Ho, Vane. [A short pause follows as the rogue waits for his incoming message to be accepted, or the telltale 'click' as Charles hangs up on the spot upon seeing his ID photo. He's more than expecting the latter.]
I've no sense of how to start something like this, but I want to talk about what happened after the Finder. [After a week of allowing the cuts and bruises on his body to settle and feeling his regret and retroactive better judgment coalesce, if the other man will allow it, he needs to try.] Are you willing?
[how little he was expecting this call is what compels him to answer, since he'd frankly assumed that their paths would only cross again under similarly violent circumstances. it's not entirely unheard of for people to come down from wanting to punch him, but usually his interpersonal relationships only deteriorate over time.
so: interesting. hearing him out seems like the obvious answer, though he obviously remains guarded.]
Planning to tell me what the fuck I've done to you, I assume.
[This is... more leeway than Aloïs was expecting. It feels promising.
He'll just pointedly ignore the voice it's being offered in, and how unnervingly familiar the attitude is-- as if this man is used to strangers coming after him for some ill deed or another.]
Aye. In a sense.
I'd prefer to discuss in person, if you've a place you'd want for that. [Beat.] As much as it's worth when you don't know me, you've my word that I'm not looking for another chance to beat you 'round the face.
[he does give it some thought. the first challenge had been readily accepted, but now that he knows a little better what to expect from aloïs, he has to consider whether he'd be willing to risk seriously losing the next fight if he stumbles into it too quickly. vane doesn't know this man, or have any inclination to trust him, so he simply assumes there's at least a chance he's lying.
but he imagines he can recognize sincerity, at least well enough to find out what happens next, one way or the other.
eventually he responds by once again dropping a pin - not to any specific location, but to a stretch of beach along the coast, albeit one within spitting distance of the area slowly being reclaimed by his folk. vane is there waiting for him when he arrives, wearing a darker, slightly heavier coat than the last time, and with one hand resting loosely on a knife at his belt.]
[True to his word, Aloïs arrives at the beach some 15 minutes later and without any weapons strapped to his person. He's dressed simply in a dark brown sweater, fitted jeans, and a heavier dark green cloak that drapes down long against his ankles. Not so casual that he can't fight if Vane changes his mind, but at least offering the impression that he doesn't intend to start something himself.
He's not looking forward to this, but the idea of letting their fight go without offering some kind of explanation isn't acceptable, either. It's the least of what feels like he owes, when they'd come as dangerously near lethal blows as it'd felt like they had. Whatever the other man's motivation is in hearing him out, that the opportunity's available feels lucky. He's not going to waste it.
Even after beating it in with his fists, it's still not much easier to finally see Charles' face. But that's his problem.]
You fight well. [He's not trying to butter the man up-- it's the truth.] Fortunate thing, too, because I'd've laid you out flat that day if you didn't.
[it reminds him of the dying spaniard who'd pointed out a gap in his defenses - a battle where the difference of skill was barely distinguishable from luck. maybe no different at all. he'd recognized the same in aloïs while they were rolling around in the street, hence the abundance of caution.
his hand doesn't fall from the hilt of his weapon, but it remains loose there. vane's attention remains sharp, however, fixed on the other man, who would clearly rather be looking anywhere else. to aloïs' credit, he doesn't flinch outright.]
Nobody fights like that without a point to make. I'm still wondering what yours was.
[Aloïs exhales. This is better than Charles shutting the figurative door in his face, but as far as he can tell, the man seems more curious than angry. It'd be easier if he were angry, or if he saw some spark of frustration or dislike in the man's face. As it is, curiosity does little to stifle the unwelcome spark of bitterness mingled with longing that doesn't belong to this man.]
Not a good one. [He'll admit it with full-throated honesty. After he'd staggered home after their fight and Amelia had cleaned up his wounds, it hadn't taken long for his emotions to quiet and the realization of what he'd done to settle in.]
How long has it been since you arrived in this hole? [He gestures, pantomiming his way to coming around to his point.] Have you had time yet to see those instances of people who share faces, but not identities?
[in fact, it hasn't been that long - his first round in duplicity was about as brief as the length of time he's made it through his second so far - but, incredibly, he has had a similar experience already. and it had happened very soon after he'd returned.]
There was a girl, told me I looked like her husband.
[a chilling thought, honestly. but if aloïs was hoping for visible displeasure, he gets it then.]
So you tried to fuck my face up because I happen to look like whoever it is you really wanted to fight? [in a sense, aloïs had made that clear from the beginning. but how was vane to know he was meant to take "hey you've got a punchable face" at surface value?] That's it?
[That's it, Aloïs thinks, grimacing. But in the minutes before and during when he was throttling the man, it had felt like more. Even he can't place exactly what had come over him in the moment he'd seen Yvain's face perfectly replicated on the Finder, even as it had been attached to another man's name. There'd only been a blinding rush of pain, and the sudden need for some kind of resolution and catharsis in the only way that made sense when stringing together rational thought hadn't been possible.]
Aye. [He's going to presume this man probably wouldn't be interested in the details, and why would he be? Were he in the man's place, he knows he'd be more focused on figuring out how to keep his distance.] If you were hoping for a conspiracy, there's none.
[He sighs, frustrated with himself. But he came here prepared to explain in full, if such was even wanted, so he adds,]
The man you look like-- sound like [and in some ways, even act like] had an affect on me. One I didn't realize the depths of 'til I saw your face. There are parts of it I understand about as little as you must.
[not a conspiracy, but - he wanted something he'd done, at the very least. not that he's never been blamed for things he hasn't done before, but being blamed for a resemblance comes dangerously close to insulting.]
Is that so?
[even 'i wasn't thinking' would have landed better; vane himself has a long history of doing aggro shit just because he happened to be in a bad mood. but aloïs was apparently willing to risk making a brand new enemy for the chance to unpack some personal baggage, and vane hasn't yet decided he didn't.]
And what the fuck's to stop this ghost from having an effect on you the next time our paths cross?
You've naught but my word for that. [Which is less than helpful, he knows, but at least it's honest. He's not going to make promises or tell of anything he isn't sure of in this, when he owes this man more than that.] What I can tell you is that our fight got the need out of my system. I can feel it. At your expense, aye [his grimace deepens] and I've nothing for that either except my apology and the chance at a free shot at me, if you're the sort that gets something from an eye for an eye.
[He'd allow it. It feels fair.]
And if you've no desire to see my face again... [He's not sure why it's coming out of his mouth in a way that makes it sound like anything else is an option-- like he'd want anything else. Fuck. Being around this man messes with his head.] I'm a rogue. I'll make it happen.
[his lip curls, but it's a good thing aloïs puts it that way, an eye for an eye, forcing vane to think clearly about whether he feels he's owed something from aloïs for this. and the truth is that he doesn't. he accepted the challenge, they'd exchanged their blows, he'd held his own, and if not for the call that brought them here, he would have considered the matter ended (if not resolved).
what he hadn't expected to get was a reason, and now he's got that too - even if the reason does make the free shot tempting. truthfully, he's more furious about the idea of someone else looking and sounding enough like him to leave behind a mess for him to deal with, and the irony of taking that out on aloïs would be inescapable, even for him.
he narrows his eyes at the other man.]
What'd he do to you? The man you knew with my face.
[He doesn't relish talking about this, but the sting of digging into this particular wound is blunted by his having arrived prepared to give the entire truth if asked. No one --not Daphne, not Chris (not that the cleric had asked when he'd come to him after Daphne had)-- is owed as much, but Charles is.]
The long and short of it? [He unconsciously tips his head, raising his chin and squaring his shoulders along with it.] He abandoned me in enemy territory after we slew his father, the King of the Northern country. I gave up my life and family to go with him to make sure he didn't die, and what that was worth in the end was a knife in my back and me dodging the blades of his countrymen ever since.
I loved him. [It's offered as a cold statement of fact. It's nothing he's expecting or wanting understanding of or pity for. This man doesn't know him. He might as well be weaving a fairy story and he knows it. With a note of darkly ironic humor, he adds,] Needless to say, it wasn't mutual.
[He breathes out, his posture relaxing some.]
Like I said, what happened after the Finder was fucked. I don't plan on letting it happen again.
[ugh. the son of a king? what a fucking embarrassment that is. vane would hold him for ransom on principal.
but in any event, he listens, watching aloïs intently as the young man lays it out between them, something that cannot possibly have been easy to do but was done, again, without flinching. he doesn't offer pity. but understanding - yes, there is at least a bit of that. knowing what it's like to have someone you love turn on you - turn the world against you - is the kind of weak spot that's easy to exploit, if you know it's there.]
Sounds like a son of a bitch to me.
[specifically of a kind worse than him. he doesn't fuck around with his loyalties like that. when he looks aloïs over again, his demeanor has shifted away from scorn, towards consideration.]
I already took the blood I wanted from you. But if you wish for me to consider this matter resolved, then from now on, you will know me for who I am - or I assure you I will make myself unmistakable to you. Do you understand?
[Despite himself, a corner of the rogue's lips tugs up. He can more than accept that arrangement, and put to bed his meandering regrets and remorse along with it. If the man says the matter is settled upon certain conditions, and there's no further drastic amends or blood required between them to settle it, then he can observe the simple matter of telling two men with the same face apart. Easy.
It's unfamiliar in this place, but this moment has a feeling of being like the kind of accord between men and women of the blade that had been common enough back home. There's a certain relief (and aching familiarity) in that.]
You're already on your way to it, trust; I've still plenty of bruises from the hold you caught me in. Speaks volumes, that. [Fuck him, that was practically friendly. He doesn't know if that's something he should be treading into with this man given the-- everything of all of this.
But it's too late now. Taking a step forward, Aloïs offers one thickly-calloused hand to the other man.]
Charles Vane. I'll know you as you are. [No more, no less.]
[he looks at the hand, and then at aloïs again. then he releases the grip of his weapon so he can return the shake, firm.]
Then we'll know each other.
[there will be no forgetting aloïs after this, that's for certain. but as to the question of a new enemy, vane can admit that he's pleased to have landed shy of that. it's not worth it here, like it often was at home, to draw a line in the sand over what amounts to circumstantial fuckery and poor judgment.
for that matter, he can also brag that he didn't have to suffer through what would have been a painful recovery anywhere else.]
I was lucky - had someone patch me up with methods for expediting the process.
[not a scratch on him to show for it now, thanks to the tiger woman who lets him share her bed sometimes. for a moment he continues to look at aloïs rather thoughtfully, before adding one more thing.]
Once that demon of yours is silenced, should you find yourself in the mood for a cleaner fight, you know how to reach me now. I'd say we could improve each other.
Count me glad for that 'someone', then. You don't fight like a man who needs delicate handling, but your nose does look better when the tip's pointing in the right direction, [he teases. It's good that Vane's wounds weren't allowed to linger for long. His own sprained arm is proving a real inconvenience to his travels throughout the city, but the consequence has a karmic quality to it that feels justified. The next time someone in the city is familiar to him in any way, he's going to remember this and think twice about his approach-- or whether he'll approach at all. He's sure there are only so many times he can get into near-fatal scrapes with other LIERs where it all ends with the other person shrugging it off.]
Aye. [Aloïs smiles slightly at the offer of another fight, encouraged. There's a certain risk he can feel in becoming friendly with this man, but there's undeniable temptation there, too. He should resist, probably. There's no logical reason not to.
But he can't.] I'll look you up once my arm bends the right way again. [Gathering his cloak about him, Aloïs starts off in the direction he arrived from.] Winner buys a round of drinks.
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voice; @blades | Backdated to Dec 15
I've no sense of how to start something like this, but I want to talk about what happened after the Finder. [After a week of allowing the cuts and bruises on his body to settle and feeling his regret and retroactive better judgment coalesce, if the other man will allow it, he needs to try.] Are you willing?
no subject
so: interesting. hearing him out seems like the obvious answer, though he obviously remains guarded.]
Planning to tell me what the fuck I've done to you, I assume.
no subject
He'll just pointedly ignore the voice it's being offered in, and how unnervingly familiar the attitude is-- as if this man is used to strangers coming after him for some ill deed or another.]
Aye. In a sense.
I'd prefer to discuss in person, if you've a place you'd want for that. [Beat.] As much as it's worth when you don't know me, you've my word that I'm not looking for another chance to beat you 'round the face.
no subject
but he imagines he can recognize sincerity, at least well enough to find out what happens next, one way or the other.
eventually he responds by once again dropping a pin - not to any specific location, but to a stretch of beach along the coast, albeit one within spitting distance of the area slowly being reclaimed by his folk. vane is there waiting for him when he arrives, wearing a darker, slightly heavier coat than the last time, and with one hand resting loosely on a knife at his belt.]
no subject
He's not looking forward to this, but the idea of letting their fight go without offering some kind of explanation isn't acceptable, either. It's the least of what feels like he owes, when they'd come as dangerously near lethal blows as it'd felt like they had. Whatever the other man's motivation is in hearing him out, that the opportunity's available feels lucky. He's not going to waste it.
Even after beating it in with his fists, it's still not much easier to finally see Charles' face. But that's his problem.]
You fight well. [He's not trying to butter the man up-- it's the truth.] Fortunate thing, too, because I'd've laid you out flat that day if you didn't.
no subject
[it reminds him of the dying spaniard who'd pointed out a gap in his defenses - a battle where the difference of skill was barely distinguishable from luck. maybe no different at all. he'd recognized the same in aloïs while they were rolling around in the street, hence the abundance of caution.
his hand doesn't fall from the hilt of his weapon, but it remains loose there. vane's attention remains sharp, however, fixed on the other man, who would clearly rather be looking anywhere else. to aloïs' credit, he doesn't flinch outright.]
Nobody fights like that without a point to make. I'm still wondering what yours was.
no subject
Not a good one. [He'll admit it with full-throated honesty. After he'd staggered home after their fight and Amelia had cleaned up his wounds, it hadn't taken long for his emotions to quiet and the realization of what he'd done to settle in.]
How long has it been since you arrived in this hole? [He gestures, pantomiming his way to coming around to his point.] Have you had time yet to see those instances of people who share faces, but not identities?
no subject
There was a girl, told me I looked like her husband.
[a chilling thought, honestly. but if aloïs was hoping for visible displeasure, he gets it then.]
So you tried to fuck my face up because I happen to look like whoever it is you really wanted to fight? [in a sense, aloïs had made that clear from the beginning. but how was vane to know he was meant to take "hey you've got a punchable face" at surface value?] That's it?
no subject
Aye. [He's going to presume this man probably wouldn't be interested in the details, and why would he be? Were he in the man's place, he knows he'd be more focused on figuring out how to keep his distance.] If you were hoping for a conspiracy, there's none.
[He sighs, frustrated with himself. But he came here prepared to explain in full, if such was even wanted, so he adds,]
The man you look like-- sound like [and in some ways, even act like] had an affect on me. One I didn't realize the depths of 'til I saw your face. There are parts of it I understand about as little as you must.
no subject
Is that so?
[even 'i wasn't thinking' would have landed better; vane himself has a long history of doing aggro shit just because he happened to be in a bad mood. but aloïs was apparently willing to risk making a brand new enemy for the chance to unpack some personal baggage, and vane hasn't yet decided he didn't.]
And what the fuck's to stop this ghost from having an effect on you the next time our paths cross?
no subject
[He'd allow it. It feels fair.]
And if you've no desire to see my face again... [He's not sure why it's coming out of his mouth in a way that makes it sound like anything else is an option-- like he'd want anything else. Fuck. Being around this man messes with his head.] I'm a rogue. I'll make it happen.
no subject
what he hadn't expected to get was a reason, and now he's got that too - even if the reason does make the free shot tempting. truthfully, he's more furious about the idea of someone else looking and sounding enough like him to leave behind a mess for him to deal with, and the irony of taking that out on aloïs would be inescapable, even for him.
he narrows his eyes at the other man.]
What'd he do to you? The man you knew with my face.
no subject
The long and short of it? [He unconsciously tips his head, raising his chin and squaring his shoulders along with it.] He abandoned me in enemy territory after we slew his father, the King of the Northern country. I gave up my life and family to go with him to make sure he didn't die, and what that was worth in the end was a knife in my back and me dodging the blades of his countrymen ever since.
I loved him. [It's offered as a cold statement of fact. It's nothing he's expecting or wanting understanding of or pity for. This man doesn't know him. He might as well be weaving a fairy story and he knows it. With a note of darkly ironic humor, he adds,] Needless to say, it wasn't mutual.
[He breathes out, his posture relaxing some.]
Like I said, what happened after the Finder was fucked. I don't plan on letting it happen again.
no subject
but in any event, he listens, watching aloïs intently as the young man lays it out between them, something that cannot possibly have been easy to do but was done, again, without flinching. he doesn't offer pity. but understanding - yes, there is at least a bit of that. knowing what it's like to have someone you love turn on you - turn the world against you - is the kind of weak spot that's easy to exploit, if you know it's there.]
Sounds like a son of a bitch to me.
[specifically of a kind worse than him. he doesn't fuck around with his loyalties like that. when he looks aloïs over again, his demeanor has shifted away from scorn, towards consideration.]
I already took the blood I wanted from you. But if you wish for me to consider this matter resolved, then from now on, you will know me for who I am - or I assure you I will make myself unmistakable to you. Do you understand?
no subject
It's unfamiliar in this place, but this moment has a feeling of being like the kind of accord between men and women of the blade that had been common enough back home. There's a certain relief (and aching familiarity) in that.]
You're already on your way to it, trust; I've still plenty of bruises from the hold you caught me in. Speaks volumes, that. [Fuck him, that was practically friendly. He doesn't know if that's something he should be treading into with this man given the-- everything of all of this.
But it's too late now. Taking a step forward, Aloïs offers one thickly-calloused hand to the other man.]
Charles Vane. I'll know you as you are. [No more, no less.]
no subject
Then we'll know each other.
[there will be no forgetting aloïs after this, that's for certain. but as to the question of a new enemy, vane can admit that he's pleased to have landed shy of that. it's not worth it here, like it often was at home, to draw a line in the sand over what amounts to circumstantial fuckery and poor judgment.
for that matter, he can also brag that he didn't have to suffer through what would have been a painful recovery anywhere else.]
I was lucky - had someone patch me up with methods for expediting the process.
[not a scratch on him to show for it now, thanks to the tiger woman who lets him share her bed sometimes. for a moment he continues to look at aloïs rather thoughtfully, before adding one more thing.]
Once that demon of yours is silenced, should you find yourself in the mood for a cleaner fight, you know how to reach me now. I'd say we could improve each other.
no subject
Aye. [Aloïs smiles slightly at the offer of another fight, encouraged. There's a certain risk he can feel in becoming friendly with this man, but there's undeniable temptation there, too. He should resist, probably. There's no logical reason not to.
But he can't.] I'll look you up once my arm bends the right way again. [Gathering his cloak about him, Aloïs starts off in the direction he arrived from.] Winner buys a round of drinks.