[He frowns in thought, trying to recall the details enough to relay them. It's a little difficult, he's thoroughly exhausted from the night before, and his short-term memory is definitely suffering for it.]
I-- there was. Fire. Fire, and... people screaming. It looked like... like a town? A village, a little house. Or-- what used to be a house. I'm not sure.
And I was. Bloody. Just... absolute carnage. Like I'd torn someone apart with my bare hands. [He hates to think that that is the more familiar feeling out of the whole nightmare, but. It is.]
But I didn't recognize anything, at all. I've... never been to that place. Never seen it before in my life. But it was like... I could taste everything, feel it all. The ash, the smoke, the blood-- I could feel something burning in my chest, like I'd swallowed fire. It was-- well, it was a nightmare. It was awful.
[Kronid has a very good poker face, as a general rule. Years and years of lying, cheating, and manipulation have seen to that.
But given the circumstances, given how Vicious had just seen him break down, and given that he had never heard the description given spoken by another tongue before-
His smile drops away, the color draining somewhat from his pale face. The Shade can be a little bit obtuse sometimes, but this is not one of those moments. He knows the nightmare was his. He must. Even if he isn't fluent in Romanian, he certainly knows the sound of it.
...Wait. Could he-
FUCK.]
...I...I see.
How odd.
[There is no anger, but - he can see where this is going already.]
[Vicious reaches up to rub at his cheeks, wiping away the residual moisture there. He really can't believe how real the whole thing felt.]
Well. When I woke up, you were... Clutching your chest. Over your scar, there. And you were... Well, you know.
[He can put those puzzle pieces together without any trouble at all, but the almost lackadaisical response is making him a touch nervous. Is this territory he is even allowed to enter?
[And there it is. The penny dropping. For a moment, the former vampire casts about for an answer, a lie, a response that works...but ultimately?
He knows Vicious isn't stupid. Kronid shuts his eyes for a moment, taking a long breath in, and then letting it out in a hiss through his nose.]
Yes. I did. It was...it was my dream. Something from long ago. An old waking nightmare turned sleeping.
[Measured. Cautious. The panic is still fresh in his veins, and it's his focus on tempering that that lets his gaze drop again, voice once again shifting to that odd, softened tone before he can stop it.]
...I'm sorry that you had to feel it. It was an accident.
It makes his own particularly traumatic nightmares pale in comparison, really.
He sighs, settling onto his back and lightly pulling Kronid along with him so that he may settle on his chest or shoulder more comfortably.
The shift in his voice is...interesting. What's going on? Is he just softer in the morning? Not that he minds, he just feels a little crazy, thinking that it's changing at all.]
Yes, I... Saw a man. He was...standing in a doorway, pointing at me. He said... "We are both--"
[He shakes his head and frowns, pushing his hair back and out of his face.]
...something. I don't think I've learned that word, yet. Heh.
[It's easy to tug the smaller man into a different position - he lays with his chin on Vicious's muscular shoulder, trying to keep calm about all this. He had seen his dream. His past. The past that was meant to stay there, locked away where only he can recall it-
When the Shade speaks of the man, when he recites what was said, there is a visible struggle on his face.
He saw me. He heard me. I - we have to tell him. Aren't you tired of bearing this by yourself? He-
Don't. You. Dare.
For a moment his eyes are wide, glanced away from his companion's face...a little panicked, perhaps. That soft voice persists for just another moment.]
That was...that was m....
[He shudders. His eyes and voice sharpen back up, and he looks at Vicious, the self-frustration etching lines into his brow.]
That was...my scar. The burning in the chest. The night it happened.
[A flinch passes through him as Vicious echoes the word back. He scowls at nothing, setting his jaw tight.
Considering his answer.
Tell him. Please. Tell him the truth. He has more than proved he could be trusted with it.
Let me -
NO. Shut UP.
Kronid breathes in and out slowly, tempering himself before speaking. Avoiding...interruption.
He can tell part of the truth. Omit most. Keep it all at bay.]
...The dream is...figurative. Out of order. But the memory...the fire began after I was burned.
The crucifix ignited when it touched me. Branded me. It never healed, and it never will. The fire caught the...the building you saw. The price of hatred for those whose lives you... disagree with, I have thought.
[His tone is level - but his pulse is fast and heavy. Straining to keep something at bay.]
[Vicious knows many dreams tend to be...symbolic. But he also knows this man is an ancient vampire, and the "figurative" part looked and felt pretty literal.
But he's not going to argue with a man over his own dream. He simply nods and purses his lips, finally tilting his head to regard his (is he...nervous?) companion.]
I'm... Sorry that happened to you. Truly. Even just... Seeing what I saw, feeling what I felt... I can't imagine what it must have really been like to experience something so...terrifying.
[He lifts a hand to brush some of those curls back from the other's face, smiling softly, sadly. With their bodies pressed together like this, he can feel the goblin's pulse against his ribs, fast and out of sync with his own. This conversation is surely stressful for him, even if he's trying his best to hold it together... ]
We...don't have to talk about it anymore. If you don't want to. I know it's...probably a sensitive topic.
[For a long moment, Kronid is uncharacteristically silent. His brows are knitted together, even as he leans into the hand that cards through his dark hair.
Vicious is being...gentle. So gentle about this.
Tell him more. Or I will.
Leave me alone.
The struggle is visible again on his expression for a moment - a darting back and forth of the eyes, a clench of the jaw - before finally he speaks back up.The softer tone has lost...for now.]
... It's just that...no one has ever known. Besides myself.
[At least this time he witnesses the struggle, mirroring the worry creasing the smaller man's brow. He can tell he isn't particularly happy to share this piece of history with him, but it still feels... important enough, to Vicious, to be one of the first to ever hear it.]
I-- wow. Thank you... for trusting me enough to tell me.
[He shakes his head, exhaling a soft sigh. What... do you say about something like that? He isn't sure, but... he does still have questions.]
May I ask-- "Those whose lives you disagree with." [He repeats, tilting his head.] What... do you mean by that?
[Kronid may not regret it, and that is his right, but that doesn't stop Vicious from feeling a distinct sort of sorrow for him either way. How many centuries had passed between then and now... and how little had humanity actually changed?
He isn't the best at controlling his expression, so the look of pain and sympathy is quite obvious even as Kronid assures him that he's fine, that he's not sorry for what he did to earn this. He draws his fingertips along the outer edge of the scar, shaking his head slowly.]
...Still, this should have never happened to you.
[His eyebrows knit and his fangs flash with a sneer in a brief flare of anger, but he's-- he's not going to make a scene here. They're having too nice a time. He doesn't want Kronid to regret asking him to stay over, after all.]
One would think the greater sin would be causing harm to someone over love.
[Of course, of course Kronid does not miss that flare of anger, that sympathetic fury crossing the face of his current companion. It's...sort of nice, actually, to have some of his own long-burning rage validated. Not that he needs it, of course, but...well. It's still sort of nice.
He opens his mouth to reply to the latter statement, but he freezes up, just for a second, one word echoing and sticking in his mind.
Sin.
I know so much of sin, don't I? Don't you?
The moment passes swiftly, the Goblin shaking it away in favor of a wry, dark little smile...but his eyes - his eyes are...weary, in a way that only someone as old as he can experience.
There is a faint crackle of electricity in his scar. Not enough to hurt, but enough that Vicious can just feel it, like something in him trying to reach out.
Kronid does not acknowledge it.]
You would think, my Knight. But they had other ideas, back then.
I suppose you're right. You did have the last laugh, didn't you? Outlived them by centuries, doing whatever-- and whoever --you like.
[The smile he gives is a tired one, choosing to accept Kronid's response for what it is instead of delving any deeper into the frustrating reality of the life he's lived.
The crackling sensation beneath his fingertips is curious enough to divert his attention to, head tilting slightly as he brushes his fingers back and forth over the scar and the skin surrounding it.]
...huh. [He blinks, casting a curious glance up to meet Kronid's gaze.]
You're usually sharper than this. He softens your edges a little, doesn't he?
SHUT. UP.
Externally, the only hint to this internal struggle is a little flinch in the eyes - but it rolls into sheepishness swiftly, an equally-strained chuckle escaping from that strained smile of his. A little apologetic.]
No, it's - a Goblin thing, I have been told. I have not experimented much with it, but...well, like I said, I haven't slept beside anyone in a very, very long time. I must have let my nightmare bleed over to you.
I suppose you could say the Fog had something to do with it, just not - direct action. She gave me the power. I haven't...mastered it. I was never a dreamwalker before.
I admit, I don't know much about goblins. The one I do know-- aside from you, of course --has never mentioned anything of the like. Huh.
[He just hums, impressed, and settles back against the pillows.]
Always something new and exciting with you, isn't there?
[Most people would be concerned that "dream walking" is even a thing, but Vicious has been here for a year now and it's far from the strangest thing he's heard.]
I suppose you could always practice on me... You know, getting used to it.
[Sure, that was a pretty rough topic to start with, but... He can't really say he minds. It's odd, but it's a sort of bonding experience, right? ]
Maybe there's a little variety. I'm still learning what all I can do, anyhow...if there's one thing I already knew about being a monster, it's that it isn't an exact science.
[Satisfied when Vicious relaxes back, he scoots in to cuddle up again, his hand moving to lightly trace the lines of the Shade's muscles. His smile sheds some of that strain, moving instead to being calm, pleased.
Ignoring that nagging little hum in the back of his head.]
If you like. I don't think they have to be nightmares...it would be interesting to see what else I could do. It could be very interesting.
[He nods, allowing the smaller man to get snuggled up against him before pressing a kiss to his crown and nuzzling into the mop of curls atop his head. The shade breathes him in as the other speaks, sage and sandalwood, considering for a brief moment what it would be like to... Do this a little more often.
He's really the first Kronid's slept next to in...centuries? What an honor. Maybe if he's lucky, he'll get to keep it that way.
His brows bounce at the agreement, a pleased hum reverberating low in his chest.]
That could be interesting. You're the quite the creative sort; I'd like to see what sort of dreamscape you'd conjure up for me~
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
transilience
From:
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[He frowns in thought, trying to recall the details enough to relay them. It's a little difficult, he's thoroughly exhausted from the night before, and his short-term memory is definitely suffering for it.]
I-- there was. Fire. Fire, and... people screaming. It looked like... like a town? A village, a little house. Or-- what used to be a house. I'm not sure.
And I was. Bloody. Just... absolute carnage. Like I'd torn someone apart with my bare hands. [He hates to think that that is the more familiar feeling out of the whole nightmare, but. It is.]
But I didn't recognize anything, at all. I've... never been to that place. Never seen it before in my life. But it was like... I could taste everything, feel it all. The ash, the smoke, the blood-- I could feel something burning in my chest, like I'd swallowed fire. It was-- well, it was a nightmare. It was awful.
From:
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But given the circumstances, given how Vicious had just seen him break down, and given that he had never heard the description given spoken by another tongue before-
His smile drops away, the color draining somewhat from his pale face. The Shade can be a little bit obtuse sometimes, but this is not one of those moments. He knows the nightmare was his. He must. Even if he isn't fluent in Romanian, he certainly knows the sound of it.
...Wait. Could he-
FUCK.]
...I...I see.
How odd.
[There is no anger, but - he can see where this is going already.]
What...is your question, then?
From:
no subject
Well. When I woke up, you were... Clutching your chest. Over your scar, there. And you were... Well, you know.
[He can put those puzzle pieces together without any trouble at all, but the almost lackadaisical response is making him a touch nervous. Is this territory he is even allowed to enter?
Ergh. It's too late now. He's already here.]
...did you have the same dream?
From:
no subject
He knows Vicious isn't stupid. Kronid shuts his eyes for a moment, taking a long breath in, and then letting it out in a hiss through his nose.]
Yes. I did. It was...it was my dream. Something from long ago. An old waking nightmare turned sleeping.
[Measured. Cautious. The panic is still fresh in his veins, and it's his focus on tempering that that lets his gaze drop again, voice once again shifting to that odd, softened tone before he can stop it.]
...I'm sorry that you had to feel it. It was an accident.
But...did you see anything else? Anyone?
From:
no subject
[So it is his.
How horrible.
It makes his own particularly traumatic nightmares pale in comparison, really.
He sighs, settling onto his back and lightly pulling Kronid along with him so that he may settle on his chest or shoulder more comfortably.
The shift in his voice is...interesting. What's going on? Is he just softer in the morning? Not that he minds, he just feels a little crazy, thinking that it's changing at all.]
Yes, I... Saw a man. He was...standing in a doorway, pointing at me. He said... "We are both--"
[He shakes his head and frowns, pushing his hair back and out of his face.]
...something. I don't think I've learned that word, yet. Heh.
From:
no subject
When the Shade speaks of the man, when he recites what was said, there is a visible struggle on his face.
He saw me. He heard me. I - we have to tell him. Aren't you tired of bearing this by yourself? He-
Don't. You. Dare.
For a moment his eyes are wide, glanced away from his companion's face...a little panicked, perhaps. That soft voice persists for just another moment.]
That was...that was m....
[He shudders. His eyes and voice sharpen back up, and he looks at Vicious, the self-frustration etching lines into his brow.]
That was...my scar. The burning in the chest. The night it happened.
And the word was naibii.
It means damned.
From:
no subject
Luckily for Kronid, he doesn't catch the momentary panic in the other man's eyes, he's too focused on the ceiling, trying to process all of this.]
It happened... During the fire?
From:
no subject
Considering his answer.
Tell him. Please. Tell him the truth. He has more than proved he could be trusted with it.
Let me -
NO. Shut UP.
Kronid breathes in and out slowly, tempering himself before speaking. Avoiding...interruption.
He can tell part of the truth. Omit most. Keep it all at bay.]
...The dream is...figurative. Out of order. But the memory...the fire began after I was burned.
The crucifix ignited when it touched me. Branded me. It never healed, and it never will. The fire caught the...the building you saw. The price of hatred for those whose lives you... disagree with, I have thought.
[His tone is level - but his pulse is fast and heavy. Straining to keep something at bay.]
It was...a long time ago.
From:
no subject
But he's not going to argue with a man over his own dream. He simply nods and purses his lips, finally tilting his head to regard his (is he...nervous?) companion.]
I'm... Sorry that happened to you. Truly. Even just... Seeing what I saw, feeling what I felt... I can't imagine what it must have really been like to experience something so...terrifying.
[He lifts a hand to brush some of those curls back from the other's face, smiling softly, sadly. With their bodies pressed together like this, he can feel the goblin's pulse against his ribs, fast and out of sync with his own.
This conversation is surely stressful for him, even if he's trying his best to hold it together... ]
We...don't have to talk about it anymore. If you don't want to. I know it's...probably a sensitive topic.
From:
no subject
Vicious is being...gentle. So gentle about this.
Tell him more. Or I will.
Leave me alone.
The struggle is visible again on his expression for a moment - a darting back and forth of the eyes, a clench of the jaw - before finally he speaks back up.The softer tone has lost...for now.]
... It's just that...no one has ever known. Besides myself.
Everyone who was there died that night.
[You killed them all.
No. You did. You didn't need me yet.]
This is the first time I have told...anyone.
From:
no subject
I-- wow. Thank you... for trusting me enough to tell me.
[He shakes his head, exhaling a soft sigh. What... do you say about something like that? He isn't sure, but... he does still have questions.]
May I ask-- "Those whose lives you disagree with." [He repeats, tilting his head.] What... do you mean by that?
From:
no subject
Thank you...for listening.
[But the moment is fleeting - he chuckles humorlessly, grabbing the Shade's hand and dragging it over the cruel scar on his chest.]
I mean...that they came after me when they learned that I laid with another man.
This happened. Because I didn't stack up to what they expected. Someone hurt me for it.
[He kisses the back of the hand.]
I don't regret it. For a moment.
From:
no subject
He isn't the best at controlling his expression, so the look of pain and sympathy is quite obvious even as Kronid assures him that he's fine, that he's not sorry for what he did to earn this. He draws his fingertips along the outer edge of the scar, shaking his head slowly.]
...Still, this should have never happened to you.
[His eyebrows knit and his fangs flash with a sneer in a brief flare of anger, but he's-- he's not going to make a scene here. They're having too nice a time. He doesn't want Kronid to regret asking him to stay over, after all.]
One would think the greater sin would be causing harm to someone over love.
From:
no subject
He opens his mouth to reply to the latter statement, but he freezes up, just for a second, one word echoing and sticking in his mind.
Sin.
I know so much of sin, don't I? Don't you?
The moment passes swiftly, the Goblin shaking it away in favor of a wry, dark little smile...but his eyes - his eyes are...weary, in a way that only someone as old as he can experience.
There is a faint crackle of electricity in his scar. Not enough to hurt, but enough that Vicious can just feel it, like something in him trying to reach out.
Kronid does not acknowledge it.]
You would think, my Knight. But they had other ideas, back then.
...
Fuck them, though. What do they matter now?
From:
no subject
[The smile he gives is a tired one, choosing to accept Kronid's response for what it is instead of delving any deeper into the frustrating reality of the life he's lived.
The crackling sensation beneath his fingertips is curious enough to divert his attention to, head tilting slightly as he brushes his fingers back and forth over the scar and the skin surrounding it.]
...huh. [He blinks, casting a curious glance up to meet Kronid's gaze.]
Can you... Feel that?
From:
no subject
[He grins, chuckling a little, hands moving to play in Vicious's hair. There. The topic is sidestepped -
Until the question.
STOP it.
You can't restrain me forever.
His smile turns strained, shoulders rolling in a would-be casual shrug.]
I do. I'm...not sure what it is. My dream powers misfired...maybe this is just my elemental ones reacting to the conversation. It doesn't hurt.
From:
no subject
Dream powers? [blinkblink] You did that?
[He sits up on his elbow, looking the goblin up and down. Since when has he had "dream powers"?]
I-- I figured the Fog just had something to do with it. Is that-- is that part of the hypnotism? Or..?
From:
no subject
You're usually sharper than this. He softens your edges a little, doesn't he?
SHUT. UP.
Externally, the only hint to this internal struggle is a little flinch in the eyes - but it rolls into sheepishness swiftly, an equally-strained chuckle escaping from that strained smile of his. A little apologetic.]
No, it's - a Goblin thing, I have been told. I have not experimented much with it, but...well, like I said, I haven't slept beside anyone in a very, very long time. I must have let my nightmare bleed over to you.
I suppose you could say the Fog had something to do with it, just not - direct action. She gave me the power. I haven't...mastered it. I was never a dreamwalker before.
From:
no subject
[He just hums, impressed, and settles back against the pillows.]
Always something new and exciting with you, isn't there?
[Most people would be concerned that "dream walking" is even a thing, but Vicious has been here for a year now and it's far from the strangest thing he's heard.]
I suppose you could always practice on me... You know, getting used to it.
[Sure, that was a pretty rough topic to start with, but... He can't really say he minds. It's odd, but it's a sort of bonding experience, right? ]
From:
no subject
[Satisfied when Vicious relaxes back, he scoots in to cuddle up again, his hand moving to lightly trace the lines of the Shade's muscles. His smile sheds some of that strain, moving instead to being calm, pleased.
Ignoring that nagging little hum in the back of his head.]
If you like. I don't think they have to be nightmares...it would be interesting to see what else I could do. It could be very interesting.
[Yes. It could be.
Yes.
Ignoring.]
From:
no subject
[He nods, allowing the smaller man to get snuggled up against him before pressing a kiss to his crown and nuzzling into the mop of curls atop his head. The shade breathes him in as the other speaks, sage and sandalwood, considering for a brief moment what it would be like to... Do this a little more often.
He's really the first Kronid's slept next to in...centuries? What an honor. Maybe if he's lucky, he'll get to keep it that way.
His brows bounce at the agreement, a pleased hum reverberating low in his chest.]
That could be interesting. You're the quite the creative sort; I'd like to see what sort of dreamscape you'd conjure up for me~