abraxaslogs | I don't trust, but I see right in front of me

He doesn't flinch at the touch but he does tense.

So.

That's fine.

Expected, really.

He also tries to keep the fur pressed to the body though instead of hanging down so that Istredd can't see all the mess on the other side as Lucifer continues to work. Which means he isn't trying to push Istredd away.

Lucifer's been 'pretty good' at this relationship thing but here's the clarity now where he isn't. The actual 'partner' part of the partnership. He relies on Istredd, sure, more than he relies on anyone, but he's a solo person by nature of his life. Because as Istredd's said, everyone else has always abandoned him.

Keep it all in, that's the way of life.

But he's fine. He doesn't need help.

Even if the words 'you're not a burden' sink a little heavy in him.

"I'll keep that in mind," he says. While he'd prefer outright silence he knows he should scribble in an answer.

Sometimes you can't get the response you want right away. Istredd knows that intimately well. "I love you, Lucifer," he tells him quietly. But that is as far as he can go at this point without pushing, so he slides his fingers gently through Lucifer's hair and then backs off, over to a tree where he leans.

"For the record, I don't think I'd dislike myself for killing to save a loved one. I've just been around enough mages who start to enjoy it." And Istredd doesn't want to be that particular mage. That part of the Brotherhood. He doesn't want to enjoy hurting people but maybe a part of him thinks he could become that. He's said that the messed up mages are only a few centuries ahead of him. Maybe Stregobor is right that he is his natural heir, a few hundred years too early.

Anyway.

"We'll find more open spaces for you. There have to be a few of them that aren't attached to eternal darkness."

Edited 2023-07-06 18:55 (UTC)

They all have the potential of becoming those they hate the most.

It's one of the things Lucifer feared with Jack. That he'd just be another screw-up, another deadbeat.

He doesn't know what he was but he knows it wasn't good.

"It's easy to enjoy," he says, without any inflection. It's very easy for someone to lose themselves in killing. All things considered, Istredd, is body count in incredibly low thus far in Abraxas. He can't afford it to be high.

Does he dislike himself for it?

Lucifer dislikes a lot of parts of himself, but that's not part of it. That simply is. Fact of life. He is (was) the apex species.

"There have to be," he agrees. It's just whether or not they can get to them and be left alone.

He's making a final cut when he gets distracted by a dangle of blue in the tree above Istredd. Above you, is the warning. The familiar half-moon tail of the Gealaci Kucing. He guesses they all didn't move territories, then.

Istredd doesn't like to get his hands dirty. Literally, in this case. He studies Lucifer, intentionally avoiding the blood, but he isn't disturbed by how easy it is for him. He knows a lot of people it's easy for. It does make him think though and after his thoughts churn in negative cycling, he shakes it off. Not important.

Sorry I got swept away in being maudlin on our first hunt together. Lucifer likes to hunt, he was glad for Istredd to come with him. And Istredd's getting distracted. I was--- Whatever he is about to say is cut short at the warning and it's just in time. The Kucing had been hunting them, watching them with the instinct of a predator. Must have weighed the challenge.

It drops down specifically at Istredd and he snaps a hand like he's backhanding the creature and it goes flying back from the magic. He could tear it apart, they both know that. It's almost desirable right then, to give it blow after blow, until all it can do is cower and not even flee. The power vibrates in his hands but he lets it go. Lucifer told him to fight so he will.

He takes up Lucifer's spear and walks toward it as it shakes off the blast. He's been training with Lucifer for months now, it was required of him by his friend, but he hasn't put it into practice. Istredd takes up a fighting stance, the spear not his immediate preference, but good enough. The creature is not cowed, it prowls instead, waiting. He blocks the first vicious attack, using the spear's main body to keep the fangs back.

Maybe Lucifer isn't the person to get the chance to show off.

Honestly Lucifer should've expected Istredd to be maudlin.

Comes with the gig.

Istredd can no doubt feel Lucifer's appreciative eyes watching him. He's settled back on the ground, maneuvering the large swatch of cut hide, pulling out cord from his side pack and tightly wrapping the material together so that he'll be able to secure it on his back.

Gotta keep his hands free, after all.

But that is familiar motion, easy to not even watch his own hands work. He does not take his hyper-focused attention from Istredd, and he'll only step in if he thinks Istredd needs a hand, but he doubts he will. Istredd will resort to magic if he gets in a pinch.

I'd kiss you for this, he says easily, finishing the last twist of cord, but I wouldn't want to get you covered in blood.

...... Okay he might want that, but Istredd would definitely not.

I know I said it'd be interesting to see what we'd be like together, but you are awfully distracting.

Edited 2023-07-07 08:03 (UTC)

Istredd can use magic to bail himself out if it's looking bad but at the moment he is going to attempt to fight without it. Lucifer isn't wrong that this is one of the few times he can train in physical altercations. He spent a lot of time feeling helpless recently specifically because he lost his magic and it can be a crutch.

He doesn't have Lucifer's strength to fall back on either so he has to be smart. He pushes the creature back a step and anticipates another lunge so he spins to the side as it leaps quickly where he just was. Lightning fast with those claws so he'll have to stay out of them.

You are severely underestimating what I would tolerate for a kiss from you. It's more the gore that bothers him, the guts. It's not his favorite idea but he has never given up a chance to kiss Lucifer and he never will. He's a simple man that way.

Istredd is well aware of the eyes on him which could be distracting but it makes him focus instead. Lucifer's attention is something he always wants. But it wouldn't be good for either of them if the Kucing rips out his throat because of a wrong turn. He remembers what he's heard of this so the mild hypnotic tail does nothing.

Lucifer will recognize his own fighting style here, Istredd rarely uses what he learned sixty years ago from the Brotherhood. There is even a little grace in how he bobs and weaves, staying away from the claws, searching for openings instead of impulsively exposing himself. He uses the blunt side of the spear more than the point at first to knock it around, his stance defensive instead.

What will you give me if I manage to kill this without magic? He thinks his odds are good.

What? he sings. A kiss from me isn't temptation enough?

He considers making it more complicated, adding difficulty to the terrain, something else for Istredd to focus on. But he should keep apprised of the forest around them, much as he wants to increase the challenge. Make Istredd really work for it.

He hefts his makeshift backpack of hide around to his back and straightens. Just as tempting is leaning back into that gore while he watches the fight, but he's not that curious to see just how much Istredd can back up his words.

If anyone thinks you're the innocent one of this partnership, they don't know you very well. You've got a bit of a devilish side to you as well, Istredd.

And here I thought you had a good imagination.

Istredd taunts back at him, amused, and giving him any more difficulty is probably pushing it a little bit. He is holding his own but this is not natural for him, especially by intentionally avoiding his magic. He needs to find an opening soon or he will run out of wind, even if he does have more stamina than most. They've been working on that in the training.

I don't know what you're talking about, I'm very prim and proper.

Istredd huffs a laugh and the creature gets very close to slicing him. Those claws are sharp. If he is even the tiniest bit off, this could get blood quickly. He probably needs to stop playing defense if he is going to get out of this intact.

You like that about me. The devilish side. Admit it.

Istredd changes his stance from defensive to offensive, spear point out, and he slashes at the Kucing, sharp and quick forward, jabbing at its face so it is forced back a few steps. The best way to keep it from being so close where he's at a very serious disadvantage.

"You make it sound like that's a secret I wouldn't admit to," he says aloud, and then continuing with thoughts, I adore it, Istredd

Oh he can make things more challenging for Istredd through thoughts alone.

That's fun.

He is intensely watching Istredd now and it's become completely to make sure Istredd doesn't get mauled by Lucifer intentionally distracting him.

Well there is a thrill in danger, he says, far too easily. But defiling you on the forest floor is quite much even for the two of us, don't you think? He hums. The splinters and rocks dug into your back alone.

He picks blood out of the underside of his nails like he isn't aware of Istredd and the creature's every movements. I bet we could wake up a Dreunania though. They fall into such deep slumbers.

In all, less trolling, actual seriousness, Lucifer's thoughts come in that powerful, vast way, encompassing Istredd with an impossible clarity to them, an odd trill, I'll share with you a memory, he says.

There is some reassurance in feeling Lucifer's gaze on him because he knows how fast his lover is. Fast enough to probably keep him from actually getting mauled and making this less fun of a conversation. He does stutter for a moment at that defiling suggestion, missing what would have been a good hit to the creature's head and getting its shoulder instead.

Still underestimating what I'd do for you.

Flirting is fun for what it is, although who really knows with him. He'd prefer a bed but if he's willing to kiss Lucifer covered in blood, he's not exactly picky. He knows Lucifer is only joking though. It would probably be very uncomfortable. Istredd thinks it's best for him not to flirt too much, that's a one way road to him getting eaten before they can kiss at all.

Good enough for me.

Istredd loves knowing things about Lucifer, as he well aware of by now. He's starving for all the details, all the data. Sharing a memory sounds too dangerous of an option for him to focus on this and he just manages to block a jerk forward of very sharp teeth.

He makes a decision, his intention in there, to let it get close on purpose so it thinks it is closer to its prey. He is applying enough force back and weight, giving some ground, before intentionally releasing his grip. If it was ready, it would have been able to bite him quite seriously, and instead by the time it bares its fangs at him, ready to chomp, he is already swinging the spear under and firmly stabbing up into it.

The teeth is a little too close to his shoulder for comfort but he successfully pushes it off, and only then seems to run out of breath. Istredd wavers slightly, he isn't used to this. Adrenaline is pounding through him as he looks up at Lucifer. Payment, please. Memory.

"Ohhh, look at you," Lucifer purrs, now in Istredd's space, tapping a finger beneath Istredd's chin--the one that has the least amount of thick blood still on it. The pride is very strong in him, for Istredd. "I think you do deserve a little extra." He kisses him, deep. What? He's skilled at multitasking.

Lucifer shares with Istredd the first feeling of flight for an angel, the memory. It's very abstract, less imagery than usually Lucifer's memories are.

They have wings and the ability to fly as a bird, but flight can be different for them.

It's holding Earth in their palms and knowing every detail, every curve of a river, mountain peak. Highway, mile markers, street names. The entire scope of a world-in-making sprawled out below and then the constant changing design, whether it be nature or human nature.

He knows Istredd struggles with losing ground, from not being able to touch feet to an immovable surface, but this feeling is from Lucifer's point of view. Istredd may think vertigo but the sensation is absent if he tries to reach for what should be his reality.

Instead it's fledgling creation, new wings, new experience. The uncertainty and the joy and the freedom of it all. Istredd witnesses the conceptual grasping everything at once in the mind and flying instantly to a point, a mountain range, and the entire flight is held under Lucifer's wings--and Istredd's, and thus far in Lucifer's early existence it is the best thing he's ever done.

Istredd leans into the kiss and as promised, barely notices the blood now that he is focused on that instead. He pulls out of it to gasp as the memory sweeps through him and he goes through a literal out of body experience. Vertigo is more a problem for when it's his real body struggling for its feet, but this feels closer to a dream.

The sensation of flying and the freedom that comes with it, and the point of view it gives Lucifer of the world he loves, the nature aspect of it. It makes more sense why he created all those sprawling parts of his domain, how he has such detail for the beauty of places he knows. Was it always from up here? Everything feels so large but not in an intimidating way.

He leans his forehead against Lucifer's as he takes it all in, eyes closed, the thrill making his heart beat even faster after the fight. Istredd understands then how harsh it would be, locked away from this so long, when the joy of it was something Lucifer had first. He's seen Lucifer's wings and his true form, he can see that existing in this place.

Istredd doesn't have memories of equal beauty, although no human probably could have an equal memory. Your mind, he grasps Lucifer's shirt and runs hands up past his shoulders. Blood taken along the way, unavoidable. Is so. Istredd kisses him again, intently. Beautiful.

Lucifer leans into the kiss. He smears the barest streak of blood to Istredd with his other hand, pulling down from his jaw bone, following a vein. He'll only get rid of it if Istredd happens to gag and by get rid of it well he'll likely just lick it off.

But it's the only blood he purposefully gets on Istredd.

Anything else is Istredd's own fault.

No one has the equal memories to share in return. Even each of Lucifer's brothers have a differing perspective from each other. Maybe that was done by their Father on purpose, to give them all roles.

Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil--

Be Evil.

Thankfully I haven't broken yours yet.

It's fine, his shirt is already tainted considering he's leaning into Lucifer this way, and he is not free from blood himself. The creature he just killed did spray a little as he stabbed it through with the spear so this is the situation currently. It's in his hair, on his throat. Istredd is pointedly not thinking about how insane they're going to look coming out of the forest this way.

He tilts his head slightly to the side so Lucifer's fingers can move from his jaw bone to the pulse and anywhere from there. Istredd knows if he actually pays attention it may be disturbing but he is currently kissing the sense out of himself. Lucifer has a skill for getting him out of his mind.

So far. His mind is at its brightest when they are blending together so strongly, like it is glowing from use. I was a goner from the moment you let me touch it.

Istredd knows vaguely when all the steps happened that got him here, and he assumes even without the bond they may have had something, he thinks there is something about them that was always going to click. But he couldn't resist Lucifer's mind.

He stops kissing only because he needs to breathe, his heart still pounding, air unsteady. Never would he think that killing and blood would actually be a turn on, but that is Lucifer. Always surprising him. Or maybe he's drunk on adrenaline, hard to say. Three kills, we'll have plenty of coin to buy you a drink.

Nocwich is a territory of vampires and werewolves. They'd have more concern about becoming someone's snack because of all the blood than anyone looking at them funny. Heck, they make a blood wine drink (which Lucifer very much likes, just ask Kell, who hates it).

Lucifer was likely a goner from the moment he let Istredd touch hands over his injuries but he doesn't say that. Still barely knows how to process much of... anything. Tangled threads, slowly unraveling into something that makes sense from an angel's perspective.

They never would've gotten anywhere without the bond.

Well. Untrue. They both, barring catastrophe, have very long lifespans.

So maybe eventually Lucifer would believe anything Istredd would ever say without the safety net of the bond backing those words.

But it would have lost them the acknowledgement and acceptance of Lucifer's true form and that--

Ah.

Lucifer chases Istredd's 'retreat' but kissing alongside his lips instead because he's not into asphyxiation.

... Probably.

"We should be able to get out no problem," he says into Istredd's skin. "We currently smell like two predators, that should work in our favor." They could always fly-portal but where's the fun in that?

It was a mistake, what he did with the bond, and he wouldn't change it. He would always make the same choice, given the chance. This is eternal, exhilarating, and addictive. Istredd would go so far as to say there is a hint of destiny to them. That is his romantic side, believing in meant to be.

At the time he assumed Lucifer was grumbly but saw the logic in letting him help clean up. Now he is aware of how unusual it was for Lucifer to allow that much touch and barely argue. That little bit of trust went a long way.

He closes his eyes briefly and lets Lucifer press as many kisses as he wants on his face, his to devour, tenderly running fingers through Lucifer's hair. There is some blood on him due to touching his shirt, but he knows Lucifer won't mind. He likes it.

"You like this, don't you?" His other hand climbs up Lucifer's spine. "That I accept your dark side too."

Lucifer doesn't mind the blood; Lucifer downright enjoys it. Relishes in it. Maybe even goes as far as cherishes Istredd with patches of it painted on parts of him.

They're supposed to be leaving the woods.

They're doing a great job at that.

"I wouldn't accept you if you didn't."

That's straight-up fact. Stone-cold concrete. That Lucifer is at his core more dark side than anything, that he may change and shift but that will always linger in some form. That he isn't expected to change so heavily, that this is a part of him, that Istredd not only accepts it but also doesn't try to ignore it, dismiss it, put it in a box and pay attention to whatever's left behind.

Istredd is trying to ignore the reality of getting himself dirty like this but he is doing fine, he isn't feeling uncomfortable about it. It helps that having Lucifer this close makes him not think about anything else. Or maybe he's just getting more used to it himself.

There are some things they are trying to change about each other, but it's not about fundamental personality traits or because they don't like it. It is more about piecing themselves into each other's lives and encouraging change where it is right. Opening up to one another and finding comfort in understanding.

Istredd has been warned about Lucifer's dark side more than once, including from Lucifer himself, and he always says some form of 'I know.'

He kisses Lucifer again, hungry and playful at the same time, his hands trailing blood through his hair, curling on his neck. It's one of my favorite things about you. The darkness, parting ways for beautiful light at times, powerful and unshakeable. He stopped questioning his attraction and the reasons for it. It is a fact.

It did feel good, he admits. The fight.

The other ones were easy and he was satisfied that he was doing well, but not cheating with his magic did make it more challenging. And the surge of pride that Lucifer gave him was satisfying too. Maybe he did need an outlet and to put a little fight into keeping alive.

Lucifer is extraordinarily good at keeping Istredd distracted from... quite a lot. But in this case, this is small, and easy, and Lucifer being Highly Invested makes it work out nicely in his favor.

He's tempted to push, trap Istredd against a tree.

But while he's confident they can get out of the forest by their sheer level of blood contents, even he doesn't want to toy with Fate. Lucifer has had enough Hunting Ground trips go quickly sour to know better.

"And you didn't need any help. Those felines are my primary, preferred opponent. Their swiftness, ruthlessness, tricks... all make them very good to up your game against." He splays his hands against Istredd's back, nips at the underside of his ear, and then forces himself to draw away. "I'm confident that if your magic ever gets suppressed again, you'll be just fine." Enough, anyway. Enough matters.

The nip gets a slight intake of air as nips usually do and he leans into Lucifer as he retreats, physically protesting the space before he can think of the words, and forces himself to stop before trying to pull him back. It's smart, even if they could fight more, they shouldn't. It's entirely Lucifer's fault that he gets caught up in him, of that Istredd believes strongly.

"The trained warriors weren't doing much good in there either." So it wasn't only about magic suppression, they were all fucked up in a variety of ways. But Istredd knows what he's doing. It does make him feel less helpless. "But it helps, Lucifer." It's not easy to react to loved ones struggling. Lucifer's been doing his best.

"If I kiss you again we're not leaving so. Ten feet apart." Istredd's joking. Mostly. They're always playing a little bit with fire, it's the problem. He does finally become aware of just what a disaster he looks like but it doesn't make him stomach turn. Blood, eh. He reaches down to pull Lucifer's spear out and offer it to him.

"Any way we could ... bring the corpses there and they can do the tearing it apart aspect?" It's hopeful because he would much rather carry them out than have to carry out whatever pieces Lucifer has instead.

He ignores most of Istredd's chatter because having grown accustomed to his own power cut, he can see it happening to Istredd again in another unknown circumstance. The basic knowledge is important.

The basic knowledge backed by actually taking down a predator that could spell life or death is priceless.

Lucifer temporarily swings off his backpack of hide to take off one of his layered tunics and toss it towards Istredd. "You're going to carry the cat," Lucifer says cheerfully. "You can wrap it in that to make yourself feel better. But that animal is the only lightweight thing we've got, and there's as much other useful parts to it that isn't just meat. It's never about the meat."

He reorients his backpack again and nods to the boar bodies, one with the missing large chunk of hide. "Forest will reclaim them quicker than you'd imagine." The scavengers will have a field day today.

Istredd shouldering a corpse is enough reason to keep them ten feet apart.

"Also we have to pay to get them to cut out the bodies themselves, so it really defeats the purpose."

Welcome to hunting for sport more than gain, Istredd.

Istredd is definitely thinking about the time Geralt showed up and threw a monster head on the floor in front of him. That he had to deal with. It's not as if he can turn it off. "I don't need the tunic, the blood is fine, it's the rest." Why would the other parts bother him when the blood and corpses are just as bad? No idea, don't ask him, he's reacting in real time to new experiences!

"Don't judge me for being squeamish, I'm new to this." It's possible at some point in the future he'll have done this enough times he's more natural with it. This isn't going to be his last trip, that much at least is certain. He doesn't think Lucifer is being judgmental, ish, it could be him that's judgmental of himself. Typically how it goes.

"Fine, no, I'm here to learn, we'll ... do what will get the best price. That's the point. It would be nice to not be poor for a few days." Istredd frankly always had the Brotherhood bankrolling him and other interested parties. He is quite spoiled with that in mind.

"I'm not judging you, I'm trying to protect one of our sets of clothing." And Lucifer's entire outfit will need to be burned at this point. Sure, it's Thorne-provided. But it's still his.

If Lucifer was judging him he wouldn't have offered the tunic.

"I'd trade you the hide but honestly that's worse," he says. It's a whole lot less... contained, despite the cord holding it together. It's occasionally seeping. "But unless you have a magic bone saw," which would be a real bummer to hold back from Lucifer's knowledge, "we can't harvest the tusks. This is the best we've got."

"No thank you," he says very quickly about the hide. He sees that it is occasionally seeping! The cat is perfectly reasonable and Istredd is strong enough to handle it. Istredd glances at the boar. Most of the time, the tusks would be easy to get if it was only on the head, but this is all over the place.

He stops himself from asking anything else, like whether they can carry it, or anything else, because obviously Lucifer would have already thought of any of that if it was an option. He does know what he's doing after all. Istredd calls back the arrows he'd been using as weapons, the ones that didn't break during the fight, and puts them into his quiver. He'll have to move it to the other side of where the cat will have to go.

"Do they let people bring wagons in here? Because next time, we could put one at a strategic location. We could probably carry something heavy that far." He gets that the woods don't have a lot of 'wagon friendly' areas, but he's not saying they have to bring it in deep. Near the entrance would be fine, less cumbersome than the entire way back.

He decides his own tunic is already bad enough, so he's going to leave Lucifer's mostly clean tunic alone. The cat can bleed on him some more.

He'd once tried to tie up and drag a dead boar behind him.

Predictably it didn't go well for him.

They're not enormous creatures but they're not small either, and the tusks will ruin someone's life.

He spins his spear between his hands, not watching Istredd try to get himself in order. He'll only get moving when he senses or hears so kind of go ahead from Istredd.

"They don't even let us bring in our own weaponry, I doubt they'd allow a wagon."

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too bad my other character isn't there

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