#Lucard Skafos

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Uhhh, impulse wrote an interaction between Nash and his brother Lucard. (They're both Centaurs, and Nash is undead (alive by day, dead atain by night).)

Feel free to ignore this! (OC posting again lmao-)

"Nash?"

The voice called from down the hall. It was his brother Lucard. The two of them had agreed to hang out and try to rekindle their friendship. Nash hadn't had time before, he was busy saving the world. Now that he was home, though, he could afford to bond with his siblings again.

Especially his beloved little brother.

And yet, as Lucard came looking for him, he felt sick to his stomach. Or rather, he couldn't even feel if his stomach really was churning at all. It had gone numb.

"Nash, where in the realms did you go?"

Again he called.

Nash's stature wasn't easy to hide. It was only when he noticed his skin was clammy, and his liquor wasn't quite giving him the same kick it usually did, that he'd insisted to Lucard that they call it a night. He'd forgotten an important meeting for tomorrow (Lucard knew his schedule better than he did, there was no meeting) and he was tired (Lucard was convinced his brother no longer needed sleep). He'd rushed off. Now he was practically frozen in place just down the hall.

He didn't want to run away from his brother, he really didn't, but...

He'd heard from both their sisters about how hard Lucard had taken Nash's death. Luci said he'd slip into her workshop on late nights and refused to sleep unless she was in eyesight. Trista had told him how Lucard had spent every day for a week just pacing the graveyard, unwilling to see his casket in the mausoleum.

Maldric had told him Lucard hadn't even shown up to the burial.

There was no way he wanted his brother to see him like this. Not again.

It was like slow motion as Lucard turned the corner, that familiar scowl on his face. Nash had forgotten his brother was a Rogue by trade. Of course he'd snuck closer so easily. His hooves were much more careful than Nash's own giant hooves.

Nash watched in, a sort of detachment, as Lucard registered what was stood before him. How, in a matter of seconds, his eyes darted across Nash's entirety before his face fell slack and pale. His eyes focused in on Nash's flank, right where he knew the wounds of old had begun to open and his decaying flesh was exposing itself. Where the bite from the beast that killed him sat just as raw as the day he'd died.

Lucard reared back, his hooves suddenly making tapping sounds against the stone as he lost concentration. His tail swisher in the quiet air, and he couldn't seem to drag his eyes away from the wound.

Nash's heart wasn't beating anymore, nor was his chest moving with breath, but he still felt like they might drop out of his chest from seeing the look of disgust on his brother's face.

"Luc, I'm..."

Nash paused, his voice sounding so quiet for his imposing frame. His brother's gaze finally dragged away from his wound back to Nash's face, measuring every inch of the man's expression.

The Rogue looked away then, dragging a hand through his hair and immediately twisting away, then back, then away again. His hooves were clattering on the floor, and Nash stood flabbergasted, worry lacing his features and furrowing his brow.

Lucard pointed at him, then. It was a quick movement, and Nash himself reared slightly in surprise, backing his flank into the wall behind him with a muffled thud.

"This?!" He insisted, "This- how long have you been hiding this?"

Lucard seemed utterly enraged by this, his hands now both gesturing to, well, all of Nash himself.

"You're fuckin'... Your blessing didn't fix you? You're still- you're-" He stopped, before stamping a hoof against the ground in rage. "You're still dead."

Even from where Nash stood, he could see the way his brother turned away from him, his face growing terse. Lucard's chest rose and fell heavily with deeply inhaled breath, and Nash instantly felt worse than he had before.

"Lucard, I know it hurt you to see me like this. I-" He took a moment to breathe, before remembering he couldn't, "I didn't want to hurt you more. By making you see me like this."

The large centaur seemed to almost shrink in on himself as his smaller sibling turned back to him, a fury in his eyes. He seemed like he wanted to kick something as he flailed one of his arms outwards with his next words.

"You," He pointed harshly at Nash, "didn't want to hurt me?" He pointed at himself in question, "That's real rich coming from the one who keeps fucking running away from me. Who abandoned me and Luci to- to what? Join a herd? Join an adventuring party?"

His words were turning into something louder, his furious gaze centered on his older brother.

"You died on me, Nash." He accused, before using his hands to once again card through his own hair. "And yet you're still running from me!"

His voice nearly cracked as he shouted the last word, and he grit his teeth. His chest was rising more frequently now, and Nash couldn't think of any way to help. He was at a loss for words.

And then, for once, he had an idea.

It was a bad one, but his brother was still seething and was starting to paw at the floor, and that shouting probably woke up Luci or Elid, and all of this was eating at him like acid.

So, Nash took only about two steps forward, quick ones that shook the floor a little bit, and he wrapped his strong arms around his younger siblings shoulders, constricting him into a gentle hug.

When Lucard didn't immediately start thrashing, Nash spoke tentatively.

"I've lied before to you. You don't have a reason to forgive me so easily. I don't expect you to." He hurriedly prefaced before he rested his chin atop Lucard's head, "The war is over, though. If you like, just watch. I won't leave you alone again. If I do go, I'll ask you to come with."

Then after a moment.

"I'm sorry, Lucard."

There was no shifting for quite a few moments, before Lucard seemed to sink slightly farther into Nash. One of his arms wrapped one of Nash's. His breathing seemed to calm.

"You're cold. You're heart's not beating. You're definitely not breathing." Lucard whispered after a few minutes, which made Nash lift his head slightly so he brother could look up at him. "But," a slight grin stretched across Lucard's face, "You're still as sappy as ever, you huge asshole."

Lucard tapped at Nash's arm before he slipped away, and when he chuckled, Nash too laughed (though it was a bit more strained).

The younger centaur took a few steps away to look at his older siblings one more time before he sighed.

"You don't get out of our drinking night though. And I'm expecting you to tell me why in the realms you're like this still."

Lucard insisted suddenly, and Nash rubbed at the back of his neck, barely containing a groan beneath a strained smile. This would be a long night.

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Skafos Herd

Nash is the eldest, my current character for my DnD group. He's got some sorta anxiety that no one can figure out (-1 Charisma), feels like he needs to protect everyone he can in his general radius, constantly gets beat up by enemies, worships Helios, is married to his Husband Maldric, is King somehow, and literally got killed and resurrected. Boy's been through a lot.

Trista is the middle child, 2 years younger than Nash. Wakes up every morning and chooses violence. She worships Zeus recently, since Ares tried to kill her big brother. Plus, her scars look like lightning, much cooler story. She actually got her scars as a kid from Wolves, and makes a point to kill any wolf that gets in her way. (Wears a wolf's pelt)

Luci and Lucard are twins. Luci stayed home with their parents to learn to craft, and worships Zeus and Hephestus since her gauntlets are lightning-magic based, but she built em. She's the older twin by about 3 minutes, and won't let Lucard live it down. Lucard ran away from home as a kid after Nash and Trista started adventuring. He Worships Hermes like most rogues, and he enjoys sneaking around as much as possible. (How'd the huge Centaur guy get behind you so silently? Who knows?"

I like to think Nash is the only one who got the recessive genes from his grandparents, and the rest of his siblings look so close to their mom and dad. (The party probably didn't believe the three siblings that they were Nash's immediate family when they first met, till Nash got all emotional about seeing them again :).