Tardy, tardy, tardy. I'm sorry for the lack of updates. D: thanks (yet again) to everyone who reads. And a big thanks for the review! (: If you like what I'm doing, you should let me know. Or... not. In either case, please enjoy.
"Inconsiderate, irritating… infuriating…"
Hands grasping the wooden spoon with more force than was necessary, Bryan continued to stir the contents of the oversized cooking pot before him. The rising steam fogged up the small kitchen window, leaving him to glare at nothing but his misted reflection.
The weather outside was what one would consider normal. The sky was a faded canvas, clouds littered here and there as they rolled lazily across the sky. There were no remnants from the previous nights erratic weather, no aftermath, no evidence of the elemental backlash. It was dreary, dismal… normal.
That left the Russian feeling even more annoyed. He wanted the weather to match his mood; dark, dangerous. Needless to say, he wasn't the least bit pleased to wake up and find that his captive had escaped.
It shouldn't have bothered him that much. In fact, it didn't bother him at all. Bryan felt underappreciated. While he was not about to win any awards for hospitality anytime soon, he was still convinced that he deserved some kind of recognition for his selfless deeds. Was that so much to ask for?
Hell, the ungrateful nobleman could have at least left a post-it note.
"Aggravating, annoying… agitating…"
A sharp knock at the door ceased his senseless muttering. Eyes slanting suspiciously, he waited for the noise to die down before returning to the task at hand. The pot and its contents bubbled ominously, filling in the void. For some odd reason, Bryan felt like cackling. It just felt like the thing to do in such a situation.
The incessant rasping of knuckles on the wooden door returned. Giving up, Bryan yanked the large spoon from the pot and stalked towards the door. In one swift movement, he pulled the frame open, holding the wooden spoon in a threatening manner at the offender.
It was all the slate-haired male could do not to sputter and spit venom at the same time.
"Well… the devil himself come to pay me a visit? How thoughtful."
Standing at the door, slightly bewildered at the cold manner in which he was greeted, Tala Ivanov merely blinked innocently and tilted his head slightly. The red-headed Russian was wearing an overcoat that somehow seemed unfitting for the mild climate. Pushing his hair back, he felt awkward standing outside the doorway. Just a little bit.
One second passed. Ten seconds passed. A minute...
"So… are you going to let me in or continue pointing that thing at me?" He ventured carefully. Tala really didn't like the way his teammate was holding the utensil.
"Stand there for a little longer. Still trying to decide whether or not I like you enough."
Frowning inelegantly, Tala grumbled under his breath and pushed past the taller boy. Bryan felt put out, but didn't raise a finger of protest. Closing the door behind him, he walked back over to his station before the stove, returning the spoon to its rightful place.
A tense silence followed, broken only by the sound of bubbling water. Bryan pushed a hand through his messy hair, wondering about the sudden appearance of his sort-of friend. No call, no warning. Was it just a spur of the moment thing? He heavily doubted Tala dropped by just to 'catch up'.
"You could have called, you know. Sent a letter. By post. Or by carrier pidgeon. I don't know, something would have been nice."
Bryan half-expected Tala to drop the 'mom' response. Instead he was rewarded with more silence. The corners of his mouth began to twitch irritably. Before it became too much, he whipped around and marched back to the living room, leaving his weapon of choice where it was.
Tala was sprawled across the aged couch lazily, staring morbidly at the grotesque ceiling, as if there was a particular point among the patches of flaky paint that disgusted him. Without peeling his eyes away, he murmured,
"How the hell could I have sent you a letter? You destroyed the letterbox. What was left of it, anyway."
Bryan conceded that point, nodding his head, albeit begrudgingly. He decided to let the subject slide (for now at least) and took a seat on the arm of the couch. Balanced skillfully, he too turned his gaze towards the roof, trying to find what the red-head was looking at.
"What brings you back here, then? Something tells me it wasn't for the warm reception and delicious home-cooked meals."
Tala grinned; cold and cruel. Bryan caught the look from the corner of his eyes. To anyone else, it would have been chilling, a look you would cower under. To him though, it was plain, simple Tala. The look had only lasted an instance, vanishing shortly thereafter.
"Honestly? I came to see how you were."
He's lying. No-one cares about you, Bryan. No-one appreciates you.
"Somehow I doubt that."
His tone was more bitter than he intended. If the red-haired blader noticed, he gave no indication. The two of them continued to stare at the roof for a time. It could have been seconds, minutes or hours that passed. The only noise that disturbed the peace was the occasional wind rattling the door, the windows.
"So… get into any trouble while I was absent? Or do I not want to know?"
He had spoken so quietly, Bryan was almost sure it was his imagination. He shrugged casually.
"Eh, I wrangled myself a noble overnight. Shame though, he got away. Could have made a fortune off of him, as well."
Bryan had almost forgot about that particular scoundrel and the events that led up to their unfortunate encounter. He had been so surprised to find his former teammate at his doorstep that everything else had seemed insignificant. Now that he remembered though, he was still slightly miffed.
For some unknown reason, this seemed to gather Tala's attention. He removed his gaze from the ceiling and sat a little straighter on the couch.
"Wait, wait, you're not talking about the Jurgen heir, are you?"
Surprise. Disbelief. Whichever emotion came first, it was plastered across the silver-haired blader's face as clear as day.
"How can you possibly know that?!"
Amusement danced in Tala's cold eyes, a devious smile playing across his lips. When he smiled like that, it wasn't good for anyone. Least of all the people in the same room. But Bryan was persistent. Even if it ended up costing him in the end, he demanded to know.
Surprisingly, Tala gave in more readily than expected. He was almost eager to share this shred of information.
"It's all over the newspapers. Well, in his home country, anyway. The Jurgen estate was in an uproar for quite some time, as their heir had mysteriously vanished without a word," he said lowly, as if it was a secret meant to be kept between the two of them. "His parents were quite furious, I'd imagine."
"You know, Tala, that doesn't really explain anything."
"You didn't let me finish," he muttered darkly before continuing. "Just before… what was his name? Robert? Just before he up and left, his parents accepted an offer for his hand in marriage. Some fish-faced girl by the name of Allisa Deiderich or something—"
"Aloisa?"
"Everyone's a critic," Tala snapped, annoyed at the constant interruptions. Bryan decided to let him finish before speaking again. Though, he couldn't shake the feeling they were acting like a pair of gossiping schoolgirls. "As I was saying. This Aloisa girl has no real merit. She's not an outstanding beauty, nor is she royalty. But her father owns a large part of a shipping company. Apparently, the Jurgen's think they could benefit from such a holy union sometime in the future.
"Because he disappeared shortly after the very public announcement, his parents think he's skimping on his duty. They were nothing short of declaring his actions treasonous," Tala paused momentarily. Whether to catch his breath or for dramatic effect, it was unclear. "It was the McGregor kid who brought everything back into perspective, though. Who would have thought he had depth? But the official story is the Jurgen boy is out searching for the most exquisite ring for his bride-to-be."
The red-head couldn't keep the sickening grin from spreading across his face. "Although, if what you say is true and he's hiding out in a backwater town like this, he's probably shopping for a farm animal. Which, from what I hear, isn't far from the truth."
Bryan ignored the other boy as he began to laugh mirthfully. Rather than feeling amused, as his cohort no doubt expected, he was more perplexed by the news. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
Robert had definitely been acting out-of-character. That is to say, more grumpy than haughty. In due fairness, Bryan was partly to blame for that. If he had woken up in the noble's bedridden situation, he would have been pissed as well. As annoyed as the German had been, he had also been adamant in remaining where he was.
He didn't demand to be taken to the hospital. He complained about it a lot, but never once asked to leave.
Bryan was no mastermind or super sleuth, but he suspected Robert's subtle willingness to the given situation had something to do with the Deiderich girl.
Leaving meant returning, and returning meant giving in.
Bryan smiled at that. As uncaring as he was, by allowing the the nobleman to stay, had he done something right? Something nice for someone? Something worth being appreciated for? He liked to think so, even if it was for selfish reasons on both of their parts that they obliged to the situation.
Even after all these slight revelations, it still left one, very important question unanswered.
"Why were you in Germany, again?"
In the middle of a yawn, Tala ceased motion, blinking under Bryan's scrutinizing gaze. His own cold eyes began to narrow, bemused, his lips curling into another devious smile. He shrugged and, running a hand through his hair absently, replied simply,
"The circus was in town."
If there was meant to be a subliminal message in his statement, the silver-haired blader completely missed it. The first tendrils of darkness began to creep into the room, through the unshielded windows, signaling the beginning of nightfall. Staggered by the amount of time that had passed, Bryan pulled himself off the arm of the couch. His back was stiff, and his legs had gone numb.
A loud sizzling, followed by a harmonious crackle captured both boy's attention. Tala looked up curiously, while Bryan paled considerably.
"Are you… cooking something?" The red-head asked suspiciously.
Recovering from his three-second stupor, Bryan feigned innocence, replying with an airy,
"Now that's something you do not want to know about."