Mainly for Eva because shes the only one who has cannonly interacted with Dukemir [you can add illian if you want if hes hearing it from the grape vine]
There's another rumor going around about Dukemir... some say hes going to die soon?? But everyone knows this silly rumor is started by none other than the trouble maker Count. Who always lies about Dukemir constantly...
Does Eva believe Count? Or does she believe he is lieing?
DREAMS NO YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME TOO NO-
No joke, when I woke up and checked my phone and saw a notif that you send me an ask I was positively surprised. And then I read the content of the ask. And my smile FELL.
Safe to say my mind was churning and moving the creative cogs trying to think of my answer while I was eating breakfast this morning haha
I now finally have some time to sit down and actually write it so here we go!
Now, I wanted to write some kind of description of Eva's thoughts on Duke for a while now since I feel like their dynamic could be pretty interesting and complex given their similiarities and differences in values, priorities, and beliefs, but I never got around to it... yet.
In the context of your ask, though...
Like I've mentioned previously, especially in my writing about Devil and Vigilante, Eva isn't the type to believe rumours easily.
I have no idea how close Eva and Duke would be at that point, but I'd assume they'd at least be on neutral or fairly good terms.
Even so, the rumours would probably affect her.
Eva has always preferred to find things out for herself rather than blindly believe what other people say. She makes her own judgement based on her own observations and experiences. So she wouldn't immediately believe a rumour about Duke's death just because people are spreading it.
However, she also wouldn't dismiss it completely. A message about someone's inevitable death is too specific and too serious to feel like ordinary gossip. Even if she doesn't know the full circumstances, it would be enough to make her pay attention.
I also think Eva would be someone who reads people more than she listens to their words. She is used to noticing when someone is hiding something, avoiding a topic, or trying to present a certain version of themselves to others. She wouldn't need Duke to directly admit anything for her to become suspicious.
If she approached him about the rumours and he immediately tried to reassure her, she'd probably notice the way he does it. Whether he avoids certain details, dismisses the matter too quickly, or focuses more on convincing her not to worry rather than actually answering her questions, Eva would pick up on those small inconsistencies.
She wouldn't assume that means the rumour is completely true, but she would likely understand that there is more to the situation than Duke is telling her. Especially because, even if they aren't extremely close, she would probably know enough about his personality already to recognize that he is the type of person who would rather carry a burden himself than make others worry about him.
If he mentioned that he'd already spoken to the Healer or insisted that there was nothing to worry about, she probably wouldn't pry further. Eva isn't someone who forces people to open up when they clearly don't want to. She'd understand that pushing him would likely only make him retreat more.
But the conversation would still stay with her.
The way she'd look at him would probably reveal more than she intends. The concern would be visible in small ways: her brows slightly furrowed, her expression more serious than usual, her attention completely focused on him. There would be empathy there, but also something else. A quiet kind of distress. Almost like she is not only looking at him, but remembering something she would rather not revisit.
And eventually, she would probably say something along the lines of:
"..I know what you're doing. I know you're trying not to make everyone worry. But shutting them out won't make the blow any less painful."
"...They don't need your strong facade. They need you. Let them care for you while they still can. While you still have the time for them to do so."
Her voice would probably be quiet, but there would be something almost painfully honest about it. Something raw.
She wouldn't say it to lecture him or because she thinks she understands his situation completely. It would simply come from the belief that people deserve the chance to be there for someone they care about. To know. He shouldn't take that choice from them.
She would likely avert her gaze afterwards, letting the silence settle rather than trying to explain herself further.
If Duke does not say anything further, she would not push the conversation. She would leave him with what she said and allow him to decide what he does with it. Perhaps she'd also want to end it at that.
After that conversation, there might be a new layer of uncertainty/akwardness between them. Not because either of them had done anything wrong, but because Duke would have probably noticed that her reaction to the matter was perhaps a little more personal than she intended it to be. But at the same time maybe that'd incline him to try talking about it again with her or open up more? No idea how much he'd trust her to be actually vulnerable.
Ilian is someone who would probably be quite good at catching rumours. He listens, he observes, and he remembers. Of course, that does not mean he believes every single thing he hears. He is not naive enough for that.
For him, rumours are not necessarily about whether they are true or false. They are about what information can be found within them. Every word someone chooses, every conversation they have, every reaction they show: there is always something worth taking note of. Ilian is the type of person who collects all of it.
As for his relationship with Duke, I have no idea how close they would be, but I cannot imagine it being particularly warm. For many reasons I wanna write about someday later. Ilian, as always, does not have much interest in other puppets regardless of their status, and Duke being part of the nobility would probably not make him any more inclined to care. If anything, Duke might simply fall into the same category as many others in Ilianβs eyes: someone to observe rather than someone to connect with.
So when it comes to the rumour about Dukeβs inevitable death, I do not think Ilianβs first reaction would be concern. He would probably just take it as another piece of information to file away.
Perhaps even an oddly convenient one.
Not because he cares about Duke enough for his death to affect him, but because, from Ilianβs perspective, there are worse things that could happen to someone in this theatre than leaving it peacefully.
So his only real thought might be: βGood for him.β
I am so sorry Dreams, my son is an absolute asshole...
Mind the fact that the chance of him saying this to Duke's face or Duke knowing Ilian's opinion is unlikely since Ilian wouldn't really hang out around Dukemir often.
This ask actually makes me wanna write that opinion on Dukemir from Eva and Ilian's perspective now.. we'll see!
Thank you for the ask, hope you had wonderful holidays <3
