Luke tried to keep calm when the man, Judas, suddenly decided to be short with him. While he did not exactly enjoy it, the redhead figured it was probably related to how tired he was. People tended to become irritable when they were tired.
Then again, that really did not explain why the man had grown so cold directly after Luke's introductions. Perhaps he was intimidated? No, that did not make sense. Then maybe he did not like nobles? Yes, that seemed plausible to Luke. Even underneath all of the grime, Judas did not seem like a particularly well-to-do individual, so perhaps that was it. It was not uncommon for commoners to dislike nobility.
What did bother Luke, however, was how close Judas was getting to Tear. He knew he had no place to be jealous, yet he was anyway. The person he loved was Tear, not Natalia, no matter what circumstances brought him.
"Here, Tear, I'll help him," Luke offered after a moment, realising just how much taller Judas was than her. It looked pretty awkward for the poor guy. Even as he stepped forward, however, a glare from the black-haired male sent the redhead reeling back a step.
Okay, maybe he really didn't like nobles, although that seemed to be stretching things too far for even him.
Well, whatever it was, Luke was already deciding he needed to keep an eye on the guy. He knew how powerful Judas was now, and there was no way he was going let the guy hurt those he cared about.
At least the way Judas was now he seemed genuinely harmless.
OoO
Judas was somewhat unimpressed when Tear literally yanked his arm over her shoulder, forcing him to either lean on her or fall over. He opted for the former. As Tear started practically dragging him out-really, he was just too tired to argue!-the dark-haired male stopped momentarily along the way to retrieve his scabbard and sheath his sword. After wiping it off, of course. No way was he going to let the iron in the blood rust his sword.
Once that was done, he allowed Tear to continue leading-dragging!-him out. He also tried to ignore just who he was leaning on, although that was easier said than done. He could not help noticing two things. One, Tear was actually really strong for a girl, and two, she smelled really good.
Oh yes, this was going to be a lovely walk back to the palace.
With an inward sigh, Judas mentally slapped himself. There was really no reason for him to be acting so sulky. He had just had what might well have been the best fight of his life, he was with Tear again, and he had come out of the fighting alive. Really, there was more good than bad.
The support wasn't even a bad thing, really. What was the shame in being tired after that? There was none, which was what.
He decided to just enjoy the time with Tear, and forget about the redhead behind them. As they walked, Judas finally smiled over at Tear, his eyes regaining some of their former spark.
"You know, I really don't care about titles, so whatever he said? Don't worry about it." He had not missed the frown on Tear's lips when Luke had mentioned her title. There was no shame in being a minor officer, and besides, he had said former. None of that mattered, though. Not to him.
OoO
Tear was glad to see some of the spirit she had already grown accustomed to return to Judas' eyes as they walked. It was clear that the attack had drained most of his energy, and she had been worried that he had overdrawn his reserves. The fact that he could still direct that quirky smile at her was a relief. She returned his smile as he spoke, but then she said "You probably shouldn't talk too much until you've rested a bit. I'm sure you'll be able to get plenty to eat and a nice bath when we reach the palace." She had noticed his apparent reluctance to go there, and she remembered how nervous she had been the first time she had been summoned to such an important place. Perhaps he felt as though he would be out of place, although she had thought he was the type who didn't care as much about that sort of thing. He had seemed so at ease last night, even though she had been able to tell he was tired then too.
"I'm sure you'll feel much better after you get cleaned up" Tear said, still supporting Judas. She had noticed that she was more dragging than assisting, but she figured he was just more tired than she had previously assumed. There was also the possibility he was just leaning on her to be close to her, but she didn't think he was that type of guy. In any case, that sort of thing was more suited to a time when there was joking around involved. She remembered purposefully weighing her brother down when she was younger, although that had been mostly to annoy him.
The trio reached the palace, and Luke finally stopped lagging behind. Tear wondered why he was being so moody today, although she supposed planning a wedding was not really his sort of thing. He must not be looking forward to rejoining Natalia. She wasn't particularly looking forward to it herself. Luke led her and Judas to one of the guest rooms, and Tear instructed one of the servants to draw up a bath as she eased Judas into one of the chairs. She realized that he would get blood on the cushion, but she didn't really care. It wasn't as if bloodstains were impossible to clean, and with the ridiculous number of staff that seemed to be constantly buzzing around this place there ought to be someone available to do it. Tear had always felt a bit crowded when she visited the palace. Three maids constantly waiting on her beck and call seemed a bit excessive. At the moment however, they could at least be useful. She sent one to fetch Judas some clean clothes before turning to Luke.
"Would you mind if I cleaned up some as well?" she asked. Carrying Judas had resulted in her clothing becoming nearly as messy as his and she certainly didn't intend to go back and work on wedding plans without cleaning up. That task was irritating enough as it was without adding in the annoyance of drying blood on her clothes. She didn't mind if she had to go home to change, but she knew there were plenty of guest rooms in this wing. She had stayed in them more than once, before she had acquired her own apartment in the city. "I'll need a change of clothes as well" she added, partially to Luke and partially to the servant who was supposed to fetch Judas something clean to wear.
OoO
Luke was relieved to get back to the palace. He had not really overheard much in the way of conversation between Tear and Judas-mostly because they hadn't said anything. Which he supposed was just as well. It wasn't like Judas was being invited to the palace to make friends. It was more like for questioning.
At Tear's request, the redhead immediately nodded and sent for more servants. He did not want either of his guests to be lacking.
"Sure. You two go ahead and get cleaned up. Afterwards, Tear, can you and Judas meet us in the little sitting room?" For all intents and purposes, Luke was fairly certain that wedding plans were done for the day. Natalia was going to want to hear all about this.
"If that's okay, I'm going to go get changed myself." With that, Luke left, trusting that Tear knew what to do.
OoO
Judas had frowned a bit when Tear brushed off his attempt at conversation so easily, yet he let it lie. Partially because he didn't have the energy to argue and partially because...no, completely because he just didn't have the energy.
As the bathtub was slowly filled, Judas could not help but feel at least somewhat excited about getting clean. It had been a long time since he had had a real, hot bath, with fresh clothes afterward.
By the time the tub was filled, the young man was more than happy to strip down and climb in, although not before chasing out the maids that seemed to want to help him wash.
Honestly. Nobles.
As he bathed, Judas could not help but noticed the grime that was quickly dirtying the water, staining it an auburn colour from dirt and blood. With the amount of red in the water, he was surprised he was moving at all. He had lost a lot of blood. And that was just assuming that about half of it was his.
Once he was cleaned, with his hair washed, Judas grabbed a towel and made his way into the dressing room-did nobles really have to have rooms for everything?-and glanced at the clothing that had been left for him. Emerald green and white? So not his colours.
With a sigh, the dark-haired male began yanking the clothes on anyway. At least they were somewhat warm, hopefully that would help with how cold he himself felt. It was the blood loss.
Once he was dressed, the black-eyed man made his way over to the mirror and began meticulously drying and brushing his hair, until it shone to its former glory. At least that was one part of him that could look good, he decided. The rest of him just looked like death. His eyes were sunken in slightly and badly ringed, he was pale as a ghost, something that stood out far more when one considered his dark hair and eyes, and he was too skinny. Yes, that was what months of travelling in the wild had done for him. It had been mostly hidden under a layer of grime and dirt before, but now, in clean clothing and without the dirt, it was painfully apparent.
He definitely needed to get a steady job before he killed himself from either exhaustion or malnutrition, whichever came first.
He was given no more time for reflection, however, as a knock sounded at the door. Figuring that it was probably Tear, he made his way over to let her in.
OoO
Although she wasn't that dirty, Tear opted for a full bath just for the luxury of it. She did enjoy a nice soak now and then, although she didn't want to spend too much time in here. Something told her Judas would not be very comfortable alone in the palace, so she intended to rejoin him as soon as she was done, assuming he was finished bathing by the time she was through. Allowing herself a short amount of time to relax, Tear leaned back and closed her eyes to enjoy the hot water. Her mind drifted to Judas again, as she seemed increasingly inclined to do. Was it just fascination with such a mysterious stranger that kept bringing him to mind? There was no denying that he was an enigma with his missing memories and apparent lack of connections to anyone or anything.
Deciding that she had spent enough time soaking, Tear dried herself off and went to see what the maid had laid out for her. It was much too decorative and formal for her taste, but at least she could change when she returned home later. She brushed her still-damp hair and glanced in the mirror. At least the servants hadn't picked something too colourful, although she could have done without most of the decorative trim and ribbons. Natalia wore some decently sensible clothing, so why did the servants always find the frilliest clothing for Tear when she visited? The songstress wondered if they found it amusing to see her in such clothing.
Making her way back down the hall to the room she had left Judas in, she knocked on the door. It opened a moment later, revealing a very pale and exhausted looking young man. Tear's eyes widened as she realized just how much the fighting today must have taken out of him, especially coupled with the traveling he had been doing lately.
"Are you all right?" she asked in alarm. "You look like you should sit down, and maybe eat something." At the mention of food, her own stomach reminded her that it had been a while since breakfast. "I'll have someone bring something up here" she said, looking back out into the hall. As expected, there was a servant standing quietly by. Tear thought their job must be infinitely boring, standing about waiting for a guest to have a request. She gave him a small smile and asked that lunch be brought up to the room before returning to sit by Judas.
"You look like you haven't had a decent meal in months" Tear commented, although as she said it she realized it was probably true. He had mentioned last night that he had very little money and no memories of anything but his travels from Kaitzur. She wondered what sort of odd jobs he might have been able to pick up for what little money he did have. She also wondered how she hadn't noticed how poor his condition was last night, although the lighting in her house was not nearly as bright as the palace. She could have offered him a place to stay longer, to give him time to recover a bit. As she considered that option, she looked over at him again. Would he accept the offer of a place to recover or would he feel as though he was being a burden? She couldn't imagine accepting an offer like that from a virtual stranger, no matter how poorly she was doing. However, if she could get him hired as a mercenary for a while, he could at least make some decent money. Perhaps he wouldn't mind staying with her until arrangements could be made.
"By the way, what are your plans for the future?" she asked. "Are you going to travel more or stay in Baticul?" She hadn't asked him last night, since she had assumed they would part ways at the Coliseum and not see each other again. After that kiss this morning, and the fact that she couldn't get him out of her mind, she would be sad to see him go if he did decide to keep traveling. "You look as though you could use a break from traveling" she added. Actually, he looked as though he could use a break from everything. He looked as though he could sleep for a week.
OoO
Judas had noticed the look Tear gave him as soon as the door opened, and barely managed to suppress a wince. He knew he looked bad, but was there really any reason to look at him like that? Okay, maybe there was...but still, it made him uncomfortable.
When Tear sent for food, he once again had to force down a wince. He knew he needed to eat, yet he just did not feel like he could force, or even keep, food down at the moment. It was probably all of the stress he had been under. That and the fact that he was bone-weary. Neither option left much room for a desire to eat. Those facts, coupled with the fact that his body had grown accustomed to one or two meals a day, left him really not wanting to eat.
A glass of water would be good, though.
He was not really a fan of having people fuss over him, either. Which was Tear looked about ready to do. Still, he let her steer him over to the couch, and obediently sat when she indicated that he should. Really, he just did not have the energy to argue with her.
When Tear settled in alongside him on the couch, he tried to ignore her close proximity. At the very least, his innate responses wanted to move in closer to her for heat. Because he was cold, dammit. Maybe he should get a blanket.
Except that would involve moving. Something he was not ready to do quite yet.
Tear's sudden comment about how he looked brought a bit of a sardonic smile to the dark-haired male's face. Honestly, what did she think? He knew he had been, at best, vague about his travels, yet the very condition he had been in when he arrived at her house should have told her that much. He had been planning on sleeping in the streets to save money. Of course he had not been eating well.
"That's probably because I haven't," he stated dryly. Well, exempting the night before, and that morning, of course. In fact, the best time of his life that he could remember-all three months or so of it-had been his time spent at Tear's.
When Tear asked him about his plans, Judas pondered for a moment before replying, "Well, my original plan was to make a name for myself, and try to get hired as a mercenary, or something. I was planning to use the coliseum to do that, but you saw how well that went over. Damn, I swear bad luck just seems to find me. It's like bad situations hunt me out." He had a vague inkling that he had something of the sort before, but quickly brushed it aside. It was not important. "So now...I have no idea. I'm willing to bet I won't be getting any prize money for that show, and I literally used the last of my money to pay the entry fee." Rolling his eyes, Judas sighed. "And even if people decide to recognise me for my show in there...well, look at me. I look like I should be dead." While not quite true, he really did not look all that bad, it got the point across. "Damn...I knew my health was going downhill, and I had hoped to have time to recover before trying to find work, but I guess now I'm just screwed.
"Oh well, I guess I'll leave in the morning and see what I can find further on in the world. Who knows, maybe there's a place for me somewhere. Because no way in hell am I going to lie down and give up. I'll figure this out, one way or another."
Taking a deep breath after his long rant, Judas sent a light smile to Tear, hoping to reassure her that he was fine. He had not really meant to say as much as he had, yet somehow, once she had gotten him going, he had just spilled it all.
"I didn't really want to leave yet, though..." he muttered after a long moment, shooting Tear a sad look as he did so."I like this city. I like the people." Or, well, person. "But I guess Fate has other plans for me."
OoO
"Leave in the morning?" Tear asked, startled. She hadn't expected him to move on so soon. "Is that really necessary? If you're looking for a mercenary job I can probably get you something" she said quickly. She really didn't want him to leave, especially since he looked as though he wouldn't last very long if he continued traveling the way he had been. "I mean, you are obviously very skilled at fighting. Perhaps Jade could use some assistance in whatever he's been doing." Not that the Colonel couldn't take care of himself, but from the sounds of things his current investigation could use some more manpower. In fact, she had been considering volunteering herself if Natalia would let her excuse herself from wedding planning. Something about what Jade had said earlier had been bugging her and she wanted to ask him for more details. He said he had been to Kaitzur, which was where Judas had woken up without his memories. Perhaps the loss of his memories could be the result of one of those 'strange things' Jade had been investigating.
"Are you cold?" Tear asked, noticing suddenly that Judas appeared to be trembling. She leaned closer to him, pressing her hand to his forehead and examining his tired face critically. His lower lip was tinged blue, a clear sign that his body temperature was too low. "Why didn't you say something?" she asked, quickly getting up to look for something to wrap him in. There was a bed in the next room and she started to pull the blanket off when it occurred to her that perhaps making him lay down would be a better idea. She went back into the other room, ignoring the look he gave her at the fact that she was treating him like a sick child.
"Don't argue, just come with me" she said, helping him to his feet and half dragging, half-supporting him to get him to the bed. "You lost more blood than I thought. If only I had gotten there sooner to heal you…" she said as she pulled the sheets back and deposited him on the bed. He definitely didn't look happy now, but she would rather him be irritated with her than pass out. "Stop glaring at me and lie down" she instructed, pushing at his shoulder to get him to lie back against the plush pillows of the overly decorated bed. Tear pushed a few of the pillows off the bed to make more room for Judas, although she supposed once he was in the bed she might just line them up around him for extra warmth. She hoped he wouldn't be too upset with her later for treating him this way, but she was worried about his health.
"Maybe you should just sleep" she said, sitting on the edge of the bed and arranging the blankets around Judas' shivering body. "After what you've been through that would probably be the best for your health." She had been hoping to talk more with him, but in his current state he might pass out on her. It was amazing he hadn't passed out already, all things considered. "Do you need anything?" she asked.
OoO
Judas sighed and shrugged when Tear commented on his plans. He did not really know what else he could do.
"What else can I do? Nobody would hire me like this," he muttered rolling his eyes.
He was not given a chance to say more, however, as Tear suddenly got up and went into the bedroom. Mystified, he got up to follow her, only he barely made it two steps before he rethought that plan, and sat down in the chair next to him. Moments later, the brunette was rejoining him. Before he got a chance to say anything, she had dragged him to his feet, and was half-carrying, half-dragging him into the bedroom.
"T-Tear?" he asked in confusion when he realised that she intended to take him into the bedroom. She could not be thinking... No way. It was only a moment later that he realised her intent was to settle him in like a child. That most certainly did not sit well with him. He did not even like the idea of people doting on him. He was too independent.
"Look, I'm fine, okay?" he said, trying to get back up after she pushed him down. The very fact that Tear was handling him so easily was probably testimony to that lie, however. He really did not fell all that great at all.
Although he did not need this. Really.
"I don't need anything, and I can't just sleep," he snapped after a moment. He really did not like this. "We're supposed to go meet with that Luke guy, remember?" he asked with a roll of the eyes. "And probably that Jade, too. I really don't have time to be lying around." That said, he made another effort to push himself up and get free. Honestly, he could sleep later. While he certainly did not care about coming to Luke's summons, he himself was curious to know what had happened.
And perhaps he could find out for certain about that prize money.
OoO
Tear frowned at Judas as he tried to get back up. "I don't care what Jade and Luke want, you need to rest. You look like you might pass out any minute" she said. She crossed her arms over her chest as if daring him to argue with her further. It was quite obvious that he was unhappy with the way she was treating him right now, but her worry for his health outweighed her desire to not make him upset at her. She wouldn't have been happy if the roles had been reversed and he was the one telling her to sleep, even if she had known that she needed to.
"I'll go speak with the two of them and tell them not to disturb you until you've had some sleep. If you get out of that bed without sleeping, so help me, I WILL tie you down." She met Judas' glower with a scowl of her own. However, she couldn't help adding "Judging by the state you're in, you're in no condition to stop me either." She glanced at the door. "I suppose Luke could come in here later, but right now I don't think you should be worrying about anything."
Turning away, she walked over to the door and pulled it shut as she was leaving. "Get some sleep" she called through the gap before the door clicked shut. She went back to the room where she had left Natalia, assuming Luke had probably made his way back there as well. Jade was probably still down in the town somewhere, questioning people about the incident with the monsters. Knocking gently on the door, Tear waited for a response to indicate that Luke and Natalia were still inside.
OoO
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