[ Honestly... There are opposing feelings at work here. Though he'd been so excited to prove himself, there's an immense relief in knowing that they won't have to fight each other for some time.
Somehow, they managed to dodge fate together. ]
We should celebrate tonight and drink to our hearts' content. These Frenchmen make great wine.
Maybe, if we're lucky, we could find a lyre somewhere.
[For Chiron, it's like dropping walls he built up in order to deal with the particular curve fate threw. It wasn't easy taking on a student, nor something he took any pleasure in doing. Lecturing Achilles about being too soft hearted was a way to get him to the same level of required dispassion that Chiron forced himself to enter in order to well...
..it didn't matter now, did it?]
We might have to make do with percussion. [Wait.] Can you actually play after too many rounds?
We can timeskip to when they find lyres... and wine
You must be joking. [ He gives out a belt of a laugh and ... smacks his teacher right on the back. It's weird, being taller than someone he always had to crane his neck to look up at, but he's enjoying it. ] I could still fight more fiercely than any man here even while drunk off my gourd. It'll be fine.
I'm sure we can find a lyre. I know that the people of Paris enjoy string instruments, so it's just a matter of actually looking for something suitable. [ Jerking his thumb in some direction. ]
[Turns out, finding a lyre is easier than expected. The instrument is still the same in most regards, although Chiron's opinion of a fret board to go with the strings is that it's annoying. Sure, there are advantages, but the construction is overly fussy.
He's not going to spend his life critiquing design though. That's one of the things he didn't teach, and so the focus is on actually playing. It isn't getting back into a habit automatically - there is lag. There is figuring out notes, and then there is playing songs that have not been heard for a thousand years at least.
And there is also wine, but Chiron's focus is on the music.]
[ They've made a spot for themselves somewhere in France, on a quieter street, but still close enough to a marketplace that they'll be attracting some attention eventually.
Achilles himself is laughing with his teacher and drinking wine, stopping only to play a few notes of songs he remembers. The different structure of the lyre is not something he's used to, but the detail in its design is beautiful. He decides that he'll keep it.
Also, the horse is just standing there, but it's watching the two men intently, like it's enjoying the pleasant sounds in its own way. ]
Mmm, just one of the smaller boarding houses. It's away from most of the riot areas.
[It's inexpensive, it's quiet, and it doesn't ask any questions either, which is all Chiron could ask for. Jerusalem was easier, not having to deal with money, and in truth, the land felt more familiar too. It wasn't Greece, but the climate was much closer.]
Helping with morning cooking has also ensured I'm not kicked out.
[He's able to play and talk, volume of his voice low enough. The horse gets a nod of acknowledgement though.]
[ He's happy to hear that he's staying somewhere, rather than aimlessly wandering around Paris in search of ways to acquire mana... He wonders how his old teacher has been fairing without a contract. He's a little worried. ]
You should let me stay with you. [ This... brat... He continues to play, closing his eyes. ] Keraunos deserves a proper home, too.
I'm saying that the stables where I'm saying aren't very well taken care of. [He sighs, shaking his head.] There's one stall where the roof has collapsed, and there's been no time to fix it. Every other horse is drafty come the evenings.
[Obviously this has nothing to do with anything else.]
I've poked my head at the one next door, and you'll find the water quality is also much better.
... [ Okay, so someone might be openly pouting now, looking off in another direction as he continues to play. The notes he's plucking are higher in pitch, quicker, like he's decidedly diverting his focus so he can play something a bit more complex.
He sees your game, Chiron. You don't want him to stay with you, after all.
At least with his focus on the music he's attracting more attention from the crowd that has gathered around the area. They're enjoying the show, clapping along with the music. Some begin to disperse after deciding that the music alone isn't worth lingering around for, which leaves mostly children, the elderly, and a few young women as their current audience.
This will help his mood. He's always loved attention and praise. ]
[Chiron sighs, and if there's something equine in it, then it's hardly on purpose. But more importantly, he stills his own instrument, letting Achilles do what he needs to. There's nothing that his own improvisations can do to add or give depth to what Achilles has decided to play.
The whole thing brings up something that has been on Chiron's mind though: Achilles hasn't been a student for a long time. Is it time to move beyond that definition of their relationship, and treat each other as peers rather than teacher and pupil?
[ The night continues on and eventually a few girls... decide to join them, getting up close and personal. Achilles is eager and lets ... them cling to his sides, looking at Chiron expectantly as another woman tries to join him. ]
Isn't this fun? [ Spoken in Greek, which just riles up the girls more. They're so exotic! ]
[Chiron's not actually sure if the attention is helping Achilles' mood, or he's putting on a show of it improving his mood. Either way, this is definitely not Chiron's own definition of fun by any stretch of the imagination.
He's at least polite enough to look around the table that they've holed up at, and then note a crate that's a few feet away. There's no effort required to use his foot and drag it over, and then another.
Any of the leaning can be taken care of with an actual seat.]
It is a very different night out from what I'm used to. [So fucking off into the mountains.]
[ It's sort of both. As a born prodigy, Achilles has always taken great pleasure in showing off his skills and prowess and getting the appropriate feedback.
He couldn't care any less about these girls who are now vying for his attention, but their presence here tells him that his glory truly is everlasting.
He's so selfish. Sometimes he doesn't even realize when he's doing something for his own self-satisfaction. He's quickly losing sight of the true purpose they've come here for, which is probably the direct result of the wine. He's laughing with the girls, murmuring in french and letting them flirt at him.
This is so embarrassing. Avert thine eyes, Chiron.
Is this what it's like for introverts when they hang out with extraverts... If you leave, he'll certainly notice and abandon ship along with you. ]
[Chiron's not surprised by the turn of events, in the end. This kind of thing was honestly why he'd rather not be direct housemates with Achilles, and why he wants to know where their own relationship stands. There's no good way to impress upon him that a teacher doesn't want to sit and watch this, whereas a friend would. At least, there isn't right now.
A binary doesn't help either, but it's how Chiron is trying to articulate his thoughts on the matter. Idle fingers pluck at notes, no particular song or melody in mind, and Chiron's wine glass has long remained untouched.
To pack up and leave would be rude though, and so Chiron still stays, waiting for either Achilles to make a decision about the rest of his evening, or for a graceful exit.]
[ Achilles isn't so oblivious that he hasn't noticed Chiron's discomfort. Eventually, as he turns to look at his teacher, he realizes his mistake and grows quiet.
He stops indulging the girls, though he continues to play. Eventually he does shoo them off, bluntly stating that he'd had enough and moves to stand and sit closer to his teacher. The lyre is left in his previous seat, along with his empty glass. ]
You haven't finished your wine. Have you grown tired? [ Tired in the sense that relates most to what they are. Being tired isn't a result of a lack of sleep, but a lack of mana or energy. His question holds implications that only they know of. ]
[Chiron's response is in Greek, preferring it and the nuances he knows best. His fingers haven't stopped moving on the instrument though, and he's been more interested in that than the wine for most of the evening.]
I've been perfectly fine looking after myself. You don't need to worry about that particular detail, nor should you.
[He pauses, then adds:] You also didn't need to ruin your own evening just to ask me a question.
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[ He's so happy, he's beaming! ] I'm grateful that we can talk like this, again...
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I am as well. I took little delight in seeing you as opposition.
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Somehow, they managed to dodge fate together. ]
We should celebrate tonight and drink to our hearts' content. These Frenchmen make great wine.
Maybe, if we're lucky, we could find a lyre somewhere.
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..it didn't matter now, did it?]
We might have to make do with percussion. [Wait.] Can you actually play after too many rounds?
We can timeskip to when they find lyres... and wine
I'm sure we can find a lyre. I know that the people of Paris enjoy string instruments, so it's just a matter of actually looking for something suitable. [ Jerking his thumb in some direction. ]
Come on, teacher.
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He's not going to spend his life critiquing design though. That's one of the things he didn't teach, and so the focus is on actually playing. It isn't getting back into a habit automatically - there is lag. There is figuring out notes, and then there is playing songs that have not been heard for a thousand years at least.
And there is also wine, but Chiron's focus is on the music.]
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Achilles himself is laughing with his teacher and drinking wine, stopping only to play a few notes of songs he remembers. The different structure of the lyre is not something he's used to, but the detail in its design is beautiful. He decides that he'll keep it.
Also, the horse is just standing there, but it's watching the two men intently, like it's enjoying the pleasant sounds in its own way. ]
Where have you been staying, teacher?
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[It's inexpensive, it's quiet, and it doesn't ask any questions either, which is all Chiron could ask for. Jerusalem was easier, not having to deal with money, and in truth, the land felt more familiar too. It wasn't Greece, but the climate was much closer.]
Helping with morning cooking has also ensured I'm not kicked out.
[He's able to play and talk, volume of his voice low enough. The horse gets a nod of acknowledgement though.]
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You should let me stay with you. [ This... brat... He continues to play, closing his eyes. ] Keraunos deserves a proper home, too.
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[It's...not commentary on Achilles. It's just knowing someone well and being able to predict him.]
The one next door has better stables, you'll find.
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What are you trying to say, teacher... [ A bit cheekily, but there's also a foreboding darkness weighted in his tone. ]
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[Obviously this has nothing to do with anything else.]
I've poked my head at the one next door, and you'll find the water quality is also much better.
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He sees your game, Chiron. You don't want him to stay with you, after all.
At least with his focus on the music he's attracting more attention from the crowd that has gathered around the area. They're enjoying the show, clapping along with the music. Some begin to disperse after deciding that the music alone isn't worth lingering around for, which leaves mostly children, the elderly, and a few young women as their current audience.
This will help his mood. He's always loved attention and praise. ]
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The whole thing brings up something that has been on Chiron's mind though: Achilles hasn't been a student for a long time. Is it time to move beyond that definition of their relationship, and treat each other as peers rather than teacher and pupil?
It isn't the time to ask.]
LMAO
Isn't this fun? [ Spoken in Greek, which just riles up the girls more. They're so exotic! ]
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He's at least polite enough to look around the table that they've holed up at, and then note a crate that's a few feet away. There's no effort required to use his foot and drag it over, and then another.
Any of the leaning can be taken care of with an actual seat.]
It is a very different night out from what I'm used to. [So fucking off into the mountains.]
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He couldn't care any less about these girls who are now vying for his attention, but their presence here tells him that his glory truly is everlasting.
He's so selfish. Sometimes he doesn't even realize when he's doing something for his own self-satisfaction. He's quickly losing sight of the true purpose they've come here for, which is probably the direct result of the wine. He's laughing with the girls, murmuring in french and letting them flirt at him.
This is so embarrassing. Avert thine eyes, Chiron.
Is this what it's like for introverts when they hang out with extraverts... If you leave, he'll certainly notice and abandon ship along with you. ]
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A binary doesn't help either, but it's how Chiron is trying to articulate his thoughts on the matter. Idle fingers pluck at notes, no particular song or melody in mind, and Chiron's wine glass has long remained untouched.
To pack up and leave would be rude though, and so Chiron still stays, waiting for either Achilles to make a decision about the rest of his evening, or for a graceful exit.]
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He stops indulging the girls, though he continues to play. Eventually he does shoo them off, bluntly stating that he'd had enough and moves to stand and sit closer to his teacher. The lyre is left in his previous seat, along with his empty glass. ]
You haven't finished your wine. Have you grown tired? [ Tired in the sense that relates most to what they are. Being tired isn't a result of a lack of sleep, but a lack of mana or energy. His question holds implications that only they know of. ]
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I've been perfectly fine looking after myself. You don't need to worry about that particular detail, nor should you.
[He pauses, then adds:] You also didn't need to ruin your own evening just to ask me a question.
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How could I enjoy myself when you're clearly not having fun? That'd be a dishonour. [ Honour... Everything is about hnooor. ]
I wonder how we should spend our time together, when we don't know how long we'll have. [ Now he's getting all angsty. ]
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[Maybe in being this drunk though.]
Do you intend to have that time spent together as friends, or as teacher and student?
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I want you to see me as an equal. I realize that's something I'll have to earn in due time.
But you'll always be my teacher, just as my father will always be my father and my mother will always be my mother.
[ Does that make sense? ]
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