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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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[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.

[draculabutbackwards]

I thought he made for pretty pleasant company.

[littleonewhosteals]

[He groans.]

You would. You're both the same amount of -

[And then he realizes. He has a type.]

Oh never mind.

[draculabutbackwards]

It's true that at no point did he tell me to go fuck myself, so.

[He's in an affectionate mood--it seems to banish the worries and discomfort of the last few days, even if neither of them is quite up to snuff. He sits up, just a little wearily, and pats his knee for Rags to put his head on.]

Did you want me to read to you, then?

[littleonewhosteals]

If you're up for it.

[He sits up, moving over to rest his head in his lap, letting his fingers link together on his stomach.]

[draculabutbackwards]

[Adrian pets his hair for a moment, settling in, opens the book with a dusty rustle, and reads--]

The camelopardus is so called because it has the head of a camel and the spots of a pard. Its neck is like that of a horse, and its feet like those of cattle. It is from Ethiopia...

[littleonewhosteals]

Adrian!

[He sits up so fast that he makes himself dizzy, blinking away the stars in his vision.]

It does not say that.

[draculabutbackwards]

I can't swear on anything because I'm an abomination unto God, but.

[He holds up the page, which is, unfortunately for him, in Latin. The accompanying picture may or may not be recognizable as... a giraffe.]

[littleonewhosteals]

[Rags frowns at the words, finding them absolutely indecipherable. Dammit. And he doesn't know the animal.]

That - that can't be a real creature.

[draculabutbackwards]

Well, it's in more than one bestiary, so something like it is. I'm fairly certain I saw some in the enclosure once, actually. I don't know if you knew Zagreus? He wanted to see more of the surface. Had a bit of a fixation on animals.