oh look a nerd with a camera

“I’m relaxed.”

He lies and keeps all of his attention on every slight movement Andrew makes. His body is too stiff on what feels like a cloud cushion. He’s pressing slowly into it while acknowledging his own breathing, it’s causing the majority of his discomfort. He stops any voluntary movement after he fills his lungs with air, holding it for a few moments, and then exhaling through his mouth. Looking beyond Andrew, past his shoulder, he studies a framed painting of a blue owl on the back wall. Perched on a tiny branch with a hole through its left wing, it’s injured and waiting out its days. Maybe someone can still save it. His eyes adjust back to Andrew’s face. He’s focused and committed. Harry smiles, signaling that he’s finally ready.

{ not at all surprised by akira’s confession and  suggestion, julius rolls his eyes with a simper.  he’s seen andrew google pictures of fantasy  swords, and he’s seen the intricate patterns  he puts so much time into while designing  dagger handles on paper, and more than  once he’s gone on rants about historic  relics… and julius has listened every time  of course, asking questions, fantasizing of  a day when he can give him a real sword  on his birthday… but he’s not rich, nor knows  where he could find one. if times had been  different he would’ve given him the dagger  that he used during the civil war, but it’s lost,  and stained, and it was nowhere near as  beautiful as the ones that andrew dream  about… so perhaps it will forever remain  a dream.

the tent is less crowded than the jewelry stand was, but still with a respectable amount of people. most are dressed in attires similar to akira’s so julius holds harder onto him, fearing he’ll lose him in the small crowd. when they stop it’s by a table lined with daggers, all chained down, much to julius’ relief. a man sits behind it working on a piece of leather. julius runs his fingertips over the handles. it feels familiar. }

How did you come across your sword?

{ gentle tingling makes julius’ fingers tighten a little in his hair, although it eases as soon as the pendant rests peacefully in the dip between his collar bones. (like a moon crater, he thinks briefly.) upon turning to face him he lets his curls go and instead runs the fingers over the silver chain and the stone. he bows — a common courtesy on the moon, he decides — and hooks his arm back into andrew’s. }

Thank you, Dragonborn. I’m sure we’ll be protected from evil now. Let’s enjoy our day.

{ he pulls on him lightly, fingers curved around his bicep, although on top of the heavy armor. }

Show me something that you enjoy doing in the land you come from…

With a glance around the side of his bedroom with the couch and round coffee table, he decides to stride towards the armchair nearest to the window. The suede chair sinks under him as he faces Andrew and the rest of the room. Harry painfully swallows his dry throat and his nerves take command, causing a slight but noticeably irritating discomfort in his stomach. He sighs through his nose and he says confidently, “I’m ready.”

{ julius has a rosy and smiling lip between his  teeth as he observes the whole transaction, the  sun gazing through the trees making his already  warm face redden even more, and he’s so happy  to be playing like this with andrew… he’s very  certain io can spare a few doubloons to buy his  knight a meal or two, so he nods in agreement,  eyes on the silver necklace in akira’s gloved  palm. he pouts at that though, shifting on his  feet, fingers tangling around the chiffon fabric  of his attire. my, he feels a bit bad, but perhaps  io will be excused for being spoiled… he turns  around and runs his fingers through the hair at  the back of his head, holding his curls up for him  and exposing the back of his neck. }

I’m sure the Dragonborn has some other kind of power he can use to do it…

For protection.

{ julius smiles, the glued-on little silver stars under his eyes shifting when he does so. the straightening of andrew’s back is quite comical, almost like this famous “dragonborn" had forgot his duty of protecting this fragile and damselesque prince that is standing beside him. ( although, he doesn’t like the thought of io being weak. one day he’ll come up with a backstory that’ll make him a great fighter. one day, maybe, when andrew has the time to join him. ) io blesses the stone with lunar magic by pressing a light kiss to it before placing it in akira’s palm, cheeks slightly rosy and his gaze bashful as he looks around at the other pieces of jewelry. nothing seems to be in the style of the dragonborn’s armor. he does, however, gently pull a thin silver chain off of a small display shelf, as they will need something to hang the pendant in. he places that in akira’s hand, too. }

Perhaps you’ll let me buy you a meal later as thanks for looking out for me.

{ leading his friend to the nearest booth that  isn’t totally cramped by people in earthy woolen  clothing, excitement fills him to the brim when  he sees handiwork in silver and brass, both  hanging on display but also lying close together  for others to inspect and touch. there’s jewelry  and glass bottles filled with liquid in different  colors, probably made to be imagined as  magic potions. the bottles in themselves  are beautiful, but so are the necklaces, and  julius grows particularly interested in a silver  pendant… he rolls it gently in his hand as he  turns to andrew standing beside him, wondering  what expression it is that he’s wearing underneath  the helmet. he can’t quite make out what his tone  means. }

No?

{ the thought is a bit strange as he had two close friends, and maybe more that he just hasn’t mentioned to him yet. although, if they didn’t find this particular thing fun they wouldn’t have gone, just like julius never would go to a wrestling match. but maybe they could have sacrificed a day just for the company. but it’s too late now. he chooses not to mention what could have been. instead, he smiles at him, because he’s here now, with him, and they’re going to have the best day ever. ( julius decided that the moment he opened his eyes this morning. ) he holds up the pendant to him: a cage made of silver, just barely the size of a fingernail, trapping a pearlescent stone. }

Tell me, Dragonborn, do you sense any virtuous magic in this? Do you think it’ll protect us during this day that we’re going to spend together?

{ julius is a grinning mess of a prince — who  he conveniently decided to name io last night  while looking at the moon while eating the last  meal of his day — but the royal manners he  probably should lay bare if he wants to stay  in character aren’t something he keeps in  mind. no, he’s too enchanted, too in love  with the atmosphere of harps and flutes to  pretend to be unmoved by all of it. nodding  frantically, he steps towards the cluster of  people, all dressed in earthy colors and  homemade sword belts. ( he, himself,  stands out quite a lot because of the  palette, but he’s delighted to see a woman  or two that also went as what seems like  elven queens. ) making sure that andrew  is following him, he heads for the nearest  stand, unknowing yet of what it is. }

Where do you go first   in places like these?

Super boring and outdated to you. He sort of had a point but it was so old it was kind of interesting. No holograms anywhere, no glass that anything could really be projected on.

“Kind of cool it’s old though.”

The words were mumbled as Valerian looked around, scanning each room, making note of little things here and there. Television, when was the last time he’d just really sat down and watched it? Background noise sometimes, programs on Alpha, those shitty soaps that seemed to never change regardless of technology. White noise was the usual for him or waves if he was lounging around in the simulation chamber. Spare time was spent either sparring or working out or training in general. Relaxing and down time weren’t something he was used to, that was going to take some adjusting.

Harry, owned the place. Looking down at where Andrew had motioned, he almost wanted to ask for some kind of introduction because logic dictated he figure out as much as he could about this place. But in a weird way, he kind of trusted this kid to just tell him what was up, took his word for it.

“So Harry owns the place and you’re like the usual designated tour guy? He paying you or are you just used to this by now?”

The question was posed with an almost wry smile. Tour guide kid with the camera. Noted.

[ valerian’s right -- there is a certain charm to old technology that’s undeniable even to the modern guys. the fact that they’ve wholeheartedly embraced their old record player and supplemented it with a collection of albums is proof of that. he hopes valerian will find something to keep himself entertained in the absence of... holograms and simulators and spaceships. to the next question, andrew gives a small huff of laughter and shakes his head. ]

{ julius recalls a time in which he dressed up  in his grandfather’s inherited cloaks and hats,  pretending to be a good-hearted thief with a  homemade bow and a money-bag his mother  made him embroidered with red thread and  tied together with a thin leather string. he  remembers hiding behind trees and boulders,  listening closely for footsteps or rustling leaves.  licking fingers to see what way the wind blew.  reading letters from pretend-lovers wishing  him well on his journeys. a golden time, a  golden time…

… and now julius feels nostalgic, although they just came. his costume has been slightly altered because of the chillier weather. ( for example, he’s not barefoot, but is rather wearing tights that fade from pale pink to blue, and on his feet are shoes made out of white lace — originally for women but thanks to julius’ size they still fit. ) looking around, he breathes in the fresh air of the forest, but also the lovely smell of food and sweets; listens to the sound of a harp someone plays nearby and to laughter and loud conversations… julius might burst out of his skin. he might even be bouncing in place, turning to andrew. }

This is fantastic, Andy.

So there was a decent amount of them, that was kind of comforting. In a weird way. Valerian was used to people being around base, bodies moving in and out of rooms quickly, even if they weren’t engaging, there was always someone around. And even when it was just him and Laureline, that was enough. Even being out on his own, he always had his comm on him, always had a way to get in touch with somebody. If he was going to be stuck here, he was glad it was going to be stuck here with other people around and not on his own. 

Tour. That wasn’t a bad idea at all but he could kind of look through everything later. But right now he had this kid Andrew and he should probably at least get to know him a little bit more, right? They could probably kill two birds with one stone.  He stepped away from the wall and gave a slight shrug of his shoulders.

“Yeah, tour sounds good.”

Alright, follow me.

{ julius traces the flower petals on his sheets  with the tip of his finger, cheek against his  shoulder, wondering if things go too fast  between them when julius gets ahead of  himself. of course he fears that andrew  stands and leaves him, and believes that  he will do so as well, but then andrew  surprises him and turns. julius watches  when fingers hook into his shirt and pull,  skin he hasn’t seen before revealing itself.  it stretches over ribs and the ridge of his  spine, cracked apart and slightly crooked  from failed healing. this scar looks slightly  different. while the one on his stomach was  bumpier from flesh getting pushed away  from his body, this one looks more like a  dip — like a spoon has scraped at the  skin…

julius’ fingers leave the flower petals and instead place themselves in the graveling of the wound. he feels the bumps and the pain, index- and middle finger following the length of the scar while the rest instead feels the reddened skin surrounding it, and, finally, he lets his thumb run over it. ( the diameter of the scar is about as wide as julius’ palm. )

he withdraws his fingers, although the arm belonging to them just slides around him and holds on, mouth pressing against the skin. his forehead rests between his shoulder blades. }

I’m so happy you’re alive.

Alright, alright he could handle this, no big deal. He’d dealt with worse, right? 

“Bedroom, check. Anything else I should know? How many more are there here?" 

Despite the rather strange situation, Valerian felt the worst was over, the initial panic. Now he just had to figure out where to go from here, what he could do, who else was around. Who and what, the layout of the place in general. He knew he wouldn’t actually be able to sleep until he had everything down, could navigate the place or at least knew where everything and everyone was. If he had a bedroom, everyone had to have their own space. He didn’t need to invade it (not yet, he’d save that for another time), just needed to know everything.

But then there was Andrew and Valerian should probably turn his attention to the one person he had met. Maybe some of those other questions could wait. Andrew wasn’t a threat, at least he hadn’t proven himself to be as of yet, kid seemed pretty damn helpful. 

"Where’s your room?”

His tone was casual, curious. Last thing he needed to be was authoritative at this point. Just treat everyone like civilians. But he still hadn’t budged from the door frame, not by much, though his stance was certainly a lot more lax than it had been at the start of the whole conversation.

Um... a lot. Something like 9 or 10 guys, I think.

Harry lingers a moment longer, gently pressing into Andrew’s firm shoulder. He smiles with his tongue pressing against his teeth, nearly biting it from increasing amounts of joy. His hand dips back down to his waist and slides into the cold pocket of his jeans. “It is, and causing more nerve damage. I haven’t gone for an  X-Ray or done too many tests since I got here, but uh- before, doctors said it’s starting with my adrenals.  Nerves aren’t being stimulated, adrenal glands won’t  function how they’re supposed to. It’s a mess, Andrew.”

[ buzzing with happiness, jason returns andrew’s grin, though his remains hidden while his own does not. it does not bother him ( he wants andrew to know and feel how dear he is to him ), but the condensed glass is nevertheless  brought against his cheek to cool its rosiness. his eyes follow the bob of his friend’s head, and when asked what or whom his costume is, the cubed ice stirs from his smile settling into a gentler one. ]

Nancy Sinatra.  …Her song was in Kill Bill.