"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
take me, take me back to your bed. i love you so much that it hurts my head.
say, i don't mind you under my skin. oh, let the bad parts in, the bad parts in.
He’s exhausted but he’s driven to complete the tasks Leliana set out for him. He’d gotten her and Sabbath home safe, found Chaol all the way in Tephra, and confronted Shiya regarding the safety of his children. His eyelids are heavy but there is still one final duty before he can rest his tired head tonight. The moon hangs, full and glowing, in the empty night sky above him. It casts just enough light to find his way to the river as he seeks out Dovev. She won’t rest until they’re all safe, he knows, and he’s desperate to give her peace of mind.
He steps through the river and the cold is biting the moment it touches his skin, but he continues on. Vulgaris ignores the way his breath puffs in front of his face before disappearing into the cold night air. On a different night, it might have tied his stomach in knots to swallow his pride and find Dovev, to bring him home where his family slept at night. But today he is unusually humble, too emotionally and physically worn out to fight anymore. He’s as complacent as can be without realizing it.
His gray head lifts when he spots the bone-armored creature ahead. The moon washes him ink black and pristine white in its glow, while Vulgaris’s scales all glimmer along the curve of his spine with each step closer. His eyes blink, slow and heavy, as he comes to a stop in front of him. Water still drips from the feathering along his legs but he either doesn’t notice or just doesn’t care at this point.
“Leliana wants to know you’re safe. She said you protected her,” he says with a slight tilt of his head. “She’s resting in the Brilliant Pampas. Adna’s sister was born premature.” Although the winter chill and the sting of ice forming on his coat doesn’t seem to bother him, saying the last part out loud takes a toll on him. He frowns briefly, worrying as to whether or not Sabbath is managing to stay warm. But Noah is in good health and fully capable of helping the Loessians, he tries to remind himself. Still, his brows furrow into a worrisome expression.
“I don’t know if you have anywhere to go, but our borders are open to everyone.” Vulgaris watches Dovev then, looking over any wounds he might’ve gained from the massacre in Pangea. Maybe Noah could help him too, he thinks to himself. But he doesn’t want to overstep, knowing full well how he would respond to anyone offering to heal him. So he lets the silence settle in between them, each breathing little puffs into the night air.
It was night. He'd forgotten what he was doing, it seemed. He was pretty sure there was somewhere he was supposed to be at night. Where was Briella?
His skin was so damn hot again, steaming visibly in the chill. And he shivered. He must have closed his eyes at some point, because he blinked them open and there stood the last person he ever wanted to see. Was he imaginng this? The guy wasn't even trying to kill him. Trying again, rather.
"Leliana wants to know you're safe. She said you protected her."
His jaw clamped tight and his eyes hardened. He hated her name on this bastard's lips. He hated that the man stood here before him. And of fucking course he protected her. He always would.
He tried to hold back the coughs that started shaking him since her husband was still talking and all. Some choked out anyway, but he listened hard. Just in case there was any reason she might need him. But, no. She didn't need him. She had everything she wanted. Even sending her husband to come throw it in his face, cut him deeper.
The punishment would never end.
"I don't know if you have anywhere to go, but our borders are open to everyone."
Yeah, exactly. The punishment would never end. Just where he wanted to be, watching her with her happy family. Watching the life he'd never have with her. The magician had trained him for physical beatings, not emotional. With the damages he'd caused over the years, he'd managed to train himself unintentionally.
But that was one he could not survive.
He turned away and began walking. Silent for a long moment, considering just ignoring him.
"Ischia," he finally said. An answer he hadn't given in so many years.
The first answer she'd ever gotten from him.
He swallowed, still fighting the pain that swelled up so tight inside him. A tear fell.
take me, take me back to your bed. i love you so much that it hurts my head.
say, i don't mind you under my skin. oh, let the bad parts in, the bad parts in.
He watches as the coughs come sputtering out despite Dovev’s best effort and his brows furrow together. Maybe it’s worry for himself or maybe some small part of him does hate to see Dovev suffering like this. After all, it’s not a glorious death by combat; it’s a slow weakening of the body that would have driven Vulgaris insane. But there’s mistrust in the other’s eyes and he decides not to speak on it. He had no reason to believe that the serpent gave a shit about him.
The truth is, however, that Vulgaris knows all too well that he’s hurt Leliana enough as it is. If bringing Dovev home with them would make her relax for even a second then he’d do it a hundred times regardless of his preferences. That’s why he follows when the skeletal creature begins to move away, close enough to feel the fever coming off of him in waves despite the winter chill. (And besides, if he stumbles he might be able to catch him.)
“Are you really so comfortable lying to Leliana? You just casually hurt her whenever you feel inclined?” he asks with his head tilted, teeth clacking together on a few syllables despite his effort to be polite and understanding. The irritation builds up a low growl from the depths of his stomach that curls around the last few words. “When she’s well enough, I’m bringing her to Ischia to see you so she might sleep through the night for once, whether you like that or not. And if you die of the plague, then I will hunt down every magician there is to drag you back.”
Truthfully, he despises magicians with a passion. More than he hates Dovev, probably. The idea of making a pact with any of them in order to potentially resurrect Leliana’s former flame makes his skin crawl, in all honesty. But he’d drag his belly across miles of broken glass if it meant she would be happy. The sun didn’t rise if she wasn’t smiling, for him.
With his threats issued, he turns and leaves for the Brilliant Pampas once again. Adna and Sabbath were likely itching to do something fun and their mother could use the rest, he’s sure. He exhales slowly from his nose and reminds himself that this trip will all be worth it once he sees their smiling faces at home again.
@[Dovev]
This only took me 20 million years to reply, but here it is! I'm so sorry for the wait. ; o;
