Fantasy Dappled Light [Closed]

[Melpomene]

No one was coming for them. At least not at the moment. Good.

If they were worth anything they would do a search of the perimeter, so Lucan did not want to stay too long. But it would take enough time for them to collect their bearings and properly disperse to do a search for him and Ava to get a good headstart if not lose them altogether. But, Lucan realized, he may have just damned them both to a constant life on the run. Everyone there knew Ava well enough, and though they did not know Lucan's real name, well, he was a rather noticeable person. Lone traveler with guns strapped to his hips? Not many of those walked around anymore.

"Good... Ava, before we go, you hurt at all?" he assumed it was nothing drastic being that she seemed able-bodied enough, and had her bearings. He wiped the sweat from his eyes with his good hand. Now that they were out of immediate danger and did not need the horse to be riding through perilous trees with the threat of slamming headfirst into something at high speeds, he looked down at his mangled arm again. When he flexed his wrist he could feel pain shoot up through it, a sharp and intense pain at that.

"You know how to ride, right? We're going slower now- eh, do you mind?" He held out the reins to her if she said no, he could certainly still guide the horse with his legs and one-handed if he wished, though his thighs would be killing in him for days. But he wanted some time to collect his bearings as well. "And the book, you still have the book right?" he turned back to look at her. He assumed she did, but he wanted reassurance, as he might cry if they had to turn back and look again.

Perhaps not cry, that was quite unmanly. More of constant disappointed sighing.

 

[Lucyfer]

Ava shook her head immediately at the question of whether or not she was hurt. She had not dealt with dogs, she had not been shot. Her hand might be a little hurt from catching her in a fall, but that was nothing worth reporting, given that Lucan was literally bleeding in the saddle right now. She could handle a little bit of a scratched hand, if it was even that, compared to what Lucan was dealing with.

“I can – and yes, I still have the book,” Ava patted it, though she didn’t draw it out. It at least made an obviously different sound than if she’d just patted flesh. That was reassurance enough, for now. She didn’t expect they would really settle down to look at the book until daylight. Or at least until they were a lot further off that a fire wouldn’t seem like such a big risk.

She probably couldn’t ride well, but it would be sufficient enough. “But shouldn’t we – you know – dismount so you can get that wound under control?” Although she took the offered reins, a bit awkwardly given she was behind Lucan and trying to adjust, she didn’t urge Grant forward.

Lucan couldn’t be seriously considering wrapping the wound on the horse, could he?

“I do have a background in medicine – that’s why I was working on things there. I can probably get it wrapped better.” She didn’t know if he had anything in the way of salves or balms, but if they weren’t going to take a moment to regroup, and potentially, look for anything useful, she could at least get the wrapping tight enough and make sure it would hold. Ersetu only knew what kind of infections might already be getting to it, though, given it was from a dog’s bite. Those could be such nasty things. Like any beast, really.

 

[Melpomene]

Lucan looked down at his injury again and damn it she was right. He wanted to get going now, but feeling the throb from his arm was getting more distracting over time. He let out a breath through his nose then carded his hand through his hair once more before he finally nodded once and began to slip off the horse. He began tugging at the sleeve that still covered the wound. He grimaced as he forced it back to fully expose the bite marks. There was still a steady trickle of blood but he did not feel light-headed now. He did not want to wait to pass out on the horse, however, as he doubted Ava had the upper body strength to carry him if he fell.

She was a doctor, a healer.

Of how many years? He glanced back up at her as he fully exposed the wound and remembered she was, in fact, a siren. They ate raw flesh didn't they? He assumed if she had not attempted to eat him yet she wouldn't, though he could not help caution.

"You... You're a siren, right?" he asked, though he knew the answer already. If not a siren, then something similar enough in his books. "You're not feeling any... eh... desires to feast at the moment right?" he did not know, he had not been in contact with any sirens that he knew of. The vampires sometimes seemed distracted by an open wound, he supposed like a person would be distracted by the smell of beef cooking over a fire.

He went to the bag on Grant and rifled through it, pulling out extra bandages he had kept in stock. It was a dangerous life living basically as an outlaw, he tossed them to her, as he really did not have any other options and it was difficult enough to wrap his own arm without any help.

 

[Lucyfer]

Ava knew better than to be surprised by the fact that Lucan had figured out what she was – at least, partially, what she was. Nor should she be surprised by his caution in asking the question, although a part of her wanted to tell him that if she was hungry, he would be a lot calmer right then. She’d be using the influence of her voice more.

“Half-Siren,” she opted to correct as she slid off Grant, and considered walking him a few steps away. She considered tying him up, just in case, and glanced around for a place to do so. Then again, if they needed to run off quickly….

Well, she’d have to hope that Grant wasn’t too skittish.

She left him as he was, dropping the reins as Lucan pulled out what he had, which was basically just bandages. Not really what she was hoping for, and she knew they didn’t exactly have time to hunt around for water, or anything else that would be useful.

“I ate earlier. That doesn’t mean the smell is less enticing, but I’m not going to devour you. I imagine it’s like…smelling good cooked meat or something, for you.” Sure, it was desired, but he wouldn’t become a raving lunatic over it.

Of course, there had been times in her earlier life when it was more difficult. Being raised among humans probably helped her immensely with that.

Not to mention, she was far from starving; she’d lived a good life in Hilbes. “Do you have a flask of water, or even alcohol?” She asked, as she began to unwind the bundle of bandages.

Either would help a bit in cleaning the wound, even drinking alcohol. It wasn’t the best remedy, but it was better than nothing. Water still would have been preferred.

In either case, she would approach and adjust the fabric of his sleeve so she could see all of the wound, and determine if there were bandages to waste on wiping away some of the mess, or not.

 

[Melpomene]

It was rather easing to know that he was not escaping being devoured by dogs to being devoured by something else. He mentally took note that she was half-siren and in truth that made more sense since it seemed she lacked all other signs he had heard about when it came to sirens. They were supposed to have wings, weren't they? Or was that just a superstition? He was not certain, some of the time when he was supposed to be learning he did spend a bit dozed off.

Grant did not move too far after the both of them were off his back, choosing to lean down and begin to graze now that the action was all over, at the very least for now. He was rather used to such things by now, being that Lucan hardly ever had a boring day, though Grant always took pleasure in resting when he could.

"Eh- I think I have a little left." He rummaged again to get out a canteen that felt significantly lighter than when he last used it. It would be enough, hopefully, to clean off the wound, he would take more proper care of it when they were out of the direct range of the Renascence.

They were likely going to send out more dogs in any search party.

Lucan felt a sudden onset of dread at the thought.

"Shit... We probably should have planned more..." he had never been one to always have his head on straight. Impulsive was not exactly the right word, he would say, but he certainly lacked patience and always attempted to get things done in the most straightforward way possible.

Even if it was possibly the stupidest.

 

[Lucyfer]

It was always relieving to have someone know what she was, and not be immediately scared off. Usually, it wasn’t the diet that bothered people, so much as the fear that she had manipulated them in some way with her voice. The diet was usually the secondary concern. Of course, most of the time when people figured it out, they weren’t bleeding.

Perhaps Lucan’s questions would come after he was tended to, and had gotten some rest.

That remained to be seen, but for now, as he was digging in the saddle pack, she would drop his hand to set the book down nearby. It was already starting to slip out from under her shirt with her not keeping an arm over it.

When she stood back up, the canteen was in sight, and she took it from Lucan. She again adjusted the fabric a bit, put the bandages in the bend of her elbow, and held them there as she poured some of the contents onto the wound, before she realized she also should have thought ahead about one thing.

With a sigh, she set the canteen down at her feet, pulled off her gloves, and used her clawed fingers to tear some of the bandage apart from the rest. She then took the canteen up a bit, soaked an end, and gently wiped the wetted and bloody wound off.

“We should have thought a lot more about this,” she agreed. “But we did it! And we succeeded!” Mostly.

The wound was cleaned up enough that it was easy to identify it. Ava ripped another bit of bandage clothe separate to pat the area dry, before she would use the rest to wrap it. “Hopefully what’s in there is useful….” She thought it was, but they wouldn’t really know until later.

Still, if the Renascence were willing to go through all the trouble to hide and protect those books, that had to mean there was something useful in them, right?

Once the wound was wrapped, she cut what little of the bandages remained away from it. “Remember, this is only temporary. We need to do something more with this, when we can…get to another town or…something.” She supposed going to the nearest ones might be a bad idea.

She would offer the remaining strips back to Lucan, before she'd put her gloves back on, get the canteen from the ground, and the book.

 

[Melpomene]

Lucan glanced at his now wrapped arm. He flexed his fingers, feeling the pain once more but it was certainly better than it had been. And it would have to do. He would just have to hope that there did not end up being any infections. He glanced up, his lip twitched up into a slight smile. He could at least appreciate the optimism that they had managed to pull it off, no matter how wild their plan was.

"We did... I probably couldn't have stayed around too much longer with gaining any suspicion." He was a suspicious-looking man after all. If they did move on to another town, he doubted he would have any ease blending in. He only got lucky in Hilbes because it seemed Rina was more preoccupied with other things to question him intensely.

If she had done that, he was not sure he would have been able to lie his way out of it.

And thank god no one called him Lucan around her. If there was even a second that she thought he was one of the branches... He did not know if he would be killed or immediately turned into Gwaine.

"No towns, they'll probably get the word out before or soon after we arrive anywhere close to be on the lookout for the both of us." He tugged his ruined sleeve back down. Damn... It was his last shirt. No one was going to think he was of any respect now. "Mm... we'll need to ride as far as we can. If there is anything in that journal, they won't give up the search easy. But any nearby town will be on guard for two strangers, change our appearance a bit and we can possibly make it long enough to get supplies..."

He raised a brow. "Though... I think we should do our best to avoid Rina for the rest of our lives. She seems the type to keep grudges, I would know."

Arguably going after Gwaine was the more stupid idea which would get him killed.

It never did stop him though.

"You have a name you wanna be called if we run into someone? Ava is normal enough.... No Lucan. I..." he ran his hand through his hair, he cupped his uncovered eye for a moment, bearing his odd birthmark, realizing he had not put his eyepatch back on. Then he sighed and pinched his nose. "...Lil Leonas and Ivan are fine but no Lucan. And if someone asks I got guns from my father, he was a slinger after we left the troupe. Do you have a preferred story?"

 

[Lucyfer]

Ava knew that the surrounding towns would soon be alerted to them. She still wanted to try and go to one, to just grab some supplies real quick. At least water, and something for Lucan’s wound, but she didn’t know if they would already be aware by the time they got there, or end up aware while they were there. Going further was, arguably, smarter.

So long as Lucan’s arm held on.

There was the chance of finding a few things in the wild, though. Once they could actually take a moment to rest. That wasn’t now, though Ava was far from pushing the man to getting back on Grant, especially as thoughts of a new identity came into question.

At least, temporarily.

She still didn’t refrain from grinning as ‘Lil Leonas’ was mentioned as an acceptable name. “I still like Lil Leonas,” she said, agreeable enough. “I’ve, um, I guess I could be Mara,” she hadn’t really used too many pseudonyms before, or created an entirely new story. She just…omitted details. “Should I have been part of this troupe? To explain why we’re traveling together? I can do musical things….”

She did still take after her father in that respect.

Her voice certainly helped, but she didn’t know how convincing that would be for a troupe, or if her disposition was the right sort.

She went to retrieve the book, “We need more of a story than we stole a journal from a dead vampire to be traveling together, ya know.” If people were going to ask, if they needed to prepare a story for all sorts of things. “Troupe buddies seems possible?” Perhaps the only thing that could truly explain the pair of them being together, given their personalities.

History.

 

[Melpomene]

History, that was right. They would have to have stories they could tell, and he looked to mean to have taken on a partner, at least willingly. And she looked to nice to have forced herself to be his partner. Though that would be the more accurate description thinking back on it. He liked to think he would have been able to manage to get in and out alone, though the security was heavy and he would not have had as convenient of an entry point.

"Alright, ok, you joined the troupe I was born into, you were a musician and I was a tumbler, we both decided to leave after things started to go south with the inward drama, trust me all troupes have a lot of that, and decided to try to make a living out on our own. These guns are for show, and I can do backflips and shit while you, I don't know, sing and play instruments."

He sighed heavily. "Mara... Lil Leonas," he groaned out. He still hated the nickname. But he could accept it made him sound less violent.

"Alright... history... If we say any stories just make sure we tell the other. How long have we been traveling together? Few months? Just have some stories ready for common questions." he whistled, urging Grant to come over to them. He patted the horse's side and then took the reins again and let out a deep sigh, stretching out his back.

"I can get you out to a nice town, at some point the Renascence will accept we've disappeared... " he glanced back towards Hilbes. He did feel a pang of guilt.

"Sorry, though... As long as Captain Rina is here, I doubt you can come back to Hilbes." They'd probably be on her like flies on honey the moment she stepped foot back in the place. He let out a long sigh and then pulled himself back on the horse. At least now they could ride as though they still had a bit of sanity left.

"Mm... Keep the name change, most people wouldn't look hard enough to recognize you even if they had a picture to go off of, but a name- somebody might remember that. Trust me, I know." Especially with a name like Lucan. Many people from Solvit tended to remember it, especially with who he was.

"Let's get going... I don't want to fight any dogs again."

 

[Lucyfer]

It was easy enough for Ava to buy that a lot of troupes had drama. The Academy had drama – she’d started her fair share of it, but nonetheless, drama was typical in any group, from her experiences. Probably why she did the minstreling and healing thing alone, if she thought of it. Also, her nature.

Mara was a name she could live with, for a short while, but as Lucan spoke on, calling Grant to himself, it was evident that he thought it would be necessary forever. Evident he thought he’d be dropping her off somewhere, and splitting ways. ‘Oh, hell no.’

“I think a few months would make sense, and help account for any issues, too.” If their dynamic wasn’t perfect, some of it could be blamed on time. If their stories varied drastically, that might become more problematic, so she did make the note to at least tell him of anything she mentioned about the troupe.

She wouldn’t mention right then, that she was going to be sticking around until this was all solved.

Until the world was saved and she could go back to Hilbes, and be Ava again. She liked her name, and she had liked her life.

Plus, Lucan might need the help.

She also might need the help if the Renascence kept looking for her, but she didn’t want to think about that, either.

So, she pulled herself up onto the back of Grant, behind Lucan. She slipped the book back under her shirt before they would get going, and put a hand to rest on Lucan’s back, left shoulder. More for her sake and balance, really – she didn’t want to cling as she had before if they were going to move at a reasonable pace now.

‘I’m going to need to get a cy-horse….’ Well, at least she could probably sweet-talk her way to one.

She should have grabbed more money before she left.

“Who was the troupe leader?” Ava asked, thinking at least discussion about the troupe could tide them over while they rode, and make sure they had a few things figured out.

 

[Melpomene]

Lucan scratched beneath his chin as he thought. "Eren. Nice name, short and we both can remember it. Eh... Maybe we should make up some stories about it? In case anyone asks." Though Lucan usually made a point to just... ignore people who tried to pry too far into his past as long as he could, he knew that likely made him seem more suspicious than he already was as a gun-toting stranger, and Ava would be dragging him into social interaction for as long as she was with him. He did hope that a safe town would show up soon.

"Eh... Troupe leaders tend to be real charismatic, they like being the center of attention too. Actually most people in a troupe do... Do you know any songs? Hymn to Ersetu was popular. Do you know it? Probably won't be asked to sing it much but... it will be something. Ah, think of some names, keep em locked up with stories associated with them too. People will expect you to have known a lot of people."

Lucan waved his hand and rolled his eyes. "Trust me... I know."

The amount of questions people would have... He knew he was complaining about people being interested in him, which was fair since he was an odd man, but still, he did not appreciate the questions. If only he was bigger... Maybe they would be scared into not asking anything.

"If I know anything about Gwaine, he won't like the news that someones stole that notebook, so we need an airtight story in case another Renscance comes looking for us. As long as they haven't seen us before we can probably make it out fine. Just don't act too suspicious no matter where we go."

Things were going to be difficult. They always were.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eren was definitely a nice and easy name to remember. Ava filed it back, as Lucan seemed to actually be getting into this idea about the troupe and creating a story for those they had known back then. Of course, Ava had known a lot of people in her life. She had a lot of names, and a lot of histories of personalities she could pull from.

All of that still didn’t quite prepare her for Lucan asking if she knew any songs – when he knew she was a siren. It started as a stifled laugh, that became a chuckle, before she was shaking with laughter as she put her forehead against his back while he tried to mention something about Gwaine and an airtight story.

She did gather herself enough before he could ask the obvious of why she was laughing: “Lil Lucan, did you forget I’m a siren? Singing is what I do best. I know plenty of songs.” More songs than most people, probably, “and I traveled as a minstrel for a while. Minstrel-doctor, really. But minstrel was always more convincing.”

She didn’t think that would surprise Lucan. She did look too young to be a skilled doctor.

“Buuuut, for our story, maybe there was a duo who did fire tricks together? I’ve always liked to watch that. Siblings,” she mused, pulling back and away from Lucan, “Ivy, and, um, Kendell,” that it sounded like ‘kindle’ wasn’t lost on her, but then again, stage names weren’t uncommon in these things, right?

“We’ll have plenty of time,” she said, “this Gwaine…is there something he might…know to look for, that I should know?”

 

[Melpomene]

Perhaps it was one of the stupidest questions he had ever asked.

It was hard to think straight when his arm was throbbing and he was still high on adrenaline. Then again, perhaps it should have been intuitive being that a Siren's tended to be precisely how they hunted and lured men and women into their traps, at least that was what the stories said. But Lucan would chalk this slip in judgement on the many things were going on around them. A never-ending bucket of problems that needed to be solved that just kept going deeper and deeper everytime he thought he reached the bottom.

He rubbed his face and refused to look back, already feeling his cheeks grow heated. Ava, was luckily quite adept to taking on a new identity, it seemed. He supposed that was how she managed to hide her long life. For all he knew, she was over three hundred years old. He wouldn't ask, since apparently that was quite rude, but it was something to keep of note.

"Kendell and Ivy... Yes, that would work. Hot-headed and... maybe were always around one another. Could have a dancer named Irina as well. Maybe a magician should be in there... We'll say I was the tumbler. I'll do a backflip here and there if I need to." Perhaps more if putting on a show put people at ease. It would likely trick most, as it was not like anyone actually knew their faces.

He glanced back again when she questioned him about Gwaine.

"Luckily... we should not see Gwaine in person. I feel people would stir up a storm if he is ever close by or in town, and then we, or at least I should avoid him for now." No matter how much he would like to put two shots in his face, it could never be that easy. And Lucan was many things, but stupid was not one of them. "For the book? Well keep it hidden, most people would think it was just another book for the most part. But... "

He debated divulging any more information to her. But he decided they were in it together for the moment, at least for now. Oddly the companionship was... somewhat nice. Though he did not wish to admit it. He placed his eyepatch back in place as they rode.

"It may be my own paranoia but... Any Renascence who was in Solvit before the burning could recognize me. Especially if they know my real name. Call me Lil Leonas as much as you please, but definitely not Lil Lucan- by Ersetu I hated that name- it was my nickname when I was in Solvit..." he paused for a moment. "When I was a Branch."

"It would do us well to just try to avoid anyone who could recognize us in general, but for now... we'll do our best."

 

[Lucyfer]

Kendell and Ivy. Irina. Mara and Leonas. Eren. A troupe of six so far, and Ava wondered how large they usually were. She never really counted, and supposed it varied greatly amongst troupes that wandered about, given the necessity of dynamics, and being able to pay everyone in the group.

A magician made it seven, “Hughie,” a stupid little name that no one would think intimidating at all, setting them up for surprises as the grand magician, or trickster, really, showed off his magic, “for the magician, really a bit of a bookish nerd but he could fake a terrifying stage presence to put everyone in awe of him. Even with his own ridiculous name.”

And then she quickly fell silent again as musings of Gwaine cropped up, and that confirmation of what Lucan had truly been in his past. ‘A branch….’ Though she had thought all of them died. Everyone did – except for Gwaine, of course, who lived on. ‘No wonder….’ Was the Father going to be in much trouble?

Would he say what Lucan was to get out of it, if Rina approached? Had Rina seen them together? Was there enough rumor about it? ‘Likely….’ They had been out in public.

Ava swallowed, trying to keep the thoughts down along with the emotions that threatened to rise alongside them. They had made errors, this was true. They had potentially endangered people. There was no fixing that. They were two. They couldn’t rush back and save everyone in Hilbes.

It kept her silent a few beats longer, though, as she thought of it, head down. “I like Lil Lucan,” as if that was the most important thing of all he’d said.

Doing a harsh turn back to conversations of the troupe didn’t seem right. Speaking too much of it also felt like it might be akin to stepping around a sleeping troll. One false move and she’d be smacked down for triggering old emotions. Old anger.

An apology was just as fruitless. What could she have done, back then?

“I was never in Solvit long, but I did see it after. I saw Ersetu.” What remained, anyways. “Everything in Solvit was dying. Not as quickly as places away from it, but the sense of it was most potent there. I went back to Hilbes to try and figure out how to fix this,” so he knew, this desire wasn’t just some one-off adventure, some youthful spur of the moment desire, “I was working with theories of what might stop the rot by testing necrosis cures, since it resembled necrosis. The Renascence were content to let us in the academy work, even if they denied us anything in Reamun’s home.”

That was off the topic, but she didn’t think he’d mind too much, and she could connect it back. “I tried to stay out of their debates of what’s right, and what’s wrong, and just focus on healing. I never really asked much about why Ersetu needed to go, though there were enough preachers who weren’t shy about that.” So she’d heard it sung in the streets often enough, “Did it make sense to you? At all, what Gwaine did?”

Obviously, he wasn’t in favor of it, but Ava did wonder if there had been sense, or if this had been such a terrible surprise to him.

 

[Melpomene]

They had a hint of a plan now, at the very least. Something which could tide them over and keep them looking normal. A little troupe of seven. It would do for now. They could embellish the story whenever they needed to, as long as they kept one another in the know-how about who was a part of it and what they had versus what they didn't have. Some stories could crop up as they went along, he imagined she was good enough at improvisation.

Hughie was a good addition. Every good troupe had a little magician to do some illusions for them. They had enough for now.

But he had known the conversation could no remain so light if that is what the discussion of the troupe could be called. It was a large overhanging shadow, questioning why he was there, his identity that needed to be hidden. Oddly, it felt freeing to tell someone, the first person since Solvit. Ava might not have been someone he would choose as a close confidant but now they were entwined, in some way bound. Perhaps not forever, but his life was connected to hers and they had a similar goal.

To fix this rot.

Though he had the added goal of finding his revenge against a particular golden boy.

He flicked his eyes back to Ava. Of course, she liked the nickname. Everyone liked the nickname. Except for the person that was given the nickname. It was a plight which he would always be haunted by.

'If the next time I see Gwaine he calls me Lil Lucan I swear...'

Then Ava questioned why. The very question which he had been asking since the beginning. Yes, he knew of the whole idea of it being right, of Ersetu needing to die, this being the next step into a new age. Even though the world seemed to be dying to him more than anything. He let out a breath through his nose.

"I think he's just damn insane." He shook his head. "I never looked into the why, if we're going to be honest. He did not say much when he came back and..." he waved a hand. "Burned it all down. Never got to really ask him about it and probably never will be able to now. Just something he thinks has to happen I suppose. Make the world move on, I guess." he shrugged. "He left for awhile and came back with Reamun, I'm sure he got ideas from that vampire or something."

 

[Lucyfer]

It seemed even to his own – or what was formerly his own – Gwaine had not given them any time to learn, or to adjust, to his plans. He had strolled in, set fire to it all with Reamun, and slaughtered all of his former allies. Although Ava had heard such things, it was hard to believe it had been anywhere near that simple, that Gwaine hadn’t pleaded with his allies, and tried to make people see his way before just…burning it all down around him.

She let out a sigh, eyes dropping to the space between them on the horse.

“It’s possible. I never knew Reamun to be…quite like that, but he was eccentric,” as everyone knew, though Ava could hardly claimed to have known him well. That he all but worshiped the sun was his oddest and most noteworthy trait, as a vampire. It was little surprise he might try to completely change the world, or even end up the bane of his peers.

It wasn’t as if he really got along with most. Then again, most thought him a touch delusional. Still, she wondered how much could truly be blamed on him? ‘We’ll never know.’

“How did you survive?”

She knew with each question about his past, she might be pushing her luck a bit, and this was hardly something she needed to know. She couldn’t argue for it as much as she could have argued for details on why Gwaine burned Ersetu, but…she did want to know, all the same. Lil Lucan as the only survivor of the Branches had to have a story, although she didn’t delude herself with the thought of heroics.

It was likely sad, or shameful.

 

[Melpomene]

The question felt oddly intimate.

She had not questioned the name of his first lover, yet it felt as though she may as well have. He flushed for unknown reasons, letting a pregnant silence fill the air rather than answering her question. A tug of anger sparked within him. Was it toward himself or toward her? A flash of fire burned golden behind his eyes. The night air was cold, prickly, unlike the blazing day in hell which had been casted on him. It seemed to be nothing more than a dream, a shadow of memory that was only punctuated and proven by what they were living in today. Sometimes, on days like this, he hoped he was simply dreaming, having an extended nightmare and would be dragged out bed by his brothers in arms with Gwaine sitting at the head like always, smiling his goldenboy smile and would lead them into their victory.

He took a sharp breath in.

"It doesn't matter." It came out harshly, nearly unfairly so. It was not her fault for being curious and the question was reasonable. It made him even angrier to think about that.

Lucan should have been more prepared. With knowing his origins there would have been the idle questions that came soon after. As who would not have questions for a practical representation of the remains of a fallen age?

It nearly made him chuckle. He had spent too much time in solitude to start thinking like that.

"It doesn't matter..." he said again. "What matters is the now, not what happened before." She would not be impressed either way. It was cowardice and hiding that had been why he escaped. Beneath the bodies of his own fallen brothers and acting as though he died with the rest of them while making his slow get away or surely Gwaine would have shot him down. Had Gwaine noticed he was not there among the dead? Perhaps, or perhaps not.

Idly he wondered if his past lover still lived. He had not sought out Jenna, and he did not think he ever would. Let the past die with the past.

"Mm... When we get far enough we'll crack the book open and you see what you can make of his notes." Lucan was not going to delude himself with the idea that he would understand what was written in there. If it got too complex he would likely be scrambled and confused.

 

[Lucyfer]

The three words were harsh, bitter, shameful. It was as Ava thought, then – it mattered a hell of a lot, but it was not something Lucan was comfortable discussing. Whether he ever would be, Ava couldn’t say. For now, it didn’t matter, and she could make some safe assumptions as to how he survived.

Notably, that it wasn’t known he survived, unless Gwaine picked through every body and identified them…if that was even possible after the massacre and burning. Ava wouldn’t pretend to know how it had looked, or what Lucan had to do to survive. She liked to think she wouldn’t be terribly judgmental over it, given she literally ate people to live sometimes, but she wouldn’t pressure him with that, either.

But he was right – she wasn’t impressed.

“All right,” she still let it fall, “the situation now does matter a touch more than all that,” she agreed, and she was looking forward to getting a chance to crack open the book and take in the actual details of it, rather than a passing glance. It was probably ridiculous to claim excitement, given the circumstances that no one wanted to be in – but she was.

“Hopefully Reamun didn’t write in too many dead languages,” she mused over that possibility, “he was old.” And knew plenty; legends had it that he came from a civilization now lost to time, but who knew how accurate that was? There was a lot of mystery around Reamun and he did little to quell the constant spread of rumors and myths.

Then again, most vampires didn’t.

Rumors and myths fueled their power, more than not.

At least it was a subject now far from Lucan’s history. She’d have to put that out of her mind for a bit, no matter how curious she remained about who he had been.

 

[Melpomene]

Grateful for the turn from any further questions on his past, Lucan latched on to this newfound subject quite quickly and smoothly.

"Dead languages?" he had heard of them, but he was no academic. One could hardly even call him literate at times, words never came easily, not as well as they did for others. Perhaps it was his destiny to end up so cold at times. It was certainly showcased in his knowledge or rather lack thereof, pertaining to otherworldly creatures at times. He was more of the understanding in how to steal something on the sly or when in combat over figuring out the properties of a certain metal or living creature.

Many of the branches had told him that such a thing would come back to haunt him, yet he ignored them.

Oh, how hubris managed to be his downfall yet again.

There seemed to be a pattern there. Perhaps he should begin keeping his hubris in check.

He pulled slightly on the reins to bring them to a slow, glancing back through the treeline as though there would be the ever-receding visage of Hilbes behind them. A band of silver light slid through the branches highlighting the ground. The moon was falling low. How long before the sun would return?

Lucan came to a slow stop. He carefully rubbed at his bandaged arm.

"I think we are far enough, for now." He flexed his hand and felt a twinge of pain. "Reamun never mentioned any of these dead languages in his academy, did he? Though it may not have even been written in an understandable language. So many uncertainties. Too many damn uncertainties.