Among Friends [Florian]

[Thysbae]

84 SEARING 121

The thing Thysbae loved most about the estate was the space.

There was so much of it. Too much, sometimes. In the faintest corners of his mind, the distress of so much space reminded him of home where there had never been space. The attic had been a small thing and so was he. So easy had it been to curl up there and disappear when his mother’s words grew to be too much. But the problem with that was that she knew where to find him and nowhere was safe. The dark was a suffocating thing that he had to contend with, hiding her presence if she so wanted it. That lack of space kept her close, and in return so was he.

But here, on the estate, he could sprawl out in the gardens. He could run the grounds with the hounds until he grew tired. Perhaps it was a temporary arrangement, but he had vowed to himself that he would make the most of it. Him, and the other little voices in his head. The nagging, hungry voices that had desired more but would contend with this.

He blinked, hooves clacking against the stone of the front steps. The half-breed had considered preparing a gift for his visitor, but it’d already been a feat to ask for this. And it wasn’t like the money he ever spent was truly his own. He sniffed, the head of a hound bumping against his hand. The entrance to the Monteliyet Estate was a sight to behold, and one that had taken by surprise upon his arrival. From the moment he had seen them, a heavy weight had been placed on him. Be good, the voice told him. You never know when this will all end, the other voice tacked on. They still reminded him, sometimes.

But, no — today was supposed to be a good day. He was having a friend over. A friend. Bae considered them friends, even if Florian did not share the same opinion. A shock of excitement forced his steps to the front gate faster. It probably wasn’t proper that he was meeting the other there, but it just meant that they would talk sooner and for longer on the walk down the drive leading into the estate.

“You’ve made it!” His tail wagged as the hound that had followed him down sat beside him. Alert, but making no moves to be aggressive. “Was the journey here difficult? Confusing? Did you get lost on your way?”

[Florian]

Florian had realized the letter was from Thysbae before he had finished it. No one really sent him letters, unless it was official business or the odd bill, but the odd little Lysanrin had commented that he'd wanted to invite Florian to the Monteliyet estate, and he himself had brought it up at the debut just a few days prior. He had to get transportation himself, though, which meant a short train ride into the East End and then...walking. It was hard enough to take the train all the way in, and he didn't even want to bother with anything else. Anything more.

And so he walked up to the Monteliyet estate just to see the half-breed who waited for him at the gate. They still had a walk ahead of them to the estate itself, but it was at least polite of Thysbae to want to walk that with him. The man's childish demeanor and the fact he lived here had already begun to grate on his nerves, however, and he wondered how a Lysanrin could end up so spoiled as to be allowed to be a child into adulthood.

"Difficult, maybe. It wasn't that confusing." He didn't want to bother with mentioning run of the mill events that he faced whenever he had to go to the East End, even when he was in uniform. But today he wasn't in uniform. He was dressed as nicely as he could be with what he had, but compared to the fabric of Thysbae's own clothing and the ostentatious outfit itself, he felt underdressed.

"So a tea party, eh?" He smiled. He'd been able to gather that much from the crossed out text. And then he noticed the hound. Florian did not have much experience with dogs, neither positive nor negative, but he was still taken aback by its presence. It was a bit too large, and there was a bit too much distance between him and escape for him to feel comfortable. He blinked and then tore his gaze from the creature back to Thysbae. "Are there a lot of dogs here?"

[Thysbae]

Bae would not notice the irritation. He, simply, was unable to past the excitement of having Florian here. Certainly, it had required permission, but it was something that he had managed to do on his own. Written out a proper invitation and everything. And Florian had not seen it as robbery to come. The wag of his tail was akin to that of the hound beside him if it had been just as eager for the other Lysanrin’s arrival.

The half-breed blushed at the mention of his crossed-out words. “Luncheon.” His voice wavered around the correction. “This One would told i-it would sound better he used luncheon instead of tea party.” He fidgeted with his fingers a moment before he grasped at the hem of his pants. “But! Let’s not focus on that now.”

At Florian’s mention of the hound, though, his focus shifted entirely. Rather than taking his stare as a sign of uncertainty, the half-breed found it to be fascination. With a pat to the dark-furred hound’s head, Bae nodded. “Yes! This One believes there are currently ten on the estate. Although, there may be puppies coming soon.” He squinted, as if trying to remember before deciding there was no point to that and moving on. “The Monteliyet breed them! This One is not sure of all the details, but he does so enjoy getting to exercise them when allowed.”

Perhaps it was the mention of exercise or the not-quite inclusion of the dog in the conversation, but it stood as if to give its input. A nose pushed against Bae’s palm, answered by a giggle and two-handed head scratches before the half-breed remembered his manners. “This is Riz! Riz, your greetings.” A gruff bark of acknowledgment left the dog before it settled back down into a sit, awaiting movement from either of them.

“This One hopes you don’t mind more of a walk.” And it would have been a walk for Bae if not for the light hops of excitement. A tea party — no, luncheon. His first done of his own volition. “How have you been?”

[Florian]

Florian eyed the dog with suspicion, but he hoped if he minded himself it wouldn't seem too eager to jump on him. It seemed nice to Thysbae, but it also already knew Thysbae. He jumped a bit when it barked, though he tentatively held out a hand for the creature to sniff. That there were more of them roaming around did little to lessen his anxiety. "Hello, Riz."

"I don't mind a walk." He replied, though he was still looking forward to whatever sort of food that the luncheon would consist of despite himself. He felt like this trip was more to indulge his curiosity than anything. He desired to know how Thysbae ended up in this situation, as unlikely as it seemed. He was afforded enough security to remain childlike and well taken care of, even as Florian struggled to find it in himself and his wallet to keep his ribs from showing. Not that he couldn't afford food anymore, but anxiety frequently diminished his appetite. Now he didn't want to be rude from not eating, so he'd have to force himself to, anyway. He hoped the dog wouldn't be joining them.

"How have I been? Much of the same." He wasn't too keen on sharing his day to day activities with anyone, really. "Mostly I've been spending time with my mother." It wasn't a lie - he really hadn't been up to much, and when he wasn't sure what to do, he always ended up at her apartment. He hadn't seen Eitan since Anton's debut, though only two days had passed since, and he was going to be seeing him the next day anyway.

"You really live here?" There was a touch of jealousy, but he tried to dampen it. There was just so much space, and the air wasn't obliterating his lungs with smog. He would happily get used to the smell of grass over machinery if he had ever been given the choice.

[Thysbae]

Florian didn’t seem happy with Riz. Which was fine! He might have seemed a little crestfallen in the moment, but that was temporary. He was in need of Florian’s company, at any rate. Someone that could actually talk back to him. He gave Riz a pat on the head. “Go on, then, Riz.” The hound looked up at him for a moment, blinking impassively. Of course, its master was not the halfbreed that just barely stood taller than it. One of the Monteliyets held claim to that position. With a pout, Bae prodded at the beast until it was more annoyed by his pestering to remain and trotted off like a pony to find somewhere else to be. There; Florian ought to feel a bit more comfortable, right?

“Your mother? What’s she like? This One bets you probably look exactly like her.” That was nice, spending time with his mother. At least, he assumed so. That was something that families did, wasn’t it? Spent time with each other? Thysbae tipped his head to the side. “What’s her name?”

At Florian’s question, he bobbed his head in a nod. “This One is fortunate to be allowed to stay here. He would have lived in his mother’s home, or maybe a cell.” The Order had kept him in one in the days leading up to his arrival to the estate. It had not been a pleasant stay. A stark contrast to the life he had now. One that, stricken once more by the thought, he had to work to keep. Had to make himself seem deserving of. He sniffed, blinked. Tried to right himself from the short moment of terror that had come over him. His smile returned, as if it hadn’t dropped a moment before.

Bae lead Florian into the great estate, taking the steps with excited hops. “Maybe you could stay over one day. There are a lot rooms. If This One asks really well, they might say yes.” A sleepover sounded like a fun idea. He’d never had the chance to have any as a child, let alone friends. A new experience to explore.