@cryocapt | Dernière Danse
The distant hum of music is almost eerie how it floats across the distance on the warmth of the summer night. It’s almost as if it comes from another world, one where they just see the cusp of small vibrations and the glow of tavern lights. Boots kick lightly at the stone beneath where they dangle, head tilting back to crane and look at the voice that had addressed him. Tonight was to be as mundane and dull as any other on guard duty could be, strolling back and forth along the wall around Mondstadt until your feet created a groove in the rocks so the infinite forever would know your suffering as long as the wall stood.
At least Huffman’s words provided something curious to hold onto for the rest of the evening, a blue brow quirking in amusement as a smirk drifted onto his face with the gentle gusting of the wind. “And will the evils of the Abyss not climb the walls the moment we turn our backs?” Kaeya swung his weight from the edge of the wall to pull his legs to the otherside, crossing them at the ankles. He allows his eyes to fall shut for a moment, craning to hear the steady beat of the instruments on the other side of the city, beginning to hum finally when the beat becomes familiar.
The Knight rose to his feet and moved to stand in front of the other, offering his hands upwards for the other to take. “Here I didn’t think you’d forget your duties for a little bit of guilty pleasures?” With the steady pressure of the other man’s hands in his own grasp he pulled their persons closer together, leading Huffman in a slow waltz of sorts, shuffling their feet quietly as they moved steps in a short arching circle. Still, it felt as if their spot on the wall was in it’s own distant world, untouchable from the reality just beneath them. “Should I be worried about your, Herr Huffman? Not off to die tomorrow some heroic death that you need the hands of a beautiful man on you to think fondly of as the life drains from your sacrificial wounds?” The smile he displays hardly matches the macabre words that are directed to the Knight, watching him curiously with their close proximity an excuse to see the smallest of twitches on his face of a reaction.
❝ 𝐀𝐝 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐀𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐪𝐮𝐞...𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐬, ❞ Huffman said simply, even though they both know that it was the motto of the Adventurer's Guild rather than the Knights of Favonius. But it was still a unique statement, one that reached for both the starry sea above them and the depths of the abyss. One that should not fear but rather embrace the danger and the 'duty' of those who must face the unknown. It was what a knight had to do as well, even if they did no seek danger...they had to face it as it came to them.
❝ 𝐀𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨? ❞ he smiled as he kept a hand on the other's body, holding the captain's hand gently as they waltzed. After all, even if they were both in their small little world, both of them knew they were both prepared for anything that may happen - but as on edge as the two might have been...it most likely would not happen. Most likely. Huffman wouldn't rule out the possibility. ❝ 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐞, 𝐀 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧. ❞
Huffman sighed, eyes glancing out of the corner of his eyes - as they would continue should an attack actually happen.
❝ 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐌𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞, ❞ Huffman assured the other. Tilting his head as he looked back into the other's eyes, giving that same soft smile that Huffman always gave people, it was something that came all too easily onto his face having done this for years and years. And of course in this moment, with his attention focused on his captain, his eye color shifted down into that same shade of blue the other held. A reflection, a mirror image in tone, or rather an imitation.
❝ 𝐁𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐣𝐚𝐰𝐬. ❞
Huffman was no charmer by any means, no he wasn't that kind of person. Perhaps he was a bit too direct, perhaps he was a bit too blunt, perhaps he was a bit too truthful. Eyes strained as he knew that such words could be taken as an insult, but in his mind Kaeya wasn't one to let a few words hurt him - but that was just what Huffman thought. And what could a poor old knight think in this world?
❝ 𝐎𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧? ❞










