It's nearing dusk, and Adelbert is at the camp's edge, chopping wood. He has volunteered for the task every day for the past month; he's been using it as a way to help him clear his head since he was a boy. It was better, he reasoned, to keep busy than to sit back and allow himself to think.
Not that there was a shortage of work to do. Even though crops and villages had been almost fully recovered, the camp was turning into something of a pilgrimage site. Day in and day out groups of people came and went, each one with stories sadder than the one before. They all made a beeline for the Shinou.
At the thought of the god-turned-man, he briefly wonders if unceremoniously removing the alarm on Proper-Eating-and-Sleeping-Organizing-kun had been such a good idea. Anissina's inventions, he recalled, were always on the verge of useless, but at least this one had been inspired by good intentions. The Shinou never got a moment's peace and it was starting to show on his face now that Anissina wasn't around to force him to rest. No wonder he decided to vanish for thousands of years, Adelbert thinks, wryly, as he picks up another log to split.
It takes him rather longer than he expected to find the other man. There always seem to be more problems, more crisises and more pleas for him to intervene. The soldiers that remain don't even try to keep them back any more.
Time and past that he was gone, Aki thinks, before they start to use him as crutch. He grew out of the belief that he could fix everything a thousand years before.
He hears the axe before he sees Adelbert and he pauses by the tent as the wood goes flying in two neat chunks. He smiles and coughs to announce his presence.
Adelbert pauses for only a brief instant when the smooth, cultured voice echoes in his mind. Having mental conversations is peculiar, but to his surprise, he's been getting used to it. He rests his axe on his shoulder and calmly tosses the chunks of firewood into a nearby pile.
"No," he says finally. He turns and looks at the slightly taller man expectantly, wondering why he has come. Maybe he was tired of being asked to rescue cats from trees and the like.
Aki moves forward, smile fading a little. He waves a hand at the firewood. ::I almost feel guilt for disturbing you but I thought you might wish to know that the last of the villages is repaired.::
He sits on the stump, yawning and beyond grateful to be away from the need to be perfect. ::I...am no longer needful here; the opinions of the local folk to the contrary. I intend to return to Blood Pledge Castle and I come to ask if you wish to join me in the journey.::
Blood Pledge. He hates that place. But if Julia's there, that is where Adelbert is headed too. No one will be pleased to see him, but eh. Fuck 'em. He had an Original King to piss off.
He sits down on the stump next to Aki with a bit of a smirk on his face. "Sure, why not. I've got plenty of unfinished business there and I don't feel like getting arrested until I've taken care of it." He leans forward. "Might as well see what the brat is up to too. Haven't seen his skinny hide in a while." He turns to Aki. "What're you going to do there, anyway? Find a way to go back to your world?"
Aki laughs soundlessly. ::The 'brat' does well enough, I assume. I have heard nothing of any other crisis or threat. He will be glad to see you, I imagine.::
It was safe to say that; Shibuya was happy to see everyone not intent on killing him.
He considers his answer, staring up into the nearly-familiar sky. ::I...cannot deny that a chance to return to my home would be all I could wish for but I do not think it will be simply a matter of finding it. If it were, I could do so from any corner of this world.::
He half-smiles. ::It is somewhat ironic, given that I do not see eye to eye with my double, but I am returning to Blood Pledge because there is nowhere else in this world I will not need to watch every action for fear of betraying myself. Anywhere else, the people would see me as god or a monster and I am ...weary of such thoughts.::
Adelbert grunts in assent. He's got a point -- Blood Pledge seems like the best place for a double of a long-dead king to reside. At Blood Pledge idiot boys become leaders, dragons fly around unchecked, and buildings blow up on a regular basis. The servants were probably used to that shit. Probably no one even cared that there were doubles running around. Who knew, maybe the Shinou planned the whole thing himself. Sounded about right to him.
::Anywhere else, the people would see me as god or a monster and I am ...weary of such thoughts.::
No shit. That was written all over the man's face.
"God or monster," Adelbert says decidedly, "I don't think you're either. And the people are idiots -- never doing a damn thing for themselves. Blind followers who can't solve their problems."
Aki's smile deepened just a touch. He found von Grantz-kyo refreshing. The man would never make a politician but he might, in other times, have been a damn good commander.
::It is the nature of people to want life to be easy. They expect that those they follow should supply such ease. That they will then bend your ear with complaints of boredom is seen as unimportant.::
::Well, there are advantages to having spent most of one's life in politics.:: Aki said serenely. ::Truthfully, it is better when all the problems are so relatively minor.::
Aki laughs. ::A 'beef'? Perhaps. We do not see eye to eye on many issues and we are too much alike to be able to find a common ground.::
Restless now, Adelbert pulls himself to his feet. The Shinou was no doubt lording his power over his empty-headed minions. The thought fills him with revulsion. The Mazoku are the playthings of a bored ghost.
Adelbert knows what kind of man he is. He knows that, even if Julia is alive, he is probably walking straight into his own grave. But he has to challenge the Shinou. He has to.
Such a foolhardy thing is better than sitting around, waiting for death to find him.
Adelbert looks up at the darkening sky, then looks back to the gold-headed figure sitting on the tree stump. He rests the head of the axe on his boot. "When do we leave?"
"I'll be there." Adelbert turns and meets the Hoka Shinou's gaze evenly. His words are tinged with bitterness and and something like renewed determination, and he suddenly grins wolfishly.
"You ought to sleep or something. Anissina will fix up a new hare-brained invention for you if you show up looking like hell."
Aki is on the point of turning away when the other blond speaks and the surprising taunt catches him off guard. He stares at von-Grantz-kyo and starts to laugh.
It's been a longer time than he wants to admit since he's laughed so hard but the idea of von-Khrennikov-san's ever bigger and louder alarm clocks is too amusing.
::That would probably only cause yet another disaster and still more petitions for assistance.::
Not that there was a shortage of work to do. Even though crops and villages had been almost fully recovered, the camp was turning into something of a pilgrimage site. Day in and day out groups of people came and went, each one with stories sadder than the one before. They all made a beeline for the Shinou.
At the thought of the god-turned-man, he briefly wonders if unceremoniously removing the alarm on Proper-Eating-and-Sleeping-Organizing-kun had been such a good idea. Anissina's inventions, he recalled, were always on the verge of useless, but at least this one had been inspired by good intentions. The Shinou never got a moment's peace and it was starting to show on his face now that Anissina wasn't around to force him to rest. No wonder he decided to vanish for thousands of years, Adelbert thinks, wryly, as he picks up another log to split.
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Time and past that he was gone, Aki thinks, before they start to use him as crutch. He grew out of the belief that he could fix everything a thousand years before.
He hears the axe before he sees Adelbert and he pauses by the tent as the wood goes flying in two neat chunks. He smiles and coughs to announce his presence.
::Do I intrude?::
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"No," he says finally. He turns and looks at the slightly taller man expectantly, wondering why he has come. Maybe he was tired of being asked to rescue cats from trees and the like.
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He sits on the stump, yawning and beyond grateful to be away from the need to be perfect. ::I...am no longer needful here; the opinions of the local folk to the contrary. I intend to return to Blood Pledge Castle and I come to ask if you wish to join me in the journey.::
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He sits down on the stump next to Aki with a bit of a smirk on his face. "Sure, why not. I've got plenty of unfinished business there and I don't feel like getting arrested until I've taken care of it." He leans forward. "Might as well see what the brat is up to too. Haven't seen his skinny hide in a while." He turns to Aki. "What're you going to do there, anyway? Find a way to go back to your world?"
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It was safe to say that; Shibuya was happy to see everyone not intent on killing him.
He considers his answer, staring up into the nearly-familiar sky. ::I...cannot deny that a chance to return to my home would be all I could wish for but I do not think it will be simply a matter of finding it. If it were, I could do so from any corner of this world.::
He half-smiles. ::It is somewhat ironic, given that I do not see eye to eye with my double, but I am returning to Blood Pledge because there is nowhere else in this world I will not need to watch every action for fear of betraying myself. Anywhere else, the people would see me as god or a monster and I am ...weary of such thoughts.::
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::Anywhere else, the people would see me as god or a monster and I am ...weary of such thoughts.::
No shit. That was written all over the man's face.
"God or monster," Adelbert says decidedly, "I don't think you're either. And the people are idiots -- never doing a damn thing for themselves. Blind followers who can't solve their problems."
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::It is the nature of people to want life to be easy. They expect that those they follow should supply such ease. That they will then bend your ear with complaints of boredom is seen as unimportant.::
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He shoots the other man a sidelong glance. "So you have a beef with our world's Shinou, do you? Can't say I'm surprised."
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Aki laughs. ::A 'beef'? Perhaps. We do not see eye to eye on many issues and we are too much alike to be able to find a common ground.::
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Restless now, Adelbert pulls himself to his feet. The Shinou was no doubt lording his power over his empty-headed minions. The thought fills him with revulsion. The Mazoku are the playthings of a bored ghost.
Adelbert knows what kind of man he is. He knows that, even if Julia is alive, he is probably walking straight into his own grave. But he has to challenge the Shinou. He has to.
Such a foolhardy thing is better than sitting around, waiting for death to find him.
Adelbert looks up at the darkening sky, then looks back to the gold-headed figure sitting on the tree stump. He rests the head of the axe on his boot. "When do we leave?"
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::I intend to leave at first light. Some of the soldiers will no doubt accompany us but I would rather not spend more time than needed on the road.::
Aki stretched. ::Perhaps I will see you then?::
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"You ought to sleep or something. Anissina will fix up a new hare-brained invention for you if you show up looking like hell."
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It's been a longer time than he wants to admit since he's laughed so hard but the idea of von-Khrennikov-san's ever bigger and louder alarm clocks is too amusing.
::That would probably only cause yet another disaster and still more petitions for assistance.::
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He turns on his heel and strides boldly into the darkening night. "Anissina's inventions are the stuff of nightmares, aren't they? Sleep well!"
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