares didn't change much and neither that Lucien, that was probably because their path had been decided a long time ago and they were shaped into their roles from a very young age. Lucien wasn't sure if his father had expected him to be exactly how he was, but at least he was doing and feeling what he wanted him to and the same went for Ares, even though he had a little bit more freedom than his younger brother. None of them would change much, not anytime soon, because they weren't supposed to. What about Dayan though? He did change because of his siblings death, everyone around him could see that. Lucien hadn't talked much to him before, but Dayan had at least been described differently, though right now he was polite and fun to be around. Still there was something looming over his head and it was no wonder. Lucien wondered though, if he was able to change Dayan even more, to something of his own or rather his fathers liking. He was lost and alone, so it didn't seem impossible. "Hm. I guess I'm different from you two, weaker maybe.", Lucien answered but they both only started fights they could win eventually. Ares was all about strength, Lucien was all about the mind. Ares would never start a game of chess with anyone either. "Because you started saying people would talk if they heard me calling you hun, hun.", Lucien chuckled. "But then again I would be the one being damned for that I guess." Lucien shook his head and took a good look at Dayan once more. "That's also not an adequate character description, that's just the situation you're in.", he pointed out, but he was right, there wasn't going to come a nickname out of this.

      "Thria would be smaller maybe, though the mad king would have brought a civil war amongst himself eventually, or he would have just been killed by someone who had enough of his shit. He was demanding too much, especially of the Myriadians. It would have collapsed anyway I think. Even before all of what happened to the former king, Fhaergus was already pulling out of the war and Olette didn't send huge armies either. Stenz was already pissed off for not getting any land, not even the coastal lines and Wezette was broke. The way he fought the war wasn't sustainable and there are parts in Thria Adrestians probably never would have been able to conquer." For that they needed half breeds like the missing crown prince, right? Well, not that that was anyones plan. Who even wanted a shitty cold place all to the west? For some reason Dayan smiled back at Lucien, which was rare, but not impossible to achieve. Did he like his company or was it just the wine getting to his head slowly? Either way was good to get Dayan to trust him a bit more, right? Now he got flattering too! Lucien chuckled, feigning being embarrassed just a little bit. "How nice of you.", he answered, being treated like that from a guy that was described as if he had turned into a monster was odd. Then the redhead had to laugh. "You think? But I'm mostly sitting somewhere reading, I don't get as much exercise as other people. But thanks for the compliment!", he answered and even got another glass of wine poured and proposed to get something made, anything. Lucien was used to this from parts of his life, he had servants who did whatever he asked them to, but now the king was proposing gifting him what he wanted? This was going better than expected. "Hmm... well if I can choose I'd gladly take some strawberries coated in chocolate I think.", he answered, tilted his head and looked at Dayan. "And what about you? You don't seem like the type to eat a lot of sweets."