Fantasy [Reboot] Ah, How Laughable it is...

[Michi]

His biggest regret? What would his biggest regret even be? Thinking back, the male blinked trying to figure out what he would consider his biggest regret. He couldn't think of one though. He regretted not being the one to kill his brother himself, but of course he couldn't actually say that to the man. He knew who it had been, they all did, it was a cause for something to be proud of. Though not a the current point in time. It was probably best that he hadn't had that honor. It would have probably but a huge wrench in the peace treaty they were working on. "I'm not sure. I'd need to think about it. I don't think I actually have any real regrets."

 

[Majestic Rose]

Lucas made a sort of a snort in response, what? Who didn't have any regrets? "Well, alright." was all he could say without sounding too snide and condescending.
The prince continued to illustrate on the flesh, slowly adding onto it's design as he went on.

 

[Michi]

A somewhat uncomfortable silence filled the air. "Well I don't really feel like I've missed out on anything. Aside from growing up near my family. But I'm fine with that. I've made some great friends. I'm even the youngest general of the Taigan armies in centuries."

He turned his head to look down at his arm, he didn't really feel like the swirls and the wolf really suit his personality. There was another longer pause as he watched the male doodle in his flesh. "I'm sorry that you got stuck in this situation. I know this has to have been difficult, with everything here being so different from home.... And I'm probably not your first choice for a partner. Or your second...."

Not that this was ideal for him either. "Would you want to stay here in the castle after the wedding? Or would you want to return to Mairfade with me?" Mairfade being the actual name of the castle where they trained all their people in the mountains. If Lucas stayed, he was going to be stuck traveling... an awful lot. That was going to suck. But he didn't expect that Lucas would enjoy being days away in the mountains where it snowed everyday of the year and half of the people there would have gladly slit his throat.

 

[Majestic Rose]

Lucas nodded again, at least Tobias was proud of his distinction.
"I'll get used to it." Lucas missed home, but it wasn't like this place was bad. Sure, he hadn't experienced winter here but it wasn't absolutely horrible.
When Tobias reflected on himself, the prince felt a small tug on his lips, an ever so gentle upward pull.
"Each day it gets a bit better. You're not as bad as I expected you to be, so don't try to devalue yourself, dear."

The blue detailing was finally finished, and he opted to add small environmental details at the base. Lucas was planning on this one to be rather ornate. Sort of ironic, as it was a fairly generic design at it's core.
"Mairfade? What's that?" Lucas he never heared of this place, in fact, he simply assumed they'd remain here, and if they were keen on leaving, then why not stay for winter?
But did it really matter? It was probably cold and dull just as this place is.
"Sure, I'll go. So long as you can stand the valiant foreign warrior, Lucas, by your side." his grin began to grow. Tobias wouldn't be his first choice days ago, but there was a certain charm around the man. Too formal and stiff was repulsive at first, but he was quite fun to tease.
"I mean, if I have to fight off more wolves like yesterday, maybe not..." Lucas remembered the wounds on Tobias' body, not to mention the conspicuous sword wound on his arm as well.
"you sure those bites don't bother you?"

 

[Michi]

Tobias gave a grunt as he looked down at his arm once again. He was going to need to wear sleeves. If his men saw that or caught wind he'd never hear the end of it. "Mairfade is my home. It's the castle in the mountains where the army resides for training. It's where I live." He didn't comment on the valiant warrior thing. His men would never believe that.

Or maybe they would and it would just give them another reason to pick on the man. "We can stay if you'd like. I don't know how comfortable you'd be there. It's not like here where there's help... you'd have to clean up after yourself... and dress yourself. And contribute towards the work as well." Especially with winter coming.

"It's probably best for you to stay here for the first winter anyways, so you have a chance to see what it's like. It's worse in the mountains. The cold doesn't leave. And you'll get to have help with adjusting..." sort of. No one was going to dress him here. They'd feed him and do his laundry but aside from that the man was going to be on his own.

 

[Majestic Rose]

"Whatever you want, Tobias." Lucas was more focused on the tattoo now, but he periodically stopped to look up at the man.
"I can dress myself," he chuckled, maybe it seemed odd to have servants do those tasks here, but it was quite common in Ethoria. That doesn't mean Lucas had never dressed himself, though.
"I just want you to be happy," if that was even possible given their circumstances.
"So if you want, we can go up there. And hey, if I die, not the worst thing, right?" It was partly sarcastic, though he knew Tobias probably didn't place any value on Lucas simply for being himself, it was all out of service for his country. It was the same situation for Lucas too, but now he was focusing on trying to build something that would make the two of them happy for however long the other lives.

He blew on the tattoo, trying to set the wet ink in and reduce whatever pain was stemming from it. The area was red where he had drawn on, and a soft pink aura flushed around it.
Maybe he would be rather atttactive with a flushed face, or a partly chilled one. But when he looked up he just saw a weathered, scarred visage. Part of Lucas questioned if some expressions were near impossible for him. He was in his twenties but looked to be in his forties. To be fair, Tobias did seem to have eldered wisdom about him…so having the intellect of a bedridden old man while looking forty while having a twenty-year-old body seemed to be an odd matchup.

"And you ignored my question about your injuries. Are you sure they're fine?" He placed the needle down into the small box.
Lucas was waiting for the skin to settle in, can't irritate it too much or it'll be a bloody mess.
He inspected the sword slash on his arm. No doubt he received it before he came, as it was scabbed over now and not as raised as a day-old one would be.
Lucas placed his finger on the side, feeling the unnatural warmth of it. So it was still fresh.
"When did you get this?" He hadn't payed much attention to his fiances body, but maybe he should. God forbid the day where a routine wound inspection is required.
"Maybe you should be bed ridden like I am. Just for a day, at least. Bitten by wolves, slashed by a blade, and still walking around. I'll never understand soldiers," He shrugged a bit, "or generals."

 

[Michi]

Tobias sighed as he moved his hand to the bandages on his arm, "I don't know why you're worried about my cuts. I'm fine." He stated as he removed the bandages and held out his arm. Some of the holes had been stitched up where the teeth had dragged and tore skin. But most of the marks were scabbed over and starting to heal slowly.

"Oh, that one I got just before you arrived. Just a little light sparring." He flinched slightly when it was touched. Still tender from where a few of the stitches had torn the day before. "I can't do a day of bed rest. I'll rest when I'm dead. Too much to do to fall ill." He gave a lopsided grin as he wrapped the bandaged back around his arm.

Tobias sighed, opening and closing his cost a few times as he adjusted the tightness of the bandages around his arm. "You don't need to worry about me. Really, I'm fine. If I'm dying you can worry. Otherwise, I'm good, I promise. But I won't die before the wedding, that much I can promise you."

 

[Majestic Rose]

He wasn't worried because Tobias didn't seem to care. These cuts could get infected. And if not life threatening, they certainly looked discomforting.
"Light sparring?" They probably used live steel for everything, here. Back home, light sparring would be taken as wooden blades. Sparring typically would be done with very dull blades. They saved the higher quality for actual combat. Here, it seemed they didn't care at all.

"There's no shame in taking a day off, especially when you work as hard as you do." Some people did thrive off of constant work, the pressures keeping them checked. But everyone needed a brake now and then. That stupid expression of his only maintained Lucas' own smile.
It was nice to see a supposedly strict and up-tight man let loose and be relaxed.

"And what? After the wedding you'll just throw yourself at any blade?" He teased, now turning his attention back to the bandaging.
"For a general you're a little dumb when it comes to your own wellbeing." He didn't have to baby him, Lucas knew that well enough. But he just seemed to be a little too careless about this. Maybe if Tobias knew what it felt like to be relaxed and destressed, he'd understand where Lucas was coming from. Sure, Tobias probably thought relaxation was just an easy day where everyone fulfilled their duties without much oversight, but what he really needed was a nice detachment from his duties. From the age of what, eight? Nine? Lucas couldn't remember what age he was shipped off, but practically since Tobias was a boy, he had been exposed to a high-stress environment.

Subconsciously, Lucas allowed his left hand to be begin stroking Tobias' forearm, while his other laid on his own leg.
His gaze went from the wound back to the man's face.
"Y'know, I was hoping to train a bit with the sword before my father arrived. Just seeing his face would make my day." He smiled at the thought, "maybe you could've feigned defeat. That would've really made him blow steam from his ears."

 

[Michi]

"I have taken two days off since you have arrived here. But I can't continue to take time off. I do have a job to do. It's kind of an important one at that." Tobias shook his head at the male but the grin remained. "I see you have figured out my master plan. Once it is official, I am going to off myself as quickly as possible."

Tobias looked down at the hand that was stroking his arm and blinked, before deciding it was best to just ignore it. He was probably just trying to adjust to the fact that they were soon going to be married. He wasn't sure what to expect from the male. "I can set that up for you if you'd like. I can get someone to spar with you and give you a few pointers on how to do real blade work and not that sappy stuff you guys call fighting."

 

[Majestic Rose]

Lucas laughed at the little tease.
But Tobias, even with his days off, didn't seem to get much out of his state-of-mind. Maybe he just needed to be removed from it, maybe somewhere far away from his duties to just relax. He needed that...eventually.
"Get someone? What, you can' think teach me yourself? Why even be married if I can't get some personal lessons from the general himself?" In truth, Lucas has no interest in learning swordplay. He just knew Tobias liked it, so at least they could maybe bond over that.
"Speaking of sappy stuff, you're going to look great once this tattoo is done." Lucas' hand stopped stroking, and eventually settled inside Tobias' hand.

He was surprised by how warm it was, and to be fair, he expected his skin to be much more dry and chapped than how it was. For someone who gets bitten by wolves and thinks nothing of it, he didn't feel as barbaric as he looked or sounded.
His thumb gently stroked the base of his partner'a thumb, their hands laying lossely against one another.
He didn't make such a big deal about it, he simply chose to ignore it. Lucas normally would be very nervous about making these advances, but they were getting married—they had to get to know one another, and that meant physically as well.
But he preoccupied himself with the tattoo.
"Do you have any? You really have the body and life experience for some nice ones. Maybe I could give you a permanent one one day?" He used his once free hand to tap the back of the warrior, "Maybe a big chicken here." Lucas chuckled, lowering his hand again, and bringing it towards the tattoo. He pressed down on the pinkish area with a finger, trying to make sure there were no lumps or pain associated.

 

[Michi]

"Because I have to get back to my duties, Lucas. I can't keep with my lack of presence around my men. I have an army to run." He stated, as if the answer to why he couldn't do it was obvious. "I can do occasionally. But I have a lot to do." He wasn't going to mention the fact that he had to return to Mairfade before the wedding yet. That was definitely something he knew he should wait until the last possible minute on. He was afraid that Lucas would possibly throw a fit and say he was trying to avoid him.

He rolled his eyes at the chicken comment, "You are laughing, but I love chicken. It tastes delicious. But I'm not going to get any permanent tattoos. Especially not on my torso." He frowned at the idea of covering his scars with something so ridiculous. Especially when each scar was a badge of honor in Taiga. If it had been a warmer climate they would have worn less to show them off. But that never ended well for anyone who tried; they either looked like a fool after they ended up redressing shortly after, or they got sick from the cold.

It felt weird to be holding the other prince's hand. Foreign even. But then again romance was no his forte so he wasn't going to say anything because for all he knew the man was legitimately trying and it wouldn't do well for Tobias to shut him down. "Wait it's not done?" He asked as he looked at his arm once again and pulled it away slightly when Lucas touched it, "Ouch. Rude."

 

[Majestic Rose]

He knew how busy Tobias was and would be, but he didn't want it that way. Sometimes maybe he was a little too desperate for attention. Lucas is used to this sort of thing, as this isn't the first time Lucas has had to build his life based around an official's free time. They'd just have to make the most of it, even if it was just a couple hours together each night.
"Torso? I was thinking a nice chicken right on your face." He smiled, then grimaced slightly.

"No, no," he started, scooting ever so slightly closer just to have a sense of closeness. It felt a little shameful to be offended by a reaction to pain.
"I'm just checking to see if I can start again. We have to let it settle before I add more on." Lucas took his hand away and placed it back on his leg, where it had been before.
"What? Is the man who got attacked by wolves complaining about a little tattoo?" Tobias may have been joking, or just unaccustomed to this sort of pain, but it was ironic that a man who seemed to boast a high pain tolerance and all around resilience seemed to just recoil at the discomfort of tattooing.

"But really," Lucas said, beginning to relax his hand into Tobias', "It'll be fine. Just a little more color and you can just relax while it heals. Should be a day before it stops being a pain, then it should last for a month or so." Maybe he should've told Tobias how long 'temporary' meant. This wasn't going to come out over night or in a week, that's for sure.
"I'll start again when it doesn't hurt. I don't want to see you cry."
He smirked, mocking Tobias was certainly a fun thing to do.

 

[Michi]

"Okay so a day for this to stop being a pain, but how long until you stop being a pain exactly?" Tobias asked the male though he tried to keep his tone playful. If Lucas was going to tease him, Tobias would tease back.

He couldn't believe tha man wasn't done yet. How much more could there really be? Tobias was growing restless sitting there doing nothing.

He was bored. There could be so much he could be doing, anything but he was sitting there. "Well then go ahead and finish so I can beat your ass at knives again. With all that natural born non-talent you have for it. I quite like winning against you."

 

[Majestic Rose]

There came some of the man's ferocity. Lucas laughed, removing his hand from the other's and picked up the needle again. He decided to use a translucent gel this time, just to seal some marks in and to make it glimmer in light. He was just beautifying it now.
"Who said you've beaten me at anything yet? Not enough arrows for a proper tournament," Lucas looked up and watched Tobias' face as the needle worked it's way back into his flesh.
"Not to mention my superior horse riding skills!"
Sure, it was true that Tobias was much more gifted in these sort of activities than Lucas, but at least they made a game of it.
"But calm down, you've had enough of blades and weapons your entire life, I'm sure. Wouldn't you want to do something else? Chess? Cards? Painting? Reading or writing? Being bedridden kind of limits what we can do, I know, but trust me there isn't anything wrong with being still."

Lucas was nearly done, as simply tracing the sides of marks was an easy task.
"Or maybe I could put some make up on you." He smirked, giggled, and then went on to focusing on maintaining his steady hand.
"Some powder that we wear for ceremonies back home. I was going to give you a book on Ethorian culture, but why not experience it? Oh, you'd look so cute with some powder or blush on." The prince was teasing, though he would enjoy seeing the man like that. Not so big and bad now, eh?

 

[Michi]

"You have jokes. What haven't I beat you at?" Tobias questioned as he shook his head. "Are you afraid if you do manly tasks like handling a weapon is going to affect your 5-year-old-child-like hands?"

The male's hobbies definitely weren't things that Tobias could ever see himself doing. "I am great at poker." Mostly because he was a cheater. "We can even make it interesting." He did love to gamble.

But what the hell was this shiny shit he was doing now? Lucas was definitely not the same as the men here. He was... emotional and squishy. "If you try to put makeup on me I will throw you out the window.... maybe." He tacked on after a short pause. "Don't you have any hobbies that aren't for women?"

 

[Majestic Rose]

Child like hands? Lucas blushed, though not from flattery. He smile just faded and he was more focused on the tattoo, opting to remain quiet for most of Tobias' mocking questions.
He didn't mind a good tease now and then, but it was clear to see that there was some contempt. And what did he do to deserve it? Lucas had never lashed out at him, he always took the more passive role, opting for whichever allowed them to continue their time together, or to just carry on the mood rather than delving into a new plane. Lucas didn't want to fight with him, he wanted a happy marriage and a connected partner. Everything that he dreamed of when it came to the idea of marriage. And Tobias wasn't even a man he couldn't imagine this with—he had multiple redeeming factors, but if he didn't see the same chance of happiness in Lucas as he saw in Tobias, then why even bother?

But he would still try his best. This was something neither party could walk away from without either being dead, or on the verge of being killed. And he didn't want to be unhappy from here on out.

"Well, after I'm done with this you can go and do something manly."
Lucas didn't dare look up, in fact he leaned in a bit closer to the tattoo—a way to conceal the soft burning sensation on his cheeks.

 

[Michi]

Tobias watched the male as his mood seemed turn sour. Oh so he could pick on Tobias as much as he wanted but he couldn't do the same without pouting about it? That was amusing. Tobias moved shifting his arm away from the male's grip and turned to face the man head on, other arm reaching out to grasp Lucas' chin. He didn't say anything, just stared the man in the eye.

The longer he stared the more the tiny remnants of a smirk began to turn up the corners of his mouth ever so slightly. After a few minutes he grinned and spoke, "Luci." It was all he said, nothing more, though his tone was very amused.

 

[Majestic Rose]

The moment he felt Tobias shift, he was sure the man was just going to leave. And the moment he felt Tobias' hand on his chin, he didn't know what to expect.
Lucas' face quickly reddened when he was almost forced to make eye contact with him.
The man seemed to not be angry, but the longer the silence held over them, the redder he became. Just before Tobias mused, Lucas could practically feel the heat being generated from his face. Even a slight hue of red began to appear on his neck.

Nervousness rocked his body, but Lucas wasn't enjoying this in the least bit. Normally, when Tobias made him blush he would find some joy in it, but he was only angered now. Why did he just ignore the question? He knew that Tobias would rather not spend time with him, that Tobias thought he was just weak and useless. But sure, now he'll throw out any form of affection just to keep Lucas off his toes.
But what did Tobias hope to gain from that? That was the hole in his theory. As there was no way of avoiding this, Tobias in fact had no obligation to even spend time with him.

Still, it was an odd thing to experience: anger and nervousness. He wanted to slap the hand away and just tell him what he had said previously. Why dodge the question? Why devalue his opinions? And another side, a growing side, just wanted to smile and laugh it off. Though he knew that side would come about much later.
"I was being serious." Lucas said, trying to muster his most confident tone. And even then, it was still shakey. Maybe he shouldn't be looking right in Tobias' eyes.
The boy was quite sure that for the foreign prince, Lucas' chin must've felt awfully warm.

 

[Michi]

Tobias watched the man turn more and more red. Not looking him in the eye, avoiding his gaze. He was amused. "I'm sure you were. About almost everything in fact."

He continued to hold the male's face cupped with his thumb and forefinger before his grip changed and he was simply holding the male's chin up with his forefinger. "Look at me Lucas." He said quietly as he stared at the man continuously. "Look me in the eye."

He waited until the man did before he would speak again. Simply watching the man quietly, he knew he had offended him but this was very amusing just to watch him blush either from embarrassment or anger. Maybe even frustration. It kind of excited the warrior in more ways than one, he did love a challenge.

 

[Majestic Rose]

Wait. That wasn't what he wasn't expecting. He just assumed Tobias would either leave or apologize. That's what a rational, sane person would do. What was he doing?
He just swallowed, feeling his throat become dry and tingly.
What? Was he just meant to stare at him? What would this accomplish?
All of a sudden he felt itchy under his clothes, his legs restless and his body was just burning up.
He hadn't felt this embarrassed since the time he had been caught changing the grades on his exams.
But this was much worse than being caught red-handed.
His body felt like it just wanted to move, every joint was poised and every muscle itched to move.
His mouth felt dry and his face was on fire, his neck followed suit and now his chest.

If Tobias had wanted to flirt, why didn't he make it more accessible? Why did he have to push Lucas into this corner? Why didn't he just simply outline what he was doing? If anything, the angst of what the man before him will do next made his brain turn into mush.
"What?" He asked. His lips were shaking, and it came out all drippy.
This wasn't a good and proper reaction to any scenario.

Lucas immediately pulled back, away from Tobias, and turned his gaze away.
Pulling the covers up onto his lap, he also made sure to duck his head down just as a way to hinder Tobias' view of him.
He had to remind himself to breathe. What did he want? Why was he acting like that? He just ignored everything he said just to further...whatever he was doing.
"Look, I think it's best that you just leave now..." Lucas explained, placing the needle back into the container and setting it on the nightstand. He didn't dare make eye contact, and he had planned on saying more...but he just couldn't.
How could such a stupid stare make him like this?
There was too much going on in his mind, maybe it was such conflicting emotions backed by whatever fever he had from his injury. Yeah.

 

[Michi]

Tobias watched the male pull away.m remaining silent. When he was asked to leave he didn't move right away. The man sat and watched him for a few more moments before he did finally stand. He took a deep breath before he walked around to the chair and grabbed the bag of knives and the board.

"Okay. I'll come back later. I think I may spend the night here with you if you want. But I'll give you time to think. They should be bringing food for you soon anyways." He stated as he adjusted the items in his grip. He made his way over to the door opening it before he looked back at the male. He watched his for a moment before smirking and turning his head to leave.

You could tell a lot about a man when imhe was under pressure and you maintained eye contact. Seemed that Lucas had gotten flustered, but he couldn't tell exactly in what way. There was plenty of time to find out later though. Tonight and tomorrow morning before he left for Mairfade.

 

[Majestic Rose]

Lucas watched Tobias leave, a small unfamiliar pang slowly grew in his belly. All the nervousness slowly began to cool, yet he still remained red.
The prince smiled in response to the smirk, and hearing the door close behind let Lucas exhale and, just then, did he begin to breathe.

In a warrior's absence, Lucas' mind was full of that repulsive man's face. He wanted Tobias gone, and just when he got what he demanded, his mind just brings him back to where they began a downward spiral into nervousness.
Lucas just laid back, and looked up at the ceiling. Alone with his burning body and itchy torso, which eventually subsided as he relaxed, Lucas tried his best to rid his mind of that man.
And it worked so well that he fell asleep.

 

[Michi]

Tobias' first task was to get some food which he did down in the kitchen, getting a sandwich and some mead before he made his way back out to his men. He had a small makeshift office that he met with a few more of them in.

Making sure that everything would remain running smoothly while he was gone and that they remembered that it was their responsibility to keep the royal family and their guests safe. "That includes, but is not limited to, the prince and his staff." Which resulted in a few grumbles but overall it went fine.

Kyler came to check on him shortly after, looking over the man's arm to check his wounds. He didn't say anything about the tattoo but Tobias could see the notes of jealousy. This was followed by a long private conversation behind closed doors, that when the doctor finally left, he seemed to be in better spirits.

When Tobias did made his way up to the castle he had dinner with his family in the dining room, stopping by his own room to change into something more sleep appropriate, a pair of loose fitting thinner pants and a matching loose fitting shirt that pulled over his head, before he made it the rest of the way upstairs and knocked on Lucas' door.