#pstpstpst come ask about my new favorite asshole

[infinitethree]

Hey lee? How do you feel about Daz?

Achilles pauses mid-step and mid-sentence, visibly brightening at the question. He’s traveling from the arena back to Summer Hills, sparring matches between Aster, Theo, and Aleph already over for the day. The others had all split off to other things, bar Aster–who walks at his side. The Sword stops the second Lee does. He studies his charge for a few moments before he lets faux realization visibly wash over his face. “Ah. Got a question again?”

He only feels a little guilty that he’s lying by omission in not telling Lee that he and four others have a warning system in their own heads now. It’s weird, slightly unsettling, but very useful.

“Yup! They want to know what I think about Daz!” Aster can barely stop himself from rolling his eyes a little. He thought Daz had been joking about getting a fan–possibly several, it was hard to tell–but evidently not. He tilts his head to the side and asks, “Well?”

Lee grins and excitedly starts saying, “He’s really nice! He’s one of the people who help the only mildly traumatized new people get settled! Tours, explaining stuff, being someone they can go to if they need something, that kinda stuff. I’m really, really glad we have someone like him around! He’s also super fun to talk with–he’s always got something new he knows!”

Aster can’t help but smile a little at the sheer enthusiasm. It’s sweet, even if he’s very wrong about who Daz is at his core. Yeah, Aster will definitely be telling Daz about how he’s going to break Lee’s heart when Daz eventually reveals his actual self.

Actually, Aster needs to ask what the plan for that is. He knows only that it’s vaguely ‘when Lee is ready’, but he has no fucking clue what that actually means. He also doesn’t know what exactly the purpose is, aside from Daz teaching him how to lie and twist words into a weapon. Which Aster is still sort of on the fence about; having Daz around is bad enough. Having the focal point of something regularly referred to as an army be able to do what Daz could do was…very concerning to consider.

Despite whatever the fuck had turned him into who he was–who Aster did have to admit was very good at what he did–Daz still had one of the most innately Tommy traits there was; loyalty. Not through a fucked up enchantment, not through trickery and deception, but actual, earned loyalty. When Daz decided to stand behind someone, he didn’t do so halfheartedly. He would lie and scheme and plan to prop that person up regardless of if they were aware of it or not.

Oh, and over-gifting because he wasn’t really able to express his positive emotions towards others. The memory of Raine getting more and more baffled as the plans Daz had made for them to room together were unveiled was still a treasured one. Sure, it was still unclear how exactly Daz managed to know about half the shit he had put on the blueprints–a good chunk of which not even Raine himself realized he’d want–but…well. That was just their first taste of what Daz was truly capable of, back when both the Council of the Star and the Swords and Shields were just starting.

The explanation had been halfway insults, halfway insistence that it just ‘made sense’ to not have Raine snap under the pressure of the Council, the apartments in the Dream city, and coping with his own trauma. As much as Aster believed he was good at it now, he still stands by his original attempt to change Daz’s mind about putting Raine in the Council. He was the youngest on the Council by a decent margin and had been skittish–to put it mildly and for good reason–around Tommys for a long time. It still made Aster feel a little guilty that the teen was in a place where he had both to deal with new Tommys on a regular basis and lie about a lot of things.

Instead of sharing any of those thoughts, though, Aster gives a little hum to show he’s listening. He adds mildly, “He’s got a lot of things going for him. Especially how easy it is to get him gifts–he likes gold jewelry.”

Lee wrinkles his nose slightly. He shakes his head in disagreement, wings ruffling a little as he does so. “No, that makes it harder. Everyone gets him gold jewelry! I always have to find something better, because I won’t lose to anyone else!”

Aster stares at him for a few seconds and then asks slowly, “...You know gift giving isn’t a competition, right?” “Mmm, well, that’s where you’re wrong,” Lee says, staring right back.

The two remain like this for several moments before Aster sighs and breaks eye contact first. “You’re…definitely a Dream, alright. Stubborn as hell and even more competitive.” “Thank you,” Lee chirps at him, looking just a tiny bit smug.