![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
No, we don't, and the only way to get a Summoned in there thus far is to ship someone off to school for a few months.
I don't see anyone taking up that mantle.
Nor do I think we'd have any way to fund that enrollment for someone.
Yes, they seem to support the Crown. But I don't know if the money from the university is circulating outside of Hayle. That city looked rich. Castle Thorne itself isn't without its own surplus in some aspects, but nothing so stunning as Hayle, and then there's the incredibly impoverished Nott. Certainly I don't think Nott wants help from the rest of Thorne, desperate to be separate and not indebted to anyone, but...
I don't know how the different education systems worked on Earth, let alone Abraxas, but I would think Hayle would be required to give Thorne some of its earnings.
[but maybe he's wrong????]
"Like sneaking out from the castle to see how it feels to walk around the city without all the guards watching over your every step. Drink, flirt, get into fights. Stupid things like that. Rhy would invent the most outrageous of disguises for us, but we always got caught or recognized anyway."
Kell smiles. He snaps his fingers. It turns his usual black coat into a ripped and dirty jacket stained with soil and soot, darkens and weathers his pants and boots. A poor man's clothes. The thing underneath doesn't change. It's just an illusion, a little trick or air and light.
"Because Rhy wouldn't get caught dead wearing something like this. Never would have sacrificed looking good for believability, and always insisted on keeping all his jewellery."
Kell lets out a sigh, a call out to those many times when he tried - and failed spectacularly each time - to convince Rhy to be a little less conspicuous.
"No matter how many times I told him, he'd look as beautiful in more modest clothing, and will be a lot safer looking less obviously wealthy, he never listened. He loved coming up with all those ridiculous disguises. We did get robbed a couple of times, threatened and beaten. It didn't change his mind. I think he liked the risk element involved. Knowing I would never let him get seriously hurt."
Because that was the truth. Even when they were children, Rhy could test the limits of how far Kell would let him push, but he knew he'd never be in any serious danger. Kell could get annoyed, he'd complain all the way, but as soon as he decided things go in the wrong direction, he intervened. Most of the time, all he had to do is reveal who he really was. And watch grown up men flee with a genuine dread in their eyes from one spoiled princeling and one feral creature that protected him. It took Kell time, and no small amount of chastising from Tieren, to stop going all out with his magic in those moments. This part was always his fun part in their illicit outings. He liked the feeling of power. He liked seeing adults fear him. Same adults that would otherwise laugh at him and mistreat him because he looked different from basically everyone in the city. Scrawny, pale and foreign. Tieren had really tough job convincing him to reign his impulses in, but even the guards knew Rhy is safer with him than he'd ever be with them.
Kell snaps his fingers once again to make the illusion dissolve and he's back in his regular Thornean clothes.
"We got in trouble a lot."
Kell smiles. He snaps his fingers. It turns his usual black coat into a ripped and dirty jacket stained with soil and soot, darkens and weathers his pants and boots. A poor man's clothes. The thing underneath doesn't change. It's just an illusion, a little trick or air and light.
"Because Rhy wouldn't get caught dead wearing something like this. Never would have sacrificed looking good for believability, and always insisted on keeping all his jewellery."
Kell lets out a sigh, a call out to those many times when he tried - and failed spectacularly each time - to convince Rhy to be a little less conspicuous.
"No matter how many times I told him, he'd look as beautiful in more modest clothing, and will be a lot safer looking less obviously wealthy, he never listened. He loved coming up with all those ridiculous disguises. We did get robbed a couple of times, threatened and beaten. It didn't change his mind. I think he liked the risk element involved. Knowing I would never let him get seriously hurt."
Because that was the truth. Even when they were children, Rhy could test the limits of how far Kell would let him push, but he knew he'd never be in any serious danger. Kell could get annoyed, he'd complain all the way, but as soon as he decided things go in the wrong direction, he intervened. Most of the time, all he had to do is reveal who he really was. And watch grown up men flee with a genuine dread in their eyes from one spoiled princeling and one feral creature that protected him. It took Kell time, and no small amount of chastising from Tieren, to stop going all out with his magic in those moments. This part was always his fun part in their illicit outings. He liked the feeling of power. He liked seeing adults fear him. Same adults that would otherwise laugh at him and mistreat him because he looked different from basically everyone in the city. Scrawny, pale and foreign. Tieren had really tough job convincing him to reign his impulses in, but even the guards knew Rhy is safer with him than he'd ever be with them.
Kell snaps his fingers once again to make the illusion dissolve and he's back in his regular Thornean clothes.
"We got in trouble a lot."
Don't look at me, I haven't been to school in like a year. I didn't even finish high school.
You mean like taxes? Probably. If it's anything like Earth universities, then it operates on government funds, so...it's just as likely that they're taking in more than they're giving.
But I don't know.
He shakes his head as Kell pokes fun at Rhy's preoccupation with his looks, but he's grinning too. That definitely sounds like Rhy. And Kell is right — he could probably pull off anything. Robbed, and threatened, and beaten have his eyebrows raising. But he gets it. The freedom of being a nobody for the night, of trying on a normal life, is worth the cost of a black eye.
So even Rhy, who takes his duty so seriously, who would not lay down that weight willingly, feels that way sometimes.
"I would've been right there with you." Flipping his hair back, he affects a look of innocence that is highly suspect. "Can you believe that I've been thrown out of a club for getting in a fight before?"
Not his finest moment. His mother had been steel forged in fury. His father, quietly and distantly disappointed. The tabloids had pounced on his fuck up and inflated it into a whole narrative of an out-of-control prince addicted to partying. Enough time has passed now, though, that he can squash it down into a funny anecdote.
So even Rhy, who takes his duty so seriously, who would not lay down that weight willingly, feels that way sometimes.
"I would've been right there with you." Flipping his hair back, he affects a look of innocence that is highly suspect. "Can you believe that I've been thrown out of a club for getting in a fight before?"
Not his finest moment. His mother had been steel forged in fury. His father, quietly and distantly disappointed. The tabloids had pounced on his fuck up and inflated it into a whole narrative of an out-of-control prince addicted to partying. Enough time has passed now, though, that he can squash it down into a funny anecdote.
[ Rhy beckons him to sit, laughing and shrugging casually. ]
Same as usual: I asked very nicely. [ He has also gone out of his way to be kind to the lower class staff around the castle, but that goes without saying. Rhy seems an embodiment of the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar; he's all honey, and barely seems to realize it.
Unfortunately, it does occasionally get him into trouble. Such as right now.
Once Wilhelm sits and pours his tea, Rhy's smile slips a little, not gone, but slightly less bright. Anxious, more than anything.
He stirs his tea with one of the tiny spoons provided, watching the color change from dark brown to creamy tan with the milk. ]
Thank you for coming out here to meet with me.
Same as usual: I asked very nicely. [ He has also gone out of his way to be kind to the lower class staff around the castle, but that goes without saying. Rhy seems an embodiment of the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar; he's all honey, and barely seems to realize it.
Unfortunately, it does occasionally get him into trouble. Such as right now.
Once Wilhelm sits and pours his tea, Rhy's smile slips a little, not gone, but slightly less bright. Anxious, more than anything.
He stirs his tea with one of the tiny spoons provided, watching the color change from dark brown to creamy tan with the milk. ]
Thank you for coming out here to meet with me.
[He laughs, folding himself into the seat opposite Rhy. The chair is like if somebody decided to make lace, but they only had iron to work with.]
I should've guessed.
[Wilhelm would agree with the metaphor. If he's a fly — a small problem that's hard to get rid of — then Rhy is definitely the honey that's caught him, all golden and sweetly tempting. The thing about honey, though, is that you're so preoccupied with drinking your fill, you don't realize you're trapped until it's too late.
As he prepares a cup for himself, he measures Rhy's demeanor with more care than he does the tea or cream or sugar. He catches the dimming of his smile, the tightening at the corners of it, and knows that something is wrong. His gut, preparing for an array of possibilities, each departing farther from the scant context clues he's got, bunches into a knot.]
Of course. [Wilhelm starts to reach out, for the purpose of setting his hand reassuringly on Rhy's. But with both of his hands occupied, that leaves him with nowhere to go. He ends up just cradling his own cup instead.] So...what's on your mind?
I should've guessed.
[Wilhelm would agree with the metaphor. If he's a fly — a small problem that's hard to get rid of — then Rhy is definitely the honey that's caught him, all golden and sweetly tempting. The thing about honey, though, is that you're so preoccupied with drinking your fill, you don't realize you're trapped until it's too late.
As he prepares a cup for himself, he measures Rhy's demeanor with more care than he does the tea or cream or sugar. He catches the dimming of his smile, the tightening at the corners of it, and knows that something is wrong. His gut, preparing for an array of possibilities, each departing farther from the scant context clues he's got, bunches into a knot.]
Of course. [Wilhelm starts to reach out, for the purpose of setting his hand reassuringly on Rhy's. But with both of his hands occupied, that leaves him with nowhere to go. He ends up just cradling his own cup instead.] So...what's on your mind?
[ Rhy takes a moment to set down the spoon and try the tea -- barely a sip, more to get his thoughts in order yet again, as they keep scattering, than because he really cares how it tastes.
He meets Wilhelm's eyes, afraid to see the emotion in them, but knowing this is not the time to be a coward. He owes Wille that much. ]
We have been friends for some time now, you and I.
I fear I have pulled that friendship all out of shape, so carelessly, into something it should not be. I've been horribly selfish.
I haven't been mindful of your feelings, and for that, I am deeply sorry.
[ There's a catch in his throat at the last, but mostly, he managed to say it all solemnly, without letting emotion overcome him now. He must resolve to keep this up regardless of Wilhelm's reaction. ]
He meets Wilhelm's eyes, afraid to see the emotion in them, but knowing this is not the time to be a coward. He owes Wille that much. ]
We have been friends for some time now, you and I.
I fear I have pulled that friendship all out of shape, so carelessly, into something it should not be. I've been horribly selfish.
I haven't been mindful of your feelings, and for that, I am deeply sorry.
[ There's a catch in his throat at the last, but mostly, he managed to say it all solemnly, without letting emotion overcome him now. He must resolve to keep this up regardless of Wilhelm's reaction. ]
[Stupidly, his heart starts to lift, an erratic, fluttering thing. We have been friends for some time now. So many places that sentence could go, but hope jumps ahead of reason before Wilhelm can clip its wings, and it flies right to the wild conclusion that maybe Rhy wants them to be something more.
Rhy, of course, bats it down for him. By the time he reaches sorry, Wilhelm's uncertainty is naked on his face. His fingers tighten around the delicate handle of the tea cup. He has forgotten to take a sip from it.
He's been here before, in this silence where he struggles to understand. You have to figure out what you want. And you can take all the time you need. But you have to do it by yourself. He swallows.]
So, what are you saying? [His voice curls defensively, an instinctive response to how vulnerable he feels right now. Like he's see-through. Like his heart is a fruit somebody's smashed open, and the pulp and seeds are everywhere.] I'm the one who asked you over to my room, so...
[He trails off, uncertain of the point he's trying to make, and just as uncertain if the problem is who started what. They both continued it. Once that line was crossed, Wilhelm was always waiting for Rhy to cross it again. Suddenly, he was living for the moments when Rhy would pull him into his arms, and they'd melt onto the bed, and the rest of the world would go on without them because they weren't a part of it anymore.
Chewing the inside of his cheek, he stares at the still surface of his tea.]
I don't get what I did wrong.
Rhy, of course, bats it down for him. By the time he reaches sorry, Wilhelm's uncertainty is naked on his face. His fingers tighten around the delicate handle of the tea cup. He has forgotten to take a sip from it.
He's been here before, in this silence where he struggles to understand. You have to figure out what you want. And you can take all the time you need. But you have to do it by yourself. He swallows.]
So, what are you saying? [His voice curls defensively, an instinctive response to how vulnerable he feels right now. Like he's see-through. Like his heart is a fruit somebody's smashed open, and the pulp and seeds are everywhere.] I'm the one who asked you over to my room, so...
[He trails off, uncertain of the point he's trying to make, and just as uncertain if the problem is who started what. They both continued it. Once that line was crossed, Wilhelm was always waiting for Rhy to cross it again. Suddenly, he was living for the moments when Rhy would pull him into his arms, and they'd melt onto the bed, and the rest of the world would go on without them because they weren't a part of it anymore.
Chewing the inside of his cheek, he stares at the still surface of his tea.]
I don't get what I did wrong.
It was always an attempt to break out of the corset of expectations, a shot at pretending they are not who they are, to maybe try on a life that does not carry this weight. In hindsight, Kell is happy they weren't going for a more convincing disguise. It would have been unfair.
"I bet you would, and I would have dragged both of your asses out of anything that would look too dicey, no matter the complaining."
Kell raises an eyebrow in open disbelief to Wilhelm's innocence act, but then follows along clutching his chest with a mock gasp.
"You? No way."
He's also absolutely awful at keeping a straight face so can't hold it for too long and just bursts into laughter bare minutes later.
"Of course I do. That's just the thing I'd imagine you getting caught at."
It's also something he often intervened at when Rhy got in trouble. It's eerie how Wille reminds him of Rhy at the most unexpected moments.
"What was it about?"
"I bet you would, and I would have dragged both of your asses out of anything that would look too dicey, no matter the complaining."
Kell raises an eyebrow in open disbelief to Wilhelm's innocence act, but then follows along clutching his chest with a mock gasp.
"You? No way."
He's also absolutely awful at keeping a straight face so can't hold it for too long and just bursts into laughter bare minutes later.
"Of course I do. That's just the thing I'd imagine you getting caught at."
It's also something he often intervened at when Rhy got in trouble. It's eerie how Wille reminds him of Rhy at the most unexpected moments.
"What was it about?"
He's only a little offended that Kell agrees, without even one speck of incredulity, that it sounds like just the sort of disaster Wilhelm would be found at the epicenter of. He can't really blame him. Kell has experienced some of his other not-so-finest moments firsthand. He shrugs.
"This other guy was pissing me off." He appeals to Kell with a gesture. "You know what it's like to be recognized everywhere you go. It's annoying. People don't treat you like a person, they treat you like..."
Tilting his head from shoulder to shoulder, he searches for the right words.
"Like you're a, a publicly owned good or something. This guy kept getting in my space, putting his hands on me, acting like he knew me and all of that, so I lost it."
"This other guy was pissing me off." He appeals to Kell with a gesture. "You know what it's like to be recognized everywhere you go. It's annoying. People don't treat you like a person, they treat you like..."
Tilting his head from shoulder to shoulder, he searches for the right words.
"Like you're a, a publicly owned good or something. This guy kept getting in my space, putting his hands on me, acting like he knew me and all of that, so I lost it."
Kell was just about to say that getting into fights in bars is a time honored tradition for all princes. Nothing gets the stress out of your system like a good bar brawl. No amount of sparring with the guards could compare.
Wilhelm's reaction turns him serious in an instant. He knows the feeling all too well. Even a year after anything similar could happen to him or Rhy, he still gets the chills at the memory.
"A spectacle. An object. An achievement to score."
He looks Wilhelm straight into eye. There's a set to his jaw that tells of countless times of withheld fury. The bones he did not break, the hearts he did not rip, and all those that he did.
"You were right to react."
Kell shakes his head slowly. He's actually mad at Wilhelm's parents. They should have protected him from such situations. Not blame him for trying to protect himself where they failed. They should have stood behind him, teach him how to deal with it himself or have someone who would do this for him. Kell trained from his earliest age to be someone like this for Rhy.
"I've broken quite a few arms, shins and fingers, on people who tried to touch Rhy inappropriately. You should have had someone like me. It's wrong that you didn't. Nobody has the right to touch you if you don't allow it or how you don't allow it. Whoever doesn't understand such a simple rule, just forfeited the right to keep their bones intact."
Kell says all this in a calm and serious tone. Like it's the most obvious thing in the word. Because it is. It should be. He dragged Wilhelm to have fun and relax, but this is too important topic to just let it slide.
"Would you like to learn how to disarm someone that makes them look not dangerous but stupid? So they won't ever try touching you again in fear you'd make a laughing stock of them again?"
Gossip and ridicule are excellent weapons when you know how to wield them.
Wilhelm's reaction turns him serious in an instant. He knows the feeling all too well. Even a year after anything similar could happen to him or Rhy, he still gets the chills at the memory.
"A spectacle. An object. An achievement to score."
He looks Wilhelm straight into eye. There's a set to his jaw that tells of countless times of withheld fury. The bones he did not break, the hearts he did not rip, and all those that he did.
"You were right to react."
Kell shakes his head slowly. He's actually mad at Wilhelm's parents. They should have protected him from such situations. Not blame him for trying to protect himself where they failed. They should have stood behind him, teach him how to deal with it himself or have someone who would do this for him. Kell trained from his earliest age to be someone like this for Rhy.
"I've broken quite a few arms, shins and fingers, on people who tried to touch Rhy inappropriately. You should have had someone like me. It's wrong that you didn't. Nobody has the right to touch you if you don't allow it or how you don't allow it. Whoever doesn't understand such a simple rule, just forfeited the right to keep their bones intact."
Kell says all this in a calm and serious tone. Like it's the most obvious thing in the word. Because it is. It should be. He dragged Wilhelm to have fun and relax, but this is too important topic to just let it slide.
"Would you like to learn how to disarm someone that makes them look not dangerous but stupid? So they won't ever try touching you again in fear you'd make a laughing stock of them again?"
Gossip and ridicule are excellent weapons when you know how to wield them.
Wille--
[ Rhy's voice, thick with emotion, cuts in instantly to stop Wilhelm from that line of questioning. He shakes his head. ]
Nothing at all. I'm afraid I did you wrong.
Letting myself enjoy your company without thought to your feelings. That wasn't fair. It isn't.
So I should ask, first: How do you feel about me?
[ Rhy's voice, thick with emotion, cuts in instantly to stop Wilhelm from that line of questioning. He shakes his head. ]
Nothing at all. I'm afraid I did you wrong.
Letting myself enjoy your company without thought to your feelings. That wasn't fair. It isn't.
So I should ask, first: How do you feel about me?
[Wilhelm has been here before, too. At the edge of a precipice with no way down but to jump. Lifting his gaze, he finds himself pierced by those golden eyes he's spent so much time getting lost in.]
I like you, Rhy. [It sounds more like a surrender than a confession.] A lot. I...
[His voice catches on the lump forming in his throat, and he tries to push everything out in a rush to beat the prickling gathering behind his eyes. He has let go of the teacup to fuss with his hair instead.]
I don't expect you to feel the same way. It's okay, I don't need you to. I know what this is, what we've got, and we're never going to be serious. And...that's okay. I'm okay with that.
[Except, the more he says it's okay, the more sharply he realizes that...it's not, really. Wilhelm has been lying to himself for a long time now. Somewhere along the way, he fell into the habit of pretending, when Rhy kissed him and caressed him, that it was only for him. All this time, he was waiting for Rhy to want him outside of bed too.]
I like you, Rhy. [It sounds more like a surrender than a confession.] A lot. I...
[His voice catches on the lump forming in his throat, and he tries to push everything out in a rush to beat the prickling gathering behind his eyes. He has let go of the teacup to fuss with his hair instead.]
I don't expect you to feel the same way. It's okay, I don't need you to. I know what this is, what we've got, and we're never going to be serious. And...that's okay. I'm okay with that.
[Except, the more he says it's okay, the more sharply he realizes that...it's not, really. Wilhelm has been lying to himself for a long time now. Somewhere along the way, he fell into the habit of pretending, when Rhy kissed him and caressed him, that it was only for him. All this time, he was waiting for Rhy to want him outside of bed too.]
[ Rhy watches him with warm, sad eyes, and tries not to let Wilhelm's verging tears bring any of his own. He reaches out, gently laying a hand on top of Wilhelm's. ]
I hear your words, but I have eyes also.
I can see it isn't true. I should have seen it earlier.
I'm sorry, Wilhelm. I do not have the freedom to give you what you desire. I cannot tell you that my heart is yours alone. I will not lie to you.
I hear your words, but I have eyes also.
I can see it isn't true. I should have seen it earlier.
I'm sorry, Wilhelm. I do not have the freedom to give you what you desire. I cannot tell you that my heart is yours alone. I will not lie to you.
[He can't pretend to find comfort in Rhy's hand enclosing his knuckles. The familiarity of it aches in this new context. Mostly, he feels numb. Like he's gotten a tooth yanked out, and his tongue is surprised by the hole that didn't used to be there — only, the hole is in his chest instead of his mouth.
Wilhelm looks from Rhy to the rose bushes blooming around them. Tears sit in his eyes, and he blinks to keep them from falling. How fucking humiliating, getting rejected preemptively.]
What do you want to do, then?
[About them.]
Wilhelm looks from Rhy to the rose bushes blooming around them. Tears sit in his eyes, and he blinks to keep them from falling. How fucking humiliating, getting rejected preemptively.]
What do you want to do, then?
[About them.]
Wow, a bad student, color me surprised. Did you just get bored, or kicked out? I do mean this as a compliment either way, sign of your rebellion.
But that does sound like the likely scenario.
[ Rhy feels it, the way Wilhelm's hand tenses beneath his touch. He draws away, pulling his hands back to his edge of the table. ]
I care about you and your happiness.
If we can be friends, I'd like that.
If that would make you unhappy, I'll do my best to give you as much as space as can be afforded in our limited living situation.
I care about you and your happiness.
If we can be friends, I'd like that.
If that would make you unhappy, I'll do my best to give you as much as space as can be afforded in our limited living situation.
It feels good, to have someone else validate the anger everyone else says you should keep punched down small. He thinks again of Erik, who was always in his corner, even when he was wrong. Plucking a blade of grass, he twists it in his fingers.
"Mom and dad weren't so impressed..."
They definitely hadn't thought that he handled it the right way. He wasn't supposed to be out partying at clubs anyway. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong company, wrong son. Sometimes Wilhelm misses them anyway, but he loves his freedom better. Despite everything, he thinks of what he has here as freedom.
"Yeah, how?" He leans in attentively.
"Mom and dad weren't so impressed..."
They definitely hadn't thought that he handled it the right way. He wasn't supposed to be out partying at clubs anyway. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong company, wrong son. Sometimes Wilhelm misses them anyway, but he loves his freedom better. Despite everything, he thinks of what he has here as freedom.
"Yeah, how?" He leans in attentively.
Forgive me for not knowing how old schooling is.
I don't actually know how old you are.
Or where you're from for that matter.
So I'm guessing age and schooling depends on the country.
[His hand retreats to the tea cup, which he considers for the first time since it was poured. It gives him something to do, the tea, as he rummages for an answer. And it's easier to swallow than anything Rhy has said.
Funny, how all this time he's sworn that he expected nothing, and now that he's gotten just that, it hurts like hell. At least before Rhy confirmed his suspicions, there was an inch of wiggle room for hope, for hopeless fantasy. Now there's no choice but to wake up.
(Not haha funny, of course, but funny in the way his whole life is a cosmic joke. That's a different kind of ache in your ribs.)]
We can still be friends.
[This is directed more at the rose bushes than at Rhy. Another white flag. He smudges out a tear as it rolls down his cheek. Abruptly, Wilhelm stands, causing the table to tremble and the tea to slosh.]
Sorry, I...kinda just want to be alone right now. [He sucks in a breath to brace his words before they start crumbling apart.] Thanks for the tea and...everything.
Funny, how all this time he's sworn that he expected nothing, and now that he's gotten just that, it hurts like hell. At least before Rhy confirmed his suspicions, there was an inch of wiggle room for hope, for hopeless fantasy. Now there's no choice but to wake up.
(Not haha funny, of course, but funny in the way his whole life is a cosmic joke. That's a different kind of ache in your ribs.)]
We can still be friends.
[This is directed more at the rose bushes than at Rhy. Another white flag. He smudges out a tear as it rolls down his cheek. Abruptly, Wilhelm stands, causing the table to tremble and the tea to slosh.]
Sorry, I...kinda just want to be alone right now. [He sucks in a breath to brace his words before they start crumbling apart.] Thanks for the tea and...everything.
Kell scoffs, waving his hand dismissively. Seriously, he can't understand why this was such a big deal. If anything, they should be happy their heir is able to stand his ground.
"And they should have been. You weren't causing an international incident. You punched a guy who was getting handsy. Maybe you shouldn't have been there at all, but you were. And you dealt with a situation the best you were able to. I do wonder if they would have you politely apologize if this was a foreign assassin trying to take you down, and not a guy being too friendly."
Kell grins. This is his second set of skills. He's an Antari first, but he was trained to be the heir to the throne and future king's protector. He hated the context, the way he was basically raised to do it, but he never hated the role itself. Nor the skills that he learned with it.
"I'll give the worst, but also the right answer, only because you're smart. It depends." And before Wilhelm rolls his eyes at him for such an obvious non-answer, he continues. "Let's say you're dealing with an average bully. Not really a bandit, or anyone even remotely trained. There are few things more humiliating than getting dragged down by your ear. Most people have spatial awareness of what's going on with their body concentrated in front of them. A lot less with the sides. So it's easier to grab them from the side. Especially, if you're looking straight at them. If they're trying to intimidate you, they wouldn't want to be the one to look away first. So you can use this to your advantage. Work wonders on people with earrings."
Those were the first and the most obvious things that came to his mind, but Kell wonders if Wilhelm was ever even taught how to protect himself. Or allowed to fight dirty.
"I could teach you a few more tricks if you like."
"And they should have been. You weren't causing an international incident. You punched a guy who was getting handsy. Maybe you shouldn't have been there at all, but you were. And you dealt with a situation the best you were able to. I do wonder if they would have you politely apologize if this was a foreign assassin trying to take you down, and not a guy being too friendly."
Kell grins. This is his second set of skills. He's an Antari first, but he was trained to be the heir to the throne and future king's protector. He hated the context, the way he was basically raised to do it, but he never hated the role itself. Nor the skills that he learned with it.
"I'll give the worst, but also the right answer, only because you're smart. It depends." And before Wilhelm rolls his eyes at him for such an obvious non-answer, he continues. "Let's say you're dealing with an average bully. Not really a bandit, or anyone even remotely trained. There are few things more humiliating than getting dragged down by your ear. Most people have spatial awareness of what's going on with their body concentrated in front of them. A lot less with the sides. So it's easier to grab them from the side. Especially, if you're looking straight at them. If they're trying to intimidate you, they wouldn't want to be the one to look away first. So you can use this to your advantage. Work wonders on people with earrings."
Those were the first and the most obvious things that came to his mind, but Kell wonders if Wilhelm was ever even taught how to protect himself. Or allowed to fight dirty.
"I could teach you a few more tricks if you like."
[ He hates to be the cause of Wilhelm's pain. His chest aches. Rhy swallows thickly, and moves to stand as well. ]
I understand. You needn't apologize.
Take all the time you need, Wille.
[ Rhy plans to stay out of his way for a good long while, if it can be helped. With how often he's making trips to Nott these days, it shouldn't be too hard to avoid him.
He just hopes Wilhelm can forgive him someday, and they really can be friends. ]
I understand. You needn't apologize.
Take all the time you need, Wille.
[ Rhy plans to stay out of his way for a good long while, if it can be helped. With how often he's making trips to Nott these days, it shouldn't be too hard to avoid him.
He just hopes Wilhelm can forgive him someday, and they really can be friends. ]
What's the age of being considered an adult in Sweden?
Page 14 of 24