Rasmus/Dee/Emilion - broing it up
Who: Ras/Dee/Emi
When: Before Emi left for mermaidville
Where: outside the barracks
Rating & Warnings: G!
When the sun rose, he'd be riding off to Tartessos with the Royal Family. The current situation of the city didn't apply to him. However, it didn't take a genius to know the trip had already been soured by the King's fuckwit of a mistress. He had hours of tense silence and awkward conversation to look forward to. Knowing that, he'd decided to take it easy on his one day of leave before the trip. Easier than normal, anyway. He'd skipped a visit to his mother's in favour of lounging on the roof the entire day. Inbetween naps he'd written in his journal and found some food, but could hardly be pressed to do anything else.
He lay asleep again as the sun began to dip in the sky, flat on his stomach near the doorway of the barracks. One arm was tucked under his head, the other fallen over the side of the building. He was roused by snatches of conversation now and then, but so far none had been dumb enough to rouse him fully.
Things had settled, mostly. He envied the king's guard in times such as these, as they were expected to guard the king and his family, thus meaning they didn't really need to go outside of the Hold. Given most things couldn't get in, it was pretty cushy for them in there.
He was trying think of pros for being on the City Guard with Cosimo, the two of them going back to the barracks after a thankfully uneventful patrol of the streets. "Well... more fresh air, I suppose," he said, flicking up his thumb. "And more than five people to look over." Two. A finger went up. "It would be boring with the same handful of people all of the time, I think." Looking mostly down, he didn't notice right away the figure on the roof, wiggling a finger for a number three he couldn't quite think of.
Simon was wandering lazily alongside them, Dee moving her legs quickly to keep up with Ras's long strides. She was trying to add to his points, thinking of reasons why they weren't in the king's guard despite it seeming so much safer. "We don't have to deal with the Duchess that often," she managed finally. What else was there? "Or all those other nobles..." Anything else? She looked up and patted his shoulder, pointing at the figure on the roof.
"Is that the sergeant?" She raised her eyebrows, then wagged them at Ras. "Maybe we should scare him awake."
The sergeant? He passed over Emilian for a moment on the roof, looking for Ravindra, before realizing who it was she was talking about. "Ah, yes... I think it is." Scare him? He had a few options of how to do that. He stopped, glanced about, then ducked down and picked up a rock. He tossed it into the air lightly, caught it, then reeled back and chucked it at him.
Emilian started with a shout. Something had hit him. What it was, though, he could not comprehend. He could not comprehend much of anything for the moment, as his flail had had him reaching for stone that wasn't there and gravity was rapidly working its magic. He saw the sky above him and felt himself twisting freefall, and suddenly he saw the ground. He still managed to land just about on his feet, dropping to a knee on impact.
Well. He was awake now. Still dazed, he only looked between Dee and Rasmus silently for a long moment. "You-" He pointed at Dee suddenly, then at her partner at the last moment. "No. You."
Holy crap, that was courting death.
Dee jumped to one side as Simon barked as though he'd just witnessed a particularly funny joke. "I am not with this man!" It might be selling out her fellow guard, but she was already ready to run. Simon was bouncing around in a circle as though it was hilarious.
H- wh-! "You were the one to suggest it!" he protested at Cosimo. "She suggested it," he added, looking back to Emilian. He had to pause a moment, because truth be told, that had been hilarious.
"Are you all right?" he asked, rubbing his chin. Yes, that seemed the best course of action to take now.
"I'm fine." Though, that wasn't the point. They'd woken him up, for one. Made him fall off the roof, for another. He stood and dusted himself off, ignoring the twinge in his knee. He wouldn't be walking much tomorrow anyways. "Trying to kill a Sergeant is no way to get promoted, Cosimo." She ready to run, or at least pee herself a little. That was comforting.
"And you," he said to Rasmus, finally walking towards them. "I thought you only threw people onto roofs." Yeah, he'd heard about that.
"I suggested making him jump," she spluttered, "not throwing rocks!"
At least her dog was enjoying this. He bumped his head into Ras's leg approvingly. "I wasn't planning to kill you!"
"What, did you think I would climb up there?" he said with a frown. He gave Emilian a sad little 'aww no why u do that' look when he mentioned the roof tossing. "It was a low roof," he mumbled. He looked down and gave Simon a good pat on the head. He understood, at least.
When it was clear he wasn't going to get any definitive answers from either of them, he crossed his arms with the usual frown. He even glowered a bit at Simon out of principle. "What're you two doing?"
"Trying to work out if it's easier being a king's guard or a city guard," Dee frowned, folding her arms across her chest, unintentionally mirroring Emilian. "We just had a patrol and you're sleeping on a roof, so I guess that got answered."
"That is a con," he said to Cosimo, as though it needed to be said. Having to patrol while the other got to nap. And it was a gorgeous day, too...
"Patrol is over for now, however. Why are you not working?"
"What else would I do on my day off?" Indeed, the Hold was well guarded. Once the Duchess had gotten the news of Myron's killer out through Ravi, she'd seemed much more relaxed. He didn't mind the extra sleep. "I leave tomorrow." But they already knew that. And they were berating him. Why was he glad to see them, again?
"You seemed like you had fun enough with the mob, from what I heard."
Dee winced at that, dropping her arms so they swayed at her sides. "Would have been funner if they'd come quietly."
What else could he do on his day off indeed? Dee thought about it for a moment, scratching Simon's ears. "You could braid your beard."
"Yes, funner," Rasmus agreed, sort of. Funner. Was that a word? "Much more funner. We escorted a total of seven to the Hour... I do not know if they were Others, but they seemed all to agree it was the best place to be." He rubbed at his chin again, stubble present and accounted for.
"A trip to Tartessos," he said to Cosimo, considering. "... is that a pro, or a con?"
By the power of suggestion, Emilian ran a hand through his beard as well. He'd never thought of braiding it, but if it would pass the time, why not? Then again, it would never be so impressive as his mane. "Diya Medellos will remain in the city." It wasn't any admission that wouldn't come to light the moment they were gone. He suspected the young jackass would be out and about in whorehouses as he always was, making life difficult for everyone but himself.
"A pro."
"But if you took him with you you could push him into the sea and make it look like an accident," Dee held up a finger. "Con!"
Maybe she could feed Diya to Simon. She looked at her dog thoughtfully. Did he have a big enough mouth? ...Probably not.
"So long as he is not bringing the whores into the Hold," Rasmus mused. He didn't quite put it past the young lord. "We do not have to deal with Medellos have as much," he added to Cosimo, putting a fourth finger up. Or was it five now?
"The Duchess will remain." He filled in the blank. He kept his expression neutral there, but he was none too pleased. Well, it wasn't as though much would change on that front, simply who spoke the words directed to them. "I am certain this will be fun for everyone involved."
Ah, if only he could witness some meeting between the Duchess and Medellos. He knew others felt this way... perhaps if enough of them thought about it...
"She will." His eyebrows moved at Rasmus' mention, but he said no more. He knew he should hate the Duchess. She would run him through in half a blink if she knew what he was. But he was her favourite, and the safest place in the country remained by her side.
He gave his beard another good scratch and dropped his arms to cross over his chest again. "Keep Ravi out of her sights. Maybe."
The Duchess and Diya alone in the Hold? Well, they'd see how long he'd remain cocky for. Dee grinned behind a hand. "Maybe they'll cancel each other out." Or she'd just cancel him out.
Her smile faded a little at the mention of Ravi though. "We're planning on hiding him under someone's bed, just in case she comes looking."
He raised his eyebrow at Cosimo before his expression turned thoughtful. It'd be nice to think that just throwing the two together would cause them both to implode, but nothing was ever that easy.
"Or a chair," he offered. "A footstool, perhaps." Were they still joking? He wasn't very good at picking up on those sorts of things. "Either way, he has been quite hard to find lately, maybe he has found his own means of keeping out of view." Or maybe he was hiding behind them right now!? Ras took a brief glance behind them, saw nothing, turned his attention back to Emilian.
"You look well after the tourney," he said with an approving nod.
Emilian let out a snort at the suggestion of a footstool. Mostly, because he thought it was a viable option. "The one he had to stand on to give his address, maybe." Would she come looking? The Duchess loved making grand shows of power, but she had to know she could not keep the Guard in her pocket if she began killing them off. He could not no either way, so he remained silent about it.
"Armour went a long way in making sure my face stayed pretty." The Cancellarius Rempel had been an absolute beast to fight, as if the day's previous matched had not weathered him at all. The scent of blood seemed to have the same effect on him... minus the drooling. It wasn't unheard of for one opponent to accidentally slay another at the tournaments, and he'd wondered what would have happened if the other Cancellari hadn't called him off. As it stood, he still had healing wounds that needed to be re-poulticed daily. "Next year I think we should enter Rasmus," he said to Dee, the twitching corners of his mouth betraying the grin he struggled to hold in. "He can just throw people from the ring."
"I agree," Dee said, just about managing to keep her face straight. "Though they'd be picking his opposition off of roofs all over the city for days."
She scratched Simon behind an ear and he yawned and flopped down on top of her feet. She pressed her boots into him gently, definitely Not Looking at Rasmus.
Rasmus' expression went somewhere between dark and just plain ol' sad. "I do not think that sort of thing would be considered fair," he said, trying to take the joke with some grace. Whether he managed or not was another question. "And if I did, you would be the one cleaning it up, Emilian." So there.
"I would? I thought I'd be in the Hold as always." He held up a finger. "Another pro."
Glancing down, he nudged Dee's great beast of a dog with his boot. "You sure all you two want from Tartessos is fish and air?" At least they weren't hard to shop for, he supposed. "Think Ravi will want something after he's climbed out of whatever hole he's dug himself?"
"Probably a bigger spade," Dee said thoughtfully. Poor Ravi. "Yeah, fish is all." she nudged Simon too, trying to get him off her feet. Poor dog, getting poked from both sides. "Maybe a bone for the lump."
"Special exception," he mumbled.
What else was there to get from Tartessos? He considered the matter. "Bring back some wine," he said then. "It is not that good, but it works better than any medicine," he said with a grin.
"Wine, air, and fish." A respectable list. "As well as a spade," he said with a nod to Dee.
Well, that about wrapped things up nicely. What now? Where were they going? "Where you two off to?"
....could he go too?
"We were just heading back to the station." Dee wriggled her foot and finally managed to get it free of the dog, who rolled off it with a doggy sigh, his legs in the air and his tongue lolling out of his mouth. "I need to water the dog."
Rasmus crouched down and gave Simon's belly a rub. The dog wiggled but in no way as a means of escape. "He will not grow if she does not," he said seriously, though knowing Rasmus it was probably just a bad attempt at a joke. "Perhaps the Coil." Probably Inanna's later, too, but some things he could keep to himself. Besides, it'd just be to see Shiri and play some cards before he lost all his money and had to head back to the barracks.
"I suppose we should let you go back to sleep," he said, standing again, hand covered in fur. He wiped it off on Cosimo's shoulder.
His mouth split at Rasmus' joke. Briefly, but it had. He bent to give Simon another pat too, then straightened. They weren't doing anything. Or they weren't telling him they were going to so something. "All right. Maybe I will."
He could sleep. Or do the responsible thing, and pack. But that was never fun, it was better to wait til the morning of. He could also wait it out til the cover of night and scale a roof that a lion could easy jump the wall from, then go carousing about the countryside and roaring as he please. One of those suggestions sounded better than any other. "See you when I get back, then."
Dee nodded, waving to him. "Don't sleep with any mermaids, I hear it's not worth it."
"Ah," said Rasmus suddenly, as though just recalling something. Which, in fact, he had! "Next Sunday is the Lieutenant's birthday. We are going to take her drinking." His eyebrows raised a little. They would get her drunk this time. Everyone had been so far. It was her turn, now. Would she flip tables, too? "If you are back by then, perhaps you should join us."
"It'll be hard, but I'll try. They're another pro." Women made of fish. He could tell he'd have a hard time keeping himself with both feet firmly planted on the docks. Some things in life were worth risking it for. "And yeah. I'll come." It took a lot not to perk up at the offer. For so many years he'd been just another guard, patrolling like the two in front of him. And then he'd gone to the Hold.
He palmed Dee's head and.. well. Rasmus was taller. He just clapped him on the shoulder. "See you when I get back." Food. He should find food!
When: Before Emi left for mermaidville
Where: outside the barracks
Rating & Warnings: G!
When the sun rose, he'd be riding off to Tartessos with the Royal Family. The current situation of the city didn't apply to him. However, it didn't take a genius to know the trip had already been soured by the King's fuckwit of a mistress. He had hours of tense silence and awkward conversation to look forward to. Knowing that, he'd decided to take it easy on his one day of leave before the trip. Easier than normal, anyway. He'd skipped a visit to his mother's in favour of lounging on the roof the entire day. Inbetween naps he'd written in his journal and found some food, but could hardly be pressed to do anything else.
He lay asleep again as the sun began to dip in the sky, flat on his stomach near the doorway of the barracks. One arm was tucked under his head, the other fallen over the side of the building. He was roused by snatches of conversation now and then, but so far none had been dumb enough to rouse him fully.
Things had settled, mostly. He envied the king's guard in times such as these, as they were expected to guard the king and his family, thus meaning they didn't really need to go outside of the Hold. Given most things couldn't get in, it was pretty cushy for them in there.
He was trying think of pros for being on the City Guard with Cosimo, the two of them going back to the barracks after a thankfully uneventful patrol of the streets. "Well... more fresh air, I suppose," he said, flicking up his thumb. "And more than five people to look over." Two. A finger went up. "It would be boring with the same handful of people all of the time, I think." Looking mostly down, he didn't notice right away the figure on the roof, wiggling a finger for a number three he couldn't quite think of.
Simon was wandering lazily alongside them, Dee moving her legs quickly to keep up with Ras's long strides. She was trying to add to his points, thinking of reasons why they weren't in the king's guard despite it seeming so much safer. "We don't have to deal with the Duchess that often," she managed finally. What else was there? "Or all those other nobles..." Anything else? She looked up and patted his shoulder, pointing at the figure on the roof.
"Is that the sergeant?" She raised her eyebrows, then wagged them at Ras. "Maybe we should scare him awake."
The sergeant? He passed over Emilian for a moment on the roof, looking for Ravindra, before realizing who it was she was talking about. "Ah, yes... I think it is." Scare him? He had a few options of how to do that. He stopped, glanced about, then ducked down and picked up a rock. He tossed it into the air lightly, caught it, then reeled back and chucked it at him.
Emilian started with a shout. Something had hit him. What it was, though, he could not comprehend. He could not comprehend much of anything for the moment, as his flail had had him reaching for stone that wasn't there and gravity was rapidly working its magic. He saw the sky above him and felt himself twisting freefall, and suddenly he saw the ground. He still managed to land just about on his feet, dropping to a knee on impact.
Well. He was awake now. Still dazed, he only looked between Dee and Rasmus silently for a long moment. "You-" He pointed at Dee suddenly, then at her partner at the last moment. "No. You."
Holy crap, that was courting death.
Dee jumped to one side as Simon barked as though he'd just witnessed a particularly funny joke. "I am not with this man!" It might be selling out her fellow guard, but she was already ready to run. Simon was bouncing around in a circle as though it was hilarious.
H- wh-! "You were the one to suggest it!" he protested at Cosimo. "She suggested it," he added, looking back to Emilian. He had to pause a moment, because truth be told, that had been hilarious.
"Are you all right?" he asked, rubbing his chin. Yes, that seemed the best course of action to take now.
"I'm fine." Though, that wasn't the point. They'd woken him up, for one. Made him fall off the roof, for another. He stood and dusted himself off, ignoring the twinge in his knee. He wouldn't be walking much tomorrow anyways. "Trying to kill a Sergeant is no way to get promoted, Cosimo." She ready to run, or at least pee herself a little. That was comforting.
"And you," he said to Rasmus, finally walking towards them. "I thought you only threw people onto roofs." Yeah, he'd heard about that.
"I suggested making him jump," she spluttered, "not throwing rocks!"
At least her dog was enjoying this. He bumped his head into Ras's leg approvingly. "I wasn't planning to kill you!"
"What, did you think I would climb up there?" he said with a frown. He gave Emilian a sad little 'aww no why u do that' look when he mentioned the roof tossing. "It was a low roof," he mumbled. He looked down and gave Simon a good pat on the head. He understood, at least.
When it was clear he wasn't going to get any definitive answers from either of them, he crossed his arms with the usual frown. He even glowered a bit at Simon out of principle. "What're you two doing?"
"Trying to work out if it's easier being a king's guard or a city guard," Dee frowned, folding her arms across her chest, unintentionally mirroring Emilian. "We just had a patrol and you're sleeping on a roof, so I guess that got answered."
"That is a con," he said to Cosimo, as though it needed to be said. Having to patrol while the other got to nap. And it was a gorgeous day, too...
"Patrol is over for now, however. Why are you not working?"
"What else would I do on my day off?" Indeed, the Hold was well guarded. Once the Duchess had gotten the news of Myron's killer out through Ravi, she'd seemed much more relaxed. He didn't mind the extra sleep. "I leave tomorrow." But they already knew that. And they were berating him. Why was he glad to see them, again?
"You seemed like you had fun enough with the mob, from what I heard."
Dee winced at that, dropping her arms so they swayed at her sides. "Would have been funner if they'd come quietly."
What else could he do on his day off indeed? Dee thought about it for a moment, scratching Simon's ears. "You could braid your beard."
"Yes, funner," Rasmus agreed, sort of. Funner. Was that a word? "Much more funner. We escorted a total of seven to the Hour... I do not know if they were Others, but they seemed all to agree it was the best place to be." He rubbed at his chin again, stubble present and accounted for.
"A trip to Tartessos," he said to Cosimo, considering. "... is that a pro, or a con?"
By the power of suggestion, Emilian ran a hand through his beard as well. He'd never thought of braiding it, but if it would pass the time, why not? Then again, it would never be so impressive as his mane. "Diya Medellos will remain in the city." It wasn't any admission that wouldn't come to light the moment they were gone. He suspected the young jackass would be out and about in whorehouses as he always was, making life difficult for everyone but himself.
"A pro."
"But if you took him with you you could push him into the sea and make it look like an accident," Dee held up a finger. "Con!"
Maybe she could feed Diya to Simon. She looked at her dog thoughtfully. Did he have a big enough mouth? ...Probably not.
"So long as he is not bringing the whores into the Hold," Rasmus mused. He didn't quite put it past the young lord. "We do not have to deal with Medellos have as much," he added to Cosimo, putting a fourth finger up. Or was it five now?
"The Duchess will remain." He filled in the blank. He kept his expression neutral there, but he was none too pleased. Well, it wasn't as though much would change on that front, simply who spoke the words directed to them. "I am certain this will be fun for everyone involved."
Ah, if only he could witness some meeting between the Duchess and Medellos. He knew others felt this way... perhaps if enough of them thought about it...
"She will." His eyebrows moved at Rasmus' mention, but he said no more. He knew he should hate the Duchess. She would run him through in half a blink if she knew what he was. But he was her favourite, and the safest place in the country remained by her side.
He gave his beard another good scratch and dropped his arms to cross over his chest again. "Keep Ravi out of her sights. Maybe."
The Duchess and Diya alone in the Hold? Well, they'd see how long he'd remain cocky for. Dee grinned behind a hand. "Maybe they'll cancel each other out." Or she'd just cancel him out.
Her smile faded a little at the mention of Ravi though. "We're planning on hiding him under someone's bed, just in case she comes looking."
He raised his eyebrow at Cosimo before his expression turned thoughtful. It'd be nice to think that just throwing the two together would cause them both to implode, but nothing was ever that easy.
"Or a chair," he offered. "A footstool, perhaps." Were they still joking? He wasn't very good at picking up on those sorts of things. "Either way, he has been quite hard to find lately, maybe he has found his own means of keeping out of view." Or maybe he was hiding behind them right now!? Ras took a brief glance behind them, saw nothing, turned his attention back to Emilian.
"You look well after the tourney," he said with an approving nod.
Emilian let out a snort at the suggestion of a footstool. Mostly, because he thought it was a viable option. "The one he had to stand on to give his address, maybe." Would she come looking? The Duchess loved making grand shows of power, but she had to know she could not keep the Guard in her pocket if she began killing them off. He could not no either way, so he remained silent about it.
"Armour went a long way in making sure my face stayed pretty." The Cancellarius Rempel had been an absolute beast to fight, as if the day's previous matched had not weathered him at all. The scent of blood seemed to have the same effect on him... minus the drooling. It wasn't unheard of for one opponent to accidentally slay another at the tournaments, and he'd wondered what would have happened if the other Cancellari hadn't called him off. As it stood, he still had healing wounds that needed to be re-poulticed daily. "Next year I think we should enter Rasmus," he said to Dee, the twitching corners of his mouth betraying the grin he struggled to hold in. "He can just throw people from the ring."
"I agree," Dee said, just about managing to keep her face straight. "Though they'd be picking his opposition off of roofs all over the city for days."
She scratched Simon behind an ear and he yawned and flopped down on top of her feet. She pressed her boots into him gently, definitely Not Looking at Rasmus.
Rasmus' expression went somewhere between dark and just plain ol' sad. "I do not think that sort of thing would be considered fair," he said, trying to take the joke with some grace. Whether he managed or not was another question. "And if I did, you would be the one cleaning it up, Emilian." So there.
"I would? I thought I'd be in the Hold as always." He held up a finger. "Another pro."
Glancing down, he nudged Dee's great beast of a dog with his boot. "You sure all you two want from Tartessos is fish and air?" At least they weren't hard to shop for, he supposed. "Think Ravi will want something after he's climbed out of whatever hole he's dug himself?"
"Probably a bigger spade," Dee said thoughtfully. Poor Ravi. "Yeah, fish is all." she nudged Simon too, trying to get him off her feet. Poor dog, getting poked from both sides. "Maybe a bone for the lump."
"Special exception," he mumbled.
What else was there to get from Tartessos? He considered the matter. "Bring back some wine," he said then. "It is not that good, but it works better than any medicine," he said with a grin.
"Wine, air, and fish." A respectable list. "As well as a spade," he said with a nod to Dee.
Well, that about wrapped things up nicely. What now? Where were they going? "Where you two off to?"
....could he go too?
"We were just heading back to the station." Dee wriggled her foot and finally managed to get it free of the dog, who rolled off it with a doggy sigh, his legs in the air and his tongue lolling out of his mouth. "I need to water the dog."
Rasmus crouched down and gave Simon's belly a rub. The dog wiggled but in no way as a means of escape. "He will not grow if she does not," he said seriously, though knowing Rasmus it was probably just a bad attempt at a joke. "Perhaps the Coil." Probably Inanna's later, too, but some things he could keep to himself. Besides, it'd just be to see Shiri and play some cards before he lost all his money and had to head back to the barracks.
"I suppose we should let you go back to sleep," he said, standing again, hand covered in fur. He wiped it off on Cosimo's shoulder.
His mouth split at Rasmus' joke. Briefly, but it had. He bent to give Simon another pat too, then straightened. They weren't doing anything. Or they weren't telling him they were going to so something. "All right. Maybe I will."
He could sleep. Or do the responsible thing, and pack. But that was never fun, it was better to wait til the morning of. He could also wait it out til the cover of night and scale a roof that a lion could easy jump the wall from, then go carousing about the countryside and roaring as he please. One of those suggestions sounded better than any other. "See you when I get back, then."
Dee nodded, waving to him. "Don't sleep with any mermaids, I hear it's not worth it."
"Ah," said Rasmus suddenly, as though just recalling something. Which, in fact, he had! "Next Sunday is the Lieutenant's birthday. We are going to take her drinking." His eyebrows raised a little. They would get her drunk this time. Everyone had been so far. It was her turn, now. Would she flip tables, too? "If you are back by then, perhaps you should join us."
"It'll be hard, but I'll try. They're another pro." Women made of fish. He could tell he'd have a hard time keeping himself with both feet firmly planted on the docks. Some things in life were worth risking it for. "And yeah. I'll come." It took a lot not to perk up at the offer. For so many years he'd been just another guard, patrolling like the two in front of him. And then he'd gone to the Hold.
He palmed Dee's head and.. well. Rasmus was taller. He just clapped him on the shoulder. "See you when I get back." Food. He should find food!