abraxaslogs | [open] july catchall

[ He's the one to spot him first, and it hits him with a jolt. Immediately he moves - usually he's relatively careful not to startle him, but there's an urgency driving him now that has him appearing at Viktor's side, and before he's had a chance to turn and notice his approach he's gripping his shoulder. ]

Hi.

[ He croaks out the greeting, his expression muddled, the relief in his eyes at odds with the pinch at his brow, the way he's looking him over for any sign that he's not been physically well after all that happened to him in the past month, two months now since they were last able to see each other like this. ]

[Viktor expects to be spotted, instead of the other way around--Kyle is better at this than him, and Viktor stands out. The hand on his shoulder has him momentarily tensing, but as soon as he turns his shoulders relax in apparent relief.]

Kyle.

[His worry is betrayed by the slightest hint of a smile, though his eyes still scan all over him in turn, looking for sign of injury. He's not sure how affectionate they should be in public and he fumbles his hands a little, not certain where to put them but very much wanting them on Kyle.

Viktor, for his part, looks more-or-less like he always does--underfed and lacking sleep--but nothing else is out of the ordinary.]

You're unharmed?

[ There's relief in confirming now that, at least physically, Viktor is doing all right. He's quick to answer the question in kind: ]

I'm fine.

[ The bandage isn't visible yet, hidden under his long sleeves - he means to explain that later along with his 'gift'. For now, he catches Viktor's hands without thinking. He's unsure whether he means to stop Viktor from touching him so close to the portals, or because he needs that contact so badly himself. They've had all those nights in Horizon, and it feels real enough, but comes with that qualifier. Real enough. This is real, plain and simple.

Kyle knows this isn't Basawar, he doesn't want to be weighed down by the fears he grew up with, or place them on Viktor. He can't completely shake his fears about Thorne using this against him one day, if the wrong person were to see them, especially after the month he's just had. So he gently but urgently leads Viktor at least around the broken wall he'd been leaning against, not exactly a dark alleyway, but enough cover for him to feel less anxious about pulling him close. ]

Good. That's--good. I'm glad.

[Viktor is glad Kyle catches his hands--Viktor thinks he might reach up to touch his face, otherwise. The Horizon is serviceable, and a necessity, given the long-distance nature of this relationship, but Viktor makes it no secret that he prefers the real world. To have someone want him as he is; to look at him the way Kyle is looking at him right now, in spite of everything about him.

He doesn't linger in the moment, instead allowing Kyle to pull him somewhere obscured. It's for both of their safety, he knows, but he can't help but feel a twinge of giddiness, the kind that comes from getting away with something illicit.]

I can't do the alley again. [A laugh, all of his relief spilling out of him at once.] Please tell me you have somewhere else to go.

[A bench, even. Just to sit and talk.]

[ Viktor laughs and that has him doing the same, shaking his head with a sheepish expression. He hadn't intended to pin Viktor against the wall like last time - but Viktor might notice a trend in his ability to plan for these outings: as in, he doesn't fully think it through, or maybe he just gets easily distracted whenever they meet like this, or both. ]

No - we can go to the inn and drop off our things, at least. [ He takes a step back, reluctantly releasing his grip on him and motioning for the bag Viktor has - he can carry it for him. He's still smiling, reflecting back that same giddiness, his skin already a little flushed with color. ]

We'll figure it out from there.

[ Or get distracted once they're upstairs. It doesn't matter so much to him, except that they get this time at all together. ]

Oh. Good.

[An additional wave of relief, both for Kyle's safety and his own slightly fragile constitution, that would probably not agree with him if they tried that again. He might ordinarily insist on carrying his own things, but Kyle offering is sweet, so he indulges and hands over the bag. It will allow them to move a little faster, if he isn't coordinating both his crutch and his things.

He can walk and talk, the way to the inn familiar by now, and then as Kyle says, they can figure it out from there.]

What did they tell you when they let you out?

[ He settles the second bag over his shoulder, pulling up his hood before they step back out onto the lit street and letting Viktor lead. At a glance it might make him look like a manservant, which wouldn't be a bad thing. It's a little funny to him, too. ]

Nothing much. [ His mouth twists down at one side as that levity from only a moment ago slips from his tone as well. ] Just that I need permission to leave the castle for the next couple of weeks.

[ They let him leave for Nocwich this weekend which is all he really cares about right now. He shakes his head. ]

The guards are only doing what they're told. I'll have to speak to Sidwell.

[ To find out where he stands, exactly. ]

[Viktor is aware that returning to discussion of politics might sour the mood, but they're going to have to talk about this sooner or later. He wants to reach out with his free hand, to offer some kind of comforting touch as they walk, but he refrains, noting that Kyle is keeping a step behind.

Probably for the best. It's safer. Viktor will have to get used to this--but then again, they haven't been together in person enough for there to be anything to get used to.]

I'm surprised they're letting you stay overnight.

[Unless they aren't? But if he's talking about the inn, then Viktor can only assume.]

Do you think that's wise?

[It's no more foolish than Viktor seeking an audience with Reiner, to air his grievances. But he's fairly certain Reiner doesn't want to imprison or otherwise eliminate him. There's worry in his voice, as he says it.]

[ Some mirth slips back into his voice: ]

I told them I have a very pale and demanding lover waiting for me here. [ And if they assumed it was an Ikorran, he didn't dissuade the notion. It's better to lie with some truth. ] I have to return to the castle to check in sometime in the morning each day.

[ He just can't be allowed to oversleep. He'll take the extra annoyance in exchange for being allowed to spend more time here. And as for Sidwell - he frowns again ]

I need to know his plans for Thorne. And the Singularity.

[ Might as well ask the man himself, get a better read on him. He stayed to protect the others, but that isn't the only reason for him to stay in Thorne. If the new king has different intentions for the Singularity, that could be bad.

Kyle slips ahead of Viktor to open the door to the inn for him - he'll let him take care of setting them up with a room this time. ]

You did not. [Oh no. Did he? Viktor's lips pull tight, an indication that he might be slightly mortified by the thought of Kyle saying such a thing, and is now entertaining the possibility that this is what happened.] Tell me you didn't.

[If Viktor realizes that he's not beating the demanding allegations, he doesn't show it, only deterred by the fact that he needs to talk to the inn employee in order to secure them a room. He can live with Kyle needing to duck out in the morning--he'll get some work done, while he's gone, so as not to lose an entire weekend of progress, but that much doesn't need to be said.

He doesn't answer Kyle about Sidwell until they're making their way up the stairs, which Viktor does gingerly as always.]

His plans for you too, I hope. If you think he'll be that straightforward.

[ His objection only makes Kyle laugh, ducking his head and giving no further answer as they enter. He follows Viktor up the stairs, murmuring in answer: ]

I plan to be straightforward.

[ Truthfully, he has no idea what Sidwell will want from him at this point. There had been no torture, the guards had only asked the same questions over again, and though they clearly were not happy with his answers, it earned him little more than an extra week of confinement. He's used to much harsher punishments, and doubts he might've gotten treated the same if the former queen had been the one that wanted something from him.

A small, very arrogant part of him is annoyed at the idea that Sidwell might think he has no need of him at all, though mostly because it means he won't be offered the ability to bypass the majority of Thorne's wards again. Logically he knows he should be glad if he's not asked to serve in any capacity, not irritated and anxious at the thought. And then there's whatever is going to happen when Viktor has his meeting at Portam Hall, which he means to ask about, but as they enter the room and shut the door he remembers the vial in his pocket. ]

I have something for you. [ He sets down the bags, fumbling for something in his pocket as he adds, self-consciously: ] Don't get too excited.

[ At least it's not a berry. ]

Edited 2024-08-12 17:34 (UTC)

As long as you don't get yourself in more trouble.

[Genuinely, Viktor doesn't think he can take it. It's not lost on him, that they've only been together for two months, even if it seems longer given everything that's happened. He knows that there's still the lingering remembrances of the imagined future, but this feels real. An anxiousness--an excitement he hasn't felt in some time, the way his stomach twists into a not-necessarily-unpleasant knot when Kyle laughs despite the circumstances.

The room is, if not the same one as before, set up identically, and that's nice too, reminding him of their first time here. With the bags taken care of, Viktor sets himself to pulling off his gloves and rolling up his sleeves. He's still anxious about displaying his arm in Cadens--Nocwich doesn't seem to be as much of a problem.]

You have something? [He pauses what he's doing, briefly, to raise an eyebrow in Kyle's direction.] What is it?

[ His expression softens. He can't sit idle in Thorne while war is still looming on the horizon, but he doesn't want to give Viktor more reason to worry. That's part of what this offering is meant for.

Kyle opens his palm, producing a small vial with dark, red liquid. His brow furrows. ]

Some of my blood. [ His gaze shifts from the vial in his palm to Viktor again, frowning. ] I don't plan on going missing - but we never know what's going to happen next. Blood can find blood, if you ever need to find me - for whatever reason. It should work with tracking spells here.

[ Thorne's, at least. But if the Free Cities has an equivalent, he's sure Viktor can figure it out. He's the one that helped find everyone last time.

Kyle raises both eyebrows. ] And if you still have it whenever you find a way to leave, maybe you'll use it to come visit me sometime.

[It's not like Viktor was expecting a present, but he isn't sure he anticipated this, either. Blood magic is not unheard of--Viktor has dabbled with it himself, both at home and here, and he does recall Kyle teaching him some of the magic from his world, when they had time over the course of a hundred years.

That said, he's not quite sure what to do with it. Viktor takes the vial gingerly, inspecting it for a moment before closing his fingers around it. This is, above all other things, practical, but the reference to his eventual departure gives him a moment of pause. He looks up at Kyle, searching.]

I don't expect a breakthrough in that department anytime soon.

[Not when he has the government breathing down his neck. Not when it's too dangerous to do any work. Still, he understands the importance of this offering, and Viktor steps closer, reaching out to brush his free hand against Kyle's.]

We might be stuck with each other for a while.

[ He's a little relieved when Viktor accepts the vial, and shakes his head with a crooked smile when he says he's still a ways off from traveling between worlds. He takes Viktor's hand in his own. ]

I know.

[ But, anything could happen to either of them. While in a cell he had time enough to wonder if he'd been too selfish in admitting his feelings and asking for this. The further they get from their time in that other future the less he worries about the ways they might clash and hurt each other, and more about how this all might just end, be it the Singularity's will or a misstep with their territories - both of them too far away to do anything.

He can push away those thoughts for now, though, and a teasing lilt returns to his voice as he takes a step closer: ]

I guess for now you can put it under a microscope and tell me how ordinary I am.

Then I would have less to use if I need to find you.

[He has no doubt that it appears ordinary under a microscope. Kyle gave this to him for one purpose, and Viktor does not intend to waste it. He can only hope that there will never come a time where he does need it--but better to have it and not need it, then to find himself without it.

Viktor is trying to make peace with the fact that he's made himself vulnerable again. That all of this could end in an instant, the way it did with Jayce. He wonders if he really could use this vial of blood to find Kyle across universes, if only to say goodbye.]

Thank you.

[That seems like the most appropriate thing to say, even if it's a slightly unconventional gift. They're close, now, with little distance between them, and Viktor doesn't hesitate to put his palm against Kyle's cheek, pulling him down so that he can kiss him.]

[ He nods, his expression shifting back from teasing to warm. If he can help it, he won't give Viktor a reason to need to track him while they're here.

Next time he has an occasion he'd like to give him a proper gift. He would like to give him something to make him smile, something without the weight of worry behind it.

He responds to Viktor's touch, leaning down to kiss him - finally. They could make do in Horizon. Maybe the difference shouldn't be too noticeable between there and here, generally, if they were constantly going back and forth. But after two months physically apart it's almost like leaving Basawar and arriving in Nayeshi, everything suddenly sharper in focus: how his lips are a little dry, how the scents of his workshop cling to him and his clothes, the taste of his mouth. Kyle's arms slip around his waist and pull him closer as he kisses him deep and needy, his chest coiled tight. He only barely breaks their mouths apart to ask quickly: ]

You don't have anything else to do first? [ No surprise meetings to rush off to? ]

[Viktor is aware of the connotations, and that it's not even a "gift" in the strictest sense--Kyle is giving it to him because some part of him fears the worst. He does too, in some ways. He's out of prison for now, but they're both acutely aware of how south things can go at any moment.

All the more reason to enjoy this, now. He tilts his head slightly, leaning into the kiss and allowing Kyle to support some of his weight. For the duration of it, until Kyle breaks away to ask him something, Viktor allows his world to shrink to only this, relishing how much better it feels in the real world.

He pulls away, reluctantly, eyes still half-closed.]

I thought we could do something.

[No meetings, no work (not yet, anyway). They understandably spent most of their time last visit in this very room, and though Viktor rarely misses a chance to go to Nocwich, exploring it with Kyle for the first time sounds...fun. Like a date.]

I plan to stay the weekend.

[ Kyle hums in agreement at we could do something, thinking with his lower brain only as he starts kissing Viktor again while one hand starts untucking his shirt from behind - something definitely lost in translation for a minute until he realizes very abruptly - ]

- do something... [ he pulls away again to look at Viktor, eyebrows furrowed as this processes for another second ] ... not here?

[ To be fair, he's never been able to go on anything resembling an actual date in his entire life. The closest he's gotten in recent time - which is still a stretch, was his awkward, half-attempt to get Viktor to drink with him in the tavern here and then they crashed a bicycle. ]

[He's not so easily distracted, though he's certainly used to and does not at all mind this kind of enthusiasm from a partner. Viktor does know, however, if they start now they might not stop, so he wants to be productive, first. They'll have plenty of time for this room later, if they can control themselves.

For now, this is very endearing. Viktor holds Kyle's face in his hands.]

You seem confused.

[Though, now Viktor is thinking about the platonic time they spent together in Nocwich, first in the baths, then drinking at the tavern and crashing a bicycle. They'll have to do things a little different, this time.]

An outing. Together. Anything you want to do.

[A DATE]

[ He scrunches his face at first to be told he's confused again while having his face held. His expression relaxes again as Viktor explains though, and he thinks about the offer. What does he want to do? ]

I haven't been to Ikorr since it opened for us. [ Not since the Epulum. He frowns slightly, continuing to think aloud: ] Or - that big ship they took us on once, the Arcanis. I heard it's docked in Luna.

[ He'd last been on it almost two years ago, now, and hadn't been in the mood to enjoy it's amenities at the time. It might be nice to have a meal on the deck, even if the ship's not moving anywhere. They had good desserts, too.

He searches Viktor's face, while also very helpfully fixing the shirt he had been trying to untuck a moment earlier. ]

Both good ideas.

[Viktor helps Kyle with the shirt-tucking, a crooked smile on his face. It's awkward, and one-handed, the other firmly pressed against Kyle's shoulder so that he can keep his balance.]

Provided you think it's safe to be seen together.

[He recognizes this as more of a him problem than a Kyle problem--though they both have notoriety in their respective territories, he doubts Cadens really cares about what he does in his free time. The same is not necessarily true for Thorne. But going out to Ikorr, away from prying eyes, sounds very nice, all things considered.]

[ He laughs again as they try to maneuver with each other to finish fixing his shirt, although the next thing Viktor says has him back to thoughtful - he pauses before answering. ]

I think it'll be okay. People know we've worked together before. [ On the bicycle. ] And they never asked about you when I was being questioned.

[ He takes a step back, looking over Viktor's shirt, then frowning toward the window. Luna and Ikorr feel a little safer to him, farther away from the portals that lead back to their territories. And both have bigger concerns right now, he can't see them individually stalking their Summoned through foreign territory. ]

It'll be fine. [ He says this again with more certainty, like he's only just talked himself into it. ] Let's go to Luna.

[ He'll pull up his hood again when they leave to walk to the portal, though. ]

That was before the Free Cities broke through the castle wards.

[Viktor says that softly, half-mumbled, with his eyes cast downward as he smooths out his vest. There's no indication that anyone knows his work was involved, but he can't help but fear what might happen if Thorne realizes just what happened.

Kyle is right, though, about the bikes, and if they didn't mention Viktor during his interrogation, that's a good sign. Best to keep things far away from the portals, though, and when the leave the inn and make their way through the cobblestone streets, he keeps a respectable distance between them. Kyle's raised hood evokes a similar caution.]

I wasn't well, the last time I was on the Arcanis. [Not that Kyle asked, but it's what's on the forefront of his mind, if they're headed there. He'd come back from that particular excursion chilled to the bone, and not long after that his illness began to catch up with him.] I'll be glad to experience it in a...better state.

[ Kyle gives a short, low hum in response. If they did know about Viktor's indirect involvement - and connected the two of them, it was almost for the best that Kyle was in the dungeons when the assault on the castle happened. But they can talk about it again later.

As they walk back to the portals and Viktor speaks up about himself, Kyle glances over with a slight frown. It's not often that Viktor talks about these things unprompted. He tries to think back to that time, if he can remember seeing Viktor anywhere on the ship - but he doesn't. He'd mostly been paying attention to Thorne Summoned, and spying on Abraxans. ]

Did they make you go?

[ He remembers the winter chill, especially on the island. He doesn't know the exact timeline of Viktor's illness and cure, but he can't imagine the climate being good for someone with damaged lungs. ]

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I meant for him to talk to Sidwell already but it's still ongoing so jaazzzzhands

it's fine time isnt real

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