Who: Sebastian, Calum, Noah, Basch, Aedan. NPC Security When: Friday night Where: Craigcrook Castle, Edinburgh What: The Vaels confront two “drunks” out on the property and find something else entirely. They DO look like Thor though. Rating/Warnings: Injuries, References to expected violence, It’s mostly fairly vague descriptions Status: Complete
Things had been...well, at about the same level of crazy for most of the week, and it was about all Sebastian could do, at this point,not to lose his mind after trying to have another awkward family dinner, complete with one teenager who refused to eat on the basis of demanding something else, then,when the pizza he’d opted to order instead of creating more problems had arrived, declining, for the sheer issue of power struggles, and the other, who’d refused to come down at all. Now, after they’d given up on the idea of a normal Friday night by most people’s estimation, Sebastian and his brother were in the library, drinking, when one of the local security officers he’d hired for watching the grounds popped in, looking a bit concerned. “We’ve got a situation on the grounds, Sir. You may want to be bringing that bow of yours along. We’ve got two drunks out there near a hedge, half in it. Oddly enough, they look like...Thor.”
“Do things ever calm down?” Sebastian asked his brother, getting up. “We might as well go take a look.I could well use the story behind THIS to entertain me.”
The drunks didn’t - sound that drunk. One was probably getting his trousers soaked in the dew reaching but not touching the other one and talking in a steady low tone. It sounded - British, would be the best guess from the accent. “I know your damned desert by now, and this isn’t it, brother. They couldn’t manage a wind barrier of grass near the Nalbina dungeons, let alone whatever variety of shrubbery that is.” His voice cracked and he reached toward the other guy’s arm before reaching back again. “You know it’s too damp out and the water’s not brackish. Breathe along with me. Or don’t. Would it help to punch me? I’ve probably earned that, before whoever those officers were come back.” The talking guy had a sort of shaggy buzz cut, and a loose undershirt that looked like he may’ve already fallen in someone else’s ditch. Or abandoned whatever he was actually wearing on top some time back.
It had been cold though, with his knees pressed to the cobblestones, staring at the king’s face as the blow came, knowing that he had failed to save him, more than that, that his king thought him responsible and Basch shuddered now, even more so with the chill in the air he couldn’t quite place. Here was Noah standing near him, and he TRIED to tell himself he was elsewhere, but staring up ahead at the stone building...it was hard to keep track of what was and wasn’t true.
“I’ve…” he starts, then pauses, shaking his head. “That you are here with me brother. WITH me and not here against me. It tells me many things. I fear my body and some other part of my mind won’t allow for...It is strange.” he says. “How I can know something, and not make ALL of me believe in it. But punching? “ There’s a bit of a snort. “I dare suggest you’ll have your fill of punches, so will I, when they return with reinforcements, and the lord of wherever this is.”
“A vagrant you stopped to talk to or something. Get moving then, while you have a chance. There’s - a castle that size would usually have a town, usually farther down a hill or near water or something like that.” Noah’s trying to think. And he’s not really sure he could get up to head down to - anything. “You . . . look good, brother. I thought for a minute you’d . . . .” Been recaptured. Or returned to the prison for some ridiculous reason.
“You, a vagrant?” Basch laughs at the idea, a little. It’s painful, but he does laugh a little, then groan, considering the effort’s cost him a bit. “I think I look a fair bit like one too, brother.” He glances down at the tattered clothing he was able to find and well. “It is warm enough but far from respectable. And perhaps.” He agrees. “There’ll be a ROAD of some sort at least. I could get help, but I do not want...you are injured, yes? Leaving you would not be right. I had heard that you were there yourself.”
“How did you -” Noah hugs an arm around his chest. “I don’t want to know where you were. If we are too near people who would recognize your face, it would be better if I was as useless as possible to question.” He takes a deep breath, and settles on, “I’m . . . I don’t think it was a concussion. And I don’t think the ribs are broken. What of yourself? Did you take a fall?” He suspects he may have a split lip, but well - that should heal, and likely not need stitches, so - there are worse things. He’s done worse things.
Noah staggers to his feet. “Brother, it would be better if you -” There’s something shiny in the distance. A weapon? Gilding?
Sebastian, Calum, and some of the security team have started making their way back to the spot indicated now, but Sebastian’s holding up a hand as they approach. “You said they didn’t seem armed? Let me try to do the talking, eh? “
“You’re an idiot.” Calum’s hissing. “Don’t be so hasty. If they ARE armed and you’re hit and your friend with the...wings..” he’s not sure how else to describe Mercy, who he’s really only seen reports of from a distance when he asked Sebastian about the people he knows here. “If she cannot get here fast enough to save you. Stop being so HASTY. You’re just like your bloody lad, sometimes.”
“A man of words, and not of deeds, Cal.” Sebastian hisses back, going forward anyway. “You ken what Grandda always said those were like.” He’s got an arrow in his left hand, his bow drapped on his right shoulder in case he needs to nock, but he’s sincerely doubting as he moves toward the forms of the mostly unsteady looking men in front of him.
“TELL me yeh’ve not come from the auld folk’s place, down the way.” He points, vaguely, off in the distance from the grounds.
Noah moves automatically to be slightly in front of Basch. He - frankly looks like he did get punched earlier, but - well - it’s late. He may have the dusk in his favor. “I’m a bit young for that to be plausible, Master . . . .” He trails off with his eyes noticing the bow and arrow. “Officer?” The clothes don’t match any Imperial uniform he knows. The accent’s not something he can instantly place either. He’s guessing they’re about the same age - so - early thirties? Mid thirties? He’s never been good at that.
“They DO let family in to visit.” Calum offers, from a little bit behind. “The ones that dump them off there for some reason.”
Sebastian snorts, shaking his head at his brother and offers Noah a once over as Basch struggles to HIS feet, and he’s sliding his arrow back into the quiver on his back. “I’d take it you’re less drunk, as my guards thought,”He says now, calming a little so that the accent’s fading out to be less thick “and instead, you’re a bit injured? And more than a little lost?”
“It’s...something like that.” Basch mumbles, still not really feeling this right now.
“You wouldn’t be the first.I got here that way too.” Sebastian turns back to Noah as the one who seems better able to handle things so far. “Are you badly hurt?”
Noah shakes his head. “I can walk, at least. We - my apologies for trespassing. I did not know where we were.” Could he even excuse the darkness for ending up here? He takes a deep breath. “My name is Noah.”
“I got here in the middle of a very busy road.” Sebastian tells him, stepping around to offer a hand up. “That was less pleasant by far. So many people yelling and making noise.” He makes a face. “And I might have been run down. I AM at least glad that did not happen to either one of YOU. Mine is Sebastian.” The flashlight from one of the guards behind them catches the light, enough so he and Noah will be able to make more proper eye contact now, and so he can get a look at what the poor man is wearing. Or, rather, what he is hardly wearing.
“You should come up with us. We can find something warmer for…” Then a Basch, being helped to his feet by the guard who came to fetch them catches his eye. “For both of you.” Sebastian concludes. His voice a little...shocked. “You seem as if you come from a world that’s a little like the one I left behind.” Not entirely, they don’t seem to be of Thedas by any means, but a world that is closer than THIS one to it, anyway.
Noah winces and moves a bit closer to Basch. He’s kind of dreading what’s going to happen, but - Basch sounds like for all that he looks amazing that - better is not necessarily well. “So - Archades means nothing to you, I assume.” He’s kind of wanting to evade getting touched if he can, but - that’s probably going to happen either way. “My . . . thanks for your assistance, Master Sebastian.”
He’s got some odd leather bracers on his arms, running from about his wrist up to about an inch or two below his elbows, and there’s some similar (decoration?) bracers on the trousers. At least Sebastian may not know that it’s the standard gear from Nalbina dungeons for prisoners. At least his ribs probably don’t look that bad as long as he stands the right way to hide it? Maybe?
“Sadly, it does not.” Sebastian scrunches his nose a little as he tries to place the names. “It sounds perhaps Tevene? Might it be in the Tevinter Imperium? Or perhaps Antiva?” It might be worth making that attempt, just to see. “I suspect you’ve no idea what I am talking about.”
“he’s Prince Sebastian, actually.” Calum steps up to keep an eye on the two of them now that they’re both up and moving. “I’m the protective brother here. Calum.”
Basch glances at Noah, and tries a smile, to make it clear that he’s fairly all right here. He’s a little shaken, but the more they talk, the easier it is. “Do you believe that someone could assist me just a bit?” he asks. “I fear I’m stumbling and the walk may be long.”
“I could do you better than that.” Another voice emerges from the shadows, and the form of Aedan, a lead rope in hand, attached to a rangy looking horse is starring at all of them like they’ve gone a little crazy. “He is too young to train to saddle.” he explains. “But he’ll not mind if you lean your weight up on his shoulder a bit there as you walk.” He’s spent the past several weeks being pretty ill, and he shouldn’t be out here tonight, but beneath the pale face, and the far too thin frame and obvious look of pointed concentration, there’s a great deal of stubborn will power at work. “If that helps.”
“Aedan.” Sebastian takes a deep breath, looking away from Noah. “You were meant to stay in your…”
“Didn’t want to.” Aedan yawns, like he’s bored with the conversation topic. “Felt like lunging him. You’ve been keeping me inside a week now.” His tone’s definitely petulant now. “I was well sick of it.”
Noah murmurs, “Master Calum,” and kind of shifts to stick near his brother. He’s not exactly sure his help is welcome, and - for all that he’s probably not showing it in his stance, his face looks uneasy when he catches his reflection. For a second, he thought it was Basch’s face looking unnerved and not his own until his brother’s steps disturbed the puddle. It looks like there was rain here recently.
He waits for Basch to take the offered assistance and offers his arm for Basch’s other side, since he’s not sure how much of the stumbling is pride refusing to admit that it cannot sustain someone. “Master Aedan.” This is a fantastically idiotic idea, and he’d likely get interrupted, right? “Inside a week? I could see that growing dull, but - it may be better in the stables. We’re unexpected guests and I do not know if you’d want to tarry for what may come of it.”
Basch isn’t sure himself, how this might go, but he does appreciate the offer, and his brother’s arm He’s giving Noah something of a tight smile himself, especially considering the last bit IS true. They’re technically not supposed to be here.
“Trespassing penalties?” Aedan asks, sounding pretty calm about that sort of thing. “We don’t throw people to the dogs here for the most part. You’d have to be related to this family for that to be the thing. He mutters, clearly meant for them to hear, but not part of the conversation. “No, I’d guess you woke up here? Same happened to me.” He sounds...confident enough. “But the stable IS warmer, I’ll give you that.”
“Nobody’s murdering anybody.” Calum puts in, holding up a hand, because they need to get that settled now. “Nobody’s sticking anyone in cells forever, forcing them to talk to enchanted furniture or kissing furry monsters under magic spells.” Not a reference they’ll probably understand, but it explains what HE was doing this afternoon. “Sorry, film…play, I took my niece to. It’s still in my head a bit. But no, I can assure you…”
“We’ll find you something warmer, first.” Sebastian says, nodding slowly. “And see if there’s anything hurt, I am close to a very good healer and I believe she’d come to help, and then I’ll see what we have left behind that...you probably are starving. You don’t seem in the best of shape.”
Noah flinches, at least in the face, at the word “cells,” but the rest doesn’t seem to make things worse. To be honest, kissing monsters seemed comparatively pleasant, assuming the furniture could hold a decent conversation and the monster didn’t bite excessively. Perhaps. That probably said something about the last few days for himself that he was honestly considering the merits of that. “I fear my company this afternoon was poor. Running into my brother was a better turn for all that I have - not acquitted myself well in his favor.” He pauses. “I fear there is a long story I should give someone prior to you opening your house to me, but - if you’d let me the cowardice for now, I would be grateful.”
The formal patterns from court talk is - easier when you’re trying very hard to not think about being dizzy, or your brother’s arm which seems warmer than it has any right to be. It’s been ages since he did not have his armor and someone near him. ‘ “A very long one, yes.” Basch isn’t certain how to start himself, but out here like this, in the middle of someone’s estate is not the place to start. Sebastian’s proposal isn’t bad though, especially the healer. He’s in some amount of pain and he knows Noah is as well, and trying not to show it. He tries to remember if his twin had been like that as a child, but so much time had passed until they’d seen each other, recently, that he’s finding it hard to remember. “One we can tell once we’re inside if you seriously mean your offer.”
“But of course.” Sebastian sounds shocked that it might be in doubt. “A lot of us who live here in this world...they’ve all been through the same. If I did not help you the same way I was helped, what kind of person would I be? In fact, I think since we’ve got a few things well settled…” He glances at the guards, his gaze settling on the newest one the security place sent over. “Would you mind finding Hanzo, asking if he’ll make his tea? I fear it’s going to be quite the night.”