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foulplayed) wrote2020-11-25 10:15 pm
foulplayed) wrote2020-11-25 10:15 pm
INBOX
ยซ mocking.bird ยป
TEXT โง AUDIO โง VIDEO โง ACTION
Yuri Leclerc โฆ Fire Emblem: Three HousesRESIDENCE โฆ Emerald District
GEMBOND โฆ Amethyst
"Leave it."
INFO โง PERMISSIONS โง KINKLIST โง EXTRA
no subject
His lower lip is already jutting out with upset as the door closes behind them, but Balthus when he's full-grown isn't altogether good at hiding his emotions, and when he's a youth, he's even worse. He cranes his head back to get a good look at Yuri, and as his eyes find their way to his face, they start to widen as his mouth drops open a fraction.]
Wow...
[balthus von albrecht is eight years old and he knows pretty when he sees it]
Uh-uh. I'd definitely remember you.
[He scrubs at his eyes with the back of his hand, hurriedly trying to clean up his face, and squares up his shoulders as he pulls on his little lord manners like a freshly-washed tunic.]
M-Maybe I just forgot. My dad is Baron Albrecht and Holst's is Duke Goneril. Um, who's your dad...?
no subject
( That gets a little chuckle from Yuri - who isn't at all surprised to learn that Balthus's kid-self is just about as blunt as the man in his twenties. It's actually pretty endearing in a "bless his heart" kind of fashion; even moreso when it becomes apparent that his desire to make a good impression on Yuri extends to suddenly focus on scrubbing his face and sorting himself out. )
Oh you would, would you?
( His smile turns mischievous - playfully so. )
I suppose it's good to learn early on that flattery may actually get you somewhere. As for my dad ... how about letting me hold on to my air of mystery for a while longer, yeah?
( Yuri lifts a hand to ruffle Balthus's hair. )
I'll take it from here, Amber. And - thanks, for taking care of him and getting in touch with me. I won't forget it.
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Oh, sure, you turn up and suddenly there's not a tear in sight.
With a giggle, she makes her exit, tugging the door closed behind her and leaving the two of them alone. Balthus, for his part, hasn't managed to take his eyes off Yuri's face yet; it's like he's held a little rapt.]
Do you really know where Holst is?
[Even thunderstruck, a guy's still gotta look out for his best buds.]
We're supposed to stick together when we play, that's why I gotta find him.
no subject
( Yuri just rolls his eyes in a faux-exasperated communication of "boys," before turning back to the bite-sized brawler and gesturing for him to follow him through to the kitchen. )
I really do, but you're not gonna like the answer.
( There's no point in hiding the truth from him, is there? While Yuri knows all too well the value of a well-placed lie, he has enough respect for Balthus โ even a kid-version of Balthus โ to keep him in the dark. Besides, if there's one thing he's learned over the years it's that kids are kids โ they're not stupid. If Yuri wants Balthus to trust him, it's going to be important to treat him as though they're on relatively even footing.
He takes a moment to fill the kettle and switch it on (man, he'll miss this if they ever make it home) before settling against the counter, his gaze gently serious. )
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Holst isn't here. I know, I know โ that probably makes this place seem even scarier than it already is, but think of it this way: we might be stuck here, but he's safe and sound back home with his family.
( A smile warms his expression that bit further. )
Silver linings, right? And how about this: you can stick with me instead, if you like. My name's Yuri.
no subject
His expression crumples a little, his gaze flicking askance before he finally sighs and focuses back on what Yuri is doing, just in time to catch the warmth of his smile and feel a little better from it.]
Okay.
[He drags over one of the chairs and scrabbles up into it, his legs dangling from the seat once he finally manages to get himself situated.]
Umm. My stepmom's probably gonna be mad that I got lost. So maybe you shouldn't still be around when I find her...but so long as you go before that, it should be okay.
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( Yuri's heart squeezes in his chest when Balthus's expression crimples like that, the ache of it lingering on even after he turns to drag a chair across the linoleum and climb up onto it. He's never liked seeing Balthus upset at the best of times, but to see him upset as a child is even worse, and he sighs softly before reaching up to pinch at the bridge of his nose.
... Kids. They always were his soft spot. )
Your stepmom?
( There's a moment of opportunity here, isn't there. Yuri might feel a little guilty later on for setting Balthus's kid-self up to give him information, but there's a lot he doesn't know about the guy's stepmom and this is a chance to fill in some of those blanks. With that in mind, he scoffs lightly before offering a little chuckle: )
Don't worry about it, friend. I've handled a stepmom or two in my time โ nothing to worry about there.
( It's pure intuition that has him moving through Balthus's cupboards to prepare a pot of tea. Yuri realises quite suddenly that he's never really been here before; that Balthus usually comes to him or they meet elsewhere in an attempt to give the other man a space of his own.
Sure, it had been his intention all along, but now that he's faced with it? It's kind of strange to think that Balthus has a life here that Yuri simply isn't involved with. )
Say โ what's her name? I might've bumped into her โ or at least heard of her. Some other people from Fodlan ended up here too, so it's a possibility.
( It isn't, but then Balthus doesn't know that. Doesn't need to know it yet, either. )
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[He says, with the eight-year-old clarity of someone who's still in the phase of life where he assumes his mom's name is "Mom". His little legs swing, the heels of his boots thumping softly against the chair legs where they hit in rhythm. Yet he doesn't seem to be uneasy or anxious about talking to Yuri; his hesitation only seems to be in wanting to avoid the impression that he's not a tough independent man in his own right, and thus is reviewing the things he says with childish scrutiny to make sure nobody thinks he's a baby.
Of course, competing with that impulse is the equally childish desire to Know Things™, and it's hard to resist showing off just how much he knows. Small wonder it just comes spilling out after a moment of quiet, like the bubbling contents of a carbonated bottle shaken up a little too emphatically.]
My mom was Lady Albrecht, too, but she's not anymore. The family didn't like her. It'd be better if you knew my real mom, 'cause she's nicer. But...if your dad's a lord then probably you only know my stepmom. I mean, if your dad's a lord. I know it's a secret.
[His feet swing again.]
My stepmom says the family doesn't like me either, 'cause of my mom. But that's okay. Holst likes me. He says that someday when he's duke he's going to make it a rule that stepmoms can't be mean, and everybody will have to do it 'cause he'll be head of the Alliance and everything.
no subject
( Sounds like your dad's a coward, Yuri doesn't say, if only because he knows that the lives of nobles are more complicated than that. It shouldn't be more complicated than that, of course, and that tight-knit snobbery is something Yuri has always despised about the ruling class, but he isn't in the habit of upsetting children by badmouthing their parents.
No doubt Balthus is of an age where he'd still defend his father's poor decisions, and Yuri wants the boy to understand that they're on the same side here. )
Lady Albrecht, huh? Can't say I've heard of her. Between you and me, though, I think you're probably right about it being better if I knew your real mom.
( He shoots Balthus a conspiratorial wink, as though they're sharing a secret. )
Anyway, you'd be surprised how many stepmoms say that about their husband's children. I guess it's just as well you've got your pal Holst to make it against the law to be mean, right?
( And just as well he has Yuri, to get rid of her at some indeterminate point in his future. An unreadable smile touches his lips as he sets the lid on the pot: )
Do you like tea? Or can I fix you something else to drink?
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My mom's way better! Um, but she went away, and we're not supposed to talk about her. You want to know a secret? My stepmom made my dad burn my mom's old bed. There wasn't even anything wrong with it! But she said she wouldn't sleep in it anyway. She always gets her way if she just yells at my dad enough.
[He kicks his feet again, but he's less despondent this time, more carried along by the momentum of the conversation, and the prospect of sharing secrets with a new friend.]
I like tea. Holst had to learn how to drink it the right way so I got to learn too.
[He lowers his voice, taking his own turn at being conspiratorial.]
You're supposed to hold it by the handle. If you pick it up by the cup part, they get mad at you.