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Post by Athuraadd Fallonkreath on Feb 21, 2014 15:01:43 GMT
Athuraadd had been having a mellow, relaxed sort of day up until the present time. So far on his visit to Midgardborg he'd: started a tavern brawl, sprained his wrist and acquainted himself with two Drakonrhedi. And that had all been on the second night. Suffice to say that Athie was perhaps seeking a quieter atmosphere, not that he hadn't enjoyed his previous, energetic excursion. A little spontaneous larking about was healthy, after all.
Still, probably best not to overdo it.
Right now, the late evening was descending on Midgardborg, and everyone who wasn't retreating to Battleboar Inn (Athie thought it best to maybe steer clear of that particular establishment for a while) were returning home or peacefully socializing in the market square, where the final dregs of stall-owners were packing away their goods for another night. Athie was busy bobbing in and out the small waves of people to find a food-stall that was still open; he'd spent the whole day exploring the city and had forgotten to pick up anything to eat. His stomach was responding in sporadic grumbles and Athie was beginning to feel a little desperate. He knew he had ingredients in his bag, but nothing substantial enough that he could rustle something together, and Athie was an expert in rustling up a meal out of nothing.
He traversed the square twice but luck wasn't on his side that evening. He daren't return to the Inn and request a meal, lest the men that Anton and Alvis had successfully overcome. As he sat down on a nearby bench overlooking the plaza, the two men flashed across his mind. He wondered what exciting things both Drakonrhedi were up to. He felt a pang of envy, but he knew in his heart he could never be cut out for such a lifestyle. There were several factors weighing him down in that department.
As people passed him, unaware of his presence, Athie's thoughts began to replay the events in the tavern over and over again. More vividly than the rest, however, was Anton's bizarre use of light in attacking his opponents. The image of such ability burned itself into Athuraadd's mind so clearly that he found himself in complete awe, as well as complete confusion. Anton seemed roughly the same age as himself, and yet he was capable of such talents. Athuraadd looked down at his own hands, one of which was still bandaged up from his previous meeting with the two Drakonrhedi, and began to ponder about what he was capable of. He didn't think in a million years he was capable of magic, but instead wondered just what purpose he could lend himself to. Cooking sure, he enjoyed it, he was damn good at it, but how he could ever transfer those skills to be of use to anyone was lost on him.
At the thought of something that linked to food, Athuraadd's stomach gave a painful growl and Athie tried to rub away the pain, but with no prevail. So he tried to focus on other things. It was just then at the corner of the square something did catch his attention. Three women, all dressed in the most revealing fashion Athuraadd had ever seen, appeared from around the corner and were standing together near an alleyway. As Athie watched them, slightly intrigued, they were approached by a man. He engaged one of them in conversation, although what it was about Athuraadd had no way of knowing. But as he watched out the corner of his eye, the man appeared to hand the woman a large amount of coins. The woman pocketed the coinage smoothly in her dress (although where she slipped them down Athuraadd didn't want to know), took the man gently by the hand and led him off down one the streets and - thankfully - out of Athie's view.
It was after a moment that Athie realised his mouth was hanging agape and he clamped it shut quickly, just in case the two other women saw him. It didn't take a genius to work out what had just occurred; Athie wasn't the brightest spark, but he wasn't completely stupid.
He shuffled uncomfortably; he couldn't exactly get up quickly and walk away, he was terrified that the two remaining women would realise he'd been staring. So he forced himself to sit there for at least two more minutes. In that time he spotted a break in the cobblestone road just at the other end of the square where grass and other foliage had been allowed to grow. His stomach gave another rumble and a thought occurred.
He could...shift? Horses eat grass, no-brainer right?
Stealing a nervous glance over to the two women to check they weren't looking his way, Athie stood up tentatively and crossed over to a nearby alleyway and dipped into the shadows. Moments later, the recognizable 'clip-clop' sound of hooves and cobblestones echoed across the plaza as an equine shadow cast itself the brickwork of nearby buildings.
When shifted, Athie took the form of a very scruffy looking pony. Built like a little shire horse except just a tad scrawnier, Athie prayed he was inconspicuous enough just to blend in with the surroundings. He'd seen horses in Midgardborg before, they were a common mode of transport, so surely it wouldn't be unusual to see another one plodding around.
Briskly, Athie trotted over to the area of green, not even bothering to mentally ask how a floating city managed to grow plant-life anyway, it didn't matter - it was food. He dipped his muzzle down, shaggy mane flopping as he hungrily ripped up and chewed at the grass. A little part of him was screaming in anguish; he was someone who liked to pride himself on his culinary prowess and yet, here he was, eating grass? He was glad his family wasn't here, he'd never live it down.
Tags:Anton NystromInspiration: da silence Notes: I don't know why athie thinks turning into a horse is more subtle than simply sitting on a bench ok he's an idiot but he's my idiot and i love him but yeah HOPE IT DOESN'T SUCK TOO HARD, WILD.
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 23, 2014 1:55:21 GMT
The city was a buzz at this time. The night was beginning to dawn on the citizens, so they were grabbing what they could before heading off to their homes and families. Anton, himself, was grabbing some fresh fruits as he was craving those right now and the inn he was staying at didn't have any that were fresh. Of course, he wasn't that comfortable in this mess of people, but he decided that he should at least try to grab something for the inn while he was there.
Anton had a habit of bringing food to inns and giving them to their owners, as he knew a lot of them from his childhood. Being Hrafnung, he would often be staying up late if patrols dictated it, and he rather enjoyed walking around the city until the inns opened so he could grab some ale there, as well as talking to the owners in the early morning of the hours.
Of course, that tended to change as he set his sights on being a Drakonrhedi. He knew he was Startouched from a young age, but he didn't put much thought into until he was eleven years old. There was about a week where things happened that Anton rarely discussed (it was nothing noteworthy, at least to Anton) that gave him quite a bit of time to think and practice his magic.
He discovered he was quite good at it.
In a type of nostalgic way, he looked up at the trees as their leaves reflected the last bits of light coming from the sun. Leaves were wonderful to practice on. They naturally gathered and reflected light, so it was quite easy to learn how to use the light to slice through the leaf. Anton could still remember the day that he sliced the leaf by its roots so carefully, yet never tore it apart completely.
Now, that was easy. A flash of brilliant light sliced through a leaf, though he doubted anyone saw it (or even if they did, the source would remain unknown). The leaf lazily drifted down to the ground, almost as if it didn't want to lie down. There was a type of magical thing about seeing leaves lazily drift to the ground, as if they were trying their best to stay in the air as long as he could. And it was something that Anton relished.
But the leaf wasn't trying to stay afloat, no. It was looking for something to show Anton. The leaf drifted towards a man that Anton would be quite interested in. It managed to just miss a man that Anton knew from before, a man that was called "Athie." And he was apparently walking in towards some type of an alley.
That was curious.
Anton rushed forwards, struggling through the people in order to find the man that he wanted. But the man disappeared into the alley, and out came a horse. Anton struggled through the people as the horse made its way, though apparently it was a stray.
Anton finally made his way into the alley, and he ran down to see if Athie was on either side of the exit of it. Though, to be honest, he didn't think that Athie was this fast. Then again... He did have a runner's body. He would be able outrun Anton easily if he had enough space.
Gods dammit, I hope you haven't left.
But Athie wasn't there on the other side. And it finally, finally clicked in Anton's rather slow brain.
"Athie, you're ridiculous."
He walked out of the alleyway to find the horse that was now munching of grass. It was, indeed, strange for such a horse to be munching in such a crowded area. So Anton didn't think that this being was a horse at all. No, Anton had the creeping suspicion that this horse was a very poorly disguised Athie.
He walked over to the horse and grinned at it. "Hey, if you're hungry, I bought some food. You can come hang out at the inn I'm staying. Drinks on me."
Anton held up the small basket of fruits and fresh meats that he was carrying, before waving for the horse to follow him.
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Post by Athuraadd Fallonkreath on Feb 24, 2014 0:23:16 GMT
Athie wasn't a stranger to eating grass - this hadn't been the first time he'd been cut short with his hunger. That being said, it wasn't something Athuraadd enjoyed, but did so out of necessity. A couple of people stopped to look at the stray pony ripping up the otherwise neatly trimmed cud but Athie didn't pay much heed, it was just a relief to have something in his belly.
Having a horse alter-ego had it's advantages; Athie was a keen sprinter, but he was even faster on hooves. He was also slightly stronger thanks to his equine structure, not that he'd lightly use this ability in attack. But if need be, he could kick, bite and rear out, should the occasion call for such. He remembered fondly how the young children in his clan would beg and beg and beg until he eventually gave in to let them ride on his back. They'd giggle with delight and tug roughly on his mane, but Athie tried not to mind. He bonded well with the young'uns in his community...probably because he was more often than not on their carefree wavelength. All the other lads his age were all rough and tumble, there were no time for simply messing around. While they were all busy wrestling and head-locking each other, Athie was lumped with babysitting duties.
The flash of nostalgia brought a sense of warmth to Athuraadd. He obviously missed his clan dearly. Family was an important part of his life. Amidst all the teasing and the banter, there was genuine love. And Athie missed that a great lot. Athuraadd was - at his core - an extremely affectionate person, both in his actions and how he responded to the care others gave him.
He was absent-mindedly chewing the slightly damp grass, thoughts wandering over the images of his family and his clan, when a voice came up from behind him. It was a voice that was rather familiar.
"Hey, if you're hungry, I bought some food. You can come hang out at the inn I'm staying. Drinks on me."
Athie brought his equine head up and craned his neck to locate the source of the familiar address. It couldn't be...
"Anton?" The surprise in Athie's voice was more conveyed through a snort.
Oh gods Anton had just watched him eat grass.
The mortification swept over him like a tidal wave.
Without a moment's more hesitation, Athie shifted back to his normal state. He was sitting on his knees in the grass, spluttering and spitting around the remnants of his snack. Grass tasted a great deal worse without equine taste-buds. Athie was furiously wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve, muttering something being incredibly embarrassed. He tried to ignore the fact his face was turning a peculiar shade of pink.
Still, he was more surprised that he was even seeing Anton again, and even happier still. He wasn't quite sure why, but he accepted those feelings all the same. Anton also seemed pleased to see Athie again, although that might just be his own amusement as watching Athie make a twit of himself. It happened a lot, to be fair - Athie considered charging for the right to watch.
Picking the last strand of grass from his teeth and flicking it away with a 'you-totally-didn't-see-me-do-that' sort of smile, Athie looked up at Anton, who was towering above him, "I...um. I didn't expect to see you here." he noted dumbly.
'Well of course you didn't,' his mind reminded him with that annoying snarky tone it had a funny habit of adopting, 'you wouldn't be sitting in the mud with grass stains in your teeth if you knew he was coming.'
Mentally telling his inner-self to put a rather hefty sock in it, Athie continued his happy, smiling façade. By now he was shakily standing up, brushing down the dirt that coated itself to his clothing. "Drinks would be great." he grinned, "Where are heading? Not Battleboar Inn I hope?" His question was said with mostly playful jest, but there was just a hint of ohgodpleasenotBattleboarInn in there too.
As trotted merrily after the other man, Athie gave Anton a quizzical look, with an eyebrow raised, "So...you're not doing any important Drakonrhedi stuff tonight, then?" Athuraadd wasn't really sure what 'Drakonrhedi stuff' consisted of, but it couldn't of been too important if Anton wanted to hang out with him, right?
Tags: Anton NystromInspiration: Notes: You know when I said I was going to reward your patience with an extra good reply? TURNS OUT I'M A DIRTY STINKING LIAR I'M SORRY. but yeah, have a bashful athie wheeeee
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 26, 2014 15:59:49 GMT
Athie was now sitting in front of a very amused Anton, sputtering the grass from his mouth that, just moments ago, he was trying to eat. The idea of eating grass was, quite frankly, disgusting to Anton, and he was not at all sure how Athie managed such a feat. Regardless, the little man in front of him was definitely one kind of brave, even if it wasn't the way that Anton was.
"I... um. I didn't expect to see you here," Athie said, trying to hide the rather funny (at least, to Anton) moment.
Of course, Anton had no intentions of bringing that up again. He would make sure that Athie was nice and comfy before he poked fun at the man's grass eating habits. He was most certainly not going to let him live it down. "And I didn't expect to see you here, either!"
It was true: Anton had thought that the man would be staying in the shadows after what had happened at the Battleboar. Then again, the Battleboar wasn't too nearby to the Plaza, so Athie could probably hang out there without any troubles. The Plaza itself was a busy place where almost no one looked at faces and instead looked at the wares and money you had. It wasn't for greed, no. It was because this place was busy, and any missed time could be precious money that was lost, or worse, food could go to waste.
There was a time for socializing and a time for doing things. The Market Plaza was the latter of the two, and as such, Anton intended to bring them to a place much better suited for socializing.
"Where are heading? Not Battleboar Inn I hope?" Athie had asked. That was a curious question that Anton didn't particularly want to answer so soon, so he let the words gather on the tip of his tongue.
"So... you're not doing any important Drakonrhedi stuff this evening?" Athie had also asked, as Anton was trying to gather himself. That was a question that he could answer, and with much more ease.
"Nope. I took a small 'break', though it's less of a break and more of an extended leave to see if anything needs doing in Midgardborg." The city was an important place to the Drakonrhedi. Even if that Hrafnung were the ones who were supposed to guard it, it was one of the few remaining beacons of humanity, and the Drakonrhedi were pledged with guarding humanity. "I'm just being very... Liberal with what I believe needs doing."
Anton grinned and looked up at the sky, rather certain that no one would run into him. While that wasn't quite true, most people were smart enough to avoid a man not looking at where he was going in a bright white coat. "I hope you don't mind, but we're actually going to the Hrafnung 'dorms' so to speak. The food I'm bringing is actually for the cook there."
The hesitance Anton had was not because of any type of fear that Athie wouldn't join him (if he didn't want to come, then that was that -- Anton could either join Athie or leave him), but rather he was concerned about the young man feeling out of place there. The dormitories were full of soldiers who believed that it was a clan's duty to protect that which they loved. It was how all Hrafnung were raised, after all. And Athie was most certainly not a soldier, and probably someone who couldn't protect what he loved. At least, not in a way the soldier's would understand.
Anton himself had no issues with Athie, as he found the man endearing and enjoyable, as well as had an amazing spirit. The man survived a bar coming down on him when he wasn't physically prepared for it, and was able to joke about it after they escaped. Anton liked him, that was all there was to it. But more importantly, Anton felt protective of him. This person was a friend to him, and any idiot who claimed Athie wasn't good enough would face the wrath of Anton. Something that people in general had no intentions of doing.
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Post by Athuraadd Fallonkreath on Feb 26, 2014 18:45:41 GMT
"And I didn't expect to see you here, either!"
Athuraadd gave a soft giggle, "Small city, huh?" He felt quite relieved to see his blue-haired companion once more; Midgardborg was a big place filled with a lot of troubles, so Athie was glad that - for another evening - he wouldn't have to face it alone. Anton was a man who could more than handle himself in a fight, so Athie felt pretty relaxed while in his vicinity. Plus he made him smile, so he passed the 'You're a friend of Athuraadd' test with flying colours. Albeit not a very hard test, but passed expertly all the same. He pulled a blade of grass that (somehow) had wedged itself in a strand of his hair and flicked it away with another flush of embarrassment. He hoped Anton was the forgetful type, but the other man's amused smile told Athie that he wouldn't be living this down in a hurry.
Note to self; find something that embarrasses Anton. Use said embarrassment as comeback if grass thing is brought back up.
Moving back to the whole 'unexpected meeting' thing again, Athie gave a little, carefree shrug, "I'm kind of...stuck in Midgardborg anyway." he explained nonchalantly, "Beyond this city and my own clan, I don't really know anywhere else I can go." He gave a small, sheepish grin, "Not the best excuse for a traveler, am I?"
It was all a learning curve for Athie. He had the money on the next airship and discover new places. The only thing holding him back was his own lack of courage. The world was a big place, and Athie was just a small Viking bobbling around in the middle of it. He dully noticed that Anton danced around his question about where they were heading, but he didn't take much notice of it. By now, he was used to Drakonrhedi folk keeping their secrets, it was all part of their charm, probably. Still, he trusted Anton and knew his companion wouldn't take him anywhere less than desirable.
"Nope. I took a small 'break', though it's less of a break and more of an extended leave to see if anything needs doing in Midgardborg. I'm just being very... Liberal with what I believe needs doing."
Athie's eyes lit up in excitement, "So...like, special undercover police duty?" he asked, nearly stumbling a little as his attention was kept on Anton, "It must be hard work. It's no wonder I was never picked." He said it with a soft smile, but there was a just the faintest undertone of regret in Athie's voice. It wasn't as if he ever wanted to be a Drakonrhedi, that's for sure, but a part of him wondered what if he'd tried a little more while growing up? Tried to be a little more stronger, a little more wiser, a little more of use to people. He pondered about how Anton had coped with it all, and what a regular day in the life of a Drakonrhedi must entail.
"I hope you don't mind, but we're actually going to the Hrafnung 'dorms' so to speak. The food I'm bringing is actually for the cook there."
It was true that the Hrafnung and Armfastrung clans weren't the best of buddies. Heck, they wouldn't even measure up at good acquaintances, but at least common ground in the fact they both shared ornithological mascots (although obviously an eagle was so much cooler than a raven, but Athie wouldn't go blabbing that out just yet) and at present, relationships between both clans were - to Athie's knowledge - running somewhat indifferent. Athie himself on the other hand kept a very open-mind and although he was filled with a slight anxiety that these Hrafnung vikings could potentially single him out, he was glad that it was Anton who was escorting him. He shook his head, brown locks bobbing to and fro, "I don't mind at all." he replied sincerely, after all, it might be interesting to see what dishes the Hrafnung's cooked up, "Is that your clan then? Hrafnung?" He tilted his head to the side like a curious puppy, "Was it difficult leaving them? When you went to be a Drakonrhedi, I mean?"
It had been difficult enough for Athie having to leave his family of his own free will; he couldn't imagine what it must've been like for someone practically forced to abandon their own clan. Still, Anton seemed pretty relaxed in his position. Then again, Anton seemed pretty chill most of the time. It was good for Athie to be in the company of someone who was so focused and on-the-ball, whereas his own attention span was limited.
Tags: Anton NystromInspiration:Notes: rushed post is rushed LONGER POST NEXT TIME PROMISE.
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 27, 2014 4:35:23 GMT
Traveler?
That was the first thing on Anton's mind. Of course, he said he was a poor excuse for a traveler, but nevertheless, he felt like it was quite an interesting thing for someone to do. Traveling required leaving your clan behind for long periods of time, and most people didn't quite like doing that. At the end of the day, however, it was up to whomever was leaving. People may try to convince you otherwise, but you could always leave.
Anton shrugged lightly and laughed in response. Traveling was hard, and it was a personal voyage. He didn't think that Athie would have to lie up to any expectations since it was his own personal quest to travel wherever it was traveling to. It was pointless to compare yourself to others because for some, traveling simply to another clan's village was nearly impossible, but for others, it was commonplace. ”Don't worry about it, I think you're fine,” was all that he said on the matter.
He curiously wondered if Athie was fit for traveling. It didn't matter, at the end of the day. Athie would go whether or not others told him to; it simply was his own courage that was necessary. But Athie seemed to lack even that; at the Battleboar the other day, he fell into a mess of fear as the other vikings became angry at him. Anton would have to keep that in mind. Perhaps Athie would never be a fighter, but he most certainly could be someone important and powerful.
Then again, Anton thought that everyone was able to become someone. As wishful as that was, that type of thinking was slightly wrong in this day and age. People were cruel and vicious, and you had to be able to hold your own, whether it was mentally or physically. They all chipped at your soul, and all you could do was grit your teeth and force your way through it until they stopped, silenced by the drowning words of others.
Anton found himself stuck in an ocean with a thousand hands clawing at his legs as he desperately tried to claw the legs of someone above him. A cruel world, indeed.
”So... like, special undercover police duty? It must be hard work. It's no wonder I was never picked.”
That made Anton snort with laughter. It could be described as “duty”, though it was much more accurately described as “slacking off”. ”Uh, yeah. Something like that.” Anton said with a grin, trying to stray off from the topic.
”Is that your clan then? Hrafnung? Was it difficult leaving them?” Athie asked, the curiosity plastered over his face like it was a canvas for an artist.
They were almost at the dorms by this points. These dorms were more out of the way, but larger too. They held the engineers who were more trained in the cannons, as well as many of the first response ground soldiers. Rarely did it come to serious ground fighting, as the few behemoths who slipped through were often slain by one of the handful of Drakonrhedi staying on the city.
”Yeah, that was my clan. Was being the key word,” Anton said with a smile as he stopped at the door. He wanted to stay outside for a moment more, so he took in a breath of the air, its coolness biting his nose once more, and laid his eyes on Athie, soaking in his experience. The man was actually quite the pleasure: the shortness fit his personality, the cheerful attitude was hard to resist, and Anton found himself appreciating his looks. Athie was by no means extraordinarily handsome, but he wasn't bad looking either.
”Nah, it wasn't hard to leave them. I mean, after all, the Drakonrhedi serve all the clans, so it was less of leaving them and more of pledging myself to all the others.” Anton shrugged and smiled. But, what about you? Earlier you specifically said weren't picked... Are you Startouched? Or did you try to get into the Drakonrhedi without any magic?”
Tags: Athuraadd FallonkreathInspiration: Anton's Playlist Notes: balhablahblah anton totally doesn't care about social standards so he talks about men and women's attractiveness in his miiiind
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Post by Athuraadd Fallonkreath on Feb 27, 2014 12:54:57 GMT
As they walked together, Athie near skipping point as he tried to keep up with Anton's strong pace, the smaller Viking noted that the answers his companion gave him concerning the Drakonrhedi were short and distant, like his words were only scratching the surface of what his life entailed. Athie thought it was fascinating but Anton simply shrugged the matter off. There were almost a sense of urgency in his tone too, like he was keen to veer off the subject altogether. Athuraadd was good at judging a situation or a person's mood, even if he didn't exactly know what to do once the atmosphere had been assessed. Right now, he decided to pay heed to Anton's hints and move on from the topic of 'what life is like for a Drakonrhedi'.
There would be time for questions later, but Athie contented himself to push such queries to the back of his mind.
As he bobbed along beside Anton, trying to get a sense of his curious companion, his attention was quickly drawn to the increasing sound of bustling activity from up ahead. As the dregs of soldiers and engineers came into view, it dawned slowly (most things do) on Athie that they were approaching the Hrafnung dorms. His body subconsciously edged itself closer to Anton's, purely out of anxiety than anything else. Midgardborg was a chaotic hive of humans from different walks of life with different stories to tell and different burdens to carry. It was certainly a place where the chances of you meeting a fellow clan-member were every bit as equal as meeting someone from an entirely different clan altogether. Or Drakonrhedi, if you were Athie.
”Yeah, that was my clan. Was being the key word,”
Athie was looking around at the various Hrafnung soldiers slipping past them, paying both men no real attention as they had their own business to attend to. "Armfastrung." Athie countered, answering a silent question. He gestured to a group of Hrafnung men, but his following question applied to the whole dorms in general, "They won't mind that, will they?" He cringed slightly, realising how dumb the question sounded only after it escaped his lips, "I know that sounds stupid," He paused to correct himself, adding sheepishly, "I know a lot of the things I say sound stupid. It's just...I, um..." He was mentally groaning at the sound of his own words. Why was he getting so flustered? It was only Anton. Still...
As he waited for Anton to open the door into the dorms, he cast a glance up to the other man, who was staring directly right back at him. Athie tensed. Was Anton...checking him out? No, surely not. Still, as soon as he met Anton's gaze, he looked away after a moment hesitation. His face felt hot, but he couldn't understand why.
There was no way Anton had been eying him up...in that way. Right? Athie never regarded himself as handsome. His mother had always told him he was adorable, but Athie always concluded those were just a mother's loving words. There was no way someone like Anton, someone who was actually attractive-
Did he just think that?
He quickly folded his arms and distracted his thoughts by looking around, trying to convince Anton (and himself) that he wasn't bothered, wasn't flustered and wasn't - in no way at all - turning red. Nope. Not at all, not in the slightest ohgodAntonjustsayingsomethingplease.
”Nah, it wasn't hard to leave them. I mean, after all, the Drakonrhedi serve all the clans, so it was less of leaving them and more of pledging myself to all the others.”
Athie thought briefly about Anton's words, and it began to make sense about why his brothers had never shown any real interested in joining the Drakonrhedi. They were more than capable, but their interest in the organisation was limited. They were very pro-Armfastrung, and didn't care at all for other clans. While Athie remained open-minded, his brothers were convinced that they were going to grow up into champion Armfastrung warriors, like their father. The thought of serving other clans was out of the question for them, but for Athie, he respected and admired how Anton was able to keep an equal judgement and put aside his heritage to serve the greater good.
But, what about you? Earlier you specifically said weren't picked... Are you Startouched? Or did you try to get into the Drakonrhedi without any magic?”
Athie raised two doubting eyebrows at Anton with a lopsided grin, "Come on, Anton, do you really think I could be Startouched?" He gave a short laugh, "Imagine me, with those freaky powers you have. I'd be a public menace." In response to Anton's query about being selected for the Drakonrhedi, Athie gave a small, indifferent shrug, "There was never a thought in my family that I even could," he answered honestly, "My brothers are the strong ones. They could easily get into the Drakonrhedi if they wanted. But me?" He pointed to himself, giving Anton a grin to try and convince him that it didn't bother Athie in the slightest, when really that wasn't entirely true, "I'd be dead within the first month." He reached out and gave Anton a playful but gentle punch on the shoulder, "I'll leave all that important Drakonrhedi stuff to strong guys like you."
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 28, 2014 15:59:56 GMT
“Armfastrung,” Athie said, before gesturing to a few Hrafnung men and continuing. “They won't mind that will they?” The question seemed simple enough to Anton, but apparently there was something about it that Athie seemed to see in it. He stumbled out a handful of words, but none of them made any clear sense to Anton.
”Nah,” Anton began, interrupting the crashing train of Athie's words, ”Most Hrafnung see the other clans with respect. We have to protect Midgardborg, you see, and since that is a city for all of the clans, we feel like we protect all the clans. That's not to say we aren't patriotic, however.” The patriotism was definitely strong in Anton's family. They wouldn't particularly care if you were from the other clans, but if you even so much as claimed that your clan was better than the rest, you would have a group of angry Hrafnung to deal with.
As Anton listened to Athie speak about his lack of being Startouched, and there was a certain type of nonchalance in his voice that Anton recognized. It was the type that spoke of deeper feelings that you were hiding from people, but Anton decided that now was not the time to bring up such a thing. In fact, it was probably best to wait for Athie to bring it up. Those were topics that you couldn't discuss with just anyone.
”Well, then,” Anton said, gesturing to the door. ”Shall we continue? It was much less of a question and more of a statement, but Anton found it polite to mention at the very least. The heavy door opened surprisingly easily, and it was rather quiet in the dorms themselves. ”The dorms are technically only for sleeping and and a tiny bit of training, but some guys like to just chat here. Anything louder, however, you have to go to an inn. Thought I might like the quiet, after our night from before.”
It wasn't just the night from before that Anton found himself like the quiet. It was his personality as a whole. The dorm rooms were perfect for reading up on his magic, which meant that Anton could continue his advancements in magic instead of just standing still. Recently, he had become preoccupied with random Drakonrhedi assignments, so he was not sure of where would be best to pick up. He decided to review over the last things he was reviewing before everything happened: those “wards” that he was thinking of a couple of nights ago.
They were difficult to keep up, and Anton found them frustrating as hell to remember. But, at the same time, once you knew one inside and out, they were incredibly simple. Just a quick setting in your brain, and there would be something surrounding you. Of course, the most common ones for people who were able to use light magic were illusions, but Anton had theories of others. He would have to test those out when he was able to.
He grabbed some ale from the stockroom quickly, as it was right next to the room they were in. After setting down the two drinks on the table, he looked up at Athie. ”Pick a bed. These rooms hold eight or so people, but like I said, this place is rather quiet. If we're lucky, these rooms will be empty. If not, there will be a handful of others in here.”
Tags: Athuraadd FallonkreathInspiration: ANTON x ATHIE Notes: Ahaha, Athie doesn't realize that Anton checks anyone out that he considers attractive. Fuck genders, man.
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Post by Athuraadd Fallonkreath on Feb 28, 2014 22:47:22 GMT
”Most Hrafnung see the other clans with respect. We have to protect Midgardborg, you see, and since that is a city for all of the clans, we feel like we protect all the clans. That's not to say we aren't patriotic, however.”
Athuraadd nodded, soaking in the mini-Hrafnung lecture. While there were - of course - the regular ties and feuds, Armfastrung was very much similar in regards to their outlooks on rival clans. There was undoubtedly an unspoken respect that ran deep, there were all noble warriors after all. Sure, there was the odd little tiff here and there, but Athie recalled, those sort of outbreaks were usually between younger members of the clan out to prove a point. He recalled one occasion where two of his older brothers, twins, had been caught up in a particularly nasty scrap against a gang of Hrafnung boys of the same age when his family had visited Midgardborg. There had been injuries on both sides; both brothers had walked away sporting tremendous black eyes and one had a broken rib. But in traditional, headstrong valour they'd insisted that they had been the victors and saw their injuries as trophies.
Athie was glad sometimes that he'd grown up soft.
”Well, then. Shall we continue?"
Athuraadd nodded eagerly, now feeling a sense of excitement now he was sufficiently convinced that his heritage wouldn't cause him any difficulties within the dorms. He followed in closely behind Anton as they entered.
”The dorms are technically only for sleeping and and a tiny bit of training, but some guys like to just chat here. Anything louder, however, you have to go to an inn. Thought I might like the quiet, after our night from before.”
"It's nice here." Athie said simply, with a bright smile. It felt good to be in out of the cold, and the atmosphere and ambiance of the quiet dorms was much to his liking. He'd expected it to be a lot louder and busier, but this was a welcome surprise. He slipped off his jacket and bundled the garment under his arm. Underneath, he was dressed in his usual attire; brown trousers with a slightly baggy fit in the legs, a blue shirt with long but slightly ruffled sleeves, his leather jerkin that sat on top and around his neck he'd tried a thin, green ribbon that acted a makeshift bandana. It was simple, but it kept the cold away.
”Pick a bed. These rooms hold eight or so people, but like I said, this place is rather quiet. If we're lucky, these rooms will be empty. If not, there will be a handful of others in here.”
Athie sat down opposite Anton and took a small swig from his ale, relishing the kick of the cool liquid as it traveled down his throat. He rather fancied the idea of being able to just have a relaxed, friendly conversation with Anton; no bar fights, no sprained wrists, no dangerous excursions. He realised though that this was a Hrafnung dorm, and therefore the chances of Anton knowing a lot of the soldiers here was high. So Athie braced himself for having to make polite, idle conversation with total strangers if they decided to join them. He didn't mind but he'd much rather spend the time getting to know Anton better.
"Thanks again, Anton." Athie began, lowering his mug, unaware that he had a line of froth above his top lip, "I'd still be eating grass if you hadn't come along."
As he took another small sip, he heard a door close in the corridor just outside their room. He looked up, out of curiosity to see who it was who passing by and when they appeared, he almost dropped his mug. It was the same woman he'd seen back in the Plaza, the scantily dressed one who'd left with the man who'd handed her a large sum of coins. She was nonchalantly adjusting her skirts and straightening a garter on her left leg. She passed into their room, seemingly to head to the exit, but as she made eye contact with an open-mouthed Athie, she stopped and squinted her eyes.
"Don't I know you?" she cooed softly, twirling a stray ringlet of brown hair.
Oh gods she must've seen him gawping at them back in at the market square.
Athie was about to correct her and deny her question when she suddenly clicked her fingers in triumph.
"Ah yes, now I remember. You were sitting on a bench back in the Plaza." Her thick red lips pulled up into a smirk, and Athie shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "You seemed rather interested."
"I wasn't!" Athie protested. It came out as a squeak, but it was an honest squeak. She may have looked pretty but Athie was in no way attracted to her, and he certainly wasn't the kind of person to...buy what she was selling. But his reaction only seemed to encourage her. She strode over to both of them and reached out with an outstretched hand to stroke Athie's shoulder. He visibly flinched at the touch, like she'd just jabbed him with a hot poker.
"Like what you see?" she asked softly. Athie violently shook his head, blushing. He was too mortified to even mouth a horrified 'no'.
Tags: Anton NystromInspiration: Notes: feel free to take control of the woman or whatever also let's get anton and athie drunk
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Mar 1, 2014 9:10:12 GMT
It was certainly nice to be out of the cold. The rooms were warm and cozy, the ale was nice, and he had left the meats in the freezer for the cook here. Of course, that wasn't what was keeping Anton so preoccupied from making conversation with the nice fellow he met just days ago.
She was.
The woman was fairly attractive, as far as Anton could tell, though he wasn't entirely certain why men found those get-ups attractive. They weren't good for being outside, being in bed, or being flexible. Society was a weird, weird place to Anton.
Then again, Anton was just as weird to society. The man who held a look of indignant frustration rather than either gawking at the woman or finding out how much she cost. He wasn't interested in her services, and he most certainly wasn't interested in being solicited them.
But solicit she was doing. Not that Anton could exactly blame her. Everyone needed to make money, and everyone needed some type of gimmick to do whatever they did. For Anton, it was the Drakonrhedi. For the soldier's here, it was being a guard of the city. For his parents, it was being engineers on a ship.
Athie's squirming gave him a bit of discomfort, but he was wondering if Athie had it in him to tell her to get out. It wasn't like he minded, more so he didn't want to intrude on anything. This could be his way of trying to get her without looking like he was into that.
To be perfectly honest, Anton couldn't care less if Athie wanted to buy her goods or if he wasn't even into women. Anton just wanted to make sure that Athie was comfortable, and when he realized that Athie was too flustered to even speak, he decided to step in.
He shrugged off his coat (as that was quite expensive to get cleaned, you see), took off his necklace (that bone was from before the behemoths were here!) and stepped up to the woman.
It took nearly everything in him to avoid physically hurting the woman. She definitely deserves it in Anton's eyes, but the presence of the soldier nearby meant that he could get into quite a politically messy situation if he wasn't able to control himself.
He grabbed the shoulder of the chin of the woman and forced her to look at him. He leaned in to the woman so she would know exactly what Anton planned to do, and began to whisper in a vile tone. "You have two options, see. Either you leave this room now and don't bother either my friend or me -- I don't care who else you solicit your 'services' to, so long as you don't come near either of us again. Or, you can face the wrath of a man who is very, very well known for being a bit too bloodthirsty for his own good."
To prove his point, Anton smiled viciously, his eyes alight with the possibility of something so fantastic happening so soon. Someone who couldn't even fight back, too. (Well, as far as Anton was aware). It was the perfect fight for Anton, he just had to wait for the best moment to strike. That is, if his services were necessary.
As far as it was looking, they weren't. The woman struggled for a second in Anton's grasp before he let go, the crazed desire still dancing in his body. "So, what is it going to be, sweetheart?"
Tags: Athuraadd FallonkreathInspiration: Song stuck in head. Notes: this sucks so much I know but I'm doing this on my phone please don't judges me
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Post by Athuraadd Fallonkreath on Mar 1, 2014 15:34:14 GMT
Even more so, he felt embarraseed for Anton. He glanced over to give his companion a desperate 'I'm so super sorry' look but to his surprise, the Drakonrhedi was already on his feet and placing his now-off jacket to the side. Again, Athie wasn't totally stupid; that was usually a sign that some serious business was about to go down. He felt himself tense as Anton approached the woman and took her chin in his hands. Their faces were so close now that they were practically touching noses. Athie felt himself gulp. He felt a slight sting of excitement but it was mostly anxiety that took hold of his small body.
"You have two options, see. Either you leave this room now and don't bother either my friend or me -- I don't care who else you solicit your 'services' to, so long as you don't come near either of us again. Or, you can face the wrath of a man who is very, very well known for being a bit too bloodthirsty for his own good."
Athie's body had completely seized up by this point, his breath hitched in his throat. He was frantically trying to work in his brain if Anton was putting on an act or whether he was being deadly serious. As worry had consumed Athie's body, something seemed to take a hold of Anton's state too, but the smaller Viking couldn't work out what it was. There was a devilish glint in Anton's eyes, and his smile had gone from being the soft, gentle one that Athie enjoyed, to something much more darker.
As he watched, slightly relieved, Anton released his grip on the woman.
"So, what is it going to be, sweetheart?"
The words dripped like venom, and Athie was amazed that the woman was able to stay as cool as she was with such a impressive figure opposite her. If Athie was her, he would've run a mile by now. The again, it didn't take much for Athie to run a mile.
The woman was indignantly huffing and preening herself, trying not to appear visibly shaken, but the cracks in her voice told otherwise. She took a step back from Anton and glared at him, "Fine." she hissed, "Keep him for yourself then." She turned abruptly and cast once last look at Athie, who felt himself slump in his seat, "Don't worry, darling; if he breaks you, you can always come find me." She said it with a sarcastic smirk, and Athie tried to match Anton's angry glare, but came out as more of an indignant frown. Before Anton could grab her again, the woman beat a hasty retreat, and slammed the door on her exit.
Athie turned and raised himself up, so that his knees were now resting on the seat itself with his hands gripped the back, "Yeah, and don't come back!" he called after her. He tried - playfully- to mimic Anton's threatening tone, but it sounded more like a joyful whoop. He sat back down properly on his fact and looked up at Anton in excitement, "That was amazing! You were all 'you can face the wrath of a man who is well known for being too bloodthirsty for his own good'" (for his impression of Anton, he deliberately over exaggerated the lower vocal range, not to poke fun, but simply out of his own excitement)"-and she was so scared! Damn, Anton, even I felt scared!" That probably wasn't too hard to believe, but Athie didn't care, "And when you were like 'What's it going to be, sweetheart?' I swear to the gods she looked like she was going to faint." By now, his excitement was drawing all the breath out of him, so he decided to calm down a little. Gripping his mug of ale in both hands, he gave Anton a demure but thankful smile, "...thanks for sticking up for me. I didn't really have any plans about changing my sleeping arrangements anytime soon."
At his own words he remembered Anton's previous mention about picking beds and whanot. He took a sip from his drink, "I got the impression from what you said earlier that here would be a good place to haul up for the night. Does that mean you'll be sleeping with me?" The question came out so innocently that it took him a moment to realise what he just said. When he did realise, however, his eyes widened and nearly popped out of their sockets, "I mean...Not with me with me, just...Um, ohgods I meant are you staying with me in the dorms tonight too? That is...you in one bed, me in another, that's what I meant to say. You don't have to be heading back to your Drakonrhedi business tonight, do you?" He was fully aware that he was now visibly fumbling with his hands and avoiding Anton's gaze, "'Cause I'd like it if you did stay with me. In the same room...I mean."
Tags: Anton NystromInspiration: Notes: oh hush your reply was fine. i commend your bravery for even attempting it by phone and also watch as I splooge Anton x Athie hard all over this thread.
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Mar 1, 2014 20:49:32 GMT
The flustered voice of Athie was simply a murmur in the background to Anton. The woman had left and the soldier had retreated back into his room. Damn officers, thinking they own the place. Go take your women somewhere else, no one wants that here. The anger that was in his system was far from gone, and he had to make sure he didn't destroy something he might regret. He didn't even bother responding to the ramblings of the excited Athie; he was saying words, but the only meaning that was coming from that was he was scared, and now he was relieved. A part of his mind told him to sit down and relax, but the raging beast inside of him was not so pleased with that idea. That part might go crazy if he didn't do something soon, and that was never pleasant for anyone. Just as he was gathering his faculties to ask Athie a question, the man tripped over his words again. The meaningless flow of words coming from the shorter man's mouth became less and less clear until he eventually stopped himself to form a few coherent sentences. Anton cast a gaze on the man and he curiously wondered if Athie thought Anton was into men. That would be curious. "We're sleeping in this room, yes. There are four other beds besides the ones we'll be using, but I'll try to see if the other soldiers can take residence in the other room. Most people tend to avoid me when I'm tired, anyway."Anton took a break, the air flowing through his nostrils and into his lungs, where a small soothing sensation was beginning to spread. He walked over to where he set his coat down (which was on the bed he was using the previous night) and rest his hands on the leather, eyeing it cautiously. Thoughts danced around in his head, taunting his mind with their impish cruelty, always just impossible enough that they couldn't quite be feasible. Ideas such as sparring with Athie, which was a brilliant idea besides the fact that Athie was far from someone who could give Anton a good fight. Fighting the soldiers was a possibility, yes, but Anton didn't feel like dealing with people who wanted to watch a fight or any of that other ridiculous social stuff. The anger began to build up in Anton's mind, and before he could even react to his body, his fist was heading towards the wall. It was stone, so he knew there would be no damage to it, but there would be damage to his hand. Of course, the pain could easily simulate a normal fight, without the pain to others. It wasn't perfect, but for the situation at hand, it was better than tearing apart Athie. He accepted all of this by the time his fist landed into the wall. The pain was shooting through his hand like a fire and Anton closed his eyes, a terrible smile on his face. "A lot of people don't exactly trust me, you see." The words were intended for Athie, but Anton was neither speaking loud nor facing him, so he wouldn't be surprised at all if Athie didn't hear him. The cruel smile on his face turned into more of a grimace as the pain became harder to ignore. At first, the adrenaline was amazing at stopping any pain at all, but now it was setting in for real. "Not my smartest move, but whatever. It works."He sat down on the bed and sighed, his head leaning back as he tried to feel the pain while also ignoring it. "I'm sorry," he murmured quietly. Tags: Athuraadd FallonkreathInspiration: Dream Theater Notes: So I was going to reply to the gay thing, but you know. Anton got super pissed. |
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Post by Athuraadd Fallonkreath on Mar 1, 2014 23:32:53 GMT
"We're sleeping in this room, yes. There are four other beds besides the ones we'll be using, but I'll try to see if the other soldiers can take residence in the other room. Most people tend to avoid me when I'm tired, anyway."
Athie gave a shaky but sincere "Oh, good." in response, pleased that his cock-up had gone unnoticed, or that Anton was deciding to ignore it. Either way, he felt his cheeks cool down and took a hearty gulp of his drink in order to forget the matter.
Anton - on the other hand - did not seem to be returning to normal. Ever since his brief confrontation with the now departed woman, the blue-haired Drakonrhedi seemed glazed over with an unusual sense of ferocity. Although in his lifetime, Athie was used to people being outwardly enraged (his headstrong family were prime examples), he wasn't used to those who were on the other side of the spectrum, projecting a much more subtle hint of threat. Anton was such a person, and Athie found it quite unnerving.
He watched, perplexed as Anton crossed over to where his jacket lay and stared at the man for a few moments. There was a silence in the room that not even Athie dared to break with a light-hearted remark or query. Suddenly, without warning, Anton brought his fist up and punched the nearest wall. It was almost as if Athie had felt the full force of the punch, as he visibly jumped in his seat upon the sound of impact. His nails scratched against the table as his body tensed, and he felt light pants of fearful worry leave his lips. The shuddering thud of Anton's knuckles hitting the stone wall caused Athie's face to crease into a wince but he couldn't find any words within him to say.
As luck would have it, Anton spoke first.
"A lot of people don't exactly trust me, you see."
The words were said quietly, and in a tone Athie couldn't quite deduce. He frowned at Anton (even though the other man wouldn't see) and swallowed hard, having to refrain himself from biting his lip so that words could travel out his mouth, "What reason do people have not to trust you?" he asked quietly, voice only just reaching above a whisper. He felt genuine concern for Anton; his sudden change was almost upsetting for Athie, who could only watch on in anxiety.
"Not my smartest move, but whatever. It works."
Athie responded with a weak smile, but the atmosphere in the room felt so heavy that there was nothing else he could think of to say. Anton seemed quite unpredictable in this state, so Athie found himself tiptoeing over the correct way to respond. He watched his friend with a frown as the other man slumped down onto his bed.
"I'm sorry,"
Athie mentally flinched; it was hard to see a man who -not so long ago- had appeared so strong was now reduced to this. Still, to Athie, maybe that made him more human. After a moments pause, Athie stood up and slowly crossed over to the bed opposite Anton's and plopped himself down. He was looking out the window; the night sky was clear and the soft glow of the moon cascaded through the glass and into the room, matching the light of the candles.
It was times like this, when he looked into the sky, that he thought of where his family must be in that great abyss. "You know, way back," he said suddenly, out of nowhere, "-my family were farmers, down on the surface. They left the clan to follow a dream, a crazy dream I know, but, they were determined to do it." He had a smile on his face by this point, even though he wasn't entirely sure as to why he was bringing this all up, "Apparently it was hard for them though. A lot of them died. If it wasn't Behemoths, it was sickness or hunger or bandits. But they never gave up." He looked back down at his fumbling hands, "They had this song they used to sing, about how bad things happen but it was better to carry on." He gave a little shrug, "It's been my family's song ever since. When I was little, and I used to get angry or upset, my mum would sing it to me. As I got older, I learnt to sing it myself." He gave a soft smile, more to himself than to Anton, "It helps me remember them. Like...a calling or something."
Athie lifted his head up to look out the window, sharp pangs of homesickness suddenly ebbing away at him. He cast a brief look to Anton, he wasn't exactly sure what ailed him, but maybe...
He gave a soft gulp and lifted his chin up slightly, the light of the moon making his face even paler. In a soft, tuneful voice, the words of his family's song repeated themselves;
"'I'll wager a hat full of guineas
Against all the songs you can sing,
That some day you'll love,
And the next day you'll lose,
And winter will turn into spring.
And there will come a time of great plenty,
A time of good harvest and sun.
Till then put your trust in tomorrow, my friend,
For yesterday's over and done.
Ploughed, sown, reaped, and mown:
The year turns round again.
And like Barleycorn who rose from the grave
A new year will rise up again.'"
It wasn't the whole song, but his voice had trailed off and Athie found that couldn't sing anymore. His mouth hung open, as if he was trying to will himself to sing the rest but he just couldn't find it in him. The thoughts of his family were so vivid and so strong, but they were the only thing Athie had of his kin now. He was only half-conscious of the small tears forming beneath his eyelids . He looked over to Anton, "If it makes you feel any better..I trust you."
Tags:Inspiration: The song Athie sings is this. It's a super nice song, so that's why I shamelessly pinched it hurr. Notes: so yeah athie sings now i dunno but yeah i feel kinda pleased with this post although it's probably just me.
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Mar 4, 2014 9:12:07 GMT
"What reason do people have not to trust you?"Oh, there were quite a few reasons not to trust someone like Anton. The first was most likely his unpredictability; no one wanted to deal with a crazed man who was intent on killing someone, but could just as easily turn into someone appalled at the thought of killing a loved one. The second reason was probably his lack of empathy at the most inopportune of times. If he found himself in a battle where he could truly fight, he would care about about himself and himself only. Kill as many as he could, and then flee to safety. Everyone else was secondary. But Athie had yet to truly deal with this Anton. The man in the bar and the man just a minute ago were mere glimmers of the true beast below. They were terrifying, yes, but they had self-restraint and empathy. The one that Anton kept hidden away was a man who was vicious and cruel. Of course, Anton adored that man. He simply knew that it was rarely a good time to pull him to the surface, but he was able to let him see a bit of light through his endeavors. Deciding that there was no proper way to respond, he was content to simply let the silence be. But Athie apparently had other plans for the silence. The short man made his way over to bed in front of Anton and sat himself down, beginning to speak in a forlorn tone that Anton was all too familiar with. Family. Athie spoke of family. Athie sang. It was quite the beautiful song. Silence. "If it makes you feel any better... I trust you." Those words alone would have done nothing to Anton's mood. But it was the combination of the mention of family, the song that was sung so sadly, the silence that felt so peaceful, and the words of trust that finally brought Anton back to the man that others liked to see. His eyes opened, finally, and he cast his gaze at Athie. Of course, the man was afraid. Fidgety, even. But then again, Athie was always fidgety. With absolutely no warning at all, Anton stood up, closed the gap between the two, now uncomfortably close, and lifted the chin of Athie so he was looking directly at him. It was, of course, with the lightest touch that he could muster, but it was still quite forceful. He hoped it wouldn't hurt, however. He would be livid at himself if he hurt this man. "Do not be afraid of me emotionally, Athie," Anton began. While taking a moment to figure out his next words, he stepped back slightly and knelt down, so he was now below Athie instead of above. "I will never care if you act like a fool or like a hero in front of me. You are powerful in your own rights, and I respect that. How you live your life is up to you, and no one else."Of course, Anton wasn't done quite yet. The hardest part was still to come. "Fear me for who I am, and for who I can become. I need to be able to trust you that if I no longer care for your safety, you will run away from me. Run like the wind."This was not a common talk for Anton. Most of the time, the people he dealt with were either meaningless to Anton as a whole or could defend themselves sufficiently from the beast within him. The only people he truly had this talk with were his mother, his mentor (before she revealed her true battle prowess to Anton), and now Athie. This had been quite the adventure in Midgardborg. There was a man he met that he let weave himself into the fabrics of his being, and this man was not at all special or interesting, simply endearing. It should be know that Anton is a man who, while he can be somewhat social, is far from a man who will happily make friends with people. So why did he care about Athie? Tags: Athuraadd FallonkreathInspiration: Notes: Of course, I did this on my phone again, so feel free to point out any glaring mistakes. |
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Post by Athuraadd Fallonkreath on Mar 4, 2014 17:26:12 GMT
A silence had filled the room, and Athie was rifling in his mind through things he could say. But he was teetering dangerously on the edge of bursting into complete incoherent, 'Athie-style' rambling. Presently, his mouth was just hanging limp, mouthing silent words that he was too afraid to say out loud. He desperately wanted Anton to say something- no, he needed Anton to say something, not just to break the silence, but so Athie knew he was alright. There was such fierce concern burning inside him, and couple that with the previous thoughts of home and family, he was increasingly on the verge of letting a tear drop.
Mercifully, Anton did break the silence. But not in the way Athie was expecting.
The other man had stood up abruptly and Athie watched him, trying not to look fearful as he approached. He wasn't scared of Anton, but he had seen what Anton was capable of, and perhaps that's what was subconsciously ebbing away at him. He thought maybe Anton was going to sit back at the table, so he looked away quickly, not wanting to appear rude. But then suddenly, there was a hand on his chin - Anton's hand - and it raised his head up so that he was making direct eye contact with the Drakonrhedi. The touch was so unexpected (although not unwelcome perhaps) that Athie's body tensed completely and he felt his heart skip like a rabbit, but surprisingly, he didn't blush or even turn the faintest shade of pink. The atmosphere was so tense and heavy, that Athie, in that moment, was so completely locked into Anton's gaze and felt entirely in-tune with the situation, although maybe only for a passing moment.
"Do not be afraid of me emotionally, Athie,"
Even just the mention of his own name being said Anton's low, serious tone caused something to hitch in Athie's throat, so he had to swallow hard to rid himself of the feeling. He wasn't afraid of Anton, was he? Not really. He couldn't be. But there was something in the way Anton was speaking that unnerved him. "How can I be?" he replied, voice only straining to reach a soft whisper as Anton knelt before him.
"I will never care if you act like a fool or like a hero in front of me. You are powerful in your own rights, and I respect that. How you live your life is up to you, and no one else."
The words Anton spoke almost opened up a floodgate of emotions in Athie's mind, but he willed it to stay shut, just like he desperately willed his eyes to stay dry. He was so used to hearing people tell him he was no good, that he was weak or stupid or cowardly that any words of encouragement felt so good to hear. And the fact that it was Anton saying made it mean so much more. Before he could stop himself, his injured hand -still wrapped in bandages- made it's way to rest on Anton's wrist as the other man was still gently holding his chin. It was done out of a genuine need just to latch onto something to give him comfort, a childlike need, but one that he couldn't shake himself from. His heart felt so heavy in his chest, he just needed to make contact with something.
"Fear me for who I am, and for who I can become. I need to be able to trust you that if I no longer care for your safety, you will run away from me. Run like the wind."
Anton was asking a lot of Athie. For all his faults, the little viking was fiercely loyal, never one to abandon anyone, for whatever reason. He silently wondered what Anton could possibly do to make him want to run from him.
There wasn't much that came to mind.
Athie bit his lip, words dancing on the tip of his tongue but he didn't know how to phrase them, or even if he could say them. He wanted Anton to trust him so much, but he wasn't sure if he could promise deserting him if things turned ugly. His grip tightened a little on Anton's outstretched wrist but Athie didn't realise, "I trust you enough to know that wouldn't happen." he responded softly, "And even if I had to run," he added, "I'd always come back."
Somewhere in the back of his mind, the tune of his family's song was humming in his subconscious.
Tags: Anton NystromInspiration: manlove obviously Notes: anton gives me da feeeelz.
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