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.
He saw neither hair nor hide of Cheri as he made his way upstairs, but he was not surprised. There had been surprisingly little communication from the palace while they were away his own painstakingly written letters had also gotten no response. He did not entertain fantasies of lost pigeons or bad weather. Sometimes the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
His errant children were another matter entirely. Discovering that Conrart had decided to welcome his double as a brother had thrilled Dan Hiri to no end, and he had every intention of treating the acerbic, defensive Conrart they'd left behind as his own. And--whatever his qualifications as a husband or consort may have been--the human prided himself on his paternal instincts.
It had worked for one wounded Conrart; why not try it on the other? That in mind, he felt rather confident as he knocked once and then opened the door to see his other son.
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.”
Dan Hiri's eyes flicker from one boy to the other and back. Then he quirks an eyebrow in amusement.
The human drops his bags on the floor and casually kicks the door closed. "Who else would you be expecting?" His smile becomes hint lascivious as he approaches the two men. "Your brother's been worried about you, you know. You never replied to his letters."
“I have no brother, sir.” The smile on his double’s father’s face disturbs him, and he takes a cautious step back. What is this man up to? Other than the very brief meeting before everyone who was anyone ran off to save Conrad’s ass, he has no information about this Dan Hiri to help him understand what the human could be up to.
“And if he wanted answers to those poor excuses for attempted communication he should have returned and asked in person.” Since his adjoining room had been gussied up, he’d only been in there once. Wolfy had permission to use it if he wanted to, but on principle Rad wanted nothing to do with it. It didn’t matter that he could probably use the space and the things Conrad had ordered for it, that wasn’t the point!
He was not a child to be lured so easily anymore. He knew a bribe when he saw it.
Dan Hiri snorts. "You'll have to forgive your nii-chan. He was--" He trips over his tongue in a rare moment of verbal inelegance and turns to look past Rad and out the window to cover it. "--under the weather."
A poor lie, but Conrart had chosen to answer any inquiries into his captivity alternatively with silence, violence, or obfuscation. For now, Dan Hiri would respect his wishes.
"You should talk to him." The human turned a winning smile back to the boy. "Else Yozak might get sick of his fussing and track you down himself--" a smirk, "--Rad~."
A bad play, invoking Yozak like that. Conrart would be furious if it got back to him, but if it got Dan Hiri's two cubs talking again, then the ends justified the means.
He can almost see the boy puff up in front of him like a spooked cat, and the half-demon's lips quirk in preparation to retort, but Dan Hiri abruptly turns and moves towards the human boy in the room, wheeling and advancing so fast it would almost look aggressive if not for the broad smile on his lips.
"And you, bouya? You been keeping my stray cub over there company?" Dan Hiri turns back to Conrart before the bewildered human boy can reply and the older man pulls a tragic face at his pseudo-offspring.
"Maaaa . . . Don't tell me both of my children walk a bit crooked come dawn."
He doesn’t believe the thinly veiled lie, or rather, delicate way of putting the situation. Which ever you like, it’s all bull. But he doesn’t have a chance to reply to that. Hell, he doesn’t even get the chance to protest the gross disuse and infringement of that damnable nickname or the threat of Yozak when Conrad’s father is moving again, leaving him in the middle of an argument.
And to talk to Alford, no less. The young human looks confused, but he smiles. Alford is a smiler. But in this case, smiling is NOT HELPFUL, ALFORD!
And that comment! He never knew his own father, but he was very sure that the man could not have been as, as, as crass as this one!
“I most certainly do NOT!” His cheeks flush bright red and his hands clench in fists at his sides. “And that is none of your business anyway!” There is so much indignant resentment on his tongue that he can’t get any of it out, puffed up like an angry goldfish who’s had his glass tank tapped on one to many times.
Sharp brown eyes watch the human boy sidle closer to Conrart, cataloging the young man's body language and uneasy expression.
"Of course I'm your father," he says airily, a sharp smile gracing his features. "Your father is Dan Hiri Weller and I am Dan Hiri Weller, so who else could I be? Besides," he continues, looking very amused by his own logic, "I'm your brother's father and you two are damn near identical, so how could I not be your father?"
The human boy is still oozing timidly across the room, looking about ready to wet himself if someone were to yell 'boo' at him and Dan Hiri tones down his visible enjoyment a bit to look at him. "Though, it must be confusing to date someone with such a similar name, Conrad," he mock-chides the human boy. "That is what you said your name was, isn't it?"
"What the fuck!?" he yells, pulling at his hair. "That's not Conrad, that's Alford. Alford Markina. Human. Do you always pick on people half your age you bully? No, don't bother answering that, I don't care. You," he points to Alford, "Stay here. You," he glares at Dan Hiri, "Other room. If you are going to try and run verbal rings around me, it will be in a place where you don't have anyone else to throw distractions at."
Though if he's lucky, the human will just give up and leave him alone. "Brother's father, my ass."
He could swear that Dan Hiri is laughing at him. Bastard. Alford doesn’t really do anything to mollify his frustration either. Safe? He highly doubts that there is anything Dan Hiri can do that will seriously harm him. “What do you think he’s going to do, spank me?” He’s just like to see the old man try!
He tosses his head and heads to the door. Conrad’s rooms have been locked, but he doesn’t need that. Next door… what do you know, that room Conrad insisted on dolling up for him will actually come in handy.
Not bothering to make sure that Dan Hiri is following, he goes into the adjoining room and moves to light the lamps. Everything is covered with a month's worth of dust, but it's good enough.
For the life of him, he can not figure out why his double's father is doing this. Dan Hiri has his son back, why is he still insisting on bother him!?
He winks at the timid 'Alford' as he turns and follows Conrart into the adjacent chambers. Dan Hiri closes the door behind him with a 'hmph' sound.
Conrart turns to confront him and the human continues advancing, stopping directly in front of the boy. He reaches out and flicks Conrart hard on the forehead, right between the eyes. "Don't think I won't spank you," he cautions in a flat voice. "If you act like a child, you'll be treated like one and next time I won't hesitate to turn you over my knee, even in front of your little boyfriend out there."
Conrart open his mouth, his pale cheeks flushed with anger, and Dan Hiri gives him a silencing glare. "Shut up. I'm not done yet."
Silence hangs in the air for a moment and he can almost see the boy swallowing his angry words. Whether it's in fear, or something else, Dan Hiri doesn't know, but he doesn't care either. He walks a bit away and frowns at the layer of dust laying on everything before turning back to the younger man. "Now calm down."
The human sits and allows Conrart to collect himself before continuing. He sprawls comfortably on the dusty couch, runs a hand back through his hair, and then looks at the brunet levelly. "Look, Conrart, whether or not you particularly like me or Conrart, your twin and I have decided we are attached to you. Whatever the circumstances, you're a Weller and there aren't really so many of us that we can afford to be choosey. Besides, you don't get to choose your family. Now, you can either accept that or you can't. It won't change my mind either way. And before you consider it, don't think that you can out-stubborn me. I am far more obnoxious than you could ever be. So relax. And keep a civil tongue in your head. Swear like that in front of your mother, boy, and I'll thrash you.
"As to the matter of your brother," he continues with heavy emphasis on the last words, "I actually came up to check out his rooms and to let you know how he was doing since you didn't seem likely to come downstairs and find out for yourself. And he's been worried about how well you've adjusted while he was away. But I think I'll let you ask for yourself when you see him."
Besides, it would do the boy some good to look into the eyes of his brother.
The half breed scowls darkly at Dan Hiri and folds his arms across his chest. “Oh I am certain you are far, FAR more obnoxious than I. Are you DONE talking now?” The man certainly likes to hear himself talk. And he wouldn’t really spank him, would he? Conrad, called Rad by his double and his double alone, doesn’t think that the human would be so impetuous as to manhandle him long enough to pin him down and spank him... but he’s been wrong before. And he’d rather not suffer the indignantly of being spanked like a disobedient toddler.
“As far as I know, no one has been in Conrad’s room since Yozak left. You should find it untouched. I haven’t been in there, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Even if he wanted to get into Conrad’s room, he wouldn’t have. Oh picking a lock was relatively easy if you knew what you were doing, but he highly doubted Conrad had anything of interest to snoop around with. Besides, it wasn’t like he missed Conrad.
Kyodai. What am I to call you, kyodai?
“Conrad has more than enough on his plate right now without seeing me. He’s probably got more visitors and people wanting to see him than he would want in a life time.”
You’re not Conrad--not like I know him; so what am I to call you?
It’s been such a long time since he last saw his double, last spoke to him; they probably wouldn’t have anything to say to each other anyway.
I just... want to make sure that you have everything you need before I go.
He can feel Dan Hiri watching him, and he turns around to scowl at the human. “Besides, it does not matter how annoying or obnoxious you are, sir. It’s persistence.” Or, commonly called, stubbornness.
Dan Hiri stares hard at the boy for a moment and then grins. "You're such a little a pansy. If he didn't want to see you, he wouldn't have written you."
Or made kicked puppy faces when you didn't write back.
"Anyway," the human continues airily, "are you saying that you want me to be more persistent? I can probably do that."
Communication and compromise are very important in family relationships, after all.
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.
He saw neither hair nor hide of Cheri as he made his way upstairs, but he was not surprised. There had been surprisingly little communication from the palace while they were away his own painstakingly written letters had also gotten no response. He did not entertain fantasies of lost pigeons or bad weather. Sometimes the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
His errant children were another matter entirely. Discovering that Conrart had decided to welcome his double as a brother had thrilled Dan Hiri to no end, and he had every intention of treating the acerbic, defensive Conrart they'd left behind as his own. And--whatever his qualifications as a husband or consort may have been--the human prided himself on his paternal instincts.
It had worked for one wounded Conrart; why not try it on the other? That in mind, he felt rather confident as he knocked once and then opened the door to see his other son.
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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.”
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The human drops his bags on the floor and casually kicks the door closed. "Who else would you be expecting?" His smile becomes hint lascivious as he approaches the two men. "Your brother's been worried about you, you know. You never replied to his letters."
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“And if he wanted answers to those poor excuses for attempted communication he should have returned and asked in person.” Since his adjoining room had been gussied up, he’d only been in there once. Wolfy had permission to use it if he wanted to, but on principle Rad wanted nothing to do with it. It didn’t matter that he could probably use the space and the things Conrad had ordered for it, that wasn’t the point!
He was not a child to be lured so easily anymore. He knew a bribe when he saw it.
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A poor lie, but Conrart had chosen to answer any inquiries into his captivity alternatively with silence, violence, or obfuscation. For now, Dan Hiri would respect his wishes.
"You should talk to him." The human turned a winning smile back to the boy. "Else Yozak might get sick of his fussing and track you down himself--" a smirk, "--Rad~."
A bad play, invoking Yozak like that. Conrart would be furious if it got back to him, but if it got Dan Hiri's two cubs talking again, then the ends justified the means.
He can almost see the boy puff up in front of him like a spooked cat, and the half-demon's lips quirk in preparation to retort, but Dan Hiri abruptly turns and moves towards the human boy in the room, wheeling and advancing so fast it would almost look aggressive if not for the broad smile on his lips.
"And you, bouya? You been keeping my stray cub over there company?" Dan Hiri turns back to Conrart before the bewildered human boy can reply and the older man pulls a tragic face at his pseudo-offspring.
"Maaaa . . . Don't tell me both of my children walk a bit crooked come dawn."
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And to talk to Alford, no less. The young human looks confused, but he smiles. Alford is a smiler. But in this case, smiling is NOT HELPFUL, ALFORD!
And that comment! He never knew his own father, but he was very sure that the man could not have been as, as, as crass as this one!
“I most certainly do NOT!” His cheeks flush bright red and his hands clench in fists at his sides. “And that is none of your business anyway!” There is so much indignant resentment on his tongue that he can’t get any of it out, puffed up like an angry goldfish who’s had his glass tank tapped on one to many times.
“You are not my father! I don’t need a father.”
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"Of course I'm your father," he says airily, a sharp smile gracing his features. "Your father is Dan Hiri Weller and I am Dan Hiri Weller, so who else could I be? Besides," he continues, looking very amused by his own logic, "I'm your brother's father and you two are damn near identical, so how could I not be your father?"
The human boy is still oozing timidly across the room, looking about ready to wet himself if someone were to yell 'boo' at him and Dan Hiri tones down his visible enjoyment a bit to look at him. "Though, it must be confusing to date someone with such a similar name, Conrad," he mock-chides the human boy. "That is what you said your name was, isn't it?"
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Though if he's lucky, the human will just give up and leave him alone. "Brother's father, my ass."
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That was . . . different.
The he smiles gently, an expression that makes his look eerily like the sons he's taken possession of, and nods slightly. "Very well."
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He tosses his head and heads to the door. Conrad’s rooms have been locked, but he doesn’t need that. Next door… what do you know, that room Conrad insisted on dolling up for him will actually come in handy.
Not bothering to make sure that Dan Hiri is following, he goes into the adjoining room and moves to light the lamps. Everything is covered with a month's worth of dust, but it's good enough.
For the life of him, he can not figure out why his double's father is doing this. Dan Hiri has his son back, why is he still insisting on bother him!?
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Conrart turns to confront him and the human continues advancing, stopping directly in front of the boy. He reaches out and flicks Conrart hard on the forehead, right between the eyes. "Don't think I won't spank you," he cautions in a flat voice. "If you act like a child, you'll be treated like one and next time I won't hesitate to turn you over my knee, even in front of your little boyfriend out there."
Conrart open his mouth, his pale cheeks flushed with anger, and Dan Hiri gives him a silencing glare. "Shut up. I'm not done yet."
Silence hangs in the air for a moment and he can almost see the boy swallowing his angry words. Whether it's in fear, or something else, Dan Hiri doesn't know, but he doesn't care either. He walks a bit away and frowns at the layer of dust laying on everything before turning back to the younger man. "Now calm down."
The human sits and allows Conrart to collect himself before continuing. He sprawls comfortably on the dusty couch, runs a hand back through his hair, and then looks at the brunet levelly. "Look, Conrart, whether or not you particularly like me or Conrart, your twin and I have decided we are attached to you. Whatever the circumstances, you're a Weller and there aren't really so many of us that we can afford to be choosey. Besides, you don't get to choose your family. Now, you can either accept that or you can't. It won't change my mind either way. And before you consider it, don't think that you can out-stubborn me. I am far more obnoxious than you could ever be. So relax. And keep a civil tongue in your head. Swear like that in front of your mother, boy, and I'll thrash you.
"As to the matter of your brother," he continues with heavy emphasis on the last words, "I actually came up to check out his rooms and to let you know how he was doing since you didn't seem likely to come downstairs and find out for yourself. And he's been worried about how well you've adjusted while he was away. But I think I'll let you ask for yourself when you see him."
Besides, it would do the boy some good to look into the eyes of his brother.
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“As far as I know, no one has been in Conrad’s room since Yozak left. You should find it untouched. I haven’t been in there, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Even if he wanted to get into Conrad’s room, he wouldn’t have. Oh picking a lock was relatively easy if you knew what you were doing, but he highly doubted Conrad had anything of interest to snoop around with. Besides, it wasn’t like he missed Conrad.
Kyodai. What am I to call you, kyodai?
“Conrad has more than enough on his plate right now without seeing me. He’s probably got more visitors and people wanting to see him than he would want in a life time.”
You’re not Conrad--not like I know him; so what am I to call you?
It’s been such a long time since he last saw his double, last spoke to him; they probably wouldn’t have anything to say to each other anyway.
I just... want to make sure that you have everything you need before I go.
He can feel Dan Hiri watching him, and he turns around to scowl at the human. “Besides, it does not matter how annoying or obnoxious you are, sir. It’s persistence.” Or, commonly called, stubbornness.
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Or made kicked puppy faces when you didn't write back.
"Anyway," the human continues airily, "are you saying that you want me to be more persistent? I can probably do that."
Communication and compromise are very important in family relationships, after all.
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