#piercingdark

indisposed left a lot to be desired. what did that mean, exactly? what state was the harbinger in, being indisposed? a part of thoma feels as though he already knows, considering what little correspondence the courts of fontaine sent back to their homestead, but another part of him tries for optimism in the back of his mind. which comes out in the form of lots of pacing throughout the day, talking a little too fast, and restlessness in the evenings. he almost convinced diluc to let him walk about the inn a bit that night, but dawn has managed to coax him to bed while they wait for morning to come.

"hmm," his first response, fingers tracing the hem-line in his pajama pants, legs curled up underneath him. he heard diluc, but the question doesn't register right away. it takes a few moments. he knows what the man is doing; trying to distract him with the prospect of animals. some of thoma's favorite things. he appreciates the effort, really.

"i haven't," he admits, trying to focus on the feel of his partner's hands in his hair rather than the unknown that was the state of their third after no doubt causing an uproar in the city of water, "they sound large..." a faint smile, he trails off. his heart just isn't as in to it as he wants.

"i'm sorry. i feel like i can't focus," he turns to face diluc, uncaring of the braid left unfinished. at least for now, "not just about him. he can handle himself, you and i both know that. but...more the effects of whatever he may have caused. if i-..." he catches himself, what he tends to do. shoulder more than he should. thoma rephrases, "if we can fix it."

there isn't much of a care for what ajax has done. maybe he should, but thoma doesn't see the point. he loves both dawn harbinger, with and without their fangs.

             it's how he smells.

            like the abyss. like dark night skies right before it storms. unsettled. constantly changing. this man - childe, diluc told him - always seemed like he was right on the edge of something. the scent it strong. he will say that, over time, it's gotten better. the inner anxiety childe always seemed to carry lessens when in the presence of the other two. his constant flux starting to dwindle. but still.

                               he stinks.

             it's why razor stays behind the group as they venture further to wolvendom, investigating the wolfkin's claims of 'rotting wolves' appearing by andrius.

             he notes the other's blue eyes turning to him. the quick poke of his tongue. a gesture he's learned from bennett, meant to poke fun. razor bristles. 

fresh lemonade, glasses wet with condensed ice and sprigs of vibrant mint. skies eternal blue, the hum of summer cicadas, the feel of a wooden sword in hand. blow after blow, a sparring match against straw dummies, tunner set them up at the behest of the ragnvindr brothers. no clean strikes while kaeya still adjusted to the permanent use of his eyepatch. whatever training fell away under the heated sun, halved eyesight, two things he was very, very unused to.

there was nothing particularly striking about the memory. they would go on to have thousands of spars, with many more straw soldiers laid to waste by their swords, but nothing quite stuck with kaeya more than diluc’s response to his own frustrations. “ you’ll get there, ” and “ you’ve almost made it,” and then the intentional sabotage of his hair. so different from his disciplines in khaenri’ah ... “ do better, ” and “ your performance was unacceptable. ”

a younger kaeya first felt the gesture and flinched, only to catch the cue of diluc’s smile — radiant, and sun - like, and copied him. having gone so many years without it, frostwind flinched again, frozen still for a second while he quelled the panic from a tragically unfamiliar affection. a moment of reflection, warmth blooming in his chest, kaeya was unable to stop a playful boyish grin, the flick of his wrist batting away his brother’s hand playfully.

The  shoji  slides  open  &  a  guard  gives  their  greetings  —  notifying  him  of  the  person’s  arrival  .  Outside  he  hears  multiple  footsteps  &  immediately  stops  pacing  to  smooth  out  the  wrinkles  on  his  outfit  ,  rewire  his  anxious  expression  ,  &  glance  down  over  his  shoulder  .  Table  was  perfectly  set  up  :  good  .

      ❛   —   Ah  ,  welcome  .   ❜      An  arm  extends  towards  the  crimson  -  haired  man  &  he  offers  a  gloved  palm  facing  up  .      ❛   I  am  Lord  Kamisato  — as  you  have  already  heard  .   ❜      As  much  as  Ayato  wishes  to  use  his  first  name  over  formalities  ,  this  was  uncharted  territory  for  both  parties  involved  .  These  were  unfortunately  necessary  to  navigate  these  unknown  waters  .

@piercingdark  ❤’d.

‘  it’s not my fault you’re slow & didn’t lock the front door in time,  ‘   arms cross as former sister stared at him with raised brow, silver claws tapping on her bicep.  she thought over diluc’s words & it got a chuckle out of her, even flashing him a fanged grin.   ‘  slimes?  really?  ‘   her tone was teasing as she approached the bar, sitting on one of the stools & watching him in amusement with her bright violet eyes.   ‘  that’s how you’re inviting me over?  under the premise of wine & getting rid of some slimes for you?  that’s a first.  ‘