(Untitled)

[wishesandsmoke]

Eden had a penchant for taking in strays: the kitten who'd appeared in her home one day, the show dog who'd been left behind, the cheerleader she'd lied to for so long and a somewhat alarming number of hapless scientists. These last, at least, had been spread out over several years and she'd never actually brought them home to live with her

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[first_worde]

Rupert had done a somewhat less thorough job of carving a life for himself out on the island, save the fact that he was alive on the island, which all things considered was still an improvement over what he'd left behind. His house had spent the last year starting to look like one instead of some poorly arranged pieces of wood leaned together in a vague house-shape, and he had the magic lights and the cold air going1, and life was comfortable. With people finally starting to recognize the importance of sports, it was even almost pleasant at times. It had been a creeping feeling of half a year or more, though, that there could be more to it all. Every time he saw his younger brother carting Rupert's niece around, he got a weird, hunted sort of feeling.

He was a little dismayed to get the same sensation now, coming upon Eden looking carefree and perfectly at her ease as she walked down the sand for the waves. It didn't stop him from sporting an uneven grin as he moved to intercept her at a loping saunter, holding up one hand in a wave.

"Eden."

1 Which he was still convinced was all created by wizards and was highly dangerous, only someone had stuck a button on it and called it 'science' and that made it okay.

[wishesandsmoke]

Already pleased with the day, already smiling, Eden brightened when she saw him. "Rupert," she said warmly, reaching her hands out to him, "come on, come in, I'm going swimming." He probably had other plans, of course, but he had started toward her first, and by that token (not to mention that she was in that sort of good mood which seems like permission for anything), she didn't especially care.

[first_worde]

The invitation didn't do anything to make the unfamiliar and not particularly pleasant feeling go away, but he wasn't about to say no.

"Good thing I hadn't any plans," he replied, "I'd hate having to come up with an excuse for having missed them!" This wasn't exactly a lie- the sentiment was true, even if the excuse he would have given would have been 'a beautiful girl asked me to swim with her'. He reached back with one hand to pull his shirt up, then shrugged it off his shoulders and tossed it onto the sand.

[wishesandsmoke]

"Please," Eden said, flicking her hand to the side as she waited just at the edge of the water, "who has plans around here?" Time, friendship, the island's vast supply of attractive men and the possession of a boyfriend in no way diminished her ability to appreciate that, however you cut it, Rupert was basically gorgeous, though the old urge to act on it had been trained into submission over the years. Water playing around her ankles, she started edging backwards into the water. "The only people with anything like a schedule are the teachers and the kitchen crew."

[first_worde]

"Right," Rupert agreed, toeing his flat leather sandals off and pushing his trousers off his hips, comfortable as ever being without them in front of a lady, even if that lady was Eden.

"Two groups you'll never find me a member of." Clad only in the coal grey boxer briefs the box gave him- and gave him exclusively, which he never questioned- he took a few quick steps past her and flung himself forward in the water. He tossed his head when he came back up, sending water flying and his hair whipping into a funny sculpted peak, until he raked his fingers back through it.

[wishesandsmoke]

Eden laughed, following at a somewhat more measured, less headlong pace into the water, ducking under once she was deep enough. Pushing her hair out of her face as she surfaced, she shook her head at him. "You and me both," she said, though it was mostly because her cooking lacked variety and she was more inclined to be a student. "Well, I guess there's rehearsal schedules, but - no play. What were you up to before I sucked you into my plans for doing absolutely nothing?"

[first_worde]

"Seeing my niece," Rupert said. Mostly what he was doing was giving his brother heart palpitations, but Rupert wasn't overly familiar with such medically advanced terms, so bothering William was translated into seeing my niece.

"I had two sisters, you know? Course he didn't name her after either of them, or out mother. Think she's named after one of his wife's friends. She's cute, for a little half vampire."

[wishesandsmoke]

"Hey, she's your little half-vampire," Eden said, flicking water at him. "Well, sort of. Besides, does that even count around here?" It wasn't like anyone had to stay indoors or drink blood or whatever now, anymore than she could use her abilities. It was nice, though, all her teasing aside, to hear Rupert acknowledge even that much, and the idea of him and a baby was sweet. Somewhat alarming in more ways than one, but sweet. "Not like they're gonna raise her to feed on people. Are they?"

[first_worde]

"Nah," he said, lazily ducking the tiny splash and grinning at her as he fell into a leisurely side stroke.

"Maladicta's a Black Ribboner anyway. It's a thing back home, means no eating people. If you can trust vampires, you know how it is." He shrugged through the water, gaze sliding up to the sky in what could have potentially been thought.

"Weird, to see my younger brother with a family."

[wishesandsmoke]

"Weird to see anyone with a family here," admitted Eden. Easing onto her back, she let the current carry her a moment. "You ever think about it?"

She never was quite sure where she stood on that kind of thing, given both the nature of the island and her own situation, but it was hard to imagine Rupert of all people as a family man. And yet something about what he'd said - the emphasis, perhaps, the idea of William's being younger - made her wonder.

[first_worde]

"Was supposed to," Rupert said, "back home. I was the first born, you see, the older brother. I was the next Lord de Worde. So, graduate from the Assassin's Guild, take a tour in the army to earn a medal or two, marry the right girl, take over the family estates. How it works." He turned, and swam into a wave with a few stronger strokes, then wiped the salt water from his face.

"All turned around here, William being from some years after me."

[wishesandsmoke]

Eden found herself being pushed further away and turned abruptly - gracelessly, she was sure - nearly submerging herself again for her trouble. "That doesn't have anything to do with it," she said. "Age, I mean. Not here. You still could if you wanted. Or not if you don't." The whole notion of marrying because of social rules still went over her head at times. She understood it as far as watching movies went, a custom to be circumvented by lovestruck heroes at the last minute, but it seemed absurdly archaic.

[first_worde]

"Well, I always knew I would," Rupert said, "but then I died. So that would derail the plan." He frowned a little.

"And things here, people here, are... different. Even after this long."

[wishesandsmoke]

"Different's not bad," Eden said, swimming toward him. "It's not about a plan anyway. It's about what you want to do with your life. You have a chance to do something more, Rupert. Maybe not anything you want, but... yeah. You can make what you want of it." It was, she knew, much easier said than done, but that just meant he had to try harder for it.

[first_worde]

Rupert tread the water easily, watching her as she moved through the water. It was an easy thing to watch.

"Thought I had been," he admitted, and didn't shrug with his shoulders but glanced away which conveyed the same sort of idea.

That maybe he hadn't been, and he was just realizing it now.

[wishesandsmoke]

"So what's wrong then?" Eden asked, head dipping just a little as she tried to catch his eye. "What needs changing?" It was silly to think she could fix things for him, when she knew she probably couldn't actually do a thing, but it was worth a try, if only to let him know someone was there.