Prose Log 016: So Close And Yet So Far
Who: Tyr McDohl (tyr_mcdohl) and Luc (wind_incarnate)
Where: Somewhere 'round the castle grounds
When: A few days after Luc got bitten by Sierra...
What: Old concerns/worries and acts of kindness lead to jealousy and another careless mistake by Luc...?
Warnings: None that I'm aware of.
Although summer was ending, the night was awfully hot today and the window provided little to no wind for comfortable sleep. Not that Tyr knew whether he'd be able to sleep comfortably when he'd had nothing but short troubled sleep for the past few weeks as the sticky feeling of his clothes clinging to his skin and the discomfort of heat was adding to his inability to rest.
For a brief moment, he considered going to the baths to cleanse himself of this, but there was no way he would take a hot bath in this type of weather. It would only further muddle his mind and cause him to feel even more miserable than he already was. No, what he needed was something cool, someplace where there weren't four walls closing in on him and keeping him stuck in the small world of his private thoughts, someplace where he could wash away his worries, if only for a single instant.
In an instant, he made up his mind, rising from the bed where he'd lain down and putting on his shoes. There was no need for him to dress up further at this hour, no need to wear anything eye catching when it would be more suitable to follow the lead of shadows of the night for his course of action. Leaving his precious bandanna and other worldly possessions behind, the former leader of the Toran Liberation Army exited from his room and started making his way out of the castle.
The weather had been cruel as of lately… even for the evenings. With the mix of having problems with the neighbours to his room, and the possibility of getting stalked by a blood sucking female, Luc had avoided returning to his quarters as much as he could. He really had nothing in there to begin with… Aside the bed and covers, some clothes… there were some borrowed books, loose papers, pens and inks… things that weren’t exactly considered personal effects. Well… there was that box with the bracelet he received from that strange child.
So now… with the heat and very little place to go, Luc was lying on his back with arms crossed on his chest, covered in the darkness of the evening sky beneath on of Budehuc’s older trees. While Sierra was possibly more of a nocturnal… uh… individual, this area would at least make it easier for Luc to spot anyone approaching and teleport away.
If possible, being outside the mansion was worse than it was inside. Though it wasn't stuffy and stale the way his room had been, the faint night breeze, trying to cool down the land and relieve its children, was instead carrying the smell of burning torches that lit up the castle perimeters and tainting the air with both its stench and heat. However, as he walked further away from the buildings and docks, and closer to the forest, breathing became easier and a small amount of tension left him. Here, there wouldn't be anyone that would disturb him, unlike the individuals that had taken to having a nocturnal beach party. Even if there were, they would just leave him to his own business and carry on their own, the way forest creatures would.
Soon enough, he reached the lake at the edge of the forest, its watery depths hidden by the reflection of the moon. This would definitely help, he knew, even as he crouched and dipped his fingers into the water. Taking a dip now would be pleasant, he wanted to avoid meeting any of the night bathers, some that would possibly drift into even this area. For now, he cupped water into both of his hands and splashed the cool liquid into his face before getting up again and walking deeper into the forest.
It didn’t take long for Luc to hear the foot steps nearing him from the direction of the lake considering he had stayed near the edge of the Forest. That was as far as his mysterious curse would let him anyway. The wind mage opened an eye slightly to take a peek at whom or what would be coming his way. He first spotted a silhouette of a figure, unfamiliar at first. But the closer the figure got, the sooner he began to realize who it was…
The Tenkan sat up quickly, his gaze falling straight at the person who was approaching his direction.
“…Ah.”
He hadn't gone very far, carefully treading on the forest ground and making sure he wouldn't trip on any hidden roots before an unexpected exclamation sounded from ahead of him. Looking up in surprise, it took him a moment to spot the owner of the voice in the darkness, a familiar person sitting under the large tree.
"Luc..." he said inadvertently, rooted in his spot as he'd registered just who was there.
Now how in the world did this happen…?
Luc really didn’t have anything against him… Well… he did dislike the Tenkai’s tendency to mother him at times, but…
The last time they met each other alone, he had hurt the older man yet again. Or at least he figured. Luc had replied coldly to drive away his former leader. It wasn’t like he was left with any other choice. If they could just keep away from that topic… a conversation shouldn’t be a problem.
…. It shouldn’t.
“Hey.” He simple greeted.
It was exactly because of what happened last that Tyr was silent despite Luc's greeting. Admittedly, he hadn't been thinking straight at the time of Luc's return, suddenly being able to feel the Wind Rune in a specific area of the castle and knowing where to find his friend. However, he knew he hadn't been wrong to think that something was up with Luc given the 'explanation' he'd received, and perhaps he shouldn't have tried to press, but what else did the mage expect him to think?? Luc knew of his circumstances, knew how he was feeling and should've known that his sudden disappearance wouldn't help the Tenkai's emotional and psychological state.
He remained quiet for another long moment, torn between a deep yearning to approach the brunette and a desire to turn around and leave due to anger and pain at the unjust treatment. In the end though, he returned the greeting, uncertainly standing his ground.
"Hi... what're you doing here in the middle of the night?"
“Hiding.” The wind mage replied without hesitation while gesturing at the bandage that was still present to the right of his neck.
"I see..." Tyr said gravely.
The Blue Moon bearer had been going after Luc lately, in a persistent manner that set off his alarms and gave him the urge to step in. Only, he definitely didn't want to give her of his blood when it seemed like that action wouldn't do a thing to stop her.
Not only that, he knew he felt wrongful possessiveness when the mage wouldn't acknowledge him in that manner and couldn't just protect him at all times. Luc knew how to teleport others or himself away after all.
"Can't you just find a wooden talisman or some garlic to keep her away?"
The brunet let out a sigh before falling back onto the grass and raised a hand to his face.
“Sierra’s not easy to hinder with stereotypes of dealing with Vampires.” He muttered.
Actually, even Neclord needed some extra attention as well. Garlic and such didn’t seem to matter when it came to the powers of the Blue Moon… It was a pity though. If simple everyday items could get rid of her, maybe he wouldn’t be stuck with the injury to his neck that hasn’t made much improvement to heal…
Plus it was damned itchy….
Again, the Tenkai paused as he listened to Luc's answer. Of course, the covent mistress wouldn't be easy to hinder... They'd all had such a hard time with Neclord in the first place that the idea of Sierra being even stronger than the pedophiliac vampire wasn't farfetched nor difficult to believe at all.
Still, he personally thought it was worth a try. ...if Luc hadn't already.
"Why don't you direct her attention to Sheena?" he asked as he hesitantly made his way to the mage's side. "She seemed to get along well with him the other day."
Not to mention the playboy had apparently appreciated the attention she'd give him.
Luc had definitely thought of that to be honest. There was a fair amount of desperate men in Budehuc, and finding one who would happily offer their blood to her needs wouldn’t take long to do. But… unfortunately, Sierra seemed to still be interested in him while she approached other males to act as her blood source.
Speaking of which… since when did Sierra need to drink blood? She didn’t show much signs of such actions back in the Dunan War. Could it be that once every often… the old hag turned to something the local livestock would fear?!
“…….”
…. It’s believable… Luc wouldn’t be surprised…
“Sheena will volunteer himself to it without my help somehow, I’m sure… I don’t know how effective that will be.” He mumbled as he reached for the bandage and grasped at it gently. “I’m hoping she’ll just forget and find someone else to prey on… I heard there’s a new arrival who looks under the age of 18.”
"I probably didn't meet him then," the man answered because he didn't have any recollection of having spoken to anyone under 18. In fact, he'd been staying out of public's eye for a while now, having come out of his hiding place only a few times to greet a limited amount of new arrivals who'd caught his eye. It wasn't his job anyway to speak with them, his destiny as a Tenkai long fulfilled.
Amidst that, the gesture Luc made hadn't escaped Tyr's attention, his eyes having followed the mage's hand on its path to his neck. If Sierra really were like a mosquito--a gigantic one at that--then those bite marks were probably itching.
...although, thinking of the woman's action toward Luc just made him frown again. Carefully modulating his voice to keep it calm, the Tenkai sat down by Luc's feet, a respectable distance away.
"Is it bothering you?"
“…Mm… Just a little.” Luc said before letting out a huff.
It had been really foolish of him to have revealed his back like that to someone like Sierra. But… he didn’t even think that the woman would bite him. Wasn’t their a requirement for her interests of men to pick on? He was hardly similar to Klaus.
The wind mage had undoubtedly been careless…
"Oh..." returned the Tenkai at the brunet's answer, eyeing the bandaged punctuation wound with a frown. While Luc was an infirmary staff, the fact was that he was, more often than not, rather negligent when it came to his own health... However, it wasn't Tyr's business to ensure that the mage had taken care of himself every time. He'd already been scolded about that particular aspect of his attitude toward Luc, one that he unconsciously inherited from his long-time caretaker.
Instead of addressing that matter, another one came to mind as he thought further. There was the one thing he hadn't made sure of at the time, having only noted redness on the mage's neck when he stepped in and interrupted the vampiress' attempt at sinking her teeth into Luc's neck once more.
"Did she bite that deep?"
Luc shook his head in reply. To be more accurate, he hadn’t looked at it himself- well, at least not properly- aside bandaging it carefully by feeling the wound out the first time, and using a small hand mirror he found in the infirmary while Luserina was out when he replaced the bandage. He assumed that it wasn’t so bad as it didn’t continuously bleed, but the wind mage had made a habit to avoid mirrors since he was very young.
His reflection at times made him more conscious of his loathing for his being and for the person who shared his face… And while working with the seer in Magician’s Isle, it wouldn’t do if he was unable to concentrate on the tasks handed to him by his mistress.
“It’s only enough to make it bleed, but that stopped right away.” He explained as he closed his eyes.
Though again, the marks still looked the same… a pink colour around the blood red punctures left by Sierra’s fangs.
"That's good then," Tyr nodded softly as he acknowledged the other's answer. However, he man fell silent after that as he watched the resting form of the brunet, itching to pull the bandage down to have a look even as he was unaware of its current status.
Who knew Luc was the type to be self-conscious about appearance to the point that he'd keep the bite covered instead of letting it breathe? There were other things that could accelerate the natural healing, amongst which leaving the wound uncovered, applying ointment and also casting healing spells... but the mage seemed to have enough problems with his own rune that the Tenkai wasn't sure his friend would rely on magic at all. Besides, it was only two days ago that Luc fell victim to Sierra, so he shouldn't expect all traces of the bite to be gone already.
"You seem to be really comfortable on the ground."
Luc would have raised a brow at his old Tenkai if he were able to see him from where he was… but this wasn’t the case.
“I can keep myself from scratching the bite doing this…”
"Mm.." he uttered in quiet approval. It was always preferable after all, when one had an injury, not to aggravate it by poking at it or scratching it. "I hope it gets better soon."
The wind mage made a quiet mumble to acknowledge McDohl’s words at least. Now… speaking of the Tenkai…
He then sat back up slowly, keeping a hand over the bandage on his neck and glanced at his former leader. It was hard to see him considering they were in this natural darkness… but the lights from the castle’s premises and the evening starts at least left silhouettes definable.
“What are you doing out here at this time…?”
For a brief moment, Tyr frowned as he recalled the couple of hours spent in the sweltering heat of his room with little peace of mind in sight. His clothes had dried out as he sat here, but the things that bothered him still remained and, unless he wanted to start another fight, were going to be left unsaid.
"I needed a change of air," he answered as he straightened the rumpled fabric of his shirt. "It was too hot in the mansion."
“Ah…” Luc mumbled. “Well… The ship is a little cooler. I.. can’t really assure you it’ll be -peaceful- but, I’m not using it. My room I mean.”
The older man took a moment to register the offer that Luc made, all the while blinking at the show of generosity. Of course, he did have a point in saying the ship was cooler, but considering the neighbours Luc had...
"...do you have anything I could cover my ears with?"
Yet another sigh escaped Luc’s lips.
“If I did, do you think I’d be having so much trouble staying in there to begin with?”
Well... of course Luc wouldn't have offered his room if he'd found a solution to his problem. Speaking of which...
"Why haven't you changed of room yet?" he asked with a puzzled frown. There were still a number of rooms available around the castle where Luc wouldn't end up residing next two individuals who had no respect for other people's sleep.
Saying that it was due to the fact that wind mage had been missing would be a bad idea at this point… It would just open up the possibility of continuing their previous argument from a few days ago.
“I just…” the brunet started hesitantly. “…haven’t found the time… Besides--”
Though thinking about it, he might just dislike the idea of having to move when he was assigned there first - childish, yes… But it also meant possibly speaking with that girl again. He had done a good job avoiding her since that last commotion with the mad prince. That child had really put a lot of confusion in his own judgment during the chaos…
“… No… Never mind…”
Tyr wasn't aware of the circumstances behind Luc distancing himself from Cecile--though he always was the type to keep others at arm's length--so the whole matter was just getting him further confused and uncertain of what he could possibly suggest or do.
"...Why don't you just trade rooms with me?" He'd already made the offer once before, but it never hurt to try again. "It's not the ship, but the walls block sound better."
Luc immediately raised a brow at him. How to explain why he had refused McDohl the first time… and why he was about to refuse him again?
“Tell me… If you couldn’t sleep in your room for whatever horrifying reason and had forced you to make a habit of not sleeping at all… then knowing how horrifying the reason is, I offer to exchange my room with yours… would you be inclined to accept my offer knowing what hell I’m about to live in for your sake?”
"..."
If their roles were reversed and Luc made this very offer... No. No, he definitely wouldn't let the mage do that.
"No, I wouldn't, but..." the man protested with a troubled look to him.
“But what?” Luc frowned at him.
A simple agreement would have sufficed, but nooo… the damned Tenkai just had to add a ‘but’...
"I could just sleep on the deck if not the room," he shrugged softly. "Or tell them to quit it if they're being insufferably loud."
As he was saying that, his brows remained furrowed in dissatisfaction. Luc had already taken to sleeping elsewhere in the first place, but he didn't know whether he'd already set a foot down and stop them from continuing with the noise pollution.
"They're not the only ones residing on that ship, are they?"
“Far as I know, Lucas and his friend are also there. I haven’t asked them if they hear the noise too. If they haven’t, then they’re either very deep sleepers or completely used to hearing those….” The wind mage muttered just as he was about to fall prey to rubbing his injury - the exactly what he was trying not to do.
Luckily, he managed to stop himself before he could irritate the bite mark further and then fell back onto the grass again with a groan.
“Besides, I may hate the situation, but I would like to keep my hands away from that endless honeymoon of theirs.” He raised a hand over his eyes, trying to concentrate again on ignoring the discomfort Sierra’s present was causing him. “Besides, if you were in their shoes… would you be happy if someone suddenly burst into the room and said ‘Stop screwing each other! I can’t sleep!’ while you were doing your business?”
If it ever happened, the Tenkai would of course not be happy about it, but this wasn't a problem that he would encounter, unlike the mage's exhibitionist neighbours.
"I would've made sure not to disturb my neighbours in the first place," he answered flatly. "What goes on in my private life isn't theirs to hear or know about."
A good proof of that was that Tyr tended to keep such information to himself. If anything slipped, it was because others deemed it okay--even if it wasn't--to tell anyone what they knew or thought they knew, or because he'd gotten too intoxicated by accident--which wouldn't happen again if he could help it.
“ ……………….” The younger rune bearer’s brow twitched slightly upon hearing this. “I see…”
Now that’s strange… why did he suddenly feel irritated?
“I wasn’t aware you were so experienced in such situations.” He said calmly. “… You had me fooled there for a while.”
Being seated in the dark made it impossible for Tyr to see the expression Luc bore on his face. As such, he was rather puzzled by the younger man's words and it took him a moment to understand what the mage was implying there.
"What!?" he exclaimed in indignant anger, jumping to his feet. "Just what sort of man do you take me for!?"
“The sort of man who appears to be quite confident about his personal affairs, I suppose.” Luc countered in a mono-toned voice. “Usually you can speak like that if you’d already experienced it more than once.”
This really was irritating for some strange reason.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just all that denial you’ve done when I said you needed a girlfriend… one would think otherwise. So you had me fooled quite well.”
That monotone accusation just pissed Tyr off. How did being discreet have anything to do with his non-existing sex life!?
"I haven't been with anyone in my life and you know why!"
Luc let out a huff of exasperation thought kept still in his position.
“Yeah, yeah. So why do you sound so sure you won’t be any different from them?”
"Is it so hard to believe that I have standards I'll want to follow and that those include being discreet?" The Tenkai threw an angry glare at Luc, even if the mage wouldn't be able to see it. "And that's only if it ever happens."
Huh… considering how angry the Tenkai was, then his assumptions must be wrong after all. Though somehow even knowing that wasn’t stopping the annoyance he was currently feeling.
“Well, don’t let me stop you from letting that happen to yourself then.” The wind mage snapped haughtily.
That... just cut. very deeply. It took Tyr many long seconds before he could even move, only to end up lowering his gaze onto the earth.
"You already are..." the Tenkai's voice started out faint and painful to utter, picking up in volume until he was heard yelling, feelings of betrayal and hurt audible in the tremor of his words, "because it never will when the one I want doesn't want me!"
With that, Tyr sprinted out of of the forest before Luc could even react.
“Hey wai--!” Luc had sat up immediately, reaching out a hand towards his old army leader, but a bit too late. “…” Okay… maybe he did go too far that time. Again….
The wind mage sighed and fell back on the grass. Like he cared if he got another person angry. This was normal… McDohl wasn’t any different from the others, so he didn’t need to take any action. He had it coming.
…. He wasn’t any different…
“……………….” Luc’s eyes trailed up at the evening sky above him, his brows furrowing further as his chest felt heavier by every passing second. “Damn it… What a time to develop a conscience….!”
At that, the younger rune bearer got to his feet and sprinted after McDohl as fast as he could.
Where: Somewhere 'round the castle grounds
When: A few days after Luc got bitten by Sierra...
What: Old concerns/worries and acts of kindness lead to jealousy and another careless mistake by Luc...?
Warnings: None that I'm aware of.
Although summer was ending, the night was awfully hot today and the window provided little to no wind for comfortable sleep. Not that Tyr knew whether he'd be able to sleep comfortably when he'd had nothing but short troubled sleep for the past few weeks as the sticky feeling of his clothes clinging to his skin and the discomfort of heat was adding to his inability to rest.
For a brief moment, he considered going to the baths to cleanse himself of this, but there was no way he would take a hot bath in this type of weather. It would only further muddle his mind and cause him to feel even more miserable than he already was. No, what he needed was something cool, someplace where there weren't four walls closing in on him and keeping him stuck in the small world of his private thoughts, someplace where he could wash away his worries, if only for a single instant.
In an instant, he made up his mind, rising from the bed where he'd lain down and putting on his shoes. There was no need for him to dress up further at this hour, no need to wear anything eye catching when it would be more suitable to follow the lead of shadows of the night for his course of action. Leaving his precious bandanna and other worldly possessions behind, the former leader of the Toran Liberation Army exited from his room and started making his way out of the castle.
The weather had been cruel as of lately… even for the evenings. With the mix of having problems with the neighbours to his room, and the possibility of getting stalked by a blood sucking female, Luc had avoided returning to his quarters as much as he could. He really had nothing in there to begin with… Aside the bed and covers, some clothes… there were some borrowed books, loose papers, pens and inks… things that weren’t exactly considered personal effects. Well… there was that box with the bracelet he received from that strange child.
So now… with the heat and very little place to go, Luc was lying on his back with arms crossed on his chest, covered in the darkness of the evening sky beneath on of Budehuc’s older trees. While Sierra was possibly more of a nocturnal… uh… individual, this area would at least make it easier for Luc to spot anyone approaching and teleport away.
If possible, being outside the mansion was worse than it was inside. Though it wasn't stuffy and stale the way his room had been, the faint night breeze, trying to cool down the land and relieve its children, was instead carrying the smell of burning torches that lit up the castle perimeters and tainting the air with both its stench and heat. However, as he walked further away from the buildings and docks, and closer to the forest, breathing became easier and a small amount of tension left him. Here, there wouldn't be anyone that would disturb him, unlike the individuals that had taken to having a nocturnal beach party. Even if there were, they would just leave him to his own business and carry on their own, the way forest creatures would.
Soon enough, he reached the lake at the edge of the forest, its watery depths hidden by the reflection of the moon. This would definitely help, he knew, even as he crouched and dipped his fingers into the water. Taking a dip now would be pleasant, he wanted to avoid meeting any of the night bathers, some that would possibly drift into even this area. For now, he cupped water into both of his hands and splashed the cool liquid into his face before getting up again and walking deeper into the forest.
It didn’t take long for Luc to hear the foot steps nearing him from the direction of the lake considering he had stayed near the edge of the Forest. That was as far as his mysterious curse would let him anyway. The wind mage opened an eye slightly to take a peek at whom or what would be coming his way. He first spotted a silhouette of a figure, unfamiliar at first. But the closer the figure got, the sooner he began to realize who it was…
The Tenkan sat up quickly, his gaze falling straight at the person who was approaching his direction.
“…Ah.”
He hadn't gone very far, carefully treading on the forest ground and making sure he wouldn't trip on any hidden roots before an unexpected exclamation sounded from ahead of him. Looking up in surprise, it took him a moment to spot the owner of the voice in the darkness, a familiar person sitting under the large tree.
"Luc..." he said inadvertently, rooted in his spot as he'd registered just who was there.
Now how in the world did this happen…?
Luc really didn’t have anything against him… Well… he did dislike the Tenkai’s tendency to mother him at times, but…
The last time they met each other alone, he had hurt the older man yet again. Or at least he figured. Luc had replied coldly to drive away his former leader. It wasn’t like he was left with any other choice. If they could just keep away from that topic… a conversation shouldn’t be a problem.
…. It shouldn’t.
“Hey.” He simple greeted.
It was exactly because of what happened last that Tyr was silent despite Luc's greeting. Admittedly, he hadn't been thinking straight at the time of Luc's return, suddenly being able to feel the Wind Rune in a specific area of the castle and knowing where to find his friend. However, he knew he hadn't been wrong to think that something was up with Luc given the 'explanation' he'd received, and perhaps he shouldn't have tried to press, but what else did the mage expect him to think?? Luc knew of his circumstances, knew how he was feeling and should've known that his sudden disappearance wouldn't help the Tenkai's emotional and psychological state.
He remained quiet for another long moment, torn between a deep yearning to approach the brunette and a desire to turn around and leave due to anger and pain at the unjust treatment. In the end though, he returned the greeting, uncertainly standing his ground.
"Hi... what're you doing here in the middle of the night?"
“Hiding.” The wind mage replied without hesitation while gesturing at the bandage that was still present to the right of his neck.
"I see..." Tyr said gravely.
The Blue Moon bearer had been going after Luc lately, in a persistent manner that set off his alarms and gave him the urge to step in. Only, he definitely didn't want to give her of his blood when it seemed like that action wouldn't do a thing to stop her.
Not only that, he knew he felt wrongful possessiveness when the mage wouldn't acknowledge him in that manner and couldn't just protect him at all times. Luc knew how to teleport others or himself away after all.
"Can't you just find a wooden talisman or some garlic to keep her away?"
The brunet let out a sigh before falling back onto the grass and raised a hand to his face.
“Sierra’s not easy to hinder with stereotypes of dealing with Vampires.” He muttered.
Actually, even Neclord needed some extra attention as well. Garlic and such didn’t seem to matter when it came to the powers of the Blue Moon… It was a pity though. If simple everyday items could get rid of her, maybe he wouldn’t be stuck with the injury to his neck that hasn’t made much improvement to heal…
Plus it was damned itchy….
Again, the Tenkai paused as he listened to Luc's answer. Of course, the covent mistress wouldn't be easy to hinder... They'd all had such a hard time with Neclord in the first place that the idea of Sierra being even stronger than the pedophiliac vampire wasn't farfetched nor difficult to believe at all.
Still, he personally thought it was worth a try. ...if Luc hadn't already.
"Why don't you direct her attention to Sheena?" he asked as he hesitantly made his way to the mage's side. "She seemed to get along well with him the other day."
Not to mention the playboy had apparently appreciated the attention she'd give him.
Luc had definitely thought of that to be honest. There was a fair amount of desperate men in Budehuc, and finding one who would happily offer their blood to her needs wouldn’t take long to do. But… unfortunately, Sierra seemed to still be interested in him while she approached other males to act as her blood source.
Speaking of which… since when did Sierra need to drink blood? She didn’t show much signs of such actions back in the Dunan War. Could it be that once every often… the old hag turned to something the local livestock would fear?!
“…….”
…. It’s believable… Luc wouldn’t be surprised…
“Sheena will volunteer himself to it without my help somehow, I’m sure… I don’t know how effective that will be.” He mumbled as he reached for the bandage and grasped at it gently. “I’m hoping she’ll just forget and find someone else to prey on… I heard there’s a new arrival who looks under the age of 18.”
"I probably didn't meet him then," the man answered because he didn't have any recollection of having spoken to anyone under 18. In fact, he'd been staying out of public's eye for a while now, having come out of his hiding place only a few times to greet a limited amount of new arrivals who'd caught his eye. It wasn't his job anyway to speak with them, his destiny as a Tenkai long fulfilled.
Amidst that, the gesture Luc made hadn't escaped Tyr's attention, his eyes having followed the mage's hand on its path to his neck. If Sierra really were like a mosquito--a gigantic one at that--then those bite marks were probably itching.
...although, thinking of the woman's action toward Luc just made him frown again. Carefully modulating his voice to keep it calm, the Tenkai sat down by Luc's feet, a respectable distance away.
"Is it bothering you?"
“…Mm… Just a little.” Luc said before letting out a huff.
It had been really foolish of him to have revealed his back like that to someone like Sierra. But… he didn’t even think that the woman would bite him. Wasn’t their a requirement for her interests of men to pick on? He was hardly similar to Klaus.
The wind mage had undoubtedly been careless…
"Oh..." returned the Tenkai at the brunet's answer, eyeing the bandaged punctuation wound with a frown. While Luc was an infirmary staff, the fact was that he was, more often than not, rather negligent when it came to his own health... However, it wasn't Tyr's business to ensure that the mage had taken care of himself every time. He'd already been scolded about that particular aspect of his attitude toward Luc, one that he unconsciously inherited from his long-time caretaker.
Instead of addressing that matter, another one came to mind as he thought further. There was the one thing he hadn't made sure of at the time, having only noted redness on the mage's neck when he stepped in and interrupted the vampiress' attempt at sinking her teeth into Luc's neck once more.
"Did she bite that deep?"
Luc shook his head in reply. To be more accurate, he hadn’t looked at it himself- well, at least not properly- aside bandaging it carefully by feeling the wound out the first time, and using a small hand mirror he found in the infirmary while Luserina was out when he replaced the bandage. He assumed that it wasn’t so bad as it didn’t continuously bleed, but the wind mage had made a habit to avoid mirrors since he was very young.
His reflection at times made him more conscious of his loathing for his being and for the person who shared his face… And while working with the seer in Magician’s Isle, it wouldn’t do if he was unable to concentrate on the tasks handed to him by his mistress.
“It’s only enough to make it bleed, but that stopped right away.” He explained as he closed his eyes.
Though again, the marks still looked the same… a pink colour around the blood red punctures left by Sierra’s fangs.
"That's good then," Tyr nodded softly as he acknowledged the other's answer. However, he man fell silent after that as he watched the resting form of the brunet, itching to pull the bandage down to have a look even as he was unaware of its current status.
Who knew Luc was the type to be self-conscious about appearance to the point that he'd keep the bite covered instead of letting it breathe? There were other things that could accelerate the natural healing, amongst which leaving the wound uncovered, applying ointment and also casting healing spells... but the mage seemed to have enough problems with his own rune that the Tenkai wasn't sure his friend would rely on magic at all. Besides, it was only two days ago that Luc fell victim to Sierra, so he shouldn't expect all traces of the bite to be gone already.
"You seem to be really comfortable on the ground."
Luc would have raised a brow at his old Tenkai if he were able to see him from where he was… but this wasn’t the case.
“I can keep myself from scratching the bite doing this…”
"Mm.." he uttered in quiet approval. It was always preferable after all, when one had an injury, not to aggravate it by poking at it or scratching it. "I hope it gets better soon."
The wind mage made a quiet mumble to acknowledge McDohl’s words at least. Now… speaking of the Tenkai…
He then sat back up slowly, keeping a hand over the bandage on his neck and glanced at his former leader. It was hard to see him considering they were in this natural darkness… but the lights from the castle’s premises and the evening starts at least left silhouettes definable.
“What are you doing out here at this time…?”
For a brief moment, Tyr frowned as he recalled the couple of hours spent in the sweltering heat of his room with little peace of mind in sight. His clothes had dried out as he sat here, but the things that bothered him still remained and, unless he wanted to start another fight, were going to be left unsaid.
"I needed a change of air," he answered as he straightened the rumpled fabric of his shirt. "It was too hot in the mansion."
“Ah…” Luc mumbled. “Well… The ship is a little cooler. I.. can’t really assure you it’ll be -peaceful- but, I’m not using it. My room I mean.”
The older man took a moment to register the offer that Luc made, all the while blinking at the show of generosity. Of course, he did have a point in saying the ship was cooler, but considering the neighbours Luc had...
"...do you have anything I could cover my ears with?"
Yet another sigh escaped Luc’s lips.
“If I did, do you think I’d be having so much trouble staying in there to begin with?”
Well... of course Luc wouldn't have offered his room if he'd found a solution to his problem. Speaking of which...
"Why haven't you changed of room yet?" he asked with a puzzled frown. There were still a number of rooms available around the castle where Luc wouldn't end up residing next two individuals who had no respect for other people's sleep.
Saying that it was due to the fact that wind mage had been missing would be a bad idea at this point… It would just open up the possibility of continuing their previous argument from a few days ago.
“I just…” the brunet started hesitantly. “…haven’t found the time… Besides--”
Though thinking about it, he might just dislike the idea of having to move when he was assigned there first - childish, yes… But it also meant possibly speaking with that girl again. He had done a good job avoiding her since that last commotion with the mad prince. That child had really put a lot of confusion in his own judgment during the chaos…
“… No… Never mind…”
Tyr wasn't aware of the circumstances behind Luc distancing himself from Cecile--though he always was the type to keep others at arm's length--so the whole matter was just getting him further confused and uncertain of what he could possibly suggest or do.
"...Why don't you just trade rooms with me?" He'd already made the offer once before, but it never hurt to try again. "It's not the ship, but the walls block sound better."
Luc immediately raised a brow at him. How to explain why he had refused McDohl the first time… and why he was about to refuse him again?
“Tell me… If you couldn’t sleep in your room for whatever horrifying reason and had forced you to make a habit of not sleeping at all… then knowing how horrifying the reason is, I offer to exchange my room with yours… would you be inclined to accept my offer knowing what hell I’m about to live in for your sake?”
"..."
If their roles were reversed and Luc made this very offer... No. No, he definitely wouldn't let the mage do that.
"No, I wouldn't, but..." the man protested with a troubled look to him.
“But what?” Luc frowned at him.
A simple agreement would have sufficed, but nooo… the damned Tenkai just had to add a ‘but’...
"I could just sleep on the deck if not the room," he shrugged softly. "Or tell them to quit it if they're being insufferably loud."
As he was saying that, his brows remained furrowed in dissatisfaction. Luc had already taken to sleeping elsewhere in the first place, but he didn't know whether he'd already set a foot down and stop them from continuing with the noise pollution.
"They're not the only ones residing on that ship, are they?"
“Far as I know, Lucas and his friend are also there. I haven’t asked them if they hear the noise too. If they haven’t, then they’re either very deep sleepers or completely used to hearing those….” The wind mage muttered just as he was about to fall prey to rubbing his injury - the exactly what he was trying not to do.
Luckily, he managed to stop himself before he could irritate the bite mark further and then fell back onto the grass again with a groan.
“Besides, I may hate the situation, but I would like to keep my hands away from that endless honeymoon of theirs.” He raised a hand over his eyes, trying to concentrate again on ignoring the discomfort Sierra’s present was causing him. “Besides, if you were in their shoes… would you be happy if someone suddenly burst into the room and said ‘Stop screwing each other! I can’t sleep!’ while you were doing your business?”
If it ever happened, the Tenkai would of course not be happy about it, but this wasn't a problem that he would encounter, unlike the mage's exhibitionist neighbours.
"I would've made sure not to disturb my neighbours in the first place," he answered flatly. "What goes on in my private life isn't theirs to hear or know about."
A good proof of that was that Tyr tended to keep such information to himself. If anything slipped, it was because others deemed it okay--even if it wasn't--to tell anyone what they knew or thought they knew, or because he'd gotten too intoxicated by accident--which wouldn't happen again if he could help it.
“ ……………….” The younger rune bearer’s brow twitched slightly upon hearing this. “I see…”
Now that’s strange… why did he suddenly feel irritated?
“I wasn’t aware you were so experienced in such situations.” He said calmly. “… You had me fooled there for a while.”
Being seated in the dark made it impossible for Tyr to see the expression Luc bore on his face. As such, he was rather puzzled by the younger man's words and it took him a moment to understand what the mage was implying there.
"What!?" he exclaimed in indignant anger, jumping to his feet. "Just what sort of man do you take me for!?"
“The sort of man who appears to be quite confident about his personal affairs, I suppose.” Luc countered in a mono-toned voice. “Usually you can speak like that if you’d already experienced it more than once.”
This really was irritating for some strange reason.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just all that denial you’ve done when I said you needed a girlfriend… one would think otherwise. So you had me fooled quite well.”
That monotone accusation just pissed Tyr off. How did being discreet have anything to do with his non-existing sex life!?
"I haven't been with anyone in my life and you know why!"
Luc let out a huff of exasperation thought kept still in his position.
“Yeah, yeah. So why do you sound so sure you won’t be any different from them?”
"Is it so hard to believe that I have standards I'll want to follow and that those include being discreet?" The Tenkai threw an angry glare at Luc, even if the mage wouldn't be able to see it. "And that's only if it ever happens."
Huh… considering how angry the Tenkai was, then his assumptions must be wrong after all. Though somehow even knowing that wasn’t stopping the annoyance he was currently feeling.
“Well, don’t let me stop you from letting that happen to yourself then.” The wind mage snapped haughtily.
That... just cut. very deeply. It took Tyr many long seconds before he could even move, only to end up lowering his gaze onto the earth.
"You already are..." the Tenkai's voice started out faint and painful to utter, picking up in volume until he was heard yelling, feelings of betrayal and hurt audible in the tremor of his words, "because it never will when the one I want doesn't want me!"
With that, Tyr sprinted out of of the forest before Luc could even react.
“Hey wai--!” Luc had sat up immediately, reaching out a hand towards his old army leader, but a bit too late. “…” Okay… maybe he did go too far that time. Again….
The wind mage sighed and fell back on the grass. Like he cared if he got another person angry. This was normal… McDohl wasn’t any different from the others, so he didn’t need to take any action. He had it coming.
…. He wasn’t any different…
“……………….” Luc’s eyes trailed up at the evening sky above him, his brows furrowing further as his chest felt heavier by every passing second. “Damn it… What a time to develop a conscience….!”
At that, the younger rune bearer got to his feet and sprinted after McDohl as fast as he could.