All things were leverage and chance, but you would take matters in your own hands. Practitioner of the arts, student of the dark, when blood called, you answered. Blood is, blood was, and blood would ever be. You didnโt need to give Him your soul, it was already his, but you pledged it just the same. Vows written in lines of poetry as you played a Game of empires on behalf of the Blight. Forsaken, pitiful child no more, you graduated from The Harmonium and earned your ring, youโd peddle secrets and whisper about the courts of Kings and Queens. This dance was one you took to with fervent ego and pride, first your fatherโs chains would be broken, what happened to the tower was beyond your caring.
Born with no name (or breath, the Healers of Ceres fixed that), he was promptly given away to The Harmonium as an infant. Raised there the whole of his young life.
Son of Valerius Noctis. The witch mother didn't realize she was pregnant, had never wanted him, and her father (Luc's grandfather) was rich so he felt his grandson deserved at least a chance to make something of himself.
Named himself, with the help of his nanny, Lucilius Valerion Ward Noctis. Raised primarily by Eldar Aloysius Ward of the Harmonium, he took his adoptive father's name and only used that when he left the Harmonium, due to his biological father's infamousy.
Aloysius was a strigoi who taught Luc much about vampirism and planted the seed of vampiric pride that wouldn't fully blossom until Luc's journey into The Deadlands in adulthood.
Very devoted to The Dark One, eager to do his bidding and bring about destruction for The Tower, and even Lysara, so that Valerius Noctis will one day be freed.
Very charming, very likeable - at least until he's in the shadows of his clandestine business for The Dark One. Isn't afraid to get his hands dirty if that is the case. Very "Dark Bard" coded
Likes making shadowy creatures that look fun and enjoyable in public, helping him set cool moods and vibes. It's neat, it's romantic, it's a whole fancy dark academic aesthetic that the rich people just eat up. The shadow creatures can kill you though.
Date: Latest plot developments
Location: Eterna, we in the big city
Characters: @pursuingcorinna & @luciliustheforsworn
Notes: From #plot-calls :)
Despite the sense of impending doom, the markets were booming. It was irony at its most hilarious - the 'controlled' chaos brewing in the calm before the storm. No Kossith had made it past Aventia, but many surely believed only time tell would when it happened. As the citized busied themselves stocking up for the unfolding chaos, Lucilius called for charity donations with his associates in the name of his reputable Lounge. Student bards under his employ from The Dragon's Drought played music, dancers danced in the streets and performers announced the Lounge's charity with signs and loud voices. Lucilius made himself busy overseeing the efforts, hands crossed against his chest after he'd subtlety called out an employee for flirting too long with a donor.
He almost didn't notice Corinna until she was right by his side. His forced smile became a little more forced, nearly a grimace. "Ah, Miss Corinna... I hope you are here to donate to the efforts at the Astorian border. I do have to warn you that, due to the charitable nature of these sales, our prices are nearly doubled." He didn't bother hiding the fact that he doubted she could afford a bottle of liquor, or even any of the Lounge's custom Queendom matriotic merch.
"Are you asking something of me, Lucilius?" Brow quirked and feigned innocence fully on display as he sits up straighter in the corner of the couch. It's not like the dhampir was lying and sometimes he even came with news on Casimir and Kay needed that. Needed that that degree of separation between the two of them otherwise history was bound to repeat itself. "I don't recall you ever asking anything of me." He's still teasing but he genuinely didn't know, he could have promised something and forgotten to write it down, he'd agreed to a lot of things that way.
"Mmm... perhaps I am. Bring more of your witchy friends." Lucilius had no idea what sort of social circle his little blood-bag possessed. However, he certainly hoped it included a Tower witch or two. The dhampir needed to entrap a few more to his side - get far more perspectives on how the institution was doing. His motives would have remained dark to Kay, but it was clear that Lucilius had always had a slightly more pronounced interest in The Tower than a dhampir normally would.
As though anticipating curiousity in the request, Lucilius shrugged, frowning pensively. "You have an interest in my species... I have an interest in your's. Why do you think they all have an invite into the Lounge? Well, just The Tower ones do, but I do have an exclusive reputation to keep around here. No offense. You're in, after all."
Casimir did not figure himself naive to still claim the faith that others could rise and succeed. For quite a long time, under selfish ambitions nursed from a cruel mother, Casimir did not have such virtues and beliefs, and it took the dhampir quite a while to gain such compassions and not find them to be a hinderance. Casimir took a similar pause, he didn't need to think deeply on the subject, but it certainly posed a dreaded outlook either way for the Iskaran king. "The time for that man to reign has likely passed, what are your interests for the Iskaran king?" Such judgement from Lucilius but still a reigned amount of interest from him, too.
He liked to keep people on their toes - that was often the secret to making things more interesting. "That is, perhaps, a story for another day," Lucilius said with a small and innocuous wink, getting up. There was nothing flirtatious to the gesture; he was often seen winking at others. But there was certainly something mischievous and foreboding about this one. Lucilius tapped on the table. "Business here needs 'tending to. I have, once again, spoiled myself with your company for too long."
He waved one of his staff over with a finger. "Let him take a bottle home," he said. The staff nodded and made off quickly as Lucilius looked back down at his cousin, a smile on his face. How he would love nothing more than to go down the deep end on the conversation of lost leadership... that day would be the day that Casimir knew he wasn't alone on this side of Veilcrest. And that leaders could and sometimes should take their power back.
"Things are getting quite interesting on this side of Veilcrest for us. I have a feeling I'll be getting back to you soon, Cas."
The streets of Eterna are quieter than they should be. Too quiet. The usual murmur of city life is dulled, as if the shadows themselves are listening. Watching.ย
You feel it before you see him. A presence, cold and insistent, curling around the edges of your mind like smoke. Then - a voice, smooth as silk, familiar as your own heartbeat.
โLucilius.โ
Your fatherโs name has been a curse for years, recently escaped, many expected Valerius to be far from the cityโฆ But you could feel his proximity and your connection calls to you even now.ย
He stands apart from you, a vampire shrouded in the dark but the rest of the world seems to walk past him as if heโs not even there. One clumsy fool walks into him, falling backward with clear shock written upon his face. His death is quick, he clutches his arm, his chest, and a few frantic heartbeats later and heโs dead.ย
Your gift from your recent success in the Dark Oneโs name hums with power,ย
โMy son,โ he tempts, โmy heir, donโt be so quick to turn away from the Dark, you are for the Shadow.โ Valerius lifts his hand and extends it toward you, then he speaks one final time, โJoin me in Veilcrest and leave these fools to their fate.โย
Or die alongside them goes unsaid.
He smiles, dark, charming, and familiar. Then Valerius is gone.
Lucilius got to see his dad! Also a man dropped dead just from touching Valerius!ย Dad wants Lucilius to come to Veilcrest (when the time is right).
Itโs been a good time in Eterna lately, at least for Lucilius. The Tower, the reason for all his hatred, was in shambles, scrambling after failing to contain itโs most valued prisonerโฆ his father. Valerius. Lucilius couldnโt have ever been sure that the vampiric Prince and General knew of his only sonโs existence, for it had been many years and heโd never asked his witch mother if sheโd told him. He doubted she did. He didnโt know her but it seemed quite clear that Aliria Trillium was very content forgetting that her son ever existed once he was given away to The Harmonium by her father. Lucilius had been fine with that up until now.ย
After Valeriusโ escape, Lucilius had grown restless just wondering if there was any chance that the General would find him himselfโฆ or if his son had to go searching on his own. The Game was easy, but he was no Nightingale or Agent with a plethora of whispers to listen to; it would still be hard to locate one of the most powerful strigoi who lived. The bard would pace his office in The Dragonโs Drought in thought, unable to focus. How many years had he dreamed of meeting his father? How long has it been since he had been set on his course to free the man that heโd grown up looking up to?
Eldar Aloysius Ward had been a good substitute father, but even he had been adamant that Lucilius embrace his true heritage with pride and ambition. Aloysius had been loyal to Veilcrest, even from afar. It was said that Lucilius had been born to help his great father, but he had not been the one to free him. So, what was left to do? He couldnโt help but wonder if he would even be wanted or needed anymore. It was a silly thing to think about at his adult age, even if he was young for a long-living creature. He was grown and powerful in his own way and own right, he did not need a father to guide him any longer. However, he had dedicated so much of his life to Valerius that it was difficult to imagine giving up on it now.
Thus, when he heard Valeriusโ voice and felt his strangely familiar presense, Lucilius could not have felt more alive with excitement and hope. The Dark One had been a disappointing deity who had given him little, despite all his efforts to impress over the years, but the dhampir had always known his place in the dark regardless of his allegiance to it. His soul may have always been wholly his own, but his blood was not. Maybe the Dark One did not see him because he had not given him his soul. Deep down, Lucilius knew he still did not want to, and would make no moves to. But, in the end, he was a creature for the Shadow as his father said. Even if the dark did not interest him in the way it once did, he could not and would not turn away from the man that he had longed to know all his life.ย
Lucilius would reach out to Valerius in this vision, only to open his eyes to the light of morning. But he would find his father. All his life had been leading up to this moment. It would take him a few hours to calm down from the excitement to truly start to ponder how strange it was that the stranger died at Valeriusโ touch, or that there was such dark warning in his fatherโs words. And even when he finally did think about it, he knew he must still find Valerius.
Aegean was cocky, at least where The Harmonium was concerned. Being a "humble street entertainer" thrust into the College's spotlight practically overnight meant it wouldn't be too out of the norm for him to ignore basic conventions of the Game. He was bold and talented, so bit by bit he built up his reputation. Aegean thought it'd be like no other mission, but much like his last deep cover operation, he was starting to have fun in this new role while he plundered every trick of the Game he hadn't already taken from Tower witches right from under the noses of Lysara's upper echelon.
"What can I say? I like being seen and I enjoy making a spectacle. Plus, not many other specialties would allow me to show off my body without being seen as some sort of attention whore," he laughs, languidly drawing his finger around the rim of his glass. When he wore his Novice sash, he fully became Aegean the entertainer: a seemingly talented but mildly vapid party twink. A person like that getting the grades, clout, and support he did would certainly start pissing some of The Harmonium off and that's exactly what he was hoping for. "Well, I certainly earned my sponsorship. The Master Eldar made sure of that, he wasn't gentle about it either," Aegean shares with a wink, still finding benefit in pushing the false narrative of his quid-pro-quo arrangement with House Melodia in case they had eavesdroppers. "It hasn't been easy getting this far. Ambition must be a minimum requirement to even get close to becoming a Journeyman, no? The School of the Arts has been my focus, but I think I want to take Performance more seriously. Fewer in my current classes get jealous about my private lessons from Master Alessandra. Isn't stirring envy half the fun of being a top bard?"
Lucilius grinned, enjoying himself through the Novice's inflated ego. He wouldn't begrudge him that; it was a fun part of the experience. Getting humbled would inevitably come later on his his career, once the hard work and competition got even rougher. Then as a lonely Journeyman out in the world? There was a stark difference between the cushy walls of the Harmonium and the streets of their world. It would be entertaining to see how Aegean coped. Luc liked him, he did want him to rise... just as long as it didn't interfere with the dhampir's own rising. At the moment, that seemed unlikely. They were on two seperate paths.
"A very good choice to take Performance seriously, though I'm a little bias." Lucilius chuckled. "Humour me," he leaned forward and lowered his voice slightly, grinning, "Do you actually still see the Eldar?" In that way.
"Never say never, friend, perhaps there will be a day where Iskaldrik is built anew again," Casimir had indulged in many tales growing up about the ruins of the world, blighted terrain and blackened skies; if any could come back from the brink, Iskaldrik was certainly a contender there. "Ah, so the humble business owner has made himself a friend of Sinaria, too? You're more travelled than even I could say to be," his teasing reproach was meant in kind, for though he'd chosen to live amongst thieves and scoundrels, Casimir could come to appreciate few amongst the riches and nobles he'd once been surrounded by. Lucilius could become a part of such list, for while it seemed many dhampir were deeply loyal to the vampires that sired them, Lucilius had carved his own name into the sand without being tethered to one distinctly.
"You're too hard on them," snorted with a mild wave of his hand, Casimir finished the objection with a mere shrug. Eterna wasn't rumored to be the city of opportunities for nothing, and though the Iskarans had lost virtually everything, there was so much here within Lysara to uncover yet. "The Harmonium, the Tower; I'm sure some elder or maestro is awaiting in the shadows to pluck one from the crowds and place them on a pedestal." There were already a few Iskarans carving names for themselves; some rogue gladiator named Enjal? A shield maiden harboring herself amongst wolves? Thieves were not nightingales but many times such crafts intersected, and Casimir often heard of many tales.
Lucilius grinned as Casimir spoke, though the grin softened into a genuine smile. Casimir was, technically, a lot older than Lucilius, despite their looks. It had taken the bardic dhampir a few more years of aging to reach the peak of his perfection, much like fine wine or cheese. But in very rare moments as these, Casimir seemed young. Lucilius recalled the childlike wonder of stories he'd once had when he was small, especially those featuring underdogs becoming heroes. Cas wasn't a wide-eyed child by any means, even now, but he held that innocent faith and desire to see other's rise. It almost made Lucilius a little sad to think he'd lost much of the wonder of such stories, even if he hadn't lost all the fondness. He started to doubt if that innocent wonder was something that he was okay letting go of. Reminiscing about it now made him happy.
"Perhaps you're right," he decided with the small smile. "I like the thought." Lucilius mused quietly, silent for two heartbeats before nodding to himself. "Then I pose this to you, friend: the fallen royal. The king of Iskaldrik... what would you think of a story of him rising once more to his rightful station? Rumours say he is alive." One could draw an interesting parallel between him and Valerius.
Kay looks away from the dhampir solely to flip a page in his notebook and scribble a couple of things down. He rips the page out, folds it, only to turn it towards Lucilius and rather dramatically unfold it. There in his quick scribbles are the words 'do you like me?' followed by two boxes besides 'yes' and 'no'. His feigned innocence, the doe eyes, can only last a few seconds before he's back to the usual 'cat who caught the canary' smirk as he sinks back down in the corner of the couch he'd claimed. The piece of paper bursts into a little flame and the ashes of it float to the floor. "I'm writing a review of a bard's performance, if you must know." And agonizing over it because he thought it was something that mattered and he had too many words at his disposal to describe music, performance.
Lucilius very gladly played along, his smile wide and mouth open in playful shock. He reached over to grab the paper before Kay slinks back and makes the paper burst into flames. The dhampir is smirking as he moves and plops himself down beside the other. "If it's anything less than 5 stars, enchanting, a credit to The Harmonium, then I will fire her immediately."
A sigh of tranquility, he crosses his arms behind his head and leans against the cushion behind him to stare across the room. "You know, I was just thinking I offer you vampiric power, comfort and entertainment here, sometimes new leather boots, and what do you offer me?" The question is playful, but posed in such a way that he was eager to know what the witch's answer would be.
Rรผya paused, letting the cool air of the library drift over her like a balm. The Towerโs endless marble corridors felt foreign since her return from Westreach, but the library would always be her sanctuary. She caught the faintest glimpse of Lucilius lingering near the door, and a smile tugged at her lips.
As usual, the dhampir was all charm and pleasant surprise, as if he hadnโt timed his departure to intercept her. Rรผya arched a brow, accepting the gesture with a soft nod. โHow thoughtful.โ She stepped outside, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. "You're not as subtle as you think, you know?" If he found solace here, that was his business. If he was lying, wellโฆ sheโd learned long ago that everyone wore masks at The Tower.
Laughing, Rรผyaโs gaze drifted toward the strip of greenery tucked between the columns. The roses were beginning to wither under winterโs approach, their petals curling at the edges. She'd spent too many nights alone beneath starless skies, too many dawns watching the sick and displaced file through refugee camps with no home to return to. Seeing a familiar face, someone she could brace herself against, was an immense comfort. โI didnโt expect to see you here,โ she said, glancing at him sidelong. โShouldnโt you be off charming the novices?โ
Though being quite good at hiding emotions, Lucilius instead allowed himself to look a little surprised before he chuckled with delight. "Perhaps you should have been an Agent of Minerva," he mused teasingly as they made their way down the stairs. "I have to admit, the Novices don't interest. Haven't you ever wondered why those I like most from The Tower, yourself included," he said with a warm smile, "are Accepted and beyond? I have wondered, and I have finally figured it out. I'm an ambitious man, so I like to think I'm seeing the exact life that I would have led if I had inherited my mother's gifts. When I spend time with you powerful witch lot, I'm quite fascinated."
"Plus..." Lucilius smiled sheepishly, brushing some hair back from the top of his head. "I was hoping to hear some gossip and reconnect? Healers like yourself deserve some pampering after Aventia. Perhaps over some food or beverage at my expense?"
Poachers and fur trades; this one was in deep with cruel and deceiving merchants, and he certainly hadn't seemed to have learned. As fiercely protective as she could be of the living creatures of the wilds, she was equally as invested with those of the undead; creatures intrinsically tied to the veil and to blight. He represented a crossroads in such path, something she had to further investigate; dhampir were never quite so common for Agnes to simply stumble upon and the genasi simply saw this as further favor from Hekate to have witnessed this blighted creature.
"Sinarian's are indeed greedy little peddlers, aren't they?" Ruefully stated, her lip twisted into a small smirk. Her last life had gifted her unto such world, but she'd died a mere child, a life cycle wasted, the weave taunting her as they placed her in Astoria next. How close she'd been to simple succession without having to exhaust the effort, but without such rebirth, the wild druid would have never dared to take the next step and pledge herself wholly to Hekate's influence. The Dark One ventured to whisper but Agnes did her best not to listen, no matter how insistent their tenebrous prodding was.
"I did," sternly, but borderline impudent, her shoulders shrugged simply, "Further protocols towards magic would lend you well as opposed to relying on brute strengths." Within her cat sith form she'd charmed them, slinking upwards to the office to patiently wait for the dhampir. "I know this place well, Vitto and all," she smiled contently at the false smile produced on Lucilius; she felt pleased to have truly surprised him with her efforts.
Lucilius looked at Agnes with a thoughtful gaze, trying to study her. Considering her mannerisms, her personality, and everything he knew about her - the way a good bard should. Growing up within the Harmonium walls, Luc had learned how to charm before before he could even read a book. Scheming, manipulating and deceiving was second-nature, but that was usually when he wanted something out of someone. He wasn't sure he wanted anything out of this fallen noblewoman, but he did want to make up for such a terrible first impression. It simply wouldn't do to be on awkward terms.
Finally, he smiled. "You're only up here against rules to make a point, aren't you?" The smile curled in such a way that it was unmistakable as a smirk. "Point made," he said before she could answer. "But you're a guest, and a guest must enjoy themselves in my establishment. There's hardly anything I can entertain you with in this room." Lucilius took up a folder from the desk to show it to her. "Wine orders," he said with the ever-present smirk, tossing the folder one side and letting it fall to the ground. He walked past the folder to his filled bookshelf, taking out a volume on The History of Elvhen Songs. "History books..." He tossed that one too, but it landed with a thud on his desk and sent a feather pen flying to the ground. The Pattern's Greatest Heroes followed the other book, then The Reign of Noctis. He was making a mess of his desk, but didn't seem to care. In fact, Lucilius looked like he was amusing himself as he turned to the other side of the room.
"I don't even keep liquor up here," he commented off-handedly as he looked through a cabinet. "I have enough of that stuff downstairs..." Lucilius then took out another folder, stopping as he read the label. "Ah-ha." He walked over to Agnes and offered it over. "Maybe this would pique your fancy?" If she opened it, she'd find dealings and the contract between The Dragon Drought and a Lorien'dal farm for some fey creatures and one of their elvhen caretakers to stay and tend to them in the gardens of his business. All ethical, legit and well-thought out, unlike his last mess.
Lucilius sighed at the question. "A true terrible performance review," he admitted half honestly. There were many bigger things to be afraid of, but the dhampir wasn't having a heart-to-heart moment about his feelings. That had to be saved for when he was deeply distressed and drunk, and he was pretty sure Zagreus hadn't ever seen him like that. They hung out for partying, not depression.
The big devotion Zagreus had to Hestia's Cove was a slight surprise to him; Zagreus always came off very non-committal when it came to things in his past. But, again, they only got physically deep - not emotionally. An eyebrow raised and he gazed over. "Really? After all these years? Never found any other place to call home?" He might have thought that someone like Zagreus would have found places like Sinaria more fun.
Zagreus had given Iskaldrik a go, but that was only out of necessity. While he was an excellent smuggler, there was an ending for everything. He wasn't sure if that counted as a possible place for home, but for now, it was off limits. Aetheron was too close, and Zagreus did not want to get involved in that no more than he had to. For now, though, he just picked up his drink and finished it off, giving his friend another grin, "When the Cove is one of the prettiest places, why would I need another? Not all Dรบnedain need to live in a tree. Anyway, I'll see you later, friend."
Date: Recent days
Location: The Tower
Characters: @ruyaceres & @luciliustheforsworn
Notes: oh hi :)
It was very much on purpose that Lucilius had come to The Tower library that day, and very much on purpose that he came out around the time he knew that Rรผya would be done with her business. It was very much on purpose that he made to exit the building slowly up until he realized that she was behind him. On purpose that he turned and feigned convincing shock, smiling with pleasant surprise and opening the door for his 'friend.' "After the lady," he offered her.
It would not have come as a surprise to Rรผya that Lucilius came to the Olympian library. He always said that he was studying, and he was, but it wasn't the books he was studying - it was the witches around him. He had given his 'friend' a heartfelt story about feeling closer to the witch mother that he had never known in the Tower library, but all of it was in an effort to continue their good repertoire. He just hoped one day it would pay off... one day he'd know more of what would help him bring this place down.
โAnd I could be forgiving.โ The retort is delivered dryly, bemusement clear on the subtle roll of her eyes. There is no full comradery even among the followers of the Dark One. Expecting as such would be endlessly naive. Theirs is a faction of traitors, betrayers and killers; and she likes it that way. To each their own, always scrambling to accomplish their own ideals rather. Whether they are revenge, to drag themselves out of the depths, to waste away in riches. Faith, trust, loyalty. Not given to anyone, perhaps not even to their lord, but He cares not; not when betrayal, debauchery and anger feed him so well. So yes, Lucillius could be lying, he could be manipulating her, but it wouldnโt matter in the end. As fond as she is of him, as interesting as she finds him, as fun as his schemes are: betrayal is always an option.ย
Cโest la vie.ย
โYou forget the enemies in our midst,โ she reminds him, pointer finger extended as she gestures all around them. At their most basic, people were violent and out to get their own; so it wouldnโt be surprising if there were agents of Aetheron, of the Kossith, of Astoria, all amidst their numbers. โBut your concerns are valid. More pieces have joined the board than expected, and it seems we are now playing an entirely different game.โ
The Dark One likely had a plan, but the likelihood of learning of it was zero. They were thrown blind into the conflict, and their survival and endeavors would prove if they were worthy followers or not.
โI can echo that sentiment,โ she offers, a nod of acknowledgment to his request. โI will wander the paths and attempt to gather more information. Things will just be more and more interesting from now on, and we better begin planning for the excitement.โ
Lucilius should have expected the wise, mystery-evoking retort from a druid but it always surprised him to hear Belladonna say deep things. Maybe it was her hair. He could never take her too seriously with that hair, though he was well aware she was someone to take seriously. He did not reply to her points, merely nodding his head in agreement. As the strange balloon technology rose, so did Lucilius. He offered her a charming smile and a deep incline of his head. "...Then I shall leave you to it, lady Belladonna."
"There is no doubt in my mind we shall see one another soon." His delicate smile turned into a bit of a grin as he turned. "You know where to find me.
Lucilius smirked at Zagreus' first comment, but remained silent as he took a seat across to listen. He frowned thoughtfully, then shook his head with an emotionless sigh. "The consequences of youth and stupidity, they can be quite disastrous," he mused. Lucilius' head tilted back on the seat and he looked up at the ceiling, humming thoughtfully. "First Astorians to the south, then mages once thought extinct to the west, now the Kossith to the east... What is next?" Vampires from the north? The thought went unspoken as he smiled calmly and looked back over at Zagreus. In truth, something Lucilius could not admit out-loud but was still likely known to his friends, the dhampir did fear the spread of darkspawn, or any other destructive force, regardless of his loyalty to the Dark One. He had only ever wanted the fall of The Tower and her witches, perhaps the Mordecai's line too while they were at it. But nothing more after that. He liked the world, more or less, just as it was.
"Is Lysara to collect enemies at all sides? If our borders get smaller and threats get larger, what will us mere civilians have to do about it?"
In all technicality, Zagreus was only a century and some change old himself. Now he was frozen even more in time, the druid wouldn't age for at least another four hundred years. Genasi were said to live up to a thousand. "Yeah, we've all been there, haven't we?" He'd been young and stupid โย and he'd came out as a Hidden One. "Tell me, what's a dhampir so afraid of?" He gave a half smile, though he was sure he could guess a few things. The Blight was no longer just a dramatic bedtime story for children, it was real and all consuming, destroying cities and heading South. "You may be a mere civilian, but Hestia's Cove can't fall. I won't let it. Even if I don't have to be there, it's one of my only safe places, you know."
Lucilius sighed at the question. "A true terrible performance review," he admitted half honestly. There were many bigger things to be afraid of, but the dhampir wasn't having a heart-to-heart moment about his feelings. That had to be saved for when he was deeply distressed and drunk, and he was pretty sure Zagreus hadn't ever seen him like that. They hung out for partying, not depression.
The big devotion Zagreus had to Hestia's Cove was a slight surprise to him; Zagreus always came off very non-committal when it came to things in his past. But, again, they only got physically deep - not emotionally. An eyebrow raised and he gazed over. "Really? After all these years? Never found any other place to call home?" He might have thought that someone like Zagreus would have found places like Sinaria more fun.
