[Aefenglom IC Inbox]

[judgementor]

"Leave a message. If it's important, I'll get back to you."

*beep*

Comments

[judgementor]

Why do you need to know that.

[battlebound]

What the hell kind of answer is that?

[ He's asking for a location, not interrogating him for Palata's military secrets! ]

[judgementor]

It's a question.
I'm not telling you where I am. You don't need to know.

[battlebound]

You know that makes it more suspicious, right?

[judgementor]

I really don't care how it sounds to you Steak.

[battlebound]

[ He shouldn't worry. Red Wine is just being the same abrasive jerk he always is, and clearly isn't in need of Steak's help. He doesn't need to worry about him.

But there's a knot in his stomach anyway, driven by this strange city and its stranger transformations, the after-effects of his transformation spiralling out of control still a dull ache in his muscles. ]

Fine.
Don't die.

[judgementor]

A little late for that.

[battlebound]

You know what I mean!

[judgementor]

What makes you think that I care what happens to me now?

[battlebound]

[ That text probably shouldn't surprise him, given everything Red Wine has gone through here in Aefenglom, but reading it, stark and bright on his watch, is like a punch to the gut.

He sits with the words a long time, longer than any of his responses ever are, and types and deletes answer after answer. The insults don't feel right, and he doesn't know how else to speak to Red Wine. Marie spent far too long spelling out exactly what he should be saying to support Red Wine and Steak still didn't get around to saying it. ]

Because you promised to stick with me.

[ It sounds stupid as all hell written out like that, but it's the truth. Red Wine promised his Master Attendant back on Tierra, and promised those at their Bonding ceremony here. ]

If you won't care about yourself, it'll be my duty to care for you.

[ And do you really want that, Red Wine? Really? ]

[judgementor]

[And Red Wine, filthy and bloody, muscles screaming, with some nameless creature split in half at his feet, looks at the reply. The light is like a torch in the darkness of the Wilde, and he frowns at it and shakes his head silently.]

Sentimental. Concentrate on taking care of yourself first.

[battlebound]

[ But what is Steak without Red Wine really? He could take care of himself and lose Red Wine in the process. ]

Come back soon or I'll come find you. Bastard.

[judgementor]

You won't find me. Now be quiet. I need to concentrate.

[battlebound]

Well now I know you're up to no good.

[judgementor]

[The next reply takes a while to come.]

Because you've always been so forthcoming with what you get up to when you're not with me.

[battlebound]

What's that supposed to mean?!

[ Oh Steak, don't open that door. ]

[judgementor]

You know very well what I mean. Don't act stupider than you are.

[battlebound]

I had good reason for that!

[ Like the fact that Red Wine was just ignoring it and Steak wanted to make sure that bastard knew that he didn't get to mess with any of the Knights without having to deal with Steak. ]

[judgementor]

A good reason to snoop behind my back and then run off and put yourself in danger? Did you even spare a moment to think of how I might have felt about that?

[battlebound]

[ Red Wine, do you really need to ask that question? ]

... No.

[ But Red Wine's insistence on leaving it unaddressed was just as dangerous as Steak going back by himself. He knew he would make it back, and if he was, by chance, wrong, he would have returned to the Chaos doing something worthwhile. ]

Why the hell were you ignoring him?

[ They could have confronted Bloody Mary so many times before Steak left, all three of them, unified and able to overpower the bastard together. ]

[judgementor]

[He writes few things out and deletes them again as he begins to walk back to the city, his body heavy with exhaustion.

It wasn't worth

I didn't want to give him the satisfa

He was never

But in the end, he settles on;]

Because I understand him.

[battlebound]

[ He might have expected one of the unsent answers. They might have been easier to read than the one Red Wine actually sends. ]

I see.

[ No complaints, no arguing, because maybe, just maybe, Aefenglom is teaching Steak something about the darkness he usually dismisses.

He doesn't understand, but he sees. ]

[judgementor]

Don't do something like that again.

[battlebound]

Don't make me resort to it.

[ Slightly petty? Maybe. ]

You keep too many secrets.

[ Maybe if Red Wine had spoken more about what was going on, Steak wouldn't have resorted to that. ]

[judgementor]

I don't control you you absolute moron. How dare you try to blame me for something you decided to do of your own free will.