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[draculabutbackwards]

I have no idea if there's some future etiquette for this. Leave whatever message you choose?

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[littleonewhosteals]

[Rags had been surrounded by Taylor and has only since gotten away, so he is just going to be miserable and a little hurt on his own.]

Go find a book and come here and just, I don't know, read it to me? If you can?

[draculabutbackwards]

Just. Any book?

[He's already moving, but if Rags has a preference...]

[littleonewhosteals]

It really doesn't fucking matter.

[draculabutbackwards]

[Adrian indulges himself for the twenty seconds it takes to find a bestiary with a cameleopard in it.]

Your cabin, your room at home, mine...?

[littleonewhosteals]

My cabin. It's where I'm currently holed up.

[Flopped dramatically on the floor.]

[draculabutbackwards]

[He lets himself in in short order, takes one look at Rags, and opts to flop likewise.]

That bad?

[littleonewhosteals]

[He reaches over to take his hand.]

He fucking choked me.

This sucks. What - what happened to you?

[He assumes something not-great.]

[draculabutbackwards]

[Adrian rolls onto his side to nuzzle into Rags' hair. Very gently.]

Well. Not choking. I'm alright.

[He's not.]

[littleonewhosteals]

[And because he has met Adrian:]

Don't lie to me.

[draculabutbackwards]

I'm... optimistic. All the bits of me that aren't human fix themselves faster. I'm not saying it wasn't bad at the time, or that I didn't bring it on myself.

[littleonewhosteals]

What happened?

[He squeezes his hand tightly.]

[draculabutbackwards]

Apparently Death is also a petty shapeshifter. I thought I was dealing with another of Father's useless lackeys, and when I realized it was the thing that decimated a village to bait me, tried to use my parents' souls as a means to its end, and killed Trevor? My judgement suffered a bit.

[He squeezes back a moment later, still drained and rattled.]

[littleonewhosteals]

Oh.

That was the thing that came after me, too.

[Somehow, knowing it had killed Adrian is enough that he wants to go back and try to gouge his eyes out again.]

[draculabutbackwards]

Took Trevor's place, apparently. I would have guessed Father's but there wasn't much rhyme or reason.

[littleonewhosteals]

That's why it came after me. It hunted me for some fucking reason.

[But that's enough death talk for the both of them.]

Well, I did talk to your friend, at least. Friend? I don't know what anyone is to you.

[draculabutbackwards]

Friend is... apt as I suppose I could get? We knew each other a few days and most of it was horrifying.

[He is all for changing the subject.]

But you feel close to people quickly when you almost die together a few times.

[littleonewhosteals]

Heh. I mean, that's fucking obvious for both of us.

But she does know you well enough.

[draculabutbackwards]

She's devastatingly observant. I've never been quite so ruthlessly dressed down.

[Then, with a moment of hesitation.]

I met yours, too.

[littleonewhosteals]

[A sigh. A big sigh.]

I - didn't expect him to come here.

[draculabutbackwards]

I have a message for you. Up to hearing it now?

[littleonewhosteals]

[He doesn't want to hear it, but now that he knows it's out there, he has to live with that.]

Sure. Tell me.

[draculabutbackwards]

He bears you no ill will for your choice.

[Adrian, soft, deep voice and stilted delivery and all, doesn't need to try very hard to sound like Tal. But he's making an effort to get it right, and something of the tone survives.]

And is grateful to you, here and at home.

[littleonewhosteals]

That fucker.

[Is probably the least surprising answer.]

Thanks.

[draculabutbackwards]

Mm.

[He kisses Rags's temple.]

That's about what I think he expected you to say.

[littleonewhosteals]

[The kiss is reassuring, and Rags finds that he's not - conflicted about this at all. He can feel what he feels for both of them and neither becomes the replacement. That's a weight he had been carrying for longer than he knows.]

What do you think of him? He's annoying as fuck.