Yuuri is in the middle of listening to another rather dull lecture on economics when word he just feels it. Maybe it’s a side effect of all the work that Murata has been having him do with trying to get him up to controlling his powers. He can’t summon anything half as impressive as dragons of water, but just yesterday his usual blobs got something like stubby fingerless arms. He sits up straighter when he feels..... it, searching. He’s completely forgotten about his lesson and when the soldier comes to tell him, he’s already out of his chair and moving towards the door. The poor bewildered man doesn’t have to say anything. He knows.
Conrad is back.
What starts out as a quick walk changes into a jog and before he gets to the second floor he’s running full out. The doors fly open at his approach and he takes the stairs two, sometimes three at a time, nearly tripping over his own feet as he hits the floor of the front hall.
He's tired, and in more ways than one, but somehow riding through the city and up into the Palace walls is . . . refreshing. He's home. The whole ride through, his eyes lingered on everything, drinking it all in and noting the minor changes. Everything had been rebuilt. Everything seemed so . . . normal.
He craves the return to normal.
The stables are clean and neat and familiar, but as soon as he enters the Palace proper, he hears it: the gasps; the whispers; the surprise. The happiness . . .And then the thunder of footsteps and a familiar, welcoming shout: “Conrad! Yozak! Welcome hooooome
( ... )
"Conrad," Yuuri can't keep the smile off his face, his heart overjoyed, not even to summon an admonishing look at that title. "You named me, didn't you? Don't be so formal." He hugs Conrad again, his excitement bubbling over like a pot with too much rice.
"Did you get my letters? I got yours." He pauses and then tries "My English is get better." Ugh, such an ugly language anyway. "Don't you think? Murata says it's the practice."
He chuckles. It's hard not to. "Yes," he repeats in the same tongue. "You've done an excellent job. Geika and Jen-sama must be very proud. And we heard about Greta's tooth," he says, shifting back to Mazoku as he shifted slightly to draw Yozak back into the conversation. "You and Wolfram had to be pleased."
His own letters home had been very short for the most part; fluff to ease the mind--nothing substantive. Yuuri and Lawrence were the only ones who had written him back, but Yuuri's letter had eased his mind greatly. Also fluff, but news on his family, which put some of his fears at rest, and some palace news to balance the very cursory information Lawrence had been giving him as well.
Conrad sees them from the window. They are not hard to miss. Not many people have that ugly shade of hair. He’d gotten word that they were on their way back, since then he’d stood watch at this window for many days, making it his new place to take his meals and to read. From this height they don’t look to worse for wear, but he knows that appearances can be deceiving. He says behind the heavy purple curtain, watching them through a thin break in the material until they’d gone past him and he can see them no more.
So they’ve come back. It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t care. He won’t go see them.
As they approached the castle he saw the light and a glance of two men above. Then the curtain twitched. It had taken a minute of confusion before he realized that that familiar figure that had vanished so quickly was not in fact the man walking between himself and Yozak. And that could only mean . . .
Ah! So the other one is still here!
There was one more errant cub to corral before he could call it a night.
The servants had sent the whisper into the Palace before they entered the foyer, but the Maou that emerged was not the one he'd wanted to see. The child had pounced on Conrart before the door was even closed behind them good and then promptly began babbling in a fast foreign tongue unlike anything he'd every heard. Conrart's answering babble was greeted with happy nods from the child, and Dan Hiri took the moment of distraction
( ... )
It would not have surprised him if Conrad came snooping him out eventually. Living next door, Conrad wouldn’t have to go far to find him. No need even for an excuse. Though if Conrad was smart, he’d leave him alone. No return of his letters for the month, he didn’t know how else to show his double that he was ignoring him. Surely Conrad wasn’t dense enough to not get that hint.
The knock on the door then makes him think that it’s Wolfy, coming back to their room for bed. But something tells him it’s too hard for the quieter Wolfram. He takes a quick step back away from Alford, turning towards the door to meet the (attack?) person who does not wait for his call to enter.
“You.” His surprise changes swiftly into scorn. “I should have known.”
A burst of noise and commotion drifts up to the library windows as Murata steps out from behind a row of shelves. Setting a thick, leather-bound tome on the nearest table, he joins a handful of other patrons at the window to see what all the fuss is about. He catches a glimpse of bright red hair and a pair of brunets at the far edge of the courtyard and heaves a sigh of relief. Yokatta.
Most of the people in the library hurry to join the welcome, but the visiting Sage stays at the window until the party enters the stables. It's enough to see them back and safe. He'll have an opportunity to see Yozak and Sir Weller another time; best let them be among their own, and continue trying to get back to his.
From the window in his office, where he had snuck to do some paperwork before his holiday with Anissina tomorrow, Gwendal heard a commotion.
He saw the approach of both his brother Conrad and Yozak. A satisfied feeling comes over him, seeing they have finally returned. He knows that somewhere in their company Dan Hiri is not far behind, though he doesn't see the human.
He will speak with Conrad tomorrow before the party Yuuri and Cheri have been planning.
While passing a window overlooking the stableyard, Gwendal spots the returning rescuers. An overwhelming surge of joy suffuses his being. [At last. They've made it. Things are starting to turn out right at last.]
He leans out of the window and yells and waves, but he is too far away and there is too much ambient noise for them to hear him. He clatters down the stairs and out into the courtyard, looking around eagerly, hoping one of them will still be here. "Conrad? Yozak?"
With Yuuri safely gone back to his lessons, Conrad carefully places his bags down by the door and goes back outside. It's perfectly safe at Blood Pledge, but he feels much better having a sword by his side. The guard on duty gives him a soft smile and nods to him before returning to an alert stance and Conrad returns the gesture.
Warren, his mind supplies. He'd been in the guard ten years now. A good soldier.
"Did you hear someone call me?"
"Across the courtyard, sir." The guard indicates the direction with a jerk of his chin.
Conrad steps out of the cover of the Palace and into the moonlight and scans the area the soldier indicated.
"Conrad!" Gwendal races towards his brother, engulfing him in an enthusiastic hug. "You're back!" He swings the half-breed around in a circle, stunned by how light he is, before setting him back down, catching him in case the welcome proves too much. "Sorry, sorry," he apologizes with a laugh, then, "...sorry." The last word is laden with regret, the bitter sorrow he felt at having left his brother behind. He puts a cautious arm around Conrad's shoulder.
"How was your trip?" A lame question, one that could have as many bad answers as good, but at least it can be deflected with banal observations if that is what Conrad wants.
Conrad has been doing a very good job of acting normal over the past month. Conrad has also not had people glomping him and hefting him about like a sack of potatoes, though. He goes completely stiff as Gwendal spins him around, both alarmed and humiliated. Then the apologies end and he's back on solid land again and it takes all his self control not to whack the other man with the flat of his sword. The arm around his shoulder pulls him close, the proximity making the hair stand up on the back of his neck, and it suddenly occurs to him that no one but Yozak has really touched him in several weeks. In fact, he'd gone out of his way to avoid others' touch until tonight.
That still does not make him any more comfortable right now. Nor is he thrilled about being treated like a damn woman in the courtyard in front of his men. Not even his lover would have dared that much, and if Yozak ever even thought of doing something like that, Conrad would have boxed his ears
( ... )
Comments 55
Conrad is back.
What starts out as a quick walk changes into a jog and before he gets to the second floor he’s running full out. The doors fly open at his approach and he takes the stairs two, sometimes three at a time, nearly tripping over his own feet as he hits the floor of the front hall.
There they are. Oh my god, there they are!
“Conrad! Yozak! Welcome hooooome!”
Reply
He craves the return to normal.
The stables are clean and neat and familiar, but as soon as he enters the Palace proper, he hears it: the gasps; the whispers; the surprise. The happiness . . .And then the thunder of footsteps and a familiar, welcoming shout: “Conrad! Yozak! Welcome hooooome ( ... )
Reply
"Did you get my letters? I got yours." He pauses and then tries "My English is get better." Ugh, such an ugly language anyway. "Don't you think? Murata says it's the practice."
Reply
His own letters home had been very short for the most part; fluff to ease the mind--nothing substantive. Yuuri and Lawrence were the only ones who had written him back, but Yuuri's letter had eased his mind greatly. Also fluff, but news on his family, which put some of his fears at rest, and some palace news to balance the very cursory information Lawrence had been giving him as well.
Reply
So they’ve come back. It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t care. He won’t go see them.
Reply
Ah! So the other one is still here!
There was one more errant cub to corral before he could call it a night.
The servants had sent the whisper into the Palace before they entered the foyer, but the Maou that emerged was not the one he'd wanted to see. The child had pounced on Conrart before the door was even closed behind them good and then promptly began babbling in a fast foreign tongue unlike anything he'd every heard. Conrart's answering babble was greeted with happy nods from the child, and Dan Hiri took the moment of distraction ( ... )
Reply
The knock on the door then makes him think that it’s Wolfy, coming back to their room for bed. But something tells him it’s too hard for the quieter Wolfram. He takes a quick step back away from Alford, turning towards the door to meet the (attack?) person who does not wait for his call to enter.
“You.” His surprise changes swiftly into scorn. “I should have known.”
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
Most of the people in the library hurry to join the welcome, but the visiting Sage stays at the window until the party enters the stables. It's enough to see them back and safe. He'll have an opportunity to see Yozak and Sir Weller another time; best let them be among their own, and continue trying to get back to his.
Reply
He saw the approach of both his brother Conrad and Yozak. A satisfied feeling comes over him, seeing they have finally returned. He knows that somewhere in their company Dan Hiri is not far behind, though he doesn't see the human.
He will speak with Conrad tomorrow before the party Yuuri and Cheri have been planning.
Reply
He leans out of the window and yells and waves, but he is too far away and there is too much ambient noise for them to hear him. He clatters down the stairs and out into the courtyard, looking around eagerly, hoping one of them will still be here. "Conrad? Yozak?"
Reply
Warren, his mind supplies. He'd been in the guard ten years now. A good soldier.
"Did you hear someone call me?"
"Across the courtyard, sir." The guard indicates the direction with a jerk of his chin.
Conrad steps out of the cover of the Palace and into the moonlight and scans the area the soldier indicated.
That's--
"Sir von Volde, Weller-taichou."
Aniiue . . .
Reply
"How was your trip?" A lame question, one that could have as many bad answers as good, but at least it can be deflected with banal observations if that is what Conrad wants.
Reply
That still does not make him any more comfortable right now. Nor is he thrilled about being treated like a damn woman in the courtyard in front of his men. Not even his lover would have dared that much, and if Yozak ever even thought of doing something like that, Conrad would have boxed his ears ( ... )
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