splitmemory | a lion and his fae

[ there are some nights where leona kingscholar, award winning lazy ass, can't fall asleep. maybe it's the specific kind of fabric softener that ruggie uses or doesn't use? maybe it's the wind or lack thereof that doesn't whistle through his open windows and doesn't make that kind of ambient sound that makes it easier for him to drift off. there could be a number of factors but regardless of which one is affecting the most, it's still keeping him from sleeping.

so on this one night in particular, some time after his most memorable of train rides with that fae... he's walking out of the savanaclaw dorm proper and out into the sands. despite being in their own dimension, he's fully aware of how different it is compared to his home. it's close. yet.

but he doesn't expect to see someone else out in the open sands, not that far from the dorm. as he recognizes that smaller shape, the beastman goes from being apprehensive to feeling relief. ]

Yo. Ya know, if you were gonna come visit... should've just let me know. Could've come and got you personally.

[ one hand on his hip as he leans to that same side, and leona raises an eyebrow. ]

[ The evenings were when Lilia felt the most ‘him.’ Unlike most at this school, he found that adapting to a diurnal schedule was near impossible. On the nights he can’t sleep, too awake for his own good, he wanders. Usually, there isn’t a single soul awake, no one enough to wander out of their dorms to walk outside. That’s precisely why he feels so safe wandering between the different little dimensions, poking around where he can.

Savanaclaw’s was one of the nicer spaces, especially at night. The stars seen clearly on certain nights, without the pollution of concentrated magic in the air. Or maybe it’s just his own perception, his own desire to be under stars that looked as real as the ones above.

This night was one like many. He couldn’t sleep, was wandering. The sand underfoot was no problem for him, adding to the sense of calm that washes over him. It requires focus, to keep from stumbling. Enough focus that he felt comfortable letting his mind wander, his eyes focused up on the sky.

By the time he’s found, he’s sat in the sand, his hands on either side of him, leaning back to give him a better angle to watch the stars shine above. The voice is the only thing that brings him pause. Glancing over, Lilia offers a smile. ]

And disturb the King’s beauty sleep? No no, I don’t think so. Besides, I’m not here for you. Or anyone else for that matter.

[ It’s not meant as a rude or harsh comment. More, the truth. He motions up to the sky. ]

I’m here for those. The stars. [ And, a small pause, as he takes another look at Leona, ] What’s got you awake at such an hour, hm?

[ there's a reason why the stars in the sky around the savanaclaw dorm are so bright. it's because leona personally requested that they shine. it's because of that romantic and childish notion that he's forever kept in his heart. though his beliefs may be kept under lock and key, quiet to all those except those closest to him, he keeps them alive.

but he will take slight offense to lilia being here, but not to see him? he clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes. how important are these stars to him? they can't possibly mean as much to leona. if at all.

so he takes a seat next to the fae, arms on his knees, matching lilia's eyes with his own. ]

Couldn't sleep. Happens to the best of us.

[ under the starlight, lilia is almost ephemeral. a handsome, cute, and refined individual sitting next to a beastman. ]

So when you look up, what do you see?

[ In truth, Lilia would have preferred not to have been found at all. The night was his time. His time to be alone, to think, to focus on whatever he couldn't during the day while Malleus and the others of his inner circle were awake and pestering him. Not that he minds the pestering. Just, sometimes... he wishes for the quiet moments like this.

Maybe it won't be all that bad to have company. He should give Leona a chance, allow the two of them to spend some time together. After all... they hadn't exactly been avoiding each other after returning, but they certainly haven't talked again all that recently.

When Leona's eyes match his, Lilia turns his gaze away, back up to the stars above. ]

It is far too silly to divulge. Are you sure you want to hear this old man prattle on and on?

[ Leona will earn another look from Lilia, a tiny shift in the smaller's position, to allow him to get a better look at him. ]

I'll tell you, if you really want to know. For a price.

[ Sneaky little-- ]

[ well. sucks to be him. he's on savanaclaw territory, therefore anything the light touches (or night) belongs to him. that's just old savanna law coming into play. which means, technically, lilia and his thoughts are allowed to be his! it's the rule.

he frowns when the fae looks away. it's not like they've been distancing themselves from one another. but he also doesn't want to chase someone who had made a pretty firm promise? it's up to lilia to keep it. not him.

still... ]

Of course I do.

[ ... and then he places his palm against his forehead. ]

And of course there's a price. What're you askin' for.

[ Does it look like Lilia cares about Savanaclaw law? He could vanish in a snap if he wanted to, there was nothing keeping him here.... Aside from Leona himself. It'd be rude to vanish on him, when they finally had a few minutes of free time to sit and chat with one another. Lilia wiggles closer in the sand. ]

I want to know what you see, first.

[ See? Simple, easy. Definitely not fair, if one was going to talk about fairness.

How can Leona deny him when Lilia moves close enough to press his cheek against Leona's shoulder, to lean up against him. His own actions might seem frivolous and uncaring, but can that really be the case if one of his hands moves to press against the middle of Leona's back, nails lightly dragging up his spine? If his hand presses after between his shoulders, rubbing there before repeating the motion down?

The silent ways of showing his adoration... how could anyone deny him anything? ]

[ if lilia thinks he can get away from him that quickly, he's got another thing coming. one of the best things about having superb control over his magic reserves is that he can feel something big approaching better than most. so--- he will pounce. lie on lilia. put some familiar weight on top of him. yeah, he could probably escape but would he want to? maybe if he knew what would come next...

anyway. he scrunches up his face in response. ]

What I see?

[ well. there's no one else around. lilia could probably tell if he lied, too. there's no point in trying to deceive the fae. ]

I see the past lookin' down on me. The expectations of kings weighin' down on a silly lil' prince who couldn't beat tradition.

[ he closes his eyes soon after. it's because lilia's so good at calming him down, providing a succor that he normally didn't have when wandering the sands alone. ]

What 'bout you.

[ Oh-! The pounce, as unexpected as it was, was easily adapted to. Lilia lets out a tiny laugh, slipping his arms around Leona as they lay there in the sand together, his eyes focused up on the stars above them as his hand resumes the careful motions against his back.

Would Leona lie? Try to get out of saying anything at all? No, he speaks, and his words feel like the truth. Lilia accepts them, one of his hands slowly moving up to the back of Leona’s head. His fingers carefully press into his hair, stroking it with a soft focused hum. ]

A pressure… expectations. That’s a lot for one man to handle all on his own.

[ With those words, Lilia takes his sweet time before offering his own explanation for what he sees within the stars. ]

… There were these two people I once knew. One was my rival, of sorts. Trained with me. Pushed me forward. Convinced me to make childish promises.

[ Lifting one hand, he reaches up towards the sky above, a soft, sad smile resting on his face. ]

One of the things he told me and our beloved friend when we got older, when our work sent us different ways for the very first time, was this: as long as we’re apart, we will always be looking up at the same sky. The stars will be there, as will the moon. The night will guide us back to each other forevermore, in the same way as our blessings have guided humans for centuries.

[ His hand falls back down, moving back into its spot against the back of Leona’s head, playing with some strands of his hair. ]

And so… it would be a shame to let his words go to waste, even now. Wouldn’t it?

[ Plenty of hints here to grasp onto. Hints of a past that before had been nothing but secrets. Now, two figures mentioned. Training, too, as something big that had been mentioned throughout the conversation. Plenty for Leona to try and ask about. ]

… Anyways. That’s what I see. It’s not all that complicated for me.

Edited 2024-09-12 12:51 (UTC)

[ admittedly, the more that lilia strokes through his hair and soothes him through those touches, the urge to sleep rises back into his system. that he could probably doze off right here and now with a story being told. recalling a past that could have been many lifetimes ago, when some of those stars above probably were present in the world. instead, they listen just like how leona does. the beastman hums as he presses his nose into lilia's neck, against his throat, gently headbutting his jaw with a kind of feline-esque affection. ]

Sounds a lil' too romantic for my blood. [ he snorts, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment. ] But it also seems like you're waitin' to see those friends of yours again.

[ which means... well. lilia can only be around for so long. probably. something about that makes his chest tighten. he better not be thinking about breaking that promise he already made. his wasn't childish! ]

I'm also guessin'... it's been a long time since you've seen 'em both. Do ya really think the night's gonna do that for you? Think they're gonna be waitin'?

[ he knows the implications of what lilia's said. he's not that dumb, grounded to reality. but that doesn't mean he's not hopeful for the best even if reality tends to be a much harsher and unkind thing. ]

[ If only life were ever that simple. Waiting to see those friends again... no, he'd long since given up on the idea. His hand stills against the back of Leona's head at those questions. It wasn't a set that he couldn't answer without still keeping his past a secret, without still holding so much back, hidden under lock and key.

At least that affection had offset the hints of pain that'd flit into his heart. The little headbutt, the way his nose presses there against his throat. All of it was enough to help push down the worst of those feelings.

To come back to the present. ]

You'd be right to guess that. It's been a long time. Longer than I can even count. [ Far before Malleus had hatched, back in his youth -- over, what, 400 years ago? Something like that. The years all seem to be blurring together, the memories hard to grasp, almost lost as much to time as his own history was to the public. The pain still slipped on in occasion. When he'd look at Malleus, see the visages of those long since forgotten by history aside from the barest of descriptions. ] I'd like to see them again. However... The two of them aren't waiting anywhere that I can go just yet. I still have a while yet before I follow.

I'm a nocturnal creature. The night is where I belong, where I fit. It will always be my comfort, my place. Only now it serves to remind me what I've been working towards and what I will do with the time I have that they do not.

[ Even with how vague he is, his words are certain and clear. Those friends-- ]

There you have it. You've gotten this old man to prattle on and on. [ There's a smile in his voice, as he moves his hand down to poke Leona in the side, ] Happy? Hmmmm? [ poke poke poke poke poke-- ] Who are you to say you don't have romantic tastes, as well?? Mister "promise me"-! [ ... And there he goes, laughing as if he could just wash away any seriousness of that conversation with a little bit of silliness. ]

Edited 2024-09-12 19:58 (UTC)

[ he doesn't know and he may never want to know. lilia says the things that he needs to say, but what's left unsaid is what gives leona pause. that he can infer and assume and he may very well be wrong, but. he's pretty sure he isn't. that lilia isn't exactly ancient, but has probably seen way more than anyone on campus--- beyond the numbers that he says he can supposedly count to. maybe close to the world? or at least, leona's world. lilia's part of it now. a very important part. he's not going to yank any more words out of lilia's mouth. whatever he tells him has to be of his own volition. ]

Old man... [ leona huffs at the poke. then the other pokes. and then he's being taunted? in his own domain?? he wiggles from side to side, his tail sweeping back and forth. ] ... you're not afraid that you're not robbin' the cradle?

[ he presses his cheek against lilia's. then, he brushes his nose against the other's. a different kind of kiss before he presses his lips against the fae's. something brief. chaste. purposeful. in the dimmest of lights, of the star light that sparkles above, there's just enough to stare deeply into those mysterious eyes of his. ]

Yeah. I wanted you to promise. 'cause any time I spend with you... I'm learnin' something. Not just about you but about myself. Not to mention you can lift me up and you have a nice ass.

[ and now it's his turn to laugh, though he's being serious. lilia's ass? s tier. ]

[ Speaking so openly was not something that Lilia tended to do. If Leona wanted to know something, he'd need to wait for hints to drop, to gather little bits of information until finally he can piece together the full picture. Until that point, he'd continue to be lost among the labyrinth of falsities and truths that Lilia spills over time. Even if he were to ask, there's nothing that would suggest that Lilia would ever offer the truth. So tricky, even if he has his own reasons. ]

That's something fae are rumored to do anyways~ [ Keeping his voice light, he laughs as he feels the little press against his cheek with Leona's own. The tiny press of their noses together, and then that sweet little kiss... Lilia returns it, bringing one hand up to cup Leona's cheek. ] You're an adult according to most standards. I trust your judgement on what is right or wrong for you.

[ Besides, it's not as if they were serious, right? They hadn't had the 'what are we' conversation and while this feels like it could lead there... Lilia ignores that thought, laughing alongside Leona. ]

That is no way for a prince to speak, Mister Kingscholar. [ Lilia chastises the boy, grinning up at him, ] So crass and straightforward to speak about what you enjoy. Must I teach you the proper way to speak to those of interest to you? Or in general, to speak with grace and dignity with everything you say? Mm, I suppose I can overlook it this once. My mercy deserves a reward, don't you think?

[ He's just being a little shit now. The hand that doesn't rest against his cheek slides around his waist, squeezing him close atop him. ]

[ if lilia thinks he'll be patient enough to follow every breadcrumb, take the paths that he wants him to take, then... he's not sure if he'd be able to last that long. he also knows he can't draw the truth from him forcefully, nor is he sure that he'll be able to keep his feet moving forward in that direction when he has so much to take care of. a kingdom to lead, people to care for, and so many things to properly see into the future.

leona huffs, lower lip rising in a soft pout, nostrils flaring with a puff of exhaled air. ]

I've had plenty of guidance on how I should act or talk or whatever. Dunno if it's really worth anythin' as long as I get who or what I want.

[ he's a prince, but he's still the second prince. nothing more and nothing less. appearances mean little when he's paid little attention in kind. that he's just a belligerent and dangerous beastman with royal blood in the eyes of some. carrying himself with anything at least par with his station doesn't matter. very little does in some cases.

but now he has to think of a reward that he can give lilia and he smirks, licking his lips. ]

And what kinda reward do you think you deserve? What can I give to you that'll give me permission to say what I want, when I want?

they're so gay, your honor... very gay

so so gay,,,

they put out an arrest warrant because of it

they'll never take them ALIVE!!!!

GOOD... (explodes)

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