#𝔉𝔞𝔠𝔞𝔡𝔢 𖥨ํ ic

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 During a lull between the many, many dances, Aurelius steps out into the gardens. It's cooler here as well as quiet; his eyes drift to the bright moon in the skies above before he picks his way among the garden paths.

He had thought to find a place to sit—maybe somewhere by a fountain, or next to a parterre. Instead he turns and nearly runs into someone standing by a trellis, dressed in green with a full, all-white face mask.

"My apologies," the angel is quick to take a step back. He doesn't recognize this man, but it's odd to see someone alone out at night.

"...are you lost? The party's over there, back on the path I came from."

@kleinstar ໒꒱

[ithuriel]

𖤍 Contradictions do not delight him as paradoxes do. The latter, at least, hides kernels of truth in seemingly nonsense statements: less is more, change is constant, expect the unexpected, et al. The former only highlights failures in logic, or some sort of hidden flaw: for example, the scent of blood he's sure he's picking up in the air even though he sees none within sight.

It's also broad daylight—hardly a time for unfortunate murders—yet something prickles at the edge of Aurelius' senses just the same. Eyes skim curiously through the crowds before zeroing in on one rare, well-dressed soul passing close by.

If conversation was inevitable, at least let his partner be someone with taste. The angel weaves through the mob, careful to avoid touching most people in the process, and somehow ends up following his target to a more secluded corner between two buildings.

"Excuse me." Aurelius closes the final distance himself, using his taller frame to form a temporary buffer against the noisy plaza behind them. It occurs to him then that he has no idea how to phrase his question. Eyebrows furrowing, he decides to simply spit it out.

"I'm wondering whether you've noticed any suspicious occurrences in this square."

@fangsanddaggers ໒꒱

[hollowfaith]

don't test me

If you're going to force your ways on me...

then it's only fair I force mine on you

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 They say bad things come in threes.

The third time Aurelius runs into Architect, she's looking decidedly like the aftermath of some devious scheme gone wrong. Unfortunately, their eyes meet before he's quick enough to turn again, so the poor angel resigns himself to going through the motions for morality's sake.

"Are you hurt."

"Do you need healing, or perhaps an escort to the nearest hospital?"

There is a long-suffering sigh in his tone.

@explosivedesire ໒꒱

[ithuriel]

𖤍 It's not in his nature to pry.

Until he wants to.

And Aurelius thinks he's held out long enough, standing in his corner of the Enchanted Library while the other man digs through shelves of books as if looking for a particular novel. All of the titles, he notes, have something to do with one particular subject.

Finally, he clears his throat and takes a step forward. "Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice..."

"You seem to be looking for something specifically. It's not this one, is it?"

He holds up his own book, which reads: How to Serve Dragons: A History.

@dragonhcrt ໒꒱

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 "I am," Aurelius (seafoam green) declared dramatically, "a spectacular failure."

"Please shut up." Aurelius (light mauve) glared at him.

"You see?" The first one sighs, and drapes himself even more dejectedly over the couch. "I can't even please myself. What a disappointment."

Despite being made of paint, the details of his face and clothes are remarkably sharp, making the contrast between clone and original all the more striking. Seafoam green Aurelius has a head of disheveled hair and an untucked shirt with a row of mismatched buttons leading all the way up to his collarbones, where it abruptly stops to reveal the skin (paint?) beneath. Klaus' poor, green-stained hoodie lies somewhere squished between his body and the sofa cushions beneath.

Even with those words, he doesn't seem particularly glum, taking generous bites of a grayscale burger between his teeth as he talks. He's all but taken over the sofa, legs crossed over its back while the rest of his body slumps ever-so-gently in a downward diagonal towards the carpet.

"Eiden," he waves the fast food treat, sending a splotch of sauce dripping on his shirt.

"Do you have any more of these? He'll pay you for them," he nods at his other self, who rises to his feet in irritation.

"I will not."

@kleinstar ໒꒱

[hollowfaith]

“Nothing, everything’s fine.”

“How’s your jogging routes been doing you? Still holding up all right?”

"Uh... is somethin' weird goin' on again?"

[ithuriel]

𖤍 The average lifespan of a single cigarette is six minutes long. Unfortunately, this one meets a premature death after its owner accidentally drops it on the sidewalk, where it rolls away a few inches before a shiny heel crushes its body against the pavement. As its flame dies out in a stream of smoke, Aurelius smiles and kicks the remnants of its tattered corpse to the curb.

"I do apologize." And he even sounds sincere about it.

"But I'm rather allergic to bad life choices."

@brokeassgoing ໒꒱

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Onstage, the strings are playing up a storm. The beautiful soprano of the evening gracefully clutches the intricate beading of her dress, taking in a deep breath as she opens her lungs to hit that high note—

Crunch munch crunch.

Aurelius Vane-Tempest lowers his opera glasses from the singer to shoot the noisy girl snacking up a storm beside him with a disapproving look.

"Please be quiet."

"There is a performance going on."

@explosivedesire ໒꒱

[ithuriel]

𖤍 His reflexes aren't what they're used to be.

Standing on the second-floor balcony of his assigned housing in the Seaside Province, Aurelius is preoccupied with fiddling on his new phone when a strong breeze blows past him and through the door to the rooms within.

That isn't much of an issue; it's the sudden slam of a door further in the house that causes his fingers to twitch. His phone slips out of his grip in the process, sailing through the air before it lands with a splat on the pavement below. Fortunately, it missed hitting the skull of the dark-haired passerby out for a walk.

Leaning over the railing, Aurelius feels a rare flash of awkwardness.

"Apologies, that was clumsy of me."

@mischiefmodig ໒꒱

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Interrupted with his foot practically out the window, Aurelius checks his steps and glides down to the ground instead. If Klaus truly was in trouble, he'd call for him—or seek him out himself. It was better to deal with the guest at hand before he brought a little tail with him to find his partner.

Now as always, practicality wins over sentiment.

"If she's already pointed you my way, then I gather the resurrection was a success."

"What did you expect to hear?"

This one then, stands with the soul of a hero: brave, bright, straightforward. There's nothing vulgar nor ugly about him, which Aurelius supposes is what spurs him onto this series of blunt questioning.

"She was of the wrong body and mind. I simply returned things to what they used to be. Would you rather she lived her days as a caricature, playing at a part she never suited?"

@hollowfaith

Seofon had tried his best to keep his promise- to be the protector that Fiyero needed. To his credit, he'd managed to stay calm until Fiyero had fallen asleep ⎛ and he'd tried to get some rest himself ⎠ and he wanted to say that he was a little more level headed when he woke up.

Except, that wasn't really the case, was it? Certainly not when he'd set off to the Sanctus Clinic to wait for Aurelius to leave-

Just a talk, he'd whispered upon Fiyero's lips- I'm not going to get myself killed- but I also can't just let him get away with this. What Aurelius had done was monstrous- Seofon fancied himself a fairly skilled slayer of monsters. Not that it was the main task of the Eternals, but when a monster was a true threat... It was his duty to step in.

❝ Hey- ❞ Aurelius sure is easy to recognize. He holds himself like a haughty bastard, and Seofon can see exactly what sort of person he is. There's a part of him that can't wait to put him in his place. There's a part of him that knows this won't just be a talk. Anosiete stirs in the back of his mind, urges him to do what must be done. Get rid of the threat, don't waste time chatting.

❝ Aurelius, right? Yeah, I'm Seofon- Fiyero's partner. Gotta say, you left her in a really bad spot. ❞ He can't really have this talk right in front of a clinic. This isn't anyone else's issue- but it doesn't stop the Gateway-Star sword from manifesting in his hand in fragments of light.

❝ I don't want to make a scene here, but I'm not going to leave until you tell me what the hell you were thinking doing something like that. ❞

[ithuriel]

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"Dogma does not mean the absence of thought,"

"but the end of thought."

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[hollowfaith]

「✧」 When he sees him, his breath catches.

Standing in a corner of the ballroom, half draped in shadow, was a man. Clad in an elegant, fantastical suit and a most impressive mask, his height towered over a good number of the partygoers around him. Part of Aurelius wonders where Klaus had found such a getup, but his feet are already ahead of his thoughts, leading him on a brisk walk across the hall to meet him.

His figure also cuts an impressive sight in ivory white and gold, the long coat draped on his shoulders fluttering slightly in his wake. Others naturally part way for such a purposeful stride—yet as Aurelius draws closer, his steps slow down.

He is hesitant.

Was it time to meet now, when Klaus had never come home? Or should they just play the roles of masked strangers in a decadent duet? He could recognize Anghelescu in a heartbeat—their souls resonated too perfectly to be ignored—but Klaus as he was now, blind and deaf and amnesiac—what would he perceive beyond the surface?

But the distance between them narrows and there's no more room for reflection. Stopping in front of the man, Aurelius reaches for his hand hanging by his side and slowly raises it to his lips for a chaste kiss.

"My dear prince of the woods."

"May I have this next dance?"

Ah, but I have missed you.

@anghexescu ໒꒱

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 It suited him, is Aurelius' first thought.

A small space to call his own, cozy lighting to warm the space, and Klaus standing at the door, Klaus with a home and a haven instead of wandering from campfire to campfire in his travels back in their world.

With a smile, Aurelius stepped inside, looking almost out of place in his formal suit and coat. His mind was out of sorts as well—grappling with the graphic details of his recovered past. Though all of his memories were now back, it still felt as if he was starting anew again: there were no blueprints, no mission to guide him in his quest to simply know Anghelescu.

And so he started with the questions.

"I thought returning it was as good an excuse as any to drop by."

"Did you get it from specially tailored? It's quite a nice jacket."

Almost a little too nice, from what he remembered of the man's tastes in clothing.

“You forgot this, I thought you might need it.”

First Meeting Starters

"Oh--I was wondering where I left it." Klaus sighs in relief. He reaches to grab his jacket and smiles up at Aurelius, "Thank you for bringing it to me." It would've been embarrassing to have lost something that was given to him as a gift.

"Mmm, would you like to come in?" He's already stepped aside to allow Aurelius to enter his rather cozied home.

Everything is organized and the lights are soft. Not too bright, but not dim enough to be dark. It looks like Klaus was just about to fix something and watch something on the television.

@hollowfaith

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 After the magician concludes his act, there's a burst of applause from the audience. Then the crowd inevitably clears, leaving the street corner deserted but for the performer and one persistent observer.

Thoughtfully rubbing his chin, Aurelius approaches the man when all others have left, eyes brimming with polite curiosity.

"Excuse me for a moment."

"May I be allowed to see your hat?"

Just how many things had he stuffed into there?

@firstgreatmagician ໒꒱

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 “Well then, what’s this?”

“Have you finished your moon trip already? I thought you’d be gone a month at least.”

Setting down his newspaper, Aurelius looks up at the owner of the impressive shadow gracing his coffee table at a beautiful little café in Cotes Ward, and smiles.

“Or are you here to thank me for the gift? There’s no need for that, but I’ll be happy to pass on your words to Klaus.”

He had seen the special package sent to Café December, hadn’t he? Surely someone would've checked the doorstep by now.

@amoirsetpacis ໒꒱