IC contact for wethelost

[devoutish]

Solomons & Melborn
1108 Sweet Cream Street

[Feel free to use this space for letter/package deliveries as well as visits/knocks on the front door!]

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Fall, after the Fairy Tale Event

[bywolves]

[ All the Fairy Tales are gone and done, and all of the things Royce has stolen have been returned. Royce has to spend most of the day returning things, and he refuses to let people see him do it, so it takes him forever. Alfie will find, in his office or on the bedside table, whichever he's more likely to see first, a piece of paper that says: ]

ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴇᴇʜᴏᴜsᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴɪɴɢ.

[ And on top of that paper are Alfie's rings, his whale knife, and his sword cane. True to his word, Royce is in the treehouse after dinnertime, curled up on the bed and covered in several blankets. It's colder, now. Autumn has hit. ]

[devoutish]

[Royce, you rascal. After reclaiming his things, Alfie heads up early - it's only late efternoon when he first pokes his head in, though he doesn't find Royce there then. He'll hunt for him around the Meadous for a bit, but when evening rolls around and he still hasn't found him, he makes his way back to the treehouse. And sure enough, there he is.]

You've been a hard man to find today.

[He says, sitting on the edge of the bed.]

[bywolves]

Mm. I was returning things. [ Royce says, peeking out from under the blankets. Sniff. ] You found your rings?

[devoutish]

Yeah, I found everything. Ridiculous man.

[He rests a hand on Royce's back.]

Not feeling guilty, are you?

[bywolves]

No. [ Not even a little bit, honestly. ] If they didn't want someone to steal their things during one of Zephyr's little experiments, they'd keep them hidden better. And I gave them back, so they have nothing to complain about.

[devoutish]

Mm. Just cold, then?

[bywolves]

Yeah. [ He pulls the blankets closer. ] Colder outside. Winter will be here soon.

[ Snow. He's still not ready for it. ]

[devoutish]

Is that why you wanted me to come up?

[bywolves]

Partially. [ He'll make room for Alfie to climb into the blanket nest if he wants. ] I also wanted to - ask... I suppose your advice, on something. Or your perspective.

[devoutish]

[He slides on on there, draping an arm over Royce's back.]

Yeah?

[bywolves]

[ Royce settles against him. ]

It - this is going to be. Rough. [ He says, stiffly. ] So bear with me. I stole some of Renart's things, during the last week. She was angry with me for doing it. For both choosing to participate and stealing her things.

[devoutish]

[Alfie nods, his chin bumping Royce's shoulder.]

All right.

[bywolves]

I was angry, too. She doesn't get to tell me what I can and can't consent to. And we were both Fairy Tales, so we were both strong and practically invincible. So we fought. And it was nasty fighting. The way she fights and the mindset I was in - I was trying to kill her.

[devoutish]

[Concerned, Alfie pulls back a little.]

You didn't tell me about this. Are you all right? Were you badly injured?

[He runs a hand down Royce's arm automatically, feeling for wounds or tender spots. Logically, he knows he won't find any; he sees Royce constantly and he'd never noticed anything, and besides, he'd had that superhealing thing going on. Still, though, he's checking him over.]

[bywolves]

I'm fine. [ Royce lets him look - there isn't anything. He's completely healthy, no bruises, no nothing. ] She broke my wrist. Nearly ripped my throat out, but I healed. That isn't what bothers me - or, it doesn't bother me as much as what happened next.

[devoutish]

All right.

[His fingers find Royce's wrist, then run lightly along his throat.]

All right, what happened next?

[bywolves]

[ Royce hums, and shifts, a little more awkward. ]

I was trying to kill her. I really wanted to do it, and she was fighting back just as hard, and then in the middle of it... she kissed me. I didn't know what to do.

[devoutish]

Mmm. Did she think of it as a game, then? Playing at anger? Or was it, you know, passion taking over and all?

[bywolves]

I - don't know. I have no idea. [ He sounds very uncomfortable. ] And then she - kept kissing me, and one thing led to another...

[ A pause. ] It wasn't a problem in the moment, but now that I've had time to think about it, I...

[devoutish]

You don't like that it happened?

[bywolves]

Yeah. [ He says, almost guiltily. ] I don't like how it happened.

[devoutish]

[He runs a hand over Royce's arm, soothing.]

Tell me why?

[It's not like he can't make a few educated guesses on his own, but he figures it's better to hear Royce's own words on the matter.]

[bywolves]

[ The hand on his arm is nice, and it helps. He's still stilted, though. ]

I am... uncomfortable. With the fact that it - that a fight where I was... lost. [ He pauses, and then sighs and clears his throat, trying again. ] I lost myself in that fight. It was survival. And then she turned it into something -- something sexual and I was so confused and had nowhere to put that aggression. It sits like a heavy stone in my stomach.

[devoutish]

[Oh, Royce. Alfie squeezes his forearm.]

Will you talk to her about it?

[bywolves]

Maybe. [ He says, thickly. ] Maybe. I wanted to talk to you first.