Title: Lawbreaker's Eyes
Author: I_nv_u50
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer/Claimer: Characters so far are mine, but the world is Mercedes Lackey's.
Warning: Slash (m/m) ahead.
Author's Notes: Whee, that was out quicker than I thought it'd be O.o;; I'll try and get the next one out as quickly, but no promises =P
futagoakuma-tenshi02 ~ I'm glad you're enjoying it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
colie ~ Er . Heh heh ^^;;; Yea… me too actually . Obviously =P Ah well. Now I'm (hopefully) back on track again, there'll be updates all around!! Whoopee!!!?! I'm glad you're enjoying it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^
Kouryou Sanomi ~ Heh ^^ Glad you like it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
Cathryn M. Guthrie ~ lol Hope you don't do that =P I'm glad you like it so much ^^ hanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^
For chapter 2: O.o;
colie ~ Heh ^^ I'm glad it was a surprise :D wouldn't it be cool for father's to suddenly become slash fans? :D My father seems to like gay people… he doesn't like Ralph klein either ^^ (is proud of daddy =P) … . er… yea… anyways, I'll be going now O.o; thanks for reviewing :D
darkdancer ~ Coan doesn't know he's shaych yet. Faolan doesn't know he is either yet O.o; they're all a bunch of clueless peeps XD But faolan does work it out faster but then jesalis tells him to shut his trap. Sorta O.o; thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
Sukura ~ I'm glad you're enjoying it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
Song Dancing ~ He will be :D not yet, but he will eventually be ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
ola ~ I had a squirrel pull faces at me the other day. He screamed at me, and when I gave him nuts he ran away. Silly little rodent XD I'm glad you enjoy it ^^ Yea, there's a little special 'something' in the air :D That's all right. Call him however you want. So long as it sounds good, it's all good, right? XD Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
Stee ~ Heh, I'm glad ^^ Actually, Coan just doesn't like people O.o; weirdo that he is :D Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
Cathryn M. Guthrie ~ O.o; I suppose it's all right ^^;; lol hope you're computer continues to live =P Thanks for reviewing :D
The Golden Dragon ~ Yea. What kind of freak doesn't like ice cream? =P it's just not possible, I tell you :D Gravi comes out in a few days :D … tomorrow!! OMG it comes out tomorrow!! XD Mm… can't wait :D and the second FAKE manga was hilarious :D Go dee, right?! Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
Er… I'm not entirely sure I had to do that, but it was fun ^^ I hope everyone comes back to read this T.T I got so few reviews for ch3 T.T Ah well. I'll try to have the next chapter out in a short while! ^^
Read, enjoy, and please review!! ^^
The way Thaelin had bounced into the classroom had surprised Coan, very vaguely. It was the complete opposite of how he had moved into Coan's classroom.
Even stranger was the fact that he had bounced all the way to the one boy not wearing any uniform. Coan watched Thaelin with some confusion, until Herald Brynn thanked him, upon which Thaelin had spun around and said 'Thank you' too – in the most alarmingly sing-songy tone.
Coan nodded imperceptibly, slightly annoyed because Thaelin hadn't seen it, on account of the other boy turning around again. He heard the blonde boy say something about dying, and ignored it, nodding again to the Herald teaching the class before leaving.
He had known Thaelin had been beaten up. There was usually only one reason for being a patient in the House of Healing, so he had to have been injured badly…
But almost killed?
Despite the life of the Heralds, despite how tricky and usually dangerous it could be, most of the trainees had never been around death all that much. At least, not the death of another trainee. It didn't happen very often, and the last recorded case Coan could remember off the top of his head was Tylendel, of the Last Herald Mage's time. But that had been a special case.
It disturbed Coan that this trainee had been 'thought dead' by anyone, even someone not in uniform. Who was he, to be so happy when he had almost died?
He entered his own classroom distractedly, and made his way to his seat in a half daze, his mind too busy contemplating the new trainee and the facets and complications that came with to notice that Herald Ailis was calling him.
When he did eventually notice, he realized she was looking at him with concern.
Seeing that she had finally caught his attention, Ailis continued. "Are you feeling all right? You're awfully pale."
Realizing quite suddenly that he didn't feel all right, Coan shook his head slowly. "May I be excused?"
Ailis gave him another concerned look. "Maybe you should go lie down for a while. You know this work, it's all right. Go see a Healer if it gets too bad, all right?"
Coan nodded submissively. He'd be damned if he went to a Healer, but it wouldn't do any good to tell her that.
Ailis looked at him searchingly. "I mean it, Coan. Go see a Healer if you feel too bad. You're no help to anyone if you're too sick to think clearly."
Coan nodded, knowing she meant well. He might spend some more time in the Healers' House, given that now he had some free time.
Or maybe he would go visit Faolan.
:Yes. Come visit me. It's terribly boring here.:
Coan managed to get out the classroom and shut the door behind him before he grinned at the piqued sound to his Companion's mental voice. "You aren't supposed to encourage me missing school, you know."
Faolan snorted, and Coan started walking the quickest route to the Field.
:It's not like you would have concentrated on anything but Jesalis' Chosen anyway.:
Coan flushed lightly, reading the innuendo in there all too well. "It's not like that."
:I know.: Faolan amended soothingly. :But it bothers you that he almost died, doesn't it?:
"Of course it does," Coan snapped, stepping out into the sunlight and changing his direction slightly. "Meet me at the stables."
:I'm not saying you shouldn't be worried, but you shouldn't worry this much. It's fine now. We're safe until you go on your Circuit Ride anyway. And you don't need a saddle, and I don't feel like wearing one.:
Coan smirked slightly. "Actually, I was planning to groom you, but all right. And we're not perfectly safe here anyway. We're more safe here than anywhere else, but things and people can break in, you know."
:Oh, it's a grooming, is it? Then I might submit to your wishes, Oh Bright One. And we're as safe as we're ever going to be again, so you might as well forget it. It doesn't do well to be paranoid for no reason, Coan.:
Coan grunted in reply, and didn't say anything else.
:Further down and lower to the left.:
Coan looked up from his task with a half serious glare. "I know where the knot is. What have you been doing to put your tail in such a state?"
Faolan looked back at him cheekily, blue eye sparkling with teasing mirth. :That's not for you to know, little love. And I know you know where the knot is. The question is, did you know that I knew that you knew?:
"That I knew that you knew that I knew that you did? Yes, I did. And fine, if you don't want to tell me, I'll just have to find out for myself."
:By all means, go ahead and try.: Faolan yawned, and shook his head lazily. :But I don't think you can.:
"Wanna bet?" Coan tried to sound tough.
Faolan whickered a laugh. :What would you like to bet, little love? I have some oats available still, I think.: He lifted his head slightly higher, presumably to check his grain bucket. :Nevermind.:
Coan didn't try to suppress the laughter that bubbled up, knowing it would be impossible around Faolan. "Oh fine then."
Faolan gave a cheerful snort, and looked back at Coan. :Now if you could start on my mane…:
Coan rolled his eyes, but grinned anyway. "It's getting too long."
Faolan looked frankly scandalized, an expression Coan hadn't ever seen on a horse before being Chosen. :Cut my mane? You plebian. That's barbaric!:
Coan grinned and tugged the tail before letting it go. "Oh, quit your whining. I wouldn't without your permission, you know that."
Faolan snickered into his mind. :I know that, yea. The question is, would you really do that?:
"Wait for permission? Of course," Coan said blandly.
Faolan gave him a mockingly dubious look, and shook his head again. :Start brushing.:
Coan obeyed, quite happy to, and when he had finally brushed the last strand, he went to the stable door and took some things out of the grooming kit hanging up there.
Faolan pricked his ears curiously, and Coan answered without being asked directly. "Can I plait your mane?"
Faolan bobbed his head in reply, and Coan grinned before starting, his fingers deftly and quickly sectioning off the parts of the thick mane. He worked in the comfortable silence until his third plait, upon which he began to ask.
"Have you talked to Jesalis lately?"
Faolan didn't move his head, but Coan felt the Companion's amused suspicion in his mind. He blushed lightly. "It's not like that," he said defensively to the silent but still teasing accusations.
:What would you like me to ask?:
Coan thought for a moment. "I don't know. See if she's willing to tell me anything I don't know already?"
There was a short, distracted mental silence. Coan moved onto the next plait.
Faolan snorted sheepishly. :She says to butt out. And she gave some quite good advice, actually.:
Coan rolled his eyes, sensing what was coming next, but he stayed quiet.
:She says you should ask him yourself.:
"I don't want to know that badly," Coan muttered and Faolan whickered laughter again, his voice teasing when he spoke once more.
:How did I know you'd say that? Come on Coan, it'll be good for you to have a friend. You know Heralds are supposed to be a team. What kind of team member are you going to be if you do your best to ignore everyone else?:
Coan scowled, and his fingers pulled sharply. Faolan stamped a foot. "I don't need any friends."
:Don't pull my hair.: Faolan countered somewhat sharply. :And you do need friends. It's not healthy for you to lock yourself away from company.:
"Why do I need them when I have you?" Coan asked sullenly, tying the second last braid and moving onto the last one.
:You need human friends, Coan. You know that. At least give this boy a chance. He seemed to like you earlier. Don't blow it.:
"Fine," Coan sighed in disgust. "I'll try, all right? You happy now?"
Faolan turned his head and bumped Coan's shoulder affectionately. :It's for the best, little love. I can't be everything you need. It'll be fine.:
Coan was still silently muttering when he knocked on Thaelin's door that night.
Faolan had managed to pry the information of the new trainee's quarters out of Jesalis, but Coan suspected that the female Companion had only relented because she wanted someone to visit her Chosen.
Coan was still trying to figure out why he was the designated when the door opened, and he was met with rather surprised blue eyes. It wasn't Thaelin though. This boy had blonde hair. He looked like the un-uniformed boy from class earlier.
"Who are you?" The stranger asked bluntly.
From inside the room, someone else said something, and the blonde looked over his shoulder. "Checking for weapons, of course!" Coan heard him say, and then the blonde was pushed out of the way by Thaelin, who looked more surprised than Coan felt.
And that was saying something.
"Coan?" Thaelin asked, eyes wide. They were a curious color of what appeared to be silver and gold mixed, adding an extraordinary yet strikingly attractive feature to an already eye-catching face. Aside from the still faintly showing bruises, anyway. "What are you doing here?"
Coan searched for words to say, and couldn't find any. He was about to give up and say "Nothing", when the blonde boy, pulled Thaelin back into the room and blocked the door.
"What are you doing here? Thae taking on lovers already?"
Coan felt slightly lightheaded with the speed and force of his blush. Back in the room, Thaelin made an outraged sound.
"Kylan! Get out of it! Stop bothering him!" The blonde disappeared from the door, and Thaelin stepped out, firmly pulling the door closed behind him. Kylan knocked from inside the room. Thaelin blatantly ignored him. He was still red. "Sorry about him. He's just… him."
Coan nodded in what he hoped was a vaguely understanding way. He could Feel the embarrassment rolling of the other Trainee in waves, and was kind of surprised that Thaelin could grin so light heartedly. Even his blush was fading. "It's… all right," Coan said eventually, guessing correctly that Thaelin expected him to say something again. "Known him long?"
Thaelin rolled his eyes and grinned again, glancing back at the closed door as another rather loud knock made itself heard. "It seems like forever. I kicked him out earlier, but he found he had something he wanted to talk about so…"
Coan almost smiled at the other's confusion. "I see."
Thaelin winked at him. "Yea. Don't pay any attention to him. So," Thaelin leant nonchalantly against the wall next to his door. "You came for a reason?"
Coan floundered for a reason.
:Invite him to sit with you at lunch tomorrow.:
"Who are you sitting with tomorrow?"
Thaelin looked confused for a brief moment, and then grinned. "I guess you."
Coan blinked.
Thaelin's grin faltered for a moment. "Or not…"
"No, I… I wouldn't…"
It was Thaelin's turn to blink at him.
Coan sighed, and decided to tell the truth. "I don't have many friends. I'm not really used to this kind of thing."
Thaelin beamed. "Are you asking to be my friend?"
"I… I guess so."
Thaelin tilted his head and smiled. "Sure. But I warn you, you'll have to put up with the freak in there too."
An outraged yell from the other side of the door told them both that Kylan had been listening. Thaelin turned, distracted with that piece of information, and Coan studied the back in confusion.
It had been understanding, what he had Felt a few moments ago… and it was something he rarely Felt.
Basking in the knowledge that he now had a real friend, he said goodnight to Thaelin; who promptly disappeared into his room, presumably to kick Kylan out again; and went to bed curiously content.
:Told you so.: Faolan said quietly, seeming to know Coan was already half asleep.
"Mm," Coan mumbled something incoherently.
Faolan laughed quietly. :Sure thing, little love. Goodnight.:
Coan was already asleep.