He wasn’t sure how many days had actually passed, but Aelius was feeling better. Whatever sickness had knocked him down and out was fading to a mere annoying cough. His body wasn’t achind as it had and his bruises were now well tinged with green and yellow. All of it a sure sign that he was on the mend. Even getting around was much easier as his muscles began to strengthen and stretch back out. Even his wounds were doing well. They were less angry now and scabbed over. The healing process was well under way and the boy was finding himself beginning to grow antsy. There was still work to be done for the aftermath and he was hail enough to deal with it. Honestly, could have dealt with it days ago. He began to wonder if Faustite and Waru worried for his health that nothing had proceeded. Did he continue to look frail and incapable? The thought bothered him and was what spurred the danseur into action.
Taking the stairs down was still a bit of a slow venture, but was no longer a perilous trail. The sweatpants he wore with one of Waru’s sweaters all hung on him. The oversized article of clothing were comfortable though and the boy wasn’t willing to trade them in yet even if the neckline of the sweater hung over a shoulder, putting the bite wounds on his neck in plain view. It kept from aggravating the scabs there so he didn’t fuss with it. Oh, he was aware he looked like some homeless wreck, but…it wasn’t really off the mark was it? Homeless he was, even if the team house was serving as his abode now, he felt a pang of loss knowing how much of his life was turned up on its head.
The main floor was the first spot he’d thought to look for the home owner. Faustite should be awake, and the boy could be found often enough visiting the kitchen to brew himself a warm cup of tea or two. He’d heard footsteps earlier trekking down and hoped he hadn’t missed any returning ones. As it stood, he’d been right in his choice. Entering the kitchen found the General King busy preparing a kettle of water and tea. The mundane sight brought a small smile to Aelius’s face as he stood there watching for a few minutes. It was an oddly enjoyable sight and made the half-youma appear more human for it all. Not that Aelius thought of him as anything but human of course. But there was something about this sight that took Aelius back to quieter, more simple times. If more traumatic.
Eventually he walked into the kitchen and perched himself on a stool at the counter. Hands folded in front of him on the cooled countertop, he continued his observation for a few more seconds. Almost loath to bring up what had been brewing inside his mind and ruin the quietness of this moment. “Hey. So, um…I’ve been thinking…” Upper teeth met his lower lip as they scraped across. “You’ve not pressed for a deposition and I know you’ve been waiting for me to be better and all.” One hand rose to balance on his elbow as he head dropped down to rest on it, eyes never leaving the smaller frame of Faustite’s. “We can’t keep putting it off and I am well enough to sit through it.”
His hesitation to bring it up warred with his need to move forward. He needed this. Needed to feel like he was no longer stuck on pause. But, he also had no interest in starting arguments or ruffling feathers. Aelius was more than aware of how much of a hassle he’d been of late and Faustite’s temper could be as unpredictable as the fire that burned within his abdomen. “If you’re up for it that is. I am not trying to pressure you. But I am ready.”
Faustite
For a while, Faustite had been offering Aelius cups of tea whenever he made his own. The boy accepted often enough that he stopped asking and simply prepared a second cup by default. While he was certain that Aelius ever craved his coffee, and the french press was kept in the cupboards, Faustite seldom bothered with buying beans which would then need to be ground up and used before they rotted or went bad or whatever the ******** coffee beans did.
Maybe Waru took pity on him sometimes. Brought him some gourmet coffee from some roasting company that opened up shop in DC. Wasn't like he could bring Aelius along, but it was in the boy's spirit to bring a part of DC back to Aelius. But Faustite didn't have enough fondness for the city to miss it, let alone know what was best to bring back to an estranged boy.
He'd just finished steeping the tea when he heard soft footfalls on the stone floors. One of the stools upholstered with a plasticized finish heaved a soft sigh for bearing a grown man's weight. But Faustite did not turn, did not greet the boy or make a production of his entry.
Instead, Faustite kept about his routine. Fetched cream from the fridge, the honey dipper from the pot. He knew precisely the count of seconds to let the honey drizzle before replenishing it for the next cup.
He'd just finished pouring cream when Aelius spoke up. Faustite set the carton down on the granite countertop. He'd been thinking, he said. Faustite dipped a spoon in the first cup and began to stir. He'd gotten as far as stirring the second cup before Aelius reached the crux of this wandering opening. His stirring stopped, then, and Faustite paused for a time, spoon in hand, the metal steadily growing hotter before he finally removed it from the cup.
Faustite set the spoon aside quietly. Wordless yet, he wrapped a clawed hand around one of the mugs and handed it off in front of Aelius.
He'd spent all that time quietly dreading that deposition. Dreading the answers he would have to dredge from the boy and collate in a report. It demanded an exacting level of detachment from the circumstances, as well as a level head for logic that Faustite thought he well lacked of late. But the boy was right — it had to be done. If nothing else, for Aelius's sake.
I know, he signed at last. But it wasn't just Aelius they were waiting on.
Faustite went back for his own tea, seized it, then reached for the boy's arm. The scenery would shift before long, coalescing into the bold metal-and-glass accoutrements that comprised Faustite's grandiose office space. It was then that Faustite motioned for Aelius to seat himself in one of the bespoke chairs while he went for the one that looked most like a throne.
Aelius Drayson
As Faustite paused in his preparations, Aelius worried that perhaps he had overstepped. With everything being what it was, the boy felt incredibly unsturdy in where he stood like there was no solid ground. His entire life had been tipped on end. Again. He needed to find a way to navigate through all of the changes and not lose himself again while also not pissing off the people that remained the constants in his life. Whether they knew it or not, Faustite and Waru were the life preserves that kept Aelius a float now. Thankfully, it seemed one of those preservers wasn’t about to pop on him because he wanted to press forward.
The tea made for and passed to him brought a smile to his face. He took the mug and happily wrapped his hands around its warmth to let the heat seep into his hands. It was pleasurable, even if it got too hot a few seconds later and forced him to instead let go. While Aelius would have preferred coffee, there was something to be said about having tea made and given to him by Faustite. There was a kindness there, a sort of bridge for them that Aelius wasn’t willing to burn because of his differences in taste, and honestly? He’d started to look forward to the cups of steeped leaves because of it. Perhaps, even, enjoyed the milder taste and flavor. Tea didn’t punch the senses like coffee did for him, but it was still enjoyable in its own way.
Faustite seemed almost…reluctant? No. Perhaps he was thinking of other things that needed to be done. Things that required his attention as well and the deposition wasn’t priority up until this point? Aelius could only venture to guess, but he was both happy and nervous at the response. He offered another smile, if a bit grimly.
When those dark claws rested themselves on his arm, Aelius reached out to grab hold of his mug just as he felt the world spin and turn.
The office was as he remembered. Expansive and elegant if mandatorily utilitarian with its fireproofing furniture. Still, there was a comfort in the familiar even if that throne-like chair was an interestingly new added feature.
A nervousness bubbled in his chest as it became apparent that the deposition was really happening. Still, he sat himself on one of the chairs. The cold of the floor seeped into his feet that were still bare showcasing old, well healed scars and the damage of being a ballet dancer. His healing ankle scars were thankfully hidden. With as large as they were, the bottom bands didn’t aggravate the skin. In fact, Aelius was able to let the fabric fall down over his heels if only just. Waru’s added height outmatched Aelius’s long legs, giving the boy a measure of protection against the floor.
“Alright. Well. At least we have tea for this.” He fumbled out, holding up the tea. This felt…awkward.
“Um, is there anything you need from me before this gets started?” He questioned carefully as the tea was tucked back into his hands with tentative care so as not to spill any of the hot liquid.
Faustite
Your patience, he signed back. Faustite rested his own tea on the glass tabletop before he began rummaging through the drawers. He came up with a nib pen, an inkwell to which he added fresh ink, a heat-shielded tablet glove that was fastened to his right hand, and a leather-bound book. It was opened to the first page, where he wrote Heliodor's name and the date in his typical harsh hand. Beneath it, he wrote that the subject matter was Heliodor's deposition from his kidnapping, which he punctuated with bracketed dates.
He didn't want to record this with a tablet, nor did he want Headache privy to the conversation. Better that he note down what was said absent the tone used to say it.
Faustite rested the pen in its minimalist metal holder to free his hands. Balancing questions and writing would be a chore, but he accepted no alternative.
Start with the beginning. Tell me what you were doing in the hours before you were taken. Be specific. Spare no detail, even if it seems mundane. Breathing a resigned sigh, Faustite retrieved his pen and prepared to take down every syllable from the boy's mouth in shorthand.
If nothing else, there was a measure of solace in knowing that Headache couldn't read it.
Aelius Drayson
He nodded. Patience he could do. Not like he had anywhere else to go anyway. Faustite could commandeer his time in its entirety and there was nothing Aelius could bemoan about. There were no shoots, no errands, no patrols, nothing to require his time. So, better that he was doing something of some use right now no matter how long it took. It beat wasting away in bed, something Aelius was loath to do after spending so much time on that air mattress as of late.
As Faustite prepped, Aelius took a tentative sip of his tea as he watched with interest. So much care taken to avoid ruining items to his intent heat. It was both impressive and sad to watch as memories of times that didn’t require such preparations surfaced. Reflection on the change of times wasn’t something he could entertain though. Not in that moment. There was a job to do and Faustite was prepared to do it. So, as the first instructions were given Aelius cast himself back to mid December.
“It was a day off. I hadn’t spent a lot of time outside that day and instead chose to stay in and relax with Bean. Did some cleaning around the place since Waru wasn’t there. I am not sure exactly where he was, but I wasn’t sure at that time if he was going to be back at all that night. I didn’t leave the house until that evening when I had class.” He paused to take another careful sip of his tea as he thought harder about the details after he’d left the apartment. “I left around 5pm. Class was at 6pm and I wanted to stop for a coffee. There’s a coffee shop on the way that I tend to frequent. It’s called Bean Water.” He smiled a bit at the name. It always amused him. “The owner, Marc, was working there like he always does along with another barista named Rachel. She’s also another familiar face. They had an after work rush.”
Another pause as he tried to remember more. It wasn’t like he walked into every location trying to take in every detail at all times. “I don’t remember seeing anything out of the sorts. Or anyone keenly interested in what I was doing or ordering. And I did order my regular which is a black hot french roast with a bit of stevia in it.”
“Marc chatted me up a bit. Just asked how I was doing and if I was headed off to dance. I’ve spoken to him enough that he sort of knows my schedule. I also was wearing…well I was wearing what you guys found me in. Sweats, a loose casual sweater, my coat and had my bag on me.
“After that I hurried off to class taking my usual path which includes the park there on 87th street. It was cold. I was more focused on staying warm than observing things around me, but the sun was still out and I do remember hearing voices and a few other people passing me. Class was no different than usual. No unfamiliar faces. Same people I’ve socialized with for months or years. After class I left.”
He swallowed as he began to hone in at this point. His memory was a bit hazy because he hadn’t expected an ambush and certainly wasn’t paying strong attention to the world around him. A mistake, obviously, but one he wasn’t sure would have made too much of a difference when you’re talking an ambush by two powered individuals against someone non-powered in that moment in time. “It dark but I took the same path home that I took to class. Not once did I think or know anyone was following me. Never got an odd sense, but also was focused on staying warm as the temperature had dipped even more. No one conversed or acknowledged me as I walked down the street and crossed into the park.
“Now at that time, the park was empty. There was no one around and I kept to the lighted pathway.
“Honestly, I barley heard anything. Just a rustle of leaves to my right was what caught my attention. I thought it might have been a stray but instead it was a woman in pinks and purples rushing me. She hit me, but I’d moved just in time to keep her from knowing me the ******** out. It had to have been coordinated because then someone grabbed me from behind under my arms and locked me in place. My bag had fallen to the ground at that point and with it my pen.”
Faustite
He hadn't written in shorthand for quite some time, so Faustite had to silently ask for a pause in the beginnings of Aelius's story to invoke the memory and catch up to him. Eventually he found his pace again and the archaic squiggles mapped Aelius's vocalizations to the page with a confident speed.
Already some points of investigation leapt out to him from his story. Marc knowing his schedule was a carelessness that the White Moon could exploit, but not without first learning his identity. It was soon obvious that Aelius was a creature of habit in his mundane life, meeting the people, following the same motions. Perhaps there was a comfort in ritual, but Faustite found it alarming. Particularly since such predictability was so easily exploited by the enemy.
It was impossible for him to remark on any of it, though. Aelius marched on and Faustite's pen needed to follow suit, pausing only for a fresh dip of ink on occasion.
When Aelius reached the ambush, Faustite's grip tightened on his pen. Steam clouded its otherwise black metal surface. Nevertheless, he recorded the account as accurately as he could manage. Only when Aelius paused to take a breath did Faustite himself pause and reach for his tea.
Tasted cold, but the notes of bergamot were almost a balm.
Tell me about the pen. Did they know where to look? Could they recognize it? Despite having a team of senshi, such nuances about them were oft an unanswered question.
Aelius Drayson
He shook his head at Faustite’s questions. “No. Honestly, I think I gave away it’s location. The squire had started ruffling through my pockets looking for, what I assume, was my pen. It was never said directly. There was a moment that I looked down to gauge how close the bag was to me in case I could get free of them, but the squire was quick. She immediately stopped searching my pockets to look in the bag.”
“The whole time I was being loud. Yelling at them. Trying to sew doubt that maybe they got the wrong person. That damn squire shut me up though with a ******** sock and tape from my bag. They didn’t find the pen then and later on when I was being questioned by the Earth Knight it was clear she didn’t know what item it was.” But that interrogation was yet to come.
“After the squire silenced me, they argued over leaving with me. I think the first attack was meant to knock me out but it failed. The one holding me was adamant that they couldn’t move me while still awake. Next thing I knew she forced me to my knees by kicking my legs out from under me, before coming round and hitting me with her weapon.” A hand rose up to the bruise that mottled the side of his face and head. By now it was turning green and yellow, but was still a bit tender to the touch. “It was an Earth Knight. I caught enough of a look at her before she knocked me out to confirm that.”
The mug in his hand became a spot for Aelius to divest some nervous energy. His thumb moved up and down the vessel in swift, even-tempo strokes. He paused only when taking sips of the cooling liquid.
“I have no idea how they transported me. When I woke up I didn’t even know where I was. All I knew was my head ached and was bleeding, I was cold, hog-tied, and the room I was in was bare and dusty. I am not even sure how long I was out.”
Faustite
If they had any doubt, Aelius's yelling should have exacerbated it. The fact that they hadn't flinched off their plot and fell back on their moralistic inanity suggested that they must have had irrefutable evidence. Had they seen him transform at some point?
Nodding, Faustite took down the explanation as quickly as he could. He paused only to shake out the burgeoning cramp in his writing hand. Aelius went on, thus so did he. Faustite didn't give himself any time to dwell on what was being said; he need only write it out verbatim.
But Aelius paused again, and thus his thoughts caught up with him. He made his statements in tentative, almost hesitant gesture. We'll need to go through the Database. See if any of the images in there match who caught you. Barring that, could try looking through your memories. Though that ordeal begged for time, and there was no guarantee that they could glean a memory of the event, let alone a useful one. Knight tech remained ever capricious, no matter how influenced by the Rift's negative energy.
Faustite rolled his fist about, eliciting routine pops from his wrist. Once he squeezed the delicate bones a few times, he motioned for Aelius to continue with his story. Pen in hand, Faustite was prepared to write.
Aelius Drayson
“I’ll do either, honestly. Whichever you feel might be more useful. Though I did catch two names throughout all of this. Assuming they were legit, of course. At the time they captured me there wasn’t any utterance of who they were. The Earth Knight was Hy-Brasil. She announced it later on the night you came to rescue me. The squire, I never heard her name.
“The squire seemed less interested in me and more interested in whatever information I could give her about starseeds. She was the first one to question me. I tried confusing her. Continued on with the innocent act and asking questions to try and push her off my trail but it didn’t work. She made it VERY clear it didn’t work. I couldn’t see exactly what she did with how they had me trussed up. To top it off she pinned me down, but she must have done something beyond threatening me with her weapon which I didn’t get a good look at. At one point she ******** hit me in the balls and I have never felt such intense pain there before.”
“By then she made it very obvious she knew who I was. My magic and my name. She knew I was on your team and knew of others on the team as well. There wasn’t a point in me fighting it anymore so I just confessed. By then I was hoping I could get information from her too.
“She was very curious as to why we needed starseeds, what we did with them, and if we kept records of who we took them from. Honestly, it sounded to me like she was searching for someone and trying to figure out what may have happened to them. she wasn’t very careful with the direction of her questioning and she seemed almost desperate to get the info she wanted. I only fed her what I felt was safe to tell her.” That, Aelius had been very careful with. He had drawn a mental line and was willing to talk to a point. If the information didn’t seem crucial, he offered it up on a silver platter. Otherwise, he had been ready to take a beating for anything else.
“After her, Hy-Brasil came in to question me. She was very focused on you. Us.” He remarked. “Somehow she knew that our relationship is…was more than just team member and leader. I have no clue how, but she grilled me on it. Everytime I answered her negating the fact we were anything but involved, she took it upon herself to break items out of my bag. Honestly, I was willing to let her go at it, until she pulled out my pen.”
He sighed obviously frustrated with himself. His pause was to collect himself as well as let Faustite catch up or stretch out his hand again. Surely all of the writing was growing tiresome. He took a bigger swig of the tea, the mug now almost gone for how much he attended to it.
“I confessed then that we had been with each other but no longer. That paused her rampage on my items but I am pretty sure that’s when my ribs were cracked. She hit me with her damn staff both in my side and my shin. Then she turned to questioning me about my time in the negaverse. She asked about people I killed and how long I’d been enlisted. My smart a** mouth got the better of me. While I didn’t directly answer her with anything. More of a roundabout comment that I didn’t keep track of things. That got me a hit to the face with her weapon. Honeslty she’s ******** aggressive. Not once did she seem bothered about hurting me.”
“From there she asked questions about the team. How many of us there were. I lied withs ome arbitrary number. Who was strongest besides you, and to that I just said every Eternal and General. I was answering her enough it seemed, but then she asked about how many soverigns there were.” His thumb stopped it’s incessant movement on the mug. “I wasn’t willing to divulge that. Not sure if it was to confirm already known numbers or not, but that seemed too riskly to divulge. That’s when she broke my pen.
“she didn’t ask much after that. She wanted to know more about me. She knew Waru’s name. Got it from my phone, which she had also broken at some point before coming in to talk to me. And Helen, my manager. I attempted to play them. up as no one important to me. Thankfully, Waru’s name isn’t his full name. Just Waru. So he wouldn’t be easy to find. Helen…Well I am sure she’d be fine if they decide to investigate her. To my knowledge she has no association with any faction.”
Faustite
So that was who they were facing: two hopelessly ignorant, careless knights who had endangered Aelius's life for a few scraps of basic information. For all they vaunted their ridiculous ethics, they were willing to toss his life aside for information that the White Moon likely already had. Why the ******** would they care about recording the names of the people they starseeded? What good would all that extra paperwork do them? Faustite's writing hand already cramped enough as it was; they were better off without such sentiments clogging up their workflow.
As for the other one — didn't they know the answer to that, too? They fought Laurelite and Apatite in the Dark Kingdom before his time. Apatite, Hessonite, Axinite and Lepidolite were all present when they had constructed a corruption field. Obviously they knew Faustite was among their number. And while he'd seen records of others, while he had met Tanzanite but once, he hadn't laid eyes on them in an age. Maybe dead, maybe transferred.
By far, the worst of their questioning was aimed at his and Aelius's relationship. Even Aelius was clueless how they found out; Faustite seldom wore his affections when facing the enemy. So how the ******** would they know? Was it someone on the team who let it slip? Or someone who hated Aelius? Who hated him?
And they would have to watch Waru, too. Make sure he wasn't taken — and that he wasn't seen with Aelius. Compromising him would mean compromising most of the team, given how sloppy the boy was with keeping his lives separate. Faustite chewed his lower lip until he felt the skin break, but continued chewing nonetheless.
This will mean a lot of damage control, he signed. You might have been careful, but Waru isn't. Can't say about the people at your coffee shop, either, especially if they've seen you two together. And if they find him out through your routine and catch him unawares, we face a grievous amount of compromise. Him, me, your brother, Syrus, Emmy — that stands to cripple the team. Faustite's demeanor sagged under the weight of such a grim outlook. That they could be set so far back by a couple of fledglings and a simple mistake, yet they weren't smart enough to figure out who or how? All the power that Faustite wielded at his beck and call, and it took another White Moon senshi before he could save a boy from certain doom?
Small wonder Schörl laughed at him so. He could all but hear it now.
Aelius Drayson
Unconsciously, the boy mimicked Faustite’s as the other sank further into his chair. This was quite literally a whole ******** mess and it became clearer and clearer that things could have gone, still could go further south. “The only good thing about this is neither of us will have a reason to go back to any of our routines or visit any of those places again.” He winced as he thought some more on the subject. “Some of the regulars at the dance studio have also seen Waru and interacted with him. Again though, he never gave his full name from what I can remember.
“This is so incredibly frustrating.” He huffed wearily. “Makes me feel as if trying to have any semblance of a normal life is nothing but one big careless mistake that could get any of us into serious trouble.” Any sort of habits, routines, or friendships could easily spell doom for anyone if Order managed to gain anymore information about anyone. For all Aelius knew, his entire life was an open book for those two ******** knights.
“I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt, but I’ll be honest, they didn’t seem to be well organized. Almost like things were done in a rush.”
Aelius began to detail the meeting that happened the night that he’d been retrieved. Where he could give names he could (Grieve and Hy-Brasil) and anyone else he gave physical descriptions of. “They had no idea what to do with me. It was obvious that their planning had only gone so far. Grieve was the first one to mention killing me off. Others looked…hesitant about it. Some agree with her saying it was safer for them all. Also so my starseed could return to the cauldron.” Such a silly thing how much some of them there seemed to consider the cauldron as some sort of off on button for his soul, like a computer.
“They eventually went off on their own to discuss things. A few came in to talk to me on their own.” Aelius briefly explained events with each person who had come to him one-on-one. Grieve with her forceful ‘feeding’ and questions, the Knight who had drained him even more with his magic (Promethei), Muri’s visit and how he offered assistance and promise of help, The aquatic looking alien senshi and his interrogation (Thalassa), and the fairy-winged senshi that attempted to offer food and water that Aelius refused despite her more softer tone and gentle disposition. He made sure to give as much detail as he could about each encounter and each person. Needless to say it was exhausting on him and by the end of it Aelius was certain that Faustite’s hand was cramping even more. Aelius took care to give pauses throughout the story to give the half-youma moments to stretch his fingers, but Aelius plowed through it all, just wanting to get it out at that point.
“Grieve will be a problem I think.” He commented. “Out of all of them she seemed the most aggressive and willing to do whatever it took to get the results she wanted.” There were just some people you knew upon meeting them that they were going to be troublesome. He could still see her eyes as she watched him, talking about Chaos’s effects on him. As if he was nothing more than vermin like the rat she had shoved in his mouth.
Faustite
Faustite struggled to keep up after a time. His wrist wanted to lock up continually, which was a problem that hadn't abated since he was shot to hell by Cybele's arrows. It was his luck that such a crucial letdown hadn't happened in battle — but he seldom held his weapon long enough to tempt his wrist into failing him. Here, though, in the midst of a deposition? Faustite had begun wishing that he had the sense to bring Headache along regardless, that he'd ordered his youma to tape the whole of it for later dissection by the relevant branches. As Headache oft liked to remind him, though, he was no Schörl. His plans fell far short of that mark.
After the third time he had to pause and stretch his wrist again, he sighed. War was such a crippling affair and his accumulated damage wore on him for how it deprived him of the simplicity of his tasks. He used to write for pages without needing a break, just as he used to be able to speak. But Aelius was ill served by such a segue into self-pity.
So he forced himself onward, recording descriptions and conversations as well as Aelius could recall them. His memory proved quite intact for what must have been a harrowing few days. Or perhaps Aelius was unperturbed by his captors, knowing that none of them could figure out what to do with him. Either way, Aelius didn't get into it. He moved on in his recap, and so did Faustite, his pen ever chasing the boy's words.
Only two of their kind sounded like they might deserve less violence. Maybe they could be tempted with an informant deal, in which the Negaverse could keep an eye on them and incentivize them to leak the White Moon's goings-on to the Negaverse properly. Obviously, one of them was Murikabushi, to whom he owed a favor for sparing one of his teammates a dismal, wasteful death. The other was the winged girl who tried to feed him. Could've been fishing for secrets, playing the sympathetic ear, but that was more easily gleaned from peering into memories.
Right, he signed. Seemed ready to kill you. Might've, if we didn't have a bargaining chip. She looked like a ******** half-youma to me. And she knew my name. That alone was reason enough to sign her death warrant, all else aside.
I'll get this information out to others in the branch. Start getting some surveillance together. Need to find someone to head that investigation. Anything else you want recorded?
Aelius Drayson
His eyes narrowed. “Your name? I assume you don’t mean Faustite…” Did he mean his civilian guise name? Elex? “Your past life name? She was very curious about my own name and wanted to learn it in case she knew me in a past life. Not that I indulged her.” Aelius hadn’t ever bothered to learn his name previous to being corrupted. It felt purposeless to bother knowing so he couldn’t have told Grieve if he wanted to.
“I agree. It seemed the likliest outcome after what I heard.” And it had bothered him in the last few hours of his time captive. Sure, he had put up a front, but knowing that death loomed over him felt like the grim reaper was standing there, scythe against his neck. IT was an eye-opening experience. Something that humbled and altered his thinking process whenever he remembered the terror of the moment. Honestly, he needed to sit and reminisce on the whole thing now that he was more whole and hale from it. He needed to process it all. Perhaps he would request a new notebook, cause he wasn’t at all going to request a single item be retrieved from the apartment. For all he cared, to keep everyone safe, the place and items in it could be left to rot. Let his landlord take care of dealing with it now.
He shook his head. “No. At least I don’t think so. To be honest, things are a bit hazy at times. Like, after my interrogation from Hy-Brasil. I was in enough pain after that I wasn’t paying much attention to anything happening near me. There’s other hazy moments, between snippets of sleep, but nothing of any importance that I can remember. Just the remembrance of voices and people around me. I can only assume it was the Squire and the Knight most times. I don’t think they brought in others before the last night.”
His feet were growing colder by the minute. To alleviate that, and also ease an anxiety that had begun to churn as he went through his few days missing, Aelius scooted himself up and back against the chair back, and brought his legs up to sit criss-cross style on the chair. He winced a bit as he pulled at some scabbing on his ankles in the process, but it didn’t stop him from tucking his feet practically under himself in the process. To some it may have looked awkward, and it certainly wasn’t the best, but with his feet tucked under his legs, they began to warm. He could also lean forward, leaning an elbow on each knee. “Is there anything I can do at this point to help with mitigating the chance of anymore damage being done to the team?”
Faustite
Eion. Called me Eion.
Faustite fell silent for a time, looking down at the pages of notes as he was. He abandoned the pen to its metal holster and stretched a hand silently as he tried to think of what to say. As he tried to think of anything. So draining were the past few days, however, that Faustite found his well of words entirely dried up.
Aelius should be sent to medical, he knew. While the physical hurts were knit once again, kidnapping — a hostage situation — usually mandated a visit. Particularly since he was compromised.
And now, with the deposition taken, the boy had nothing but time to do just that.
His attention returned to Aelius with the question. No, he signed. That's my responsibility. Best that you see someone in medical and talk it out. Whatever they do there. See that it doesn't set you back.
I've a lot to do in the mean time. So much to do, in fact, that he didn't know where to start. The toll of the past few sleepless nights culminated in a directionless worry that only festered whenever he tried to think his way through the convoluted puzzle facing him. It did not wane, nor could it be assuaged with any logic that Faustite could contrive. He knew that, if the White Moon was determined enough, all they would need to do is unravel Albite's identity and they would essentially be handed the rest of the team due to his husband's natural carelessness.
And that was but one small part of their conundrum.
Faustite shifted then, fingernails touching glass to draw Aelius's attention before he excused himself. Thanks, he signed. Whatever that was worth.
Aelius Drayson
Seemed he was being left out of whatever follow-ups needed to happen now. He hated it, honestly, but there wasn’t much that he could do to be honest. Wasn’t like he was useful right now anyway. He was compromised as a civilian and had no way to power up until his pen was finally repaired. Still, he wasn’t a fan of the idea of just sitting back and letting others deal with the fall out of this.
Poor Faustite looked…well, he looked exhausted. The General King, while formidible and terrifying in his own right, and someone Aelius certainly trusted to take care of things, was still a person who required rest. He now knew how little sleep the boy tended to get anymore, Aelius himself having seen it first hand. This whole mess was going to to trigger an obsessive need in Faustite, Aelius just knew it. He’d seen how focuse Faustite could get when a problem was presented. He just hoped that it didn’t run Faustite into the ground.
Actually, he’d make sure of it. Even if he had to pin the boy to the bed himself to make sure he got rest.
He uncrossed his legs and stood just as Faustite’s nail tinked on the glass of the table. Gold eyes lifted upwards to catch the simple sign. A smile. “Thank you.” He said softly in return. Sincerely, he couldn’t thank Faustite enough for everything that had been done for him since his retrieval. Especially because Faustite had found it within himself to stay. To be there and nurture in his own way and that reached and affected Aelius in ways he could never put to words.
He turned then to the door that would lead him out of the flame-proofed room and into the hallway. He paused a moment, hand against the door frame as he looked back. “Just…” He paused a bit hesitantly before plunging on. “be careful and make sure you get some rest. ok?”
He gave it a few more seconds, offering up another smile, before slipping out of the room and making his way to medical.
kolina
