Destro: you wished to meet the indriks?
Destro: or. if you would still care to...?
Enrion: (He nuzzles Destro's hair, the side of his head, and draws back just a little from their embrace.)
Enrion: Show me everything. (His tone says - if you love it, I love it.)
Destro: (watching enrion without an ounce of defensiveness or distance)
Destro: (and. fuck)
Destro: (that is a deep smile, reaL real smile, and enrion's getting a kiss on the jaw)
Destro: yes, enri.
Enrion: (Enrion's eyes slip closed - he. Needs to keep that smile.)
Enrion: (He needs to remember it.)
Enrion: (So he does. He carves it into memory: something to strive for again and again. His own holy grail.)
Enrion: (And then he reluctantly eases his hold on the other man. Steps back, inviting Destro to lead him.)
Destro: (destro doesn't really know he's smiling. doesn't know much beyond the glow given by enri, this warmth and welcome, this... this everything beyond words.)
Destro: aurelia.
Destro: you've nothing to fear from her.
Enrion: (Enrion stares at the indrik in faint admiration.)
Destro: (she's-- ...lonely. is the trouble. but there's little to be done for it.)
Enrion: (Shakes his head - he's not scared.)
Enrion: I always - um.
Destro: (destro gonna pet her nose, pet under her jaw with the back of his fingers)
Destro: (looking over at enrion; he's listening, curious)
Enrion: (He swallows, because he doesn't want to bring up...things. But why not. Destro's sharing.) I always wanted one. My aunt had horses, instead. More...proper or something.
Enrion: There were wild ones around.
Enrion: Had to cull the herds sometimes. I hated that.
Enrion: She's really ...pretty. Aurelia.
Destro: (this is... (potentially dangerous. the both of them teetering on some edge of saying too much.) (or.) (or this is, maybe, welcome. the boy speaking words that seem draw from somewhere quiet-kept. aurelia shown for the first time since she came here.))
Destro: (this is, destro decides, worth some hazard. (any amount of hazard?) and he's been watching enrion calmly, taking the information, letting the boy know he's listneing, absorbing.)
Destro: (and--)
Destro: she came from summerset, we were told. somewhere in the northwest.
Destro: i understand they can be notoriously difficult to manage.
Destro: you can greet her, if you'd like.
Destro: she does well here, but aurelia hasn't ever been happiest in her own company.
Enrion: (Enrion thinks about saying it might have been somewhere within King's Haven Pass, and then he thinks about asking why Destro keeps her here, in such a cold place. It's not even a little like Summerset.)
Enrion: (He does approach, with the care of someone who knows animals -)
Enrion: (and spends several minutes caressing her, whispering softly in Altmeri.)
Destro: (it strikes destro somewhere deep, though he doesn't let himself look away. swallows hard, quietly, and watches aurelia nudge against enrion's hand.)
Enrion: (Enrion wears a bittersweet smile when he draws away, returns his eyes to Destro's.)
Enrion: They're good companions.
Destro: she has been. we've never... (a moment) she's never been mine. but we understand one another.
Enrion: (Enrion blinks, perplexed.) Whose is she?
Enrion: (He doesn't think she just /was here/ like the greenhouse. Why would she remain?)
Destro: (there's silence - there's near-static in his head - as he presses his lips together, then, looking sideways at enrion) she belong to my wife.
Destro: my former. wife.
Enrion: (A hollow silence. Enrion is and isn't looking at Destro now.)
Destro: we weren't what you would call especially attached, but. i didn't like to leave aurelia alone.
Enrion: (And then he's turning his head away, taking a step back from the indrik and dropping his hand.)
Enrion: (Wife. Former wife. How does one have a former wife. That's not how marriage works.)
Enrion: (Unless she's dead.)
Enrion: (Or. Something else.)
Destro: (he doesn't approach the boy (let him have space if he needs it) (this is what comes of letting truths slip) (that's an incorrect conclusion, fuck's name))
Enrion: (And Destro has kept her mount.)
Destro: (he does turn toward enrion. watches openly, without intrusion.)
Enrion: (Is that bed hers, too.)
Destro: (as if asking permission to continue watching the boy. as if knowing - he does know, or suspect - that he's walked them to a precarious balance)
Enrion: (How much of this place is hers. Was hers. How many -)
Enrion: (Other. Places. And people.)
Destro: (and then, an attempt (because he can guess some measure of the boy's thought paths) (because enrion has made some things evident)--)
Enrion: (His expression isn't particularly pleasant; there's a sullen cast, verging on a scowl, and he drops his hands to rub them on his thighs.)
Enrion: (Then crosses his arms again.)
Destro: ...she wouldn't have done well. remaining with them. aurelia, i mean.
Enrion: ...Them.
Destro: it was my responsibility to see she had a home.
Destro: (a pause) hortensia's family. or. my family.
Enrion: (There's only one way there's a them in this equation.)
Enrion: (He's smart enough for that math.)
Enrion: (His breathing turns sharp, and his mouth presses a thin, hard line, because.)
Enrion: (Because there is a situation. There's a situation where a man has a family, and keeps a lover on the side. And Enrion is starting to believe that's how this story turns out.)
Enrion: You have children.
Destro: (he feels caught out. he also doesn't flinch; this question was inevitable, once he'd mentioned hortensia. or. since he'd introduced the boy to aurelia, to this place, period.)
Enrion: (also if you don't like the direction, can curb him a little)
Destro: a son.
Destro: he's hardly a child. and. i've had little enough to do with him.
Destro: but i am - in name, in title, in bare fact - his father.
Enrion: (...He doesn't look at Destro. He thinks about saying, saying that doesn't sound great. Not a good look for you.)
Enrion: (He doesn't comment at all on it. Not right now. It's hard to look past the searing envy, searing /jealousy/, and the wave of petulant hurt.)
Enrion: (He'd like to hate the indrik, but it's not her fault. She didn't ask to get sucked into this.)
Destro: enri...
Enrion: (Slowly, he shakes his head.)
Destro: (he doesn't know that he has a right to speak that name. he also doesn't want to default to the boy's full name, or risk the sting of it.)
Destro: (watching, not knowing what to make of that gesture, wanting not to fall into wondering)
Enrion: You're married.
Destro: i was.
Destro: i'm not.
Destro: she-- is. for all intents and purposes, dead.
Enrion: (And he loses his temper.)
Enrion: Oh, you just decided to call it off one day?
Enrion: (His voice is hurt, snide, harsh - angry.)
Destro: (just going to. watch. make certain there's no more the boy wishes to add before he responds. because. the boy deserves his space to speak. (much as destro doesn't like the way the words cut.) (destro delivered the hurt in the first place; the least he can do is bears this sting.))
Enrion: (That's all there is: that flash of anger, and then immediate diffusal, like a burst.)
Destro: (and, reminding him to swallow, to breathe--) it was a mutual agreement.
Enrion: (There's a stoniness in his expression - because he's trying very hard - very hard - not to cry. He doesn't cry.)
Enrion: That's not how marriage works.
Destro: (he wants to go to the boy. takes one step before arresting himself; he doesn't want to startle the boy. and maybe. it isn't his place to approach.)
Destro: typically, no.
Destro: but.
Destro: it's possible to carry on a marriage for twelve years, scarcely seeing one another. it's possible to make a marriage of necessity, provide an heir, and--
Enrion: (Enrion balks.)
Destro: and realize neither one of you can tolerate the constraints.
Enrion: (Provide an heir. Provide an heir? He.)
Enrion: (Yes, he. Knows about the son, but he hadn't thought)
Destro: or one another's company, though i think we suspected as much from the start.
Enrion: (Is staring at Destro very much as though he has raised hackles, his lip curled back from his teeth.)
Enrion: Stop talking.
no subject
Destro: or. if you would still care to...?
Enrion: (He nuzzles Destro's hair, the side of his head, and draws back just a little from their embrace.)
Enrion: Show me everything. (His tone says - if you love it, I love it.)
Destro: (watching enrion without an ounce of defensiveness or distance)
Destro: (and. fuck)
Destro: (that is a deep smile, reaL real smile, and enrion's getting a kiss on the jaw)
Destro: yes, enri.
Enrion: (Enrion's eyes slip closed - he. Needs to keep that smile.)
Enrion: (He needs to remember it.)
Enrion: (So he does. He carves it into memory: something to strive for again and again. His own holy grail.)
Enrion: (And then he reluctantly eases his hold on the other man. Steps back, inviting Destro to lead him.)
Destro: (destro doesn't really know he's smiling. doesn't know much beyond the glow given by enri, this warmth and welcome, this... this everything beyond words.)
Destro: aurelia.
Destro: you've nothing to fear from her.
Enrion: (Enrion stares at the indrik in faint admiration.)
Destro: (she's-- ...lonely. is the trouble. but there's little to be done for it.)
Enrion: (Shakes his head - he's not scared.)
Enrion: I always - um.
Destro: (destro gonna pet her nose, pet under her jaw with the back of his fingers)
Destro: (looking over at enrion; he's listening, curious)
Enrion: (He swallows, because he doesn't want to bring up...things. But why not. Destro's sharing.) I always wanted one. My aunt had horses, instead. More...proper or something.
Enrion: There were wild ones around.
Enrion: Had to cull the herds sometimes. I hated that.
Enrion: She's really ...pretty. Aurelia.
Destro: (this is... (potentially dangerous. the both of them teetering on some edge of saying too much.) (or.) (or this is, maybe, welcome. the boy speaking words that seem draw from somewhere quiet-kept. aurelia shown for the first time since she came here.))
Destro: (this is, destro decides, worth some hazard. (any amount of hazard?) and he's been watching enrion calmly, taking the information, letting the boy know he's listneing, absorbing.)
Destro: (and--)
Destro: she came from summerset, we were told. somewhere in the northwest.
Destro: i understand they can be notoriously difficult to manage.
Destro: you can greet her, if you'd like.
Destro: she does well here, but aurelia hasn't ever been happiest in her own company.
Enrion: (Enrion thinks about saying it might have been somewhere within King's Haven Pass, and then he thinks about asking why Destro keeps her here, in such a cold place. It's not even a little like Summerset.)
Enrion: (He does approach, with the care of someone who knows animals -)
Enrion: (and spends several minutes caressing her, whispering softly in Altmeri.)
Destro: (it strikes destro somewhere deep, though he doesn't let himself look away. swallows hard, quietly, and watches aurelia nudge against enrion's hand.)
Enrion: (Enrion wears a bittersweet smile when he draws away, returns his eyes to Destro's.)
Enrion: They're good companions.
Destro: she has been. we've never... (a moment) she's never been mine. but we understand one another.
Enrion: (Enrion blinks, perplexed.) Whose is she?
Enrion: (He doesn't think she just /was here/ like the greenhouse. Why would she remain?)
Destro: (there's silence - there's near-static in his head - as he presses his lips together, then, looking sideways at enrion) she belong to my wife.
Destro: my former. wife.
Enrion: (A hollow silence. Enrion is and isn't looking at Destro now.)
Destro: we weren't what you would call especially attached, but. i didn't like to leave aurelia alone.
Enrion: (And then he's turning his head away, taking a step back from the indrik and dropping his hand.)
Enrion: (Wife. Former wife. How does one have a former wife. That's not how marriage works.)
Enrion: (Unless she's dead.)
Enrion: (Or. Something else.)
Destro: (he doesn't approach the boy (let him have space if he needs it) (this is what comes of letting truths slip) (that's an incorrect conclusion, fuck's name))
Enrion: (And Destro has kept her mount.)
Destro: (he does turn toward enrion. watches openly, without intrusion.)
Enrion: (Is that bed hers, too.)
Destro: (as if asking permission to continue watching the boy. as if knowing - he does know, or suspect - that he's walked them to a precarious balance)
Enrion: (How much of this place is hers. Was hers. How many -)
Enrion: (Other. Places. And people.)
Destro: (and then, an attempt (because he can guess some measure of the boy's thought paths) (because enrion has made some things evident)--)
Enrion: (His expression isn't particularly pleasant; there's a sullen cast, verging on a scowl, and he drops his hands to rub them on his thighs.)
Enrion: (Then crosses his arms again.)
Destro: ...she wouldn't have done well. remaining with them. aurelia, i mean.
Enrion: ...Them.
Destro: it was my responsibility to see she had a home.
Destro: (a pause) hortensia's family. or. my family.
Enrion: (There's only one way there's a them in this equation.)
Enrion: (He's smart enough for that math.)
Enrion: (His breathing turns sharp, and his mouth presses a thin, hard line, because.)
Enrion: (Because there is a situation. There's a situation where a man has a family, and keeps a lover on the side. And Enrion is starting to believe that's how this story turns out.)
Enrion: You have children.
Destro: (he feels caught out. he also doesn't flinch; this question was inevitable, once he'd mentioned hortensia. or. since he'd introduced the boy to aurelia, to this place, period.)
Enrion: (also if you don't like the direction, can curb him a little)
Destro: a son.
Destro: he's hardly a child. and. i've had little enough to do with him.
Destro: but i am - in name, in title, in bare fact - his father.
Enrion: (...He doesn't look at Destro. He thinks about saying, saying that doesn't sound great. Not a good look for you.)
Enrion: (He doesn't comment at all on it. Not right now. It's hard to look past the searing envy, searing /jealousy/, and the wave of petulant hurt.)
Enrion: (He'd like to hate the indrik, but it's not her fault. She didn't ask to get sucked into this.)
Destro: enri...
Enrion: (Slowly, he shakes his head.)
Destro: (he doesn't know that he has a right to speak that name. he also doesn't want to default to the boy's full name, or risk the sting of it.)
Destro: (watching, not knowing what to make of that gesture, wanting not to fall into wondering)
Enrion: You're married.
Destro: i was.
Destro: i'm not.
Destro: she-- is. for all intents and purposes, dead.
Enrion: (And he loses his temper.)
Enrion: Oh, you just decided to call it off one day?
Enrion: (His voice is hurt, snide, harsh - angry.)
Destro: (just going to. watch. make certain there's no more the boy wishes to add before he responds. because. the boy deserves his space to speak. (much as destro doesn't like the way the words cut.) (destro delivered the hurt in the first place; the least he can do is bears this sting.))
Enrion: (That's all there is: that flash of anger, and then immediate diffusal, like a burst.)
Destro: (and, reminding him to swallow, to breathe--) it was a mutual agreement.
Enrion: (There's a stoniness in his expression - because he's trying very hard - very hard - not to cry. He doesn't cry.)
Enrion: That's not how marriage works.
Destro: (he wants to go to the boy. takes one step before arresting himself; he doesn't want to startle the boy. and maybe. it isn't his place to approach.)
Destro: typically, no.
Destro: but.
Destro: it's possible to carry on a marriage for twelve years, scarcely seeing one another. it's possible to make a marriage of necessity, provide an heir, and--
Enrion: (Enrion balks.)
Destro: and realize neither one of you can tolerate the constraints.
Enrion: (Provide an heir. Provide an heir? He.)
Enrion: (Yes, he. Knows about the son, but he hadn't thought)
Destro: or one another's company, though i think we suspected as much from the start.
Enrion: (Is staring at Destro very much as though he has raised hackles, his lip curled back from his teeth.)
Enrion: Stop talking.