corvus

 

  His hand wandered to the pommel of his blade, resting there as his back sat against the wall. Boredom danced his thoughts while purpose seemed to fall between his fingers like sand- an impossible thing to grasp. Every so often he'd catch a glimpse of recognition, only to be played the fool by a mind that tried to fill in too many gaps. Despite living within Odersten near his entire life he still didn't know the average person here. And there were many. 

Daylight meant plenty of life was aroused within the city. Trade was heavy, people traveled with a goal in mind. Some even smiled at him- which he returned dutifully. But none were the reasons he sat there waiting, and none offered to fill him with any sort of purpose, even if momentary. None heckled or bothered him, smart considering he didn't carry his blade for show. Still, even an offer of a sale would have sated some desire for a distraction, even if it was mostly unwanted. Eventually, after hours of waiting along the street, he began to assume the worst. 

He'd been stood up. One small hire, one small job and he'd thought regrettably that he'd had it.  A smile tugged at his lips, disappointment and frustration brimming as he looked to the orange sky. Hours, he had waited hours for this. His hand closed around that imaginary pile of sand he so carefully held, until he let go of it. Still staring and waiting. It wasn't until the sun fully set behind the horizon that he finally gave up on it. He picked himself off the wall, pulled his hood over his head and decided to head to his makeshift home. 

At least he had tried.  

 

@someone | quote

oraeguno

He could not escape the confines of a parent’s home fast enough. Ears pinned back in silent aggravation, masked fur threatening to bristle as it clung to a father’s phrases. That tongue refusing to cease its wagging until the hound had finally slipped between the cracks and ducked into the relative freedom of the outdoors. How he loathed those get togethers for all they consisted of were plans of meetings with others, boring duties that would have long been thrown aside if it weren’t for the ways they managed to continuously reel him back in.

Yet each time there came further reminder as to why those paces fled as they did. Venomous tones from those who felt themselves above the rest of the world a constant grate upon the nerves. Reprimand for each act another found disapproval in. Those growled phrases so often rising from behind where he stood, Play along boy. You know what I’ve taught you. He did. Each lyric stirring distaste for one attempted to morph his nature into something it was not. All of this would be so much easier if ties could be severed, those forceful bonds broken.

For now all was over and done with, at least until the man found use for the wanderer once more and hired another to bring him back. Why was it so hard for them to understand this wasn’t what he wanted? Or rather, why did they choose to ignore it in the name of blood? A question asked yet never answered in ways which did not belittle. Blood ties were all that mattered to them. Lip curled as steps near guided themselves, the hound wanting nothing more than to blur thoughts behind a drink. Seize the attentions of a stranger if only for a little while.

Though such plans soon faltered as a whisper of familiarity teased the senses. It bid a gaze to flit over those who wandered this darkened hour, only for eyes to brighten the moment they fixed upon one adorned in brown leathers. While he hadn’t know the man for long there still came recognition of the clothing donned, the steady swagger of his step, and the gentle waft of tell tale aromas which lay tied upon each individual. His path altered, paces quick to fall in tune with the other as the hound sidled up alongside him.

Decorated crown tilting lightly as ears perked and a soft smile crossed his lips, “Ah Corvus! Did you just make it back into town? And so late too.” A question. A tease he need not add nor ask of the other for there lingered no fresh aromas. No sweat or stale blood tainting that form. No scents which spoke of grand adventure. Nothing to give way to any manner of excitement during the daylight hours. So what then had he been doing? Surely it had to at least have been more exciting than what August himself had been made to endure.

Shamelessly that rose-laden gaze drifted over the other’s frame - covered as it was - before finally settling upon shadowed features once again. Still nothing. Though observation hardly dampened a new found mood, “What have you been up to?” ’Because you certainly don’t smell as if you’ve been busy.’ A thought August kept to himself as sights drifted between the man he wished to focus upon and the very path taken.

 

corvus

 

   There wasn't much thought into what he'd encounter aside from his contact. When they didn't show he had expected to end his day in frustration, to walk home and be done. However, he was pleasantly surprised when a familiar voice rang. Corvus turned to a fellow mercenary, August. Only momentarily did his eyes pass along man's figure, of a height and demeanor similar to his own. It lingered only a second on the man's animalistic ears and accompanying horns, the only evidence he had of the curse. Corvus was so used to seeing the features it didn't faze him quite as often as it once had, when the two had first met. He'd been unsettled then, his apprehension always apparent despite his charismatic nature. Now, however, the man's curse was hardly a passing thought. 

   August subtle tease was hard to miss, The man's tone had suggested he knew the answer to the question he'd ask, though he meant no harm from it. Corvus sighed, his frustration apparent in his own jaded huff of annoyance. He was bitter about the day- he didn't leave out that ire when he answered.

   "Standing and waiting for someone who doesn't appreciate my time." Irritation laced his words, never mincing his emotions. Rarely did he aim his ire at anyone that didn't deserve it, so he accompanied that frustration with a smile. He was sure August would it, and the events swept away in favor of better gossip. "And you?" He questioned, eyes lingering for a moment on the streets. Always watching for anyone else that may surprise him, some he hoped to never encounter while another part hoped for his contact to finally arrive even if the time suggested he never would. The moment last only a few seconds before Corvus' attention was purely on August. 

   The day had turned out to be terrible, but the night was only beginning. He was thankful of the opportunity provided with his friend's arrival. If nothing exciting was offered on August's end, surely Corvus would know how to fill that particular void. The ideas were already coming to mind. "You don't have any plans for the remainder of the night, do you?" He asked honestly. Although his lack of presence would be alarming at his family home he was sure he could create come excuse as he always had. So long as his duties weren't ignored, his family would turn a blind eye. That was the silent deal they had made, and he'd taken a great advantage of it. 
 

@august | i don't make the rules

oraeguno

Or perhaps a day had spelled bitterness and aggravation more than the drudging dullness of his own. Those phrases sharp as they cut through the air, that irritation a hard thing to miss. August knew it was not directed wholly at him and yet it still brought ears to cautiously twist back. An offer quick to fall between them as tone carried a light growl, “We could always do a little hunting.” If his fellow mercenary had anything of their's that was. He knew it to be a far stretch, if Corvus was merely waiting on another’s arrival then he very likely had heard nothing but a name or description. Contact made through writing or word of mouth alone.

The hound wasn’t quite in the mood for tracking anyone down but perhaps it would provide better entertainment than clouding the mind. Possibility he is not allowed to linger upon for much longer as questioning turns upon him. One earning a light scoff as those floppy ears pinned themselves flat to his crown, bright eyes rolling, “Family matters.” Those he held no intentions of elaborating on further though the mannerisms of a father were hardly hidden from the public eye. But Augustus had not slipped away to cling to such bitterness especially in pleasing company. Features steadily brightening as attentions soon settled upon the swordsman.

Soft smile painting its way across his lips, inquiry drawing focus entirely to the man kept at his side and while he knew little of the other’s preferences it did not stop the way an arm sought to lace around him. That decorated figure straying ever closer as fingers wished to coil about the man’s waist and pull him in. Purred phrases slipping easily into the sparse spaces left between them, “Other than spending it with you?” Lyrics insinuating far more than simply keeping to one another’s company though he was careful, sure to lace it with a quiet laugh before drawing back just enough to allow the crow his space.

Faint reluctance in such motions, a lie told to himself in saying that a touch was not tempted to linger. Uncaring of any eyes that may drift their way yet his was not a presence forced to be kept as another answer lay given, “Hardly.” He was hardly busy, he held no plans of returning home after the day had already been wasted but a liar was he for claiming nothing had turned within those wild thoughts. “Did you have something in mind dear crow?”

 

corvus

 

We could always do a little hunting ourselves, though as much as the idea delighted him he knew it wasn't a wise use of his time. He'd like nothing more than to beat the man who had ghosted him. It left him wondering what he had done wrong, if anything. Was it his tone? His abrasiveness? Or perhaps the worst had happened and word got around of who he truly was. It wasn't true, but he teased the idea. 

"No," he stated dismissively. His energy was better spent on something more productive. There was also his companions time to consider, and he didn't enjoy the thought of wasting it on something so trivial. After the decision was made and the debacle over, his mood shifted. He was less irritable and grating, especially after August had dismissed his own previous activity. Whatever business he had earlier in the day was quickly labeled with no offer to elaborate further. Corvus didn't bother prying, though he did relate somewhat. At least he had answered the question truthfully, whereas Corvus would have lied to hide that part of his life. He nodded in acknowledgement.

Then August wrapped his arm around him, and closed the gap between the two. It caught him off guard. His body flinched, but Corvus gave him an odd look, almost to call out the audaciousness of it- in a playful manner. "Other than spending it with you?" 

"Yes," Corvus responded quickly. But then the man withdrew, leaving behind that gap between them once more. Corvus made no comment of it, but there were words hidden behind his smile. He tried not to give away what he was thinking, only providing an expression of confusion and question. 

"A spar then?" He offered. It was an activity where they both could vent their frustration without any spoken words. He enjoyed the challenge the other man gave. For a long time the man believed his strength and size contributed greatly to his skill with the blade, but after meeting August he was surprised to find an equal in someone so much more agile than he. While Corvus didn't enjoy strategic games like chess (he would always lose), he thought fondly of the early days when August taught him that there was much more to a spar than swinging a piece of metal. Strength was only one attribute. Strength meant nothing when your partner swung faster with careful thought in every move. The first few bouts August had easily won. 

But now Corvus had been tempered properly, and he thoroughly enjoyed every attempt to beat his equal. 
 
 

@august | i don't make the rules

oraeguno

There came passing relief when an offer to track was turned down. Good. Neither of their time would be spent on such matters, hopefully that would grant opportunity for something far more exciting than a hunt. While one part of the hound’s mind may relish in the idea of it all, there was another more present conscious that loathed the idea. Hated the notions that a wolf placed into his thoughts. Hardly anything it desired was something that appealed to a goat. Yet the wants of a beast were hardly those he intended to focus upon, especially in the moments he laced an arm around another.

Fingers pressing boldly against him as Augustus reeled him near without any signs of hesitation, no matter how a mind may race. Proximity something he was never shy about though when it came to this man there was still an unknown of how he may react in full. With some known, luck would be pressed further. A figure would have leaned close enough for breath to tickle against flesh in nothing more than a whisper. Both hands would have trailed over flesh or into clothing in gentle tease.

But not with him. No reason to risk ruining what was already held.

And yet nothing could stop the way suggestion laced his tone. Nor would it silence the way he felt another’s body to wince upon initial touch. Flinch but never make any real effort to pull away, merely casting a peculiar look his way. One not judgmental per say though still tinged in unspoken question. Mixed with August’s own uncertainty it was enough to grant the man his space. No more attention drawn to the matter, an answer given upon the hound’s retreat. Though when suggestion of a spar rose one could not help but to question it.

“Oh? So late in the evening?” It was not something he was against and it wasn’t like he had to get back home by any particular hour. However, a spar had been the last thing on his mind though getting the blood pumping was probably - okay, was - better than drowning it in liquor. “And where would this spar be taking place?” They certainty couldn’t pull weaponry on the street without drawing attention of the guards. And there was uncertainty on if any of the more official training grounds were still open for public usage.

“But more importantly,” there came temptation to place a hand upon the crow once more, to tuck it beneath his chin and lean with brushing tease. It is a lure ignored. “Does the winner get to pick their prize?” It was always more fun when there was something at stake, even if it was something small. Something unknown until there came surrender.