Sherry— [Astarion puffs out, still swiping his hand against fabric. A few balled-up curls of soaked paper fall to the floor like tiny leaves from a tree in the process, gold around their edges— same as the bottle's signature scrawl.
Evidence, later. But not right now.
Right now, he can hear the rhythmic thudding of footwork against hollow wood (a low, shuddering sound not so different from a drum in play, only there's a percussive crispness to it), broken by the occasional correction from Zevlor or from one of the performers calling out. Today, Etudíe is furious at Brienne. That means there's more pauses than usual between sets, and when it happens, it comes coupled with a few arguments. Short ones, sure, but heated.
It works in Astarion and Fenris' favor.
And gives Astarion enough confidence to push his stare up and away from his battle, setting its attention on the other elf instead while he goes on.] —is what all the best people drink.
It's not the same as wine. [Declared with the unflinching confidence of someone who's never known nor asked what sherry actually is.
And this time there's a reason for it.]
Look. [He hefts his arm up behind him— the same one he'd been pawing with— grabbing a slim cocktail menu off the edge of the counter, almost twisting his shoulder around for how high up it is, but if it hurts he doesn't seem to mind; he's more focused on the end goal here:] See?
[He hasn't forgotten Fenris is still learning his letters, so he taps the ink with his index finger. Second row down from the top.]
They wouldn't write it separate if it was just regular wine. And it wouldn't cost twice as much either.
[Numbers are so much teasier than letters, and oh, that price is rather high, all things considering. Dark eyebrows raise as his eyes flick down, trying to compare it to the other prices, but ah: that's a bit too difficult.]
And you're certain no one will miss this?
[Said with all the dubious air of someone searching for the catch. Nothing ever comes for free, and surely there has to be a point where Zevlor's patience runs out.
On the other hand . . . it's not as if he's the one stealing it. He won't abandon Astarion if they get caught, but the ire certainly won't be wholly directed his way. And he's curious now, hesitance or not. It sounds exotic, or at the very least fancy, and when else will he ever be able to try it? Fenris grabs the edge of the bar and yanks himself forward, scooting boy and stool all at once so he can crowd in.]
Give it to me. You're pretty weak, you are not going to be able to get that cork off.
[Not an insult, or at least not really intended as one. Just the blunt utterances of a child. Above them, the song winds down. Zevlor's even tone rings through the air, offering indistinct corrections. Of course she missed the last shift, she's too busy sucking on Mallius' tongue all day, Etudíe drawls, and oh, there starts up the bickering again.]
Now what are they fighting about?
[He's getting better at learning names and faces, but that's a very different beast than understanding all the drama and details that come with each performer. Everyone's slept with someone, or has some grudge, or has a soft spot, or resents someone because they got a favored role . . . it seems exhausting to Fenris, in truth. But he likes hearing about it secondhand. Astarion is a good storyteller, and seems to have a knack for knowing all the dirty details. Being friends with him has been quite the education.]
[The look Astarion gives him is constricted by criticism at first: the urge to argue that he's not weak is only outstripped by the desire to see Fenris actually open the bottle he's well over fiddling with— huffing out a scoff of disagreement as he pries the bottle out of his own lap and foists it into Fenris' arms instead.
And with his hands now free, he gives himself one last dusting before setting his chin in his hands on the bar, menu steepled right beside him.]
Mallius. [Is the only definitive answer to all prior lines of questioning. His chasing grin proves it's not the end of it, either.] Brienne and Etudíe both like him because he's the only dancer that gives good cock, and they both think he should want them— and it's worse because Etudíe 'stole' one of Brienne's clients two months ago, only we all know she was just camping outside Brienne's room so she could catch him and convince him to try her instead.
[He doesn't know that— it's just the exact same gossip regurgitated the exact same way he heard Laira say it whilst wiping down the bar, and like anything a child hears, it stuck.
His eyes are on the cork; he doesn't quite know why, but he likes watching Fenris' hands work.]
Buuut I overheard Mallius saying that he was only sticking around until this next show run ends so he can meet up with boyfriend in Bah-li.
[Bali, actually. But points for trying, Astarion.]
[From Laira to Astarion to Fenris: what was once rumor becomes ingrained fact, easily accepted in a baffling sort of way. He barely knows what giving good cock means, beyond a vague understanding that it's to do with fucking, but what does it matter? He nods in agreement because he likes hearing Astarion talk, and the education he gets in carnal matters is a bonus.
As for where Bah-li is: Fenris shrugs one skinny shoulder, eyes narrowed in concentration as he focuses on the bottle. One of the other servants had taught him this: the trick isn't to yank it out all at once, but wiggle it free slowly and methodically . . .
Though one bit of gossip slips through the cracks in his concentration, and he glances up.]
He's the only dancer who— who does that?
[His tongue falters at the last minute, but no matter. It isn't that he's shy, exactly, but he doesn't have the same casual confidence Astarion does when it comes to uttering such phrases.]
In the whole company? That seems . . .
[Ill-advised, he would say if he was grown. Instead, his nose wrinkled:]
Stupid. Shouldn't everyone know how to do that?
[After all: how hard can it possibly be? And he has other thoughts on that, but—
Pop! goes the cork, and Fenris glances down in mingled surprise and pleasure at the opened bottle of sherry. He grin at Astarion, proud and pleased to succeed in front of him, and flips the cork over to him before sniffing experimentally at the bottle.
It's . . . alcoholic, mostly, and he fights the urge to wrinkle his nose in instinctive distaste.]
It smells like almonds . . .
[Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.]
Do we just drink it?
[There was a whole lesson last week on how to decant wine, which he only vaguely remembers.]
It smells expensive. [Is really the point. They're a real pair of merchant princes now— or just as good as them— as Astarion makes a show of sniffing that cork first, then crawls down from his seat to fish up two crystal glasses from the underside of the bar and slide them both over to Fenris for pouring.
That's his job.]
He's the only dancer who they like, so i guess he's the only one that's good at it.
It's like being a diamond: everyone wants to be, but not everyone is. Besides, he's not a courtesan, only a dancer, so that has to make it extra special or something.
[He considers this as he grasps the bottle in two hands and begins to pour. There's a little frown on his face as he focuses on pouring slowly enough so it doesn't spill. Except that's too slow, a trickle rather than a steady pour, and so he nudges the bottle higher— except then that's too fast, a surge of sherry suddenly filling the glass all at once, and that's too much even when he rushes to fill the second glass—
And look: it could be worse. In the end, there's a sticky puddle of sherry on the bartop, but no more than a thimbleful, if that. And it's not as if it's gone totally to waste: Fenris drags his fingers against the counter, gathering up the liquid and popping it into his mouth.
It tastes . . . he wrinkles his nose, his mouth working once or twice, but that's no way to try it.]
What makes for a diamond, anyway? Being very good at, [and there's only the slightest hesitation now,] giving cock?
[His mother would box his ears for speaking so crudely, but she isn't here now, is she? He picks up one slick glass, waiting for Astarion to do the same. Together or not at all.]
A diamond always gives good cock, and conversation, and p— [What would've been the word performances is turned into a scattered cough as Astarion's attempt to sip his sherry with sophistication turns instead into him inhaling its drier vapors. Condensation, too, and it's a good thing the music's started up again because he has to slap his hand against his chest to clear his throat and lungs. Throat burning when he delivers his assessment of:]
[He laughs, which is a little mean, but he doesn't mean it that way. It's just that Astarion sounds so much like an indignant pup, sputtering and gagging all over the place; it's just that he looks precious like that, and there's something to be said for seeing your friend so undignified.]
You barely even drank it! You just got a few drops, that doesn't count.
[And then, with a goading little grin:]
Go on. Try it properly. Don't back out now. You aren't a coward, are you?
[SEEMS SUS TO HIM, but you know what, he's not the one in charge of money. Like, maybe someone should tell Zevlor that's bad business practice— but on the other hand, it's not Fenris' problem. But maybe he will tell him later, just in case.
For now: they're veering off track.]
Your whole paycheck for the week, you said.
[Don't you back out on him now. Fenris takes the glass, eying it dubiously, but . . . well, how bad can it be? He knocks the glass back, gulping it in one fell swoop—]
[—and it's not that he means to spit it all out and spray it everywhere, it's just that it's so GROSS. So dry and disgusting and it stings his tongue and gets up in his nose, and yes, he swallowed some of it, but most of it ended up on the bar, and all over his clothes, and all over—
Ah.
All over Astarion, too.]
Blech— it's worse than fish!
[And Fenris just does not care. Sorry, Astarion, but he's too busy scrambling to hunt for some water, or wine, or literally anything to get this off his tongue.]
[Astarion can't help it now that it's his turn— he laughs, slapping his tiny hand against the countertop, delighted not to be alone in suffering.]
I told you! [He barks— ] I told you!! [ —cut short by the next pause in the music, somehow worried his yelling is the reason for it (like any child tends to assume), and when the next round of bickering starts, he whispers: ]
Well what are we supposed to do with the rest of this stuff now?
[BLECH . . . he's still looking around for something to drink, but everything is alcoholic (shocking behind a bar). And by now the taste has faded, sort of, or at least become mildly less distressing— so with a huff, Fenris returns to his stool, frowning all the while.]
Can't you give it to someone else?
[He glances up reflexively as Zevlor's voice raises in exasperation; then, with a little grimace:]
No . . .
[There's no trusting anyone else with a secret like this. Hmm . . . ]
We could fill it back up with some water and put the cork back in. That might work.
[That's so smart, that's so smart— with a little hum of approval (and no small measure of relief) Fenris grabs the rag, sopping up every little droplet he can. And hey, turns out spilling while pouring paid off, because now they have even more liquid to funnel back into the bottle. So it all works out, sort of.
There is a thought for how gross all this is, but . . . eh! Rich people aren't really people, at least in Fenris' mind, and if the worst hardship they suffer is a bit of backwash, well. They'll cope. They can afford to cope.]
So what are you going to do when you get older?
[A callback to their earlier conversation, asked as skinny fingers wring out as much liquid as he can.]
[Midway through tugging out the funnel and reaching for their plan's penultimate component, oh Astarion lets out such a haughty little— hah!]
Anybody could run this place, and Zevlor likes it besides. [His chin lifts higher, and he puts the bottle's cork back in before clasping both of Fenris' hands over it (because he's strong), and his own atop them after that, ready to cooperatively bear down without— hopefully— sending the mangled bottle of sherry skyrocketing out into the belly of the cabaret itself at full, unhinged throttle.
[The cork first, and it's easier than it seems to adjust his weight and bear down from straight above, so that nothing goes flying. It doesn't want to go back in, but shove anything hard enough and soon it won't have a choice— and honestly, he's a little pleased for that. It's quietly pleasing to feel Astarion's hands brace above his own.]
Why?
[He glances up as he says it, his head cocking. And then, because he's grown to know Astarion a little:]
The attention might be pleasing, and the outfits are pretty. [More than just pretty: Astarion had taken him on a whirlwind tour of some of the dressing rooms, dazzling Fenris with endless supplies of glittering fabric and jeweled costumes.] But it seems like a lot of work . . . and don't you have to talk to people all the time?
[He makes a little face. He loves hanging out with Astarion, but only Astarion. The others in the Moulin Rouge have been welcoming (for the most part, though there are always one or two nasty comments), but Fenris finds them overwhelming as a group. Everyone's always talking, or singing, or gossiping, or trying to get attention . . . it's exhausting.]
[They call it a birdcage sometimes because it is like one, full of beautiful, lively creatures chattering away. Lots of singing, performing— feathers.
Fenris might not always like being around that much energy, but for Astarion? It's dazzling. It's thrilling.
It's everything.]
That's why there's only one at a time: it's supposed to be....[Like impossible isn't distinguished enough. He needs to work on that. It's a good reminder.] Nearly unattainable.
And Zevlor adopted me [he says, pulling back his still-warm hands with a very proud smile,] but I'm still a noble even if my parents are dead— who else would be better suited for it than me?
[Who better indeed? Astarion does seem to thrive in the spotlight. It's why they work well together: when Fenris shies away from the cacophony, Astarion is there to take it all instead, deflecting it and absorbing it happily. And— Fenris thinks this fondly— he's such a peacock, too. They've been caught pawing through the wardrobes more than once, but it's Astarion who suggests they go, not Fenris; it's Astarion who dresses them both up, thrilling in play-acting out imaginary scenes and snippets of dialogue from whatever play is in season.
He nods as he draws his hands back (he can still feel the ghost of his fingertips atop his own), affirming that statement: yes, it does suit, doesn't it?]
I'll help you, if ever you need it. If you want it.
[How? He has no idea. But he wants to, with all the earnestness and loyalty of a child. Astarion is his only friend, and that's worth so much.]
Zevlor likes you already, that will be a good start.
[Ah, but:]
What about the current diamond?
[Fenris hasn't ever even met her, that's how elite she is.]
She isn't that old. She won't be dead when we're grown. Do they retire?
I dunno. [He shrugs, and it's a half-measure cast aside as he finishes shutting away their crime; pleased to turn over the words I'll help you more than he's concerned about the rest. Some things are far-off concepts that he'll figure out later, he's sure, but things like having Fenris here— knowing that he's willing to lend a hand, and not because he has to— that's the part he likes. All those glittering, distant notions....
And this.
He closes the ice chest with a little thunk.]
But she's a human anyway, and they hardly live long before they get really old and stuff. [Not like Zevlor. Not like them.
Still....he feels bad when he says it. He likes her, after all: she's the one who took him under her wing for tutelage when he wouldn't stop nosing around her coattails. He doesn't want her to grow old, or to leave, or anything like that. But Fenris is right, too. There can't be two of them.
So he puts it out of his mind, and shrugs again.]
She'll probably get tired of sucking up to a bunch of rich people and go to Bah-li, too.
[There's a slight pause, and then:]
What about you? What do you want to do? Are you gonna take over for Zevlor?
[He gives the icebox a brief worried glance, but . . . well, there's nothing more they can do, and anyway, once they walk away, who's going to know it was them? Apart from, say, a particularly canny tiefling that knows exactly what kinds of boys he's taken in . . . mm, but maybe he won't be the one to open it. Maybe whomever opens it won't care. It'll be fine, probably.
And speaking of distant consequences: they should go and do some of the endless chores that need to get done . . . bu-ut Zevlor is busy right now, and why not take advantage of that? Hopping off his bar stool, he nudges at Astarion's elbow, leading him upwards. There's a hidden nook in the rafters that Fenris has found and unofficially claimed— one where no one bothers him, but where he can see the entire stage and most of the main hall. It's dusty and forgotten, and thus perfect for a boy still struggling to acclimate to how just about everything in his life has changed.]
No . . .
[Not Zevlor's job. Fenris is new, yes, but even to him, the thought of the tiefling not being around is . . . disquieting. He's as much a fixture of the Moulin Rouge as the lights or the music; to have him not be there would be wrong, somehow.
But where does that leave Fenris? He ponders it as they clamber upwards, climbing ladders and balancing along light fixtures; only once they're settled, watching the glittering figures move down below, does he answer.]
Maybe a stagehand . . . I like working with my hands. Or a bouncer . . . I'm good at fighting. I was training before I left . . . does Zevlor train bouncers, too?
[Where do you even learn how to fight? Fenris had been soaking up every bit of scrap information he could from anyone he could, from fellow servants to the drunks that lingered outside the bars and thought it funny to see a boy try and fight . . . and of course, he thinks, glancing at scabby knuckles, practice makes perfect. But the bouncers at the Moulin Rouge are so quick about it, especially the ones that linger in the halls, waiting for if one of the workers needs them.
(He'd seen it once, only a few days after he'd come to live here. Some man put his hands on a girl in a way he wasn't supposed to. She'd yelled, the bouncer charged in, and oh, it was so breathtakingly fast the way he hauled him out and guided him out the door, somehow managing not to rouse the attention of anyone else there. It was a work of art, if you've the mind for such a thing, and far better than Fenris himself could have handled it. He's been thinking about it ever since: the way he grabbed the man just here and here, yanking him upright and guiding him out the door . . . it's hard to practice on yourself, but he's tried anyway).]
[Astarion's never told him that he liked to haunt the rafters before they met; he doesn't need to, it's better now that it's Fenris' discovery— like the best kind of secret, it belongs only to them.
So he follows Fenris' handholds, and the little dark shock of straight hair as it vanishes between beams for a time.]
I think he just hires them. [Comes in the middle of that musing, just talking as if he were an extension of thoughts already said— only that's when he catches the last part, so quick he almost spoke over it.
His silver eyes widen. He blinks a lot longer than he should, attention oscillating between scuffed knuckles and the look on Fenris' face while they're both jammed into a corner, all knees and elbows and high shoulders.]
[Oh . . . and suddenly there's a shift in the air, a heavy weight to the conversation, though if pressed he couldn't say how or when or why. But this conversation matters in a way it hadn't a few seconds ago. The air between them feels charged, time slowing in the same way it had all those weeks ago when Astarion had said why don't you live here?
This is a choice that will matter.
Does he want to? But what else would he do? To go anywhere else feels wrong in a way he instinctively recoils from, for being near Astarion is about the only thing that makes sense nowadays. And yet: it isn't fear that fuels him. He doesn't linger because he shies away from the open door; it's a deliberate choice. It has to be a deliberate choice, for nothing else would satisfy.]
Yes.
[He says it firmly, solemnly, for he means it. He means it as much as he's ever meant anything, and he doesn't know why, save only that it feels right.
Below them, the music has started up again. It's a pretty thing from some opera, lighthearted and melodious, meant to act only as background for when meals are served. It's a love song, little pup, Brienne had told him teasingly when he'd asked what it was about. No one cares what the words mean, so long as they like how it sounds. It does sound pretty, he thinks inanely, his eyes still locked on Astarion and all of him focused forward. It drifts through his ears, and much like his own intense certainty, he doesn't know why some part of him fixates on it— only that he does.]
I'll protect you. I'll keep you safe. And— and when you get bored and want to go off to Bah-li, I'll come with you, and protect you there too.
[He'd never needed to ask Zevlor if this— their arrangement, parentship, employment— whatever anyone would call it, would last. It was shown to him over time, in fragments of memories involving pyjamas and bedtime stories and raised covers and the feeling of a comb run through his messy curls. Things he can't fully remember save for the impact that they had: a feeling like....
Mm.
He doesn't know.
It's heavy now as it was then. Like punctuation, or an eclipse, it presses in and bends this moment into something more profound than it would otherwise be. His legs are tucked under him, soaking in dust that's nearly half an inch thick in places, and his hands hook over his knees, and he can almost feel the buzzing electricity in the empty space between them.
Like coming home, he thinks.]
What if I don't ever get bored? [He chances, rubbing one hand over the other wrist in thought.] What if I stay here forever and drink sherry and perform every night for strangers that you hate?
[Again, there's a pause: not of hesitation, but contemplation, for there's no point if he doesn't give Astarion a wholly honest answer. But this comes easier, now.]
Then I'll stay.
[He tips his head to one side, his ears twitching upwards as something a little lighter weaves through his tone.]
You'll have to deal with them, not me— and if you hate them, I get to fight them, so. [That rather works out for him.] And you can drink sherry, and I'll have beer, and you'll sing, and dance, and do whatever else a diamond does— and we'll live here.
I like it here. And I would not mind staying, so long as— as you're here too.
He's so weird. Even at the Moulin Rouge, aside from Zevlor and himself, people come and go (not always to Bah-li, sometimes right down the street to work someplace else, marry someone else), but it's not because of fear that he's offering to stay. They're past the days of Danarius— he hopes— but Fenris could go anywhere, do anything.
Astarion's nose wrinkles when he grins.]
Mm. You can fight anybody you want....as long as you're here with me.
[His hand is still sticky with the long-gone remnants of spilled sherry; he holds it out to seal their pact.]
[He grins right back at him, his heart elated. If the past few months have taught him anything, it's that life is anything but predictable. One minute he was living with his mother and sister, serving their master, and the next they were all gone; one minute he was a slave, and the next free. Once he had nothing, and now . . .
Now, he has someone. He has a home, a real home, and people who watch out for him. The future is theirs if they want it to be, and for the first time in his life, he's allowed to do something so audacious as dream.]
You're gonna have to do what I tell you to do.
[He says it as he grips his hand, amused by the stickiness.]
That's how I keep you safe. By making sure nobody can get near you, not unless you want them . . . and by making sure you're not putting yourself in danger.
[He's still got fingers wrapped around twinned digits when his smile goes slack (nose wrinkling for a different reason, his tiny ears pinning flat to either side of his head in clear irritation) at that assertion. Bossy as he is— as he's gotten to be now that he's used to the little ghost that used to follow him around doing the opposite of every adult he's grown up around: going along with his plans— he's not, on a fundamental level, very sure about the shift in status quo. Bristling turns to scrutiny inside the warmth between their palms within a few small seconds, however. A shrewd look of thorough consideration, as though he's sizing his companion up on a level far beyond anything like pride or selfish stubbornness. The same look Zevlor gives every writer in his office with a stageplay to pitch.
His tally's a little different in the end, though.
(He likes getting into trouble together. He likes fighting and kicking at each other almost as much as he likes the feeling of a coarser hand in his, squeezing tighter than is proper. He likes sneaking into each others' rooms and eating what they shouldn't when they think they won't get caught, and how he can point to Fenris in front of their richest clients and tell them that he's off the streets and starving just to get a couple extra coins. He likes having someone else here his age. He likes him. And— )
He thinks he might like getting told what to do, as long as it's Fenris.]
We should start practicing now, then. So I can get used to listening to somebody else.
[His ensuing smile is small. And short-lived.
From downstairs there's a bellowing call— 'Astarion, Fenris, get down here now!!' Zevlor's signature projection proves impressive even by thespianic standards every time it's used, and Astarion overheard the dancers saying it was from his days in the fray, but whatever the reason for its existence, it's unmistakable and flinch-inducing: tugging Astarion's fingers out from Fenris' as he whips around on instinct, even knowing that it's coming from below, far, far out of sight.
In theory, they could stay here and pretend not to hear him.
In theory they could live up here forever and only come down when everyone's asleep to eat and drink, and take up the profession of being the Moulin Rouge's phantom twins.
[Maybe they should, Fenris thinks in those first desperate few seconds. Maybe they should just hide up here forever, scurrying away from familiar footsteps until at last Zevlor's ire has faded, his attention caught by some other disobedient staff member. They can't be the only ones, after all. Surely not. Surely someone else will steal something, or break something, or forget a line, and then they'll be in the clear . . .
But then again: maybe not. And the longer you wait, the worse it gets; Fenris knew that even before coming here.]
Come on.
[Said with the grim air of one facing the firing squad— though before Astarion can rise, Fenris' hand darts out. Grabbing his wrist, he gives him a little look.]
Don't scream this time.
[Sticky palm meets slick tongue as Fenris laps at what remains of the sherry. It's not, like, great in terms of hiding the evidence, but at least it's not so obvious either. He shudders just once from the taste, gives Astarion another little look (you're welcome is the subtext there, look at how clever a bodyguard he is already), and scrambles to the ladder.
He can see Zevlor now: the tiefling stands rigidly by the bar they abandoned, his arms crossed and every line in his body radiating anger. The bottle is next to him, damnably incriminating (and yet, Fenris thinks stubbornly, not so out of place that you can really tell anything's wrong— well, beyond the ripped foil, but still). Fenris' ears are low, his shoulders rising up despite himself— for no matter how many times the tiefling yells, still, he never grows used to it.
(And yet: what he isn't yet used to is how mild it is. The first time they'd tracked mud all over the main stage, Zevlor had yelled, oh, yes. But when he'd seen how Fenris stoically braced himself, he'd softened. Dismissed Astarion and knelt down, one warm hand settling on his shoulder. 'I'll never sell you, Fenris,' he'd said firmly. 'I'll never beat you, or hurt you, or give you away. What punishments you earn will fit the crime— but they will never involve you being treated the way you once were.'
It was stunning. Baffling, almost, and he'd stared at the tiefling with a mixture of trepidation and uncertainty, wary of this strange, kind man. Zevlor had only smiled, then. 'You'll see soon enough,' he'd promised, and run a fond hand through his hair before dismissing him.)]
Don't try and talk us out of it. That only makes it worse.
[He advises it as they reach the bottom of the ladder. Is Astarion still mad about the licking thing? Hopefully not. But probably he is. Either way: Fenris shifts himself a little, positioning himself in front of Astarion. It's a little protective, though from what he'd be hard-pressed to say.]
[Well of course it makes it worse— it's all Astarion ever does as a rule of thumb, which is why if not for the lingering feel of dampness on his palm (half wiped away, half held there by the imprint of his opposite thumb, pushed just against its midline), he'd be vexed by the notion of staying silent.
Instead he's red. Warm around the backs of his tucked ears, staring wide-eyed at the back of Fenris' head as they slither from the rafters and return to the land of the acknowledged and the living, which— between his distraction and Fenris' slow march, embodies something of the deliverance of Eurydice from Tartarus.
Small, and preemptively unsure, and decidedly deserving of soft mercy.
Zevlor's brow arches on approach, waiting for the silence to break. It always does, after all. And therefore when it doesn't, and he can't so much as level an interrogating stare towards the tuft of white, curl-laden hair sticking out behind Fenris' silhouette (no face, no expression, barely even the tips of those sharp ears), he clears his throat and offers up a dry:
'Am I to address the council first or will Astarion be joining us?']
[He frowns a little, aware that Zevlor is teasing him but not quite certain as to how. It's one of the many new and often baffling experiences of the Moulin Rouge: the adults are nicer as a rule, but too often they think it gives them leave to tease and patronize as they see fit, and that Fenris has little patience for.
The other issue, now that they're here, is that there's a reason it's always Astarion who does the talking. He's so much better at it than Fenris— far less inclined to simply duck his head and take whatever punishment their guardian sees fit to dole out. But if he's a bodyguard, Fenris thinks, that means protection . . . and protection isn't always about fists and beatings. Sometimes it's about covering, too. Probably. Maybe. He's very new at this.]
You can address me.
[One eyebrow ticks up further, but though there's amusement dancing in his eyes, he's too well-trained to smile. 'Can I,' he says evenly. 'Very well, then. How do you explain this?'
One clawed hand sweeps over the scene of the crime: the bottle, the cork unevenly jammed back in, and scattered around it little bits of gold foil. The bar is sticky with leftover sherry, there's a stained rag left haphazardly on one (of two) drawn out stools, and there are two used glasses still lingering on the bar. Ah . . .]
It was not us.
['Yes, it was,' Zevlor replies swiftly, his voice even. It isn't an argument, simply a statement of fact, and Fenris shifts his weight uncomfortably.]
Well . . . maybe, but . . .
[Um. He glances behind him for a moment, then continues:]
Even if it was, you can't prove it. So. [And then, feeling himself on slightly firmer ground, continues:] If there's no evidence, you can't say it was us. And it wouldn't be fair to punish us for it.
[Fairness is a new concept for Fenris, honestly, especially when it comes to crime and punishment. But it holds weight here, apparently, and he might as well and try it.
'You two are the only ones with hands small enough to match all the prints left on the bar,' Zevlor counters serenely. 'There's foil on your hands, Fenris, and I expect even more would be found on beneath Astarion's fingernails, if he would come out of hiding and show them. And there's no one else here who thinks they have the right to get into whatever stores they please.'
It's a damning argument, to be sure. A perfect retort. Fenris hesitates, turns around again to whisper something to Astarion, and then tries:]
It wasn't even that good. Nobody would've ordered it anyway, probably. So it wasn't even a waste.
['And you would know that . . . how, exactly?'
Fenris' nose wrinkles as he frowns.]
Because it was my idea. And I made him do it. So if you're gonna punish somebody, you should punish me, not Astarion.
[He's a bodyguard, not a lawyer— and while being clever with words is hard, at least he can keep his friend safe.]
Is a twofold declaration, echoing in unexpected ways. Once before Fenris, as the tiefling who adores him must contend with the circuitous floes of childish logic, not yet capable of grasping the weaknesses in their defense until it's been poked full of holes (but he's used to that by now, thanks to Astarion).
The second, however, comes from behind.]
—No he didn't!
[Insists that phantom specter, small ears determinedly twitching beyond the outline of Fenris' own— before Astarion leans forward, nearly shoving to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his friend, giving him a resolute, grim look.
If they're to suffer, they'll suffer together.]
No you didn't.
[Zevlor's brow climbs higher— no, both brows this time.] I told him to. I wanted to taste it— for you. To make sure nobody was messing with it! Ripping you off, that kind of thing....
['Ah, I see,' says Zevlor, nodding slowly, yet despite the dryness in his tone, the hammer fails to fall. Perhaps it's worked, their small petition. Their nobility. Their sacrifice. 'So then why was it that I was directed to speak to only -Fenris- first, hm?']
[Oh, there's not a hint of hesitation. Perhaps they had the idea only minutes ago, but something about it feels so right— and who cares what others think of it? He's good at fighting already, better than almost anyone in the entire Moulin Rouge, probably, so let them talk. Let them laugh, if they're so foolish as to underestimate him. He'll show them all.
Zevlor doesn't laugh. He looks surprised for a few seconds before his expression softens once more.
'Is that right,' he says, quietly amused by Fenris' fervent nod. 'And when did you decide this, hm?'
A few minutes ago is not that impressive an answer, and Fenris shrugs awkwardly.]
We— I— just did.
['I see,' he says again. From behind them, a voice drifts through the air, the words indistinct but the tone light; it's followed by peels of laughter. Kanon is busy with some of the girls, ostensibly measuring them for their newest costumes, but more than likely teasing them for whatever fuss occurred earlier. Zevlor glances towards backstage with a little smile, rubs one hand over his mouth, and then returns his attention to his two unruly children.
'Then perhaps the first thing you should learn is that a bodyguard is not a whipping boy— and taking the blame for Astarion's crimes won't do either of you any favors.']
I wasn't—
['Yes, you were.' It isn't a question. Zevlor kneels down, then, and tips his head at Fenris. 'And if you truly wish for such a thing, you'll need training. We can arrange for that— after you both finish making up for what you did. No,' he says, holding up one clawed hand to stave off the inevitable protest from Astarion. 'You weren't trying to stop me from being ripped off, don't try to sell that. You tried that lie last month with the wine, and it was no truer then than it is now.'
He rises to his feet, glancing between the two of them. 'Astarion, you'll be helping Laira for the next two weeks when she cleans after the guests— don't argue. And as for you, Fenris: Kanon needs someone to hold his pins and scissors while he designs the costumes. You'll give him a hand in what he needs, and serve as model if you must.'
Two tasks that they both hate; two chores that they'd probably be happier to exchange, which is why they both serve well as punishments. Fenris, who had grown brighter at the thought of training, visibly deflates, pulling a little face.]
Ugh.
[The noise slips out of him before he can help it, and for a long moment Fenris stares up at Zevlor in shock. It's the first time he's ever expressed such annoyance, never mind in response to a punishment, and the consequences . . . you aren't supposed to do that. You aren't ever supposed to do that, and despite himself, Fenris tenses. Kindly or not, surely Zevlor won't take to such sass, not from him—
And yet all the tiefling does is chuckle softly. 'Go on,' he urges, and nods at Astarion. 'You too. I'm not changing my mind.']
I wish you would change your mind. [Astarion says, pinning the tip of his tongue to the base of his leftmost canine— a newer habit. He's as tall as Laira now, which is impressive for the fact that it means he's mastered walking in heels without managing to break his own neck, and for that Laira has always been incredibly, undeniably short. Setting his forearms against the bartop bends his shoulders forwards, so he cranes his weight towards it, relieving the aching throb gnawing his heels.
Fenris is stooped low behind the bar, dutifully charged with the one thing he'd been reprimanded for as a child: unpacking inventory, and Astarion can't help leveling his stare at the space between strong shoulders. A rapidly developing ridge of muscle he's never seen before lies there, peeking from beneath the borders of a cotton shirt.
Only yesterday he was a scrawny thing, it feels like. Now he's like a garden, or a freshly founded whorehouse: new growth everywhere.]
Zevlor would forgive you for skipping out on busywork for just an hour. Hells, he probably wouldn't even notice you were gone.
[He doesn't look up as he says it, and that's deliberate. Astarion in heels isn't anything new, not really, but Fenris noticing Astarion in heels is. It's odd: one day it hadn't been anything more than an amusement, and now . . . now, Fenris finds he takes special note of the way his spine arches and his hips sway, his ass pushed out pleasingly.
He has to be careful not to stare. Then again: he has to be careful not to stare at anyone here, not because it isn't allowed, but because there's no one more merciless than a whore with someone to tease. And now that Fenris has grown a bit, well. All the gloves have come off.
But Astarion is different. He doesn't know why, but he is. Being caught staring at Brianna makes for an irritating afternoon, but being caught staring at his friend is . . . well. It's discomfiting.]
And you'll be fine. Just attempt not to antagonize anyone— strange a sensation as that may be for you.
[He straightens up, lifting the box and setting it down on the counter. It's a little easier to face him this way, though the sight of Astarion actually being his height is startling. He's gotten too used to him being short.
Another thing that hasn't changed: those damned magic iceboxes still leave everything unpleasantly slick. Fenris rolls up his sleeves, catching Astarion's eye as he does.]
What has you so fretful? You've taken lessons before. What makes this so different?
Hah. Hah. [Astarion snorts back as his nose wrinkles just the way it did when they were children. Disapproval laced through an otherwise distracted expression, it only takes the rolling of those sleeves for him to forget what they were talking about.
Or doing.
His eyes roll anyway, more performative than not, and when they return to the present view, they're lowered for a half beat longer, watching the flexion pull of tender muscle under skin.]
I'm not fretful.
[Saying that makes him sound fretful, even when he isn't. Too contrarian. Too argumentatively blunt. He's learned the patterns of fine conversation but he's not there yet for using them.
Least of all when he's talking to his childhood best friend.]
But I've no one else to practice on, and the last thing I want to do is look like a godsdamned amateur in front of the others.
[Blunt and dry, that's his style— but even as he says it, Fenris knows already what his answer will be. It's no fun to be the least experienced at something, and gods know he's had more than enough experience at that lately. Knowing how to scrap and brawl is one thing, but acting as vigilant guard is quite another, and he's had more than a few humbling experiences lately.
His hands pick up the pace, swiftly drawing bottles out of a crate and placing them haphazardly on the bar. It's messy work, it's not where they're supposed to go, and he's going to end up having to wipe the bar down all over again for how they're leaving little puddles of condensation, but . . .]
Do you have a spot in mind?
[The answer is yes, even if he hasn't said it yet.]
And if I get in trouble, you're doing whatever tasks Zevlor ends up assigning me. And you owe me a favor.
[If there are rings on the bar's lacquer from condensation, the cost will come from both their hides anyway; Zevlor's too clever to merely dock the one who'd been responsible and call it a day. Not when they're capable and far from careless on their own. No, it's when they're together that their shrewd little minds transmute diligence into oversight.
So to avoid that, and help get them out of here sooner, Astarion cranes forward on his toes, scooting more bottles out of the way in unison— and while not strictly organized, closer to where they belong.
Which is good enough, really.
(And this is normal. This is how it's always been, so why is his heart lodged higher in his throat all of a sudden?)]
You know where.
[The rafters. Their place. The climb is tighter now and the quarters more confined, but it's still the only place where they'll be reliably alone.] I don't want anyone to bother us. I need to focus.
[His scoff is light. Amused to say the least.
He catches the neck of a bottle at the exact same time as his counterpart— knuckles knocking slight against each other.]
Since when were you so fussy about getting into trouble?
[They hit the same line at different emphasis points, but the petulant little nose wrinkle is the same. But protesting really does make him sound as though he is, and that's annoying. Annoying, too, the way his stomach has started to flutter, his heart beating a little faster as they work.
Intimacy is such a lax affair within the Moulin Rouge. Sex and all that comes with it are easily exchanged, offered up between performers and prostitutes as stress relief or to stave off boredom. Even Fenris has gotten propositioned more than once, though he's never taken anyone up on the offer. There are petty jealousies, of course, and rivalries that only grow more heated when it comes to who chooses what bed to lie in, but still: no one thinks of it as anything personal.
And nor will they, he tells himself firmly. This isn't anything more than practice, and the fact that they two are so comfortable with one another is just bonus. There's no reason to be nervous. There's no reason for his words to stick in the back of his throat, nor for his palms to stay a little damp even after he's wiped them off on his trousers.]
I— [A swift swallow, and then:] I simply do not relish the thought of having to wake up early tomorrow because of you.
[He jerks his head as he comes around the bar. The bottles are, if not neatly put away, at least marginally acceptable, and that will have to do for now. Fenris leads the way back, his head half-turned as he speaks.]
What is there to focus on, anyway?
[It's a real question, even as he hops up on the ladder and takes it two rungs at a time. Their secret spot is still pleasingly secluded, even now, and he feels a sense of satisfaction as he ducks past a wooden beam and settles in there.]
Most people manage it without any training at all.
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illithidnapped) wrote2025-05-31 06:45 pm
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Evidence, later. But not right now.
Right now, he can hear the rhythmic thudding of footwork against hollow wood (a low, shuddering sound not so different from a drum in play, only there's a percussive crispness to it), broken by the occasional correction from Zevlor or from one of the performers calling out. Today, Etudíe is furious at Brienne. That means there's more pauses than usual between sets, and when it happens, it comes coupled with a few arguments. Short ones, sure, but heated.
It works in Astarion and Fenris' favor.
And gives Astarion enough confidence to push his stare up and away from his battle, setting its attention on the other elf instead while he goes on.] —is what all the best people drink.
It's not the same as wine. [Declared with the unflinching confidence of someone who's never known nor asked what sherry actually is.
And this time there's a reason for it.]
Look. [He hefts his arm up behind him— the same one he'd been pawing with— grabbing a slim cocktail menu off the edge of the counter, almost twisting his shoulder around for how high up it is, but if it hurts he doesn't seem to mind; he's more focused on the end goal here:] See?
[He hasn't forgotten Fenris is still learning his letters, so he taps the ink with his index finger. Second row down from the top.]
They wouldn't write it separate if it was just regular wine. And it wouldn't cost twice as much either.
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And you're certain no one will miss this?
[Said with all the dubious air of someone searching for the catch. Nothing ever comes for free, and surely there has to be a point where Zevlor's patience runs out.
On the other hand . . . it's not as if he's the one stealing it. He won't abandon Astarion if they get caught, but the ire certainly won't be wholly directed his way. And he's curious now, hesitance or not. It sounds exotic, or at the very least fancy, and when else will he ever be able to try it? Fenris grabs the edge of the bar and yanks himself forward, scooting boy and stool all at once so he can crowd in.]
Give it to me. You're pretty weak, you are not going to be able to get that cork off.
[Not an insult, or at least not really intended as one. Just the blunt utterances of a child. Above them, the song winds down. Zevlor's even tone rings through the air, offering indistinct corrections. Of course she missed the last shift, she's too busy sucking on Mallius' tongue all day, Etudíe drawls, and oh, there starts up the bickering again.]
Now what are they fighting about?
[He's getting better at learning names and faces, but that's a very different beast than understanding all the drama and details that come with each performer. Everyone's slept with someone, or has some grudge, or has a soft spot, or resents someone because they got a favored role . . . it seems exhausting to Fenris, in truth. But he likes hearing about it secondhand. Astarion is a good storyteller, and seems to have a knack for knowing all the dirty details. Being friends with him has been quite the education.]
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And with his hands now free, he gives himself one last dusting before setting his chin in his hands on the bar, menu steepled right beside him.]
Mallius. [Is the only definitive answer to all prior lines of questioning. His chasing grin proves it's not the end of it, either.] Brienne and Etudíe both like him because he's the only dancer that gives good cock, and they both think he should want them— and it's worse because Etudíe 'stole' one of Brienne's clients two months ago, only we all know she was just camping outside Brienne's room so she could catch him and convince him to try her instead.
[He doesn't know that— it's just the exact same gossip regurgitated the exact same way he heard Laira say it whilst wiping down the bar, and like anything a child hears, it stuck.
His eyes are on the cork; he doesn't quite know why, but he likes watching Fenris' hands work.]
Buuut I overheard Mallius saying that he was only sticking around until this next show run ends so he can meet up with boyfriend in Bah-li.
[Bali, actually. But points for trying, Astarion.]
Wherever that is.
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As for where Bah-li is: Fenris shrugs one skinny shoulder, eyes narrowed in concentration as he focuses on the bottle. One of the other servants had taught him this: the trick isn't to yank it out all at once, but wiggle it free slowly and methodically . . .
Though one bit of gossip slips through the cracks in his concentration, and he glances up.]
He's the only dancer who— who does that?
[His tongue falters at the last minute, but no matter. It isn't that he's shy, exactly, but he doesn't have the same casual confidence Astarion does when it comes to uttering such phrases.]
In the whole company? That seems . . .
[Ill-advised, he would say if he was grown. Instead, his nose wrinkled:]
Stupid. Shouldn't everyone know how to do that?
[After all: how hard can it possibly be? And he has other thoughts on that, but—
Pop! goes the cork, and Fenris glances down in mingled surprise and pleasure at the opened bottle of sherry. He grin at Astarion, proud and pleased to succeed in front of him, and flips the cork over to him before sniffing experimentally at the bottle.
It's . . . alcoholic, mostly, and he fights the urge to wrinkle his nose in instinctive distaste.]
It smells like almonds . . .
[Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.]
Do we just drink it?
[There was a whole lesson last week on how to decant wine, which he only vaguely remembers.]
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That's his job.]
He's the only dancer who they like, so i guess he's the only one that's good at it.
It's like being a diamond: everyone wants to be, but not everyone is. Besides, he's not a courtesan, only a dancer, so that has to make it extra special or something.
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[He considers this as he grasps the bottle in two hands and begins to pour. There's a little frown on his face as he focuses on pouring slowly enough so it doesn't spill. Except that's too slow, a trickle rather than a steady pour, and so he nudges the bottle higher— except then that's too fast, a surge of sherry suddenly filling the glass all at once, and that's too much even when he rushes to fill the second glass—
And look: it could be worse. In the end, there's a sticky puddle of sherry on the bartop, but no more than a thimbleful, if that. And it's not as if it's gone totally to waste: Fenris drags his fingers against the counter, gathering up the liquid and popping it into his mouth.
It tastes . . . he wrinkles his nose, his mouth working once or twice, but that's no way to try it.]
What makes for a diamond, anyway? Being very good at, [and there's only the slightest hesitation now,] giving cock?
[His mother would box his ears for speaking so crudely, but she isn't here now, is she? He picks up one slick glass, waiting for Astarion to do the same. Together or not at all.]
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A diamond always gives good cock, and conversation, and p— [What would've been the word performances is turned into a scattered cough as Astarion's attempt to sip his sherry with sophistication turns instead into him inhaling its drier vapors. Condensation, too, and it's a good thing the music's started up again because he has to slap his hand against his chest to clear his throat and lungs. Throat burning when he delivers his assessment of:]
Ugh!!
[It's not sweet at all.]
That's bloody awful.
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You barely even drank it! You just got a few drops, that doesn't count.
[And then, with a goading little grin:]
Go on. Try it properly. Don't back out now. You aren't a coward, are you?
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If you take a good long drink of it and don't flinch I'll give you all my paycheck for this week.
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[Does he?]
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Do you actually do all your work every week?
[It is, honestly, a real question.]
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[................
...
..
....]
....no.
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[SEEMS SUS TO HIM, but you know what, he's not the one in charge of money. Like, maybe someone should tell Zevlor that's bad business practice— but on the other hand, it's not Fenris' problem. But maybe he will tell him later, just in case.
For now: they're veering off track.]
Your whole paycheck for the week, you said.
[Don't you back out on him now. Fenris takes the glass, eying it dubiously, but . . . well, how bad can it be? He knocks the glass back, gulping it in one fell swoop—]
2/2
Ah.
All over Astarion, too.]
Blech— it's worse than fish!
[And Fenris just does not care. Sorry, Astarion, but he's too busy scrambling to hunt for some water, or wine, or literally anything to get this off his tongue.]
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I told you! [He barks— ] I told you!! [ —cut short by the next pause in the music, somehow worried his yelling is the reason for it (like any child tends to assume), and when the next round of bickering starts, he whispers: ]
Well what are we supposed to do with the rest of this stuff now?
We can't drink it.
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Can't you give it to someone else?
[He glances up reflexively as Zevlor's voice raises in exasperation; then, with a little grimace:]
No . . .
[There's no trusting anyone else with a secret like this. Hmm . . . ]
We could fill it back up with some water and put the cork back in. That might work.
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—oh!
He swipes at the air, gesturing at the dishrag next to Fenris.]
Here, get that and wipe up what you spit on the counter while I pour my glass back in.
[They've got a funnel, and one full glass, and a dishrag, and the makings of a perfect cover-up.]
We can wring it back into the bottle with any leftover water too.
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There is a thought for how gross all this is, but . . . eh! Rich people aren't really people, at least in Fenris' mind, and if the worst hardship they suffer is a bit of backwash, well. They'll cope. They can afford to cope.]
So what are you going to do when you get older?
[A callback to their earlier conversation, asked as skinny fingers wring out as much liquid as he can.]
Take over for Zevlor?
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Anybody could run this place, and Zevlor likes it besides. [His chin lifts higher, and he puts the bottle's cork back in before clasping both of Fenris' hands over it (because he's strong), and his own atop them after that, ready to cooperatively bear down without— hopefully— sending the mangled bottle of sherry skyrocketing out into the belly of the cabaret itself at full, unhinged throttle.
Wing and a prayer.
Moreover, however:]
I'm going to be a diamond.
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Why?
[He glances up as he says it, his head cocking. And then, because he's grown to know Astarion a little:]
The attention might be pleasing, and the outfits are pretty. [More than just pretty: Astarion had taken him on a whirlwind tour of some of the dressing rooms, dazzling Fenris with endless supplies of glittering fabric and jeweled costumes.] But it seems like a lot of work . . . and don't you have to talk to people all the time?
[He makes a little face. He loves hanging out with Astarion, but only Astarion. The others in the Moulin Rouge have been welcoming (for the most part, though there are always one or two nasty comments), but Fenris finds them overwhelming as a group. Everyone's always talking, or singing, or gossiping, or trying to get attention . . . it's exhausting.]
What would be the appeal?
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Fenris might not always like being around that much energy, but for Astarion? It's dazzling. It's thrilling.
It's everything.]
That's why there's only one at a time: it's supposed to be....[Like impossible isn't distinguished enough. He needs to work on that. It's a good reminder.] Nearly unattainable.
And Zevlor adopted me [he says, pulling back his still-warm hands with a very proud smile,] but I'm still a noble even if my parents are dead— who else would be better suited for it than me?
[No one, that's who.]
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He nods as he draws his hands back (he can still feel the ghost of his fingertips atop his own), affirming that statement: yes, it does suit, doesn't it?]
I'll help you, if ever you need it. If you want it.
[How? He has no idea. But he wants to, with all the earnestness and loyalty of a child. Astarion is his only friend, and that's worth so much.]
Zevlor likes you already, that will be a good start.
[Ah, but:]
What about the current diamond?
[Fenris hasn't ever even met her, that's how elite she is.]
She isn't that old. She won't be dead when we're grown. Do they retire?
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And this.
He closes the ice chest with a little thunk.]
But she's a human anyway, and they hardly live long before they get really old and stuff. [Not like Zevlor. Not like them.
Still....he feels bad when he says it. He likes her, after all: she's the one who took him under her wing for tutelage when he wouldn't stop nosing around her coattails. He doesn't want her to grow old, or to leave, or anything like that. But Fenris is right, too. There can't be two of them.
So he puts it out of his mind, and shrugs again.]
She'll probably get tired of sucking up to a bunch of rich people and go to Bah-li, too.
[There's a slight pause, and then:]
What about you? What do you want to do? Are you gonna take over for Zevlor?
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And speaking of distant consequences: they should go and do some of the endless chores that need to get done . . . bu-ut Zevlor is busy right now, and why not take advantage of that? Hopping off his bar stool, he nudges at Astarion's elbow, leading him upwards. There's a hidden nook in the rafters that Fenris has found and unofficially claimed— one where no one bothers him, but where he can see the entire stage and most of the main hall. It's dusty and forgotten, and thus perfect for a boy still struggling to acclimate to how just about everything in his life has changed.]
No . . .
[Not Zevlor's job. Fenris is new, yes, but even to him, the thought of the tiefling not being around is . . . disquieting. He's as much a fixture of the Moulin Rouge as the lights or the music; to have him not be there would be wrong, somehow.
But where does that leave Fenris? He ponders it as they clamber upwards, climbing ladders and balancing along light fixtures; only once they're settled, watching the glittering figures move down below, does he answer.]
Maybe a stagehand . . . I like working with my hands. Or a bouncer . . . I'm good at fighting. I was training before I left . . . does Zevlor train bouncers, too?
[Where do you even learn how to fight? Fenris had been soaking up every bit of scrap information he could from anyone he could, from fellow servants to the drunks that lingered outside the bars and thought it funny to see a boy try and fight . . . and of course, he thinks, glancing at scabby knuckles, practice makes perfect. But the bouncers at the Moulin Rouge are so quick about it, especially the ones that linger in the halls, waiting for if one of the workers needs them.
(He'd seen it once, only a few days after he'd come to live here. Some man put his hands on a girl in a way he wasn't supposed to. She'd yelled, the bouncer charged in, and oh, it was so breathtakingly fast the way he hauled him out and guided him out the door, somehow managing not to rouse the attention of anyone else there. It was a work of art, if you've the mind for such a thing, and far better than Fenris himself could have handled it. He's been thinking about it ever since: the way he grabbed the man just here and here, yanking him upright and guiding him out the door . . . it's hard to practice on yourself, but he's tried anyway).]
I could be your guard, if you became a diamond.
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So he follows Fenris' handholds, and the little dark shock of straight hair as it vanishes between beams for a time.]
I think he just hires them. [Comes in the middle of that musing, just talking as if he were an extension of thoughts already said— only that's when he catches the last part, so quick he almost spoke over it.
His silver eyes widen. He blinks a lot longer than he should, attention oscillating between scuffed knuckles and the look on Fenris' face while they're both jammed into a corner, all knees and elbows and high shoulders.]
....do you want to be?
[Is a heavy question. It sits in his stomach.]
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This is a choice that will matter.
Does he want to? But what else would he do? To go anywhere else feels wrong in a way he instinctively recoils from, for being near Astarion is about the only thing that makes sense nowadays. And yet: it isn't fear that fuels him. He doesn't linger because he shies away from the open door; it's a deliberate choice. It has to be a deliberate choice, for nothing else would satisfy.]
Yes.
[He says it firmly, solemnly, for he means it. He means it as much as he's ever meant anything, and he doesn't know why, save only that it feels right.
Below them, the music has started up again. It's a pretty thing from some opera, lighthearted and melodious, meant to act only as background for when meals are served. It's a love song, little pup, Brienne had told him teasingly when he'd asked what it was about. No one cares what the words mean, so long as they like how it sounds. It does sound pretty, he thinks inanely, his eyes still locked on Astarion and all of him focused forward. It drifts through his ears, and much like his own intense certainty, he doesn't know why some part of him fixates on it— only that he does.]
I'll protect you. I'll keep you safe. And— and when you get bored and want to go off to Bah-li, I'll come with you, and protect you there too.
I promise.
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Mm.
He doesn't know.
It's heavy now as it was then. Like punctuation, or an eclipse, it presses in and bends this moment into something more profound than it would otherwise be. His legs are tucked under him, soaking in dust that's nearly half an inch thick in places, and his hands hook over his knees, and he can almost feel the buzzing electricity in the empty space between them.
Like coming home, he thinks.]
What if I don't ever get bored? [He chances, rubbing one hand over the other wrist in thought.] What if I stay here forever and drink sherry and perform every night for strangers that you hate?
[Would you stay then?]
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Then I'll stay.
[He tips his head to one side, his ears twitching upwards as something a little lighter weaves through his tone.]
You'll have to deal with them, not me— and if you hate them, I get to fight them, so. [That rather works out for him.] And you can drink sherry, and I'll have beer, and you'll sing, and dance, and do whatever else a diamond does— and we'll live here.
I like it here. And I would not mind staying, so long as— as you're here too.
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He's so weird. Even at the Moulin Rouge, aside from Zevlor and himself, people come and go (not always to Bah-li, sometimes right down the street to work someplace else, marry someone else), but it's not because of fear that he's offering to stay. They're past the days of Danarius— he hopes— but Fenris could go anywhere, do anything.
Astarion's nose wrinkles when he grins.]
Mm. You can fight anybody you want....as long as you're here with me.
[His hand is still sticky with the long-gone remnants of spilled sherry; he holds it out to seal their pact.]
I only want one bodyguard.
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Now, he has someone. He has a home, a real home, and people who watch out for him. The future is theirs if they want it to be, and for the first time in his life, he's allowed to do something so audacious as dream.]
You're gonna have to do what I tell you to do.
[He says it as he grips his hand, amused by the stickiness.]
That's how I keep you safe. By making sure nobody can get near you, not unless you want them . . . and by making sure you're not putting yourself in danger.
[Something like that, anyway.]
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His tally's a little different in the end, though.
(He likes getting into trouble together. He likes fighting and kicking at each other almost as much as he likes the feeling of a coarser hand in his, squeezing tighter than is proper. He likes sneaking into each others' rooms and eating what they shouldn't when they think they won't get caught, and how he can point to Fenris in front of their richest clients and tell them that he's off the streets and starving just to get a couple extra coins. He likes having someone else here his age. He likes him. And— )
He thinks he might like getting told what to do, as long as it's Fenris.]
We should start practicing now, then. So I can get used to listening to somebody else.
[His ensuing smile is small. And short-lived.
From downstairs there's a bellowing call— 'Astarion, Fenris, get down here now!!' Zevlor's signature projection proves impressive even by thespianic standards every time it's used, and Astarion overheard the dancers saying it was from his days in the fray, but whatever the reason for its existence, it's unmistakable and flinch-inducing: tugging Astarion's fingers out from Fenris' as he whips around on instinct, even knowing that it's coming from below, far, far out of sight.
In theory, they could stay here and pretend not to hear him.
In theory they could live up here forever and only come down when everyone's asleep to eat and drink, and take up the profession of being the Moulin Rouge's phantom twins.
It's a thought.]
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But then again: maybe not. And the longer you wait, the worse it gets; Fenris knew that even before coming here.]
Come on.
[Said with the grim air of one facing the firing squad— though before Astarion can rise, Fenris' hand darts out. Grabbing his wrist, he gives him a little look.]
Don't scream this time.
[Sticky palm meets slick tongue as Fenris laps at what remains of the sherry. It's not, like, great in terms of hiding the evidence, but at least it's not so obvious either. He shudders just once from the taste, gives Astarion another little look (you're welcome is the subtext there, look at how clever a bodyguard he is already), and scrambles to the ladder.
He can see Zevlor now: the tiefling stands rigidly by the bar they abandoned, his arms crossed and every line in his body radiating anger. The bottle is next to him, damnably incriminating (and yet, Fenris thinks stubbornly, not so out of place that you can really tell anything's wrong— well, beyond the ripped foil, but still). Fenris' ears are low, his shoulders rising up despite himself— for no matter how many times the tiefling yells, still, he never grows used to it.
(And yet: what he isn't yet used to is how mild it is. The first time they'd tracked mud all over the main stage, Zevlor had yelled, oh, yes. But when he'd seen how Fenris stoically braced himself, he'd softened. Dismissed Astarion and knelt down, one warm hand settling on his shoulder. 'I'll never sell you, Fenris,' he'd said firmly. 'I'll never beat you, or hurt you, or give you away. What punishments you earn will fit the crime— but they will never involve you being treated the way you once were.'
It was stunning. Baffling, almost, and he'd stared at the tiefling with a mixture of trepidation and uncertainty, wary of this strange, kind man. Zevlor had only smiled, then. 'You'll see soon enough,' he'd promised, and run a fond hand through his hair before dismissing him.)]
Don't try and talk us out of it. That only makes it worse.
[He advises it as they reach the bottom of the ladder. Is Astarion still mad about the licking thing? Hopefully not. But probably he is. Either way: Fenris shifts himself a little, positioning himself in front of Astarion. It's a little protective, though from what he'd be hard-pressed to say.]
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Instead he's red. Warm around the backs of his tucked ears, staring wide-eyed at the back of Fenris' head as they slither from the rafters and return to the land of the acknowledged and the living, which— between his distraction and Fenris' slow march, embodies something of the deliverance of Eurydice from Tartarus.
Small, and preemptively unsure, and decidedly deserving of soft mercy.
Zevlor's brow arches on approach, waiting for the silence to break. It always does, after all. And therefore when it doesn't, and he can't so much as level an interrogating stare towards the tuft of white, curl-laden hair sticking out behind Fenris' silhouette (no face, no expression, barely even the tips of those sharp ears), he clears his throat and offers up a dry:
'Am I to address the council first or will Astarion be joining us?']
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The other issue, now that they're here, is that there's a reason it's always Astarion who does the talking. He's so much better at it than Fenris— far less inclined to simply duck his head and take whatever punishment their guardian sees fit to dole out. But if he's a bodyguard, Fenris thinks, that means protection . . . and protection isn't always about fists and beatings. Sometimes it's about covering, too. Probably. Maybe. He's very new at this.]
You can address me.
[One eyebrow ticks up further, but though there's amusement dancing in his eyes, he's too well-trained to smile. 'Can I,' he says evenly. 'Very well, then. How do you explain this?'
One clawed hand sweeps over the scene of the crime: the bottle, the cork unevenly jammed back in, and scattered around it little bits of gold foil. The bar is sticky with leftover sherry, there's a stained rag left haphazardly on one (of two) drawn out stools, and there are two used glasses still lingering on the bar. Ah . . .]
It was not us.
['Yes, it was,' Zevlor replies swiftly, his voice even. It isn't an argument, simply a statement of fact, and Fenris shifts his weight uncomfortably.]
Well . . . maybe, but . . .
[Um. He glances behind him for a moment, then continues:]
Even if it was, you can't prove it. So. [And then, feeling himself on slightly firmer ground, continues:] If there's no evidence, you can't say it was us. And it wouldn't be fair to punish us for it.
[Fairness is a new concept for Fenris, honestly, especially when it comes to crime and punishment. But it holds weight here, apparently, and he might as well and try it.
'You two are the only ones with hands small enough to match all the prints left on the bar,' Zevlor counters serenely. 'There's foil on your hands, Fenris, and I expect even more would be found on beneath Astarion's fingernails, if he would come out of hiding and show them. And there's no one else here who thinks they have the right to get into whatever stores they please.'
It's a damning argument, to be sure. A perfect retort. Fenris hesitates, turns around again to whisper something to Astarion, and then tries:]
It wasn't even that good. Nobody would've ordered it anyway, probably. So it wasn't even a waste.
['And you would know that . . . how, exactly?'
Fenris' nose wrinkles as he frowns.]
Because it was my idea. And I made him do it. So if you're gonna punish somebody, you should punish me, not Astarion.
[He's a bodyguard, not a lawyer— and while being clever with words is hard, at least he can keep his friend safe.]
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Is a twofold declaration, echoing in unexpected ways. Once before Fenris, as the tiefling who adores him must contend with the circuitous floes of childish logic, not yet capable of grasping the weaknesses in their defense until it's been poked full of holes (but he's used to that by now, thanks to Astarion).
The second, however, comes from behind.]
—No he didn't!
[Insists that phantom specter, small ears determinedly twitching beyond the outline of Fenris' own— before Astarion leans forward, nearly shoving to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his friend, giving him a resolute, grim look.
If they're to suffer, they'll suffer together.]
No you didn't.
[Zevlor's brow climbs higher— no, both brows this time.] I told him to. I wanted to taste it— for you. To make sure nobody was messing with it! Ripping you off, that kind of thing....
['Ah, I see,' says Zevlor, nodding slowly, yet despite the dryness in his tone, the hammer fails to fall. Perhaps it's worked, their small petition. Their nobility. Their sacrifice. 'So then why was it that I was directed to speak to only -Fenris- first, hm?']
Because he's my—
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[Oh, there's not a hint of hesitation. Perhaps they had the idea only minutes ago, but something about it feels so right— and who cares what others think of it? He's good at fighting already, better than almost anyone in the entire Moulin Rouge, probably, so let them talk. Let them laugh, if they're so foolish as to underestimate him. He'll show them all.
Zevlor doesn't laugh. He looks surprised for a few seconds before his expression softens once more.
'Is that right,' he says, quietly amused by Fenris' fervent nod. 'And when did you decide this, hm?'
A few minutes ago is not that impressive an answer, and Fenris shrugs awkwardly.]
We— I— just did.
['I see,' he says again. From behind them, a voice drifts through the air, the words indistinct but the tone light; it's followed by peels of laughter. Kanon is busy with some of the girls, ostensibly measuring them for their newest costumes, but more than likely teasing them for whatever fuss occurred earlier. Zevlor glances towards backstage with a little smile, rubs one hand over his mouth, and then returns his attention to his two unruly children.
'Then perhaps the first thing you should learn is that a bodyguard is not a whipping boy— and taking the blame for Astarion's crimes won't do either of you any favors.']
I wasn't—
['Yes, you were.' It isn't a question. Zevlor kneels down, then, and tips his head at Fenris. 'And if you truly wish for such a thing, you'll need training. We can arrange for that— after you both finish making up for what you did. No,' he says, holding up one clawed hand to stave off the inevitable protest from Astarion. 'You weren't trying to stop me from being ripped off, don't try to sell that. You tried that lie last month with the wine, and it was no truer then than it is now.'
He rises to his feet, glancing between the two of them. 'Astarion, you'll be helping Laira for the next two weeks when she cleans after the guests— don't argue. And as for you, Fenris: Kanon needs someone to hold his pins and scissors while he designs the costumes. You'll give him a hand in what he needs, and serve as model if you must.'
Two tasks that they both hate; two chores that they'd probably be happier to exchange, which is why they both serve well as punishments. Fenris, who had grown brighter at the thought of training, visibly deflates, pulling a little face.]
Ugh.
[The noise slips out of him before he can help it, and for a long moment Fenris stares up at Zevlor in shock. It's the first time he's ever expressed such annoyance, never mind in response to a punishment, and the consequences . . . you aren't supposed to do that. You aren't ever supposed to do that, and despite himself, Fenris tenses. Kindly or not, surely Zevlor won't take to such sass, not from him—
And yet all the tiefling does is chuckle softly. 'Go on,' he urges, and nods at Astarion. 'You too. I'm not changing my mind.']
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Fenris is stooped low behind the bar, dutifully charged with the one thing he'd been reprimanded for as a child: unpacking inventory, and Astarion can't help leveling his stare at the space between strong shoulders. A rapidly developing ridge of muscle he's never seen before lies there, peeking from beneath the borders of a cotton shirt.
Only yesterday he was a scrawny thing, it feels like. Now he's like a garden, or a freshly founded whorehouse: new growth everywhere.]
Zevlor would forgive you for skipping out on busywork for just an hour. Hells, he probably wouldn't even notice you were gone.
And besides....
[He huffs, tangling his fingers.]
I need you more.
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[He doesn't look up as he says it, and that's deliberate. Astarion in heels isn't anything new, not really, but Fenris noticing Astarion in heels is. It's odd: one day it hadn't been anything more than an amusement, and now . . . now, Fenris finds he takes special note of the way his spine arches and his hips sway, his ass pushed out pleasingly.
He has to be careful not to stare. Then again: he has to be careful not to stare at anyone here, not because it isn't allowed, but because there's no one more merciless than a whore with someone to tease. And now that Fenris has grown a bit, well. All the gloves have come off.
But Astarion is different. He doesn't know why, but he is. Being caught staring at Brianna makes for an irritating afternoon, but being caught staring at his friend is . . . well. It's discomfiting.]
And you'll be fine. Just attempt not to antagonize anyone— strange a sensation as that may be for you.
[He straightens up, lifting the box and setting it down on the counter. It's a little easier to face him this way, though the sight of Astarion actually being his height is startling. He's gotten too used to him being short.
Another thing that hasn't changed: those damned magic iceboxes still leave everything unpleasantly slick. Fenris rolls up his sleeves, catching Astarion's eye as he does.]
What has you so fretful? You've taken lessons before. What makes this so different?
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Or doing.
His eyes roll anyway, more performative than not, and when they return to the present view, they're lowered for a half beat longer, watching the flexion pull of tender muscle under skin.]
I'm not fretful.
[Saying that makes him sound fretful, even when he isn't. Too contrarian. Too argumentatively blunt. He's learned the patterns of fine conversation but he's not there yet for using them.
Least of all when he's talking to his childhood best friend.]
But I've no one else to practice on, and the last thing I want to do is look like a godsdamned amateur in front of the others.
[Never mind that he is. Technically.]
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[Blunt and dry, that's his style— but even as he says it, Fenris knows already what his answer will be. It's no fun to be the least experienced at something, and gods know he's had more than enough experience at that lately. Knowing how to scrap and brawl is one thing, but acting as vigilant guard is quite another, and he's had more than a few humbling experiences lately.
His hands pick up the pace, swiftly drawing bottles out of a crate and placing them haphazardly on the bar. It's messy work, it's not where they're supposed to go, and he's going to end up having to wipe the bar down all over again for how they're leaving little puddles of condensation, but . . .]
Do you have a spot in mind?
[The answer is yes, even if he hasn't said it yet.]
And if I get in trouble, you're doing whatever tasks Zevlor ends up assigning me. And you owe me a favor.
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So to avoid that, and help get them out of here sooner, Astarion cranes forward on his toes, scooting more bottles out of the way in unison— and while not strictly organized, closer to where they belong.
Which is good enough, really.
(And this is normal. This is how it's always been, so why is his heart lodged higher in his throat all of a sudden?)]
You know where.
[The rafters. Their place. The climb is tighter now and the quarters more confined, but it's still the only place where they'll be reliably alone.] I don't want anyone to bother us. I need to focus.
[His scoff is light. Amused to say the least.
He catches the neck of a bottle at the exact same time as his counterpart— knuckles knocking slight against each other.]
Since when were you so fussy about getting into trouble?
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[They hit the same line at different emphasis points, but the petulant little nose wrinkle is the same. But protesting really does make him sound as though he is, and that's annoying. Annoying, too, the way his stomach has started to flutter, his heart beating a little faster as they work.
Intimacy is such a lax affair within the Moulin Rouge. Sex and all that comes with it are easily exchanged, offered up between performers and prostitutes as stress relief or to stave off boredom. Even Fenris has gotten propositioned more than once, though he's never taken anyone up on the offer. There are petty jealousies, of course, and rivalries that only grow more heated when it comes to who chooses what bed to lie in, but still: no one thinks of it as anything personal.
And nor will they, he tells himself firmly. This isn't anything more than practice, and the fact that they two are so comfortable with one another is just bonus. There's no reason to be nervous. There's no reason for his words to stick in the back of his throat, nor for his palms to stay a little damp even after he's wiped them off on his trousers.]
I— [A swift swallow, and then:] I simply do not relish the thought of having to wake up early tomorrow because of you.
[He jerks his head as he comes around the bar. The bottles are, if not neatly put away, at least marginally acceptable, and that will have to do for now. Fenris leads the way back, his head half-turned as he speaks.]
What is there to focus on, anyway?
[It's a real question, even as he hops up on the ladder and takes it two rungs at a time. Their secret spot is still pleasingly secluded, even now, and he feels a sense of satisfaction as he ducks past a wooden beam and settles in there.]
Most people manage it without any training at all.