#it’s unedited so don’t expect anything to be properly capitalized but i think maybe i’ll duck around and post this on tumblr as it’s done

[wereshrew-admirer]

turns out i’ve been writing this out, here’s the first bit

It had been a long time, years, since he’d tussled with a local lord or lady who decided to use his lingering accent or association with the devils of his homeland as a cheap barb against him, but Duvall still felt the tension waiting between his shoulder-blades whenever surrounded by a group likely to be bored by another drab party and desperate to wring some entertainment from him.

Always, it began with someone asking for clarification on a point he’d made in a recent paper. He should know better by now, but they usually do an alright imitation of the genuine curiosity that he craves, and his self control still isn’t where it should be for a man his age, in his position. And so more times then not he engages with them despite knowing that with each new listener that gathers around the questions will become more and more obviously designed to amuse one another with his answers, rather than to engage with his research as peers.

And so when a hush fell over the ballroom one evening and his tormentors turned their attention elsewhere, his first reaction had been relief and gratitude. His second reaction was to raid the buffet of sugary tarts and biscuits that were usually gone by the time he made his way through the crowd of party-goers to collect any food for himself.

feeling a little guilty at just how little of what he’d collected was actual food, duvall pauses and chooses a few small hors d'oeuvres in addition to the fancy desserts he’d been coveting, and takes his plate out to the balcony to eat alone. It takes him a long time to realize that the relative silence has gone on longer than he’d expect even from the most unusual distraction, and he’s almost tempted to go back inside and see for himself when lye lychen joins him in the cooling night air.

Lyke comes to stand beside him and lights a cigarette, taking a long drag before wordlessly offering it to duvall, who refuses. Lye has known him long enough to have expected no different, so duvall isn't surprised when he instead uses the reach of his hand into duvall’s space to snatch a pastry from duvall’s plate. Duvall doesn’t even bother complaining, only does his best to fix Lyke with an unamused stare as his friend blows a smoke ring and, always a showoff, tosses the pastry through it and into his mouth.

He chews briefly before grinning at duvall, his teeth crooked, unevenly eroded gums making them appear larger than they should be in some places - he’s an infuriatingly charming man and duvall’s air of annoyance is hard to maintain.

“So!” lyke says, cheerful, “You not interested in meeting the newest member of our most exclusive-est high society?”

Duvall rolls his eyes, “i doubt it. Why - should i be?”

“Dunno!” Lyke eyes duvall’s plate and for a moment duvall considers pulling it away from him, but sighs and offers it out instead, “Some mystery military type, fresh back from San Fiel and looking exactly as you’d expect someone to look after spending time in a place that our lovely working folk call the blood fields.” his hand hovers over the plate, index finger waving in circles as if playing an eenie-meenie-minie-moe game in his head before picking his next treat - a strip of salami rolled around smoked cheese.

“Sounds enchanting” duvall deadpans, looking in through the tall glass doors as if he could see anything past the wall of bodies crowded round the dance floor, “where’s Es? Shouldn’t you be hanging off her arm at this time of night?”

“She’s getting the scoop, wouldn’t want to miss out on the freshest gossip, would she?” He punctuates the word scoop with a dipping motion of his hand, taking another savory snack that duvall is secretly grateful not to have to eat.

‘Oh, no. definitely couldn’t have that” Duvall doesn’t have to try hard to put on a flat tone now, his disinterest genuine, “would hate to not hear all about the latest duke’s son returning from his glory campaign. I would never wish her a fate so cruel as that”

Lyke laughs and punches duvall lightly on the shoulder. Duvall laughs along with him, appreciative of his lack of decorum. Lye grins down at him and they both notice the conspicuous piece of something stuck between his teeth at the same time.

before duvall has the chance to point it out lyke sucks at it loudly and duvall reconsiders his take on lyke’s manners as he finishes picking it free and flicks whatever it was out over the railing and into the garden below. he continues as if nothing happened, “nah, this guy looks pretty gnarly. They’re covered in an annoying amount of medals but it looks like there’s a decent chance at least a few of them were earned”

Lyke leans down and into duvall’s space, opening one eye wide and squeezing the other shut, “got some wicked face injury, i can’t tell if his eye is glass or what but it looks pretty sick.”

“Sick” duvall echoes, unimpressed.

“Hell yeah, i actually am pretty excited to talk to them, you can just tell there are some good stories rattling around up in there” Lyke stands back up and taps his head. His smile softens around the edges and duvall hears the doors behind him open.

the lady Es comes to stand between them, Lyke taking a few quick steps backwards to give her space to rest her arms neatly on the railing. She smiles primly at lyke before grinning at duvall, speaking low and conspiratorial in their native tongue, “i’ve got some information that might actually interest you: the man has no family, he doesn’t even pretend to have a claim to any local house and will only give a first name!”

Lyke leans his chin on her head and she tips her face up, switching to the local language as if they didn’t all know that Lyke understood Aldominian perfectly well. Her voice is rich and smooth, but her smile is small and sharp, “they claim only to be a child of Eastern Folly - of Blackwick - and says their ties to the land grant him as much a right to be here as any of us.”

Lyke laughs, “as if anyone would ever try to throw a guy like that out”

“His sword does hang openly at his side - true. But i think the reason it’s unlikely that that anyone would challenge them is because to succeed would be to rid us all of the most interesting thing to happen in years, and we wouldn’t want that”

Duvall releases a long breath, trying to mentally prepare himself for a season of exhausting conversations, “no, we wouldn’t want that”

……Regency Era AU 

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