Church Source 14

[warmskies]

And this time, they manage to actually do it.

Even with Claude in his arms, carrying a fishing rod and the bucket is no trouble whatsoever, and there's even less issue with going down to the lake itself now that Dimitri is starting to get a rough idea of the immediate area. He's also more than aware of where to dig up some worms. As it turns out, his earlier running around both when Claude was with him and when he was attempting to fish helped to turn some up, and he hardly needs much remembering before he's dug some up. After that, well... It's simply a matter of settling down for the evening.

Claude indeed might find it rather mundane and dull to sit about near a lake for hours upon end, waiting for just a little nibble, but Dimitri himself doesn't seem bored. Everything is still so new, even just staying solitary in place like this. He's constantly looking about the area, ears flicking with every distant sound. The bites aren't exactly leaping out of the water, but they manage to get two small fish before Claude simply summons his bow, which leads to them getting a much larger bit of prey that made the mistake of going too far into the shallows. Considering his own luck with fishing.... Dimitri is impressed and excited every time.

The sky is dark, stars quietly vying for brilliance high above them, when it's decided that this is more than enough and there's no point in staying out any longer. Dimitri looks up from where he was inspecting the fish in the bucket, gaze going across the lake. It's quite a sight, the way it reflects the sky above it.

Something occurs to him then, even as he starts to help with picking everything up. "You know... They were probably due for another execution. The church. It's been quiet for too long..."

--

"Oh?" Claude is watching Dimitri from where he's sitting, with mild discomfort, on the same log from earlier. "Probably, I suppose. If I did my frame job right, I bet they've even got a candidate lined up. But considering how thoroughly we sabotaged their summoning chamber, and stole all their primary ingredients, I imagine any convicted criminals are going to be cooling their heels in cells for the foreseeable future." He tilts his head. "Why do you mention it?"

--

"It simply occurred to me." Fish in a bucket of water weigh far less than one Claude von Reigan, and Dimitri hefts it up with little trouble. "I would always be keeping track, because that was the only thing waiting for me in my future. But now there's... so much more." It's terrifying how much there is, even as much as it's exhilarating. Going over to Claude, he leans down to over his arm so that he can grab onto him while putting the bucket down with his other hand.

"I wonder... what they'll do now, without a weapon to do their killing for them."

--

"I'll have to go back soon to find out," Claude remarks, wrapping his arms around Dimitri so the man can spare a hand from holding him for the bucket. "Before we go traveling. If I had to guess, though...when I get back, they'll have a job for me that involves going to Devan-Intseh." He smiles, without humor. "The only question is what kind of job it is they'll ask me to do - graverobbing, murder, or kidnapping?"

--

At least Dimitri has enough strength even in one arm to cradle Claude neatly against him, cloak and all. With the rod and bucket taken next, he's all good to go. It hardly feels like anything... not compared to what he hears Claude's next potential jobs may be, and his claws very slightly but noticeably curl against Claude's body.

"...Murder is only a sin when it is one of their own, then."

--

"Well, yeah, it's precisely because they think Intseh don't have souls that they use them as executioners." Claude shrugs slightly. "But even so, I'm an Almyran. An outsider. They'd be more than happy to tarnish my soul for the good of the church, just so long as they can pretend their own are still clean."

--

None of this is convincing Dimitri that the whole thing shouldn't be razed to the ground, but he keeps quiet on that. He's already made his opinion on that known, after all. Instead, he just stays quiet as he makes his way through the trees back up to the cabin. Even if he has night vision, he still has to make sure he doesn't trip and go spilling everything, Claude included.

However.... This does bring up another point that doesn't sit well with him. "....Are you fairly sure that's what they'll ask you to do?"

--

"If they don't ask me to do it," Claude says mildly, "I'll convince them to."

--

Alright, that... makes him outright pause, ears going flat. "Claude... Why? That... isn't something you can lie easily about... the kidnapping, especially."

--

"Well, there's multiple reasons." Claude cocks an eyebrow at him. "For one thing, it'll be a guarantee that they aren't going to contract anyone else to do the job, if they've already got someone on it, which means I can vouch for myself as the person they're sending. For another, it means I'll know exactly what they're doing. In addition to that, it lets me dictate both their plans and their timeline for getting a new executioner, so I can guarantee they don't somehow get their hands on any Intseh in the meantime while we're traveling. And, of course, it gives me an excuse to go to the islands we were already planning on going to without raising the church's suspicions."

He looks up at the night sky. "As for how I'll explain not doing those things to the church...well, I think my days of lying to them are going to come to an end when we take those bones and blood to their final resting place. It's going to be time to inform the Intsehli of what the church is doing to their kids...which is going to cause an absolute uproar. Possibly a war. And I've got plenty of information and evidence to give them for any actions they care to take against the church. So I think this is going to be my last job flying under false colors."

--

The remains.... Dimitri resumes his walk up to the cabin, thinking on everything. It all makes sense, put out plainly like that. It gives Claude an advantage over the church, knowledge of them when they lack true knowledge on him, and if it is to be the last job he ever takes... Then it won't matter if he can't lie or not. He won't need to.

Still. "You... weren't planning on taking the remains back to my homeland originally. And you're certain this is what you want to do?" Dimitri knows he's introduced some changes to what was already a fairly involved plan.

--

"It's bumped up my timeline on my reveal a little," Claude agrees, with a slight smile. "But honestly, I can work with it. I originally thought I'd need a lot more time to gather evidence and get all my ducks in a row, as it were, but then I also thought I'd be presenting myself as some random, church-affiliated but obviously bitter Almyran out of nowhere with a wild story and a bunch of papers as evidence. Now, instead, I'm an escort to a freed Intsehli slave who's escorting the remains of his predecessors home. You're both a key witness of and living evidence to the crimes of the church, and they'll believe you where they'd never believe me. I won't have as much of an uphill battle to fight, so I can afford to move a little sooner than I thought I could."

The degree to which Claude has thought this out is clearly extensive, and almost chillingly pragmatic.

"What you want to do is the right thing to do, Dimitri. But it also happens to get me to where I wanted to be even faster than I'd planned, so why on earth would I object?"

--

Truly, the amount of planning and improvising that Claude can do is more impressive than anything else in the world, and Dimitri is fairly certain he'll never meet another person, human or Intseh or otherwise, that can match up. "I have no idea," he says honestly, finally reaching the point where the dark bulge of the cabin is visible past the trees. "I thought perhaps... you would want more time for something." What that 'something' could have been is beyond him. It's just that Claude's plans are so carefully thought out, well.... He didn't want to assume.

Reaching the door, he waits for Claude to open it for him before he steps inside the darkened building. "We're back," he announces quietly to the bottles he knows are still waiting for them on the table before he heads straight for the fireplace. Carefully, he puts the bucket down first, and then settles Claude down himself. "Do you want me to retrieve the horses while you start the fire?" They have been out there for some time, now, and it is dark. And cold.

--

"That'd be great," Claude agrees, even as he begins prodding at the coals to stir the fire up a bit. Fortunately there's firewood within reach. "You sure you remember how to get their bridles on by yourself?"

--

"I... think I should be fine." If nothing else, then he's sure he remembers enough to make his way through the parts he doesn't. "I'm more concerned in getting them to come to me... Is there a specific way, or will they do it of their own accord?"

--

"They're probably hungry and getting a little cold, and they're accustomed to going into stables at night, so they should know the routine. But you can always call them." Claude turns to Dimitri. "If they don't come right away, try making a clicking noise with your tongue. Like this." He demonstrates. "Wyvern especially should come for that, I do it with him pretty regularly. You're not me, obviously, but he'll behave for you well enough. You've probably got my scent all over you from carrying me around."

He turns back to the ashes, placing some logs carefully into the hottest part of the coals. "Once you've got them in their stalls, come get me. They'll need to be brushed down and I don't think I've showed you how to do that yet. They might want blankets, too - it's definitely chilly tonight."

--

"I came in last night before..." So no, brushing down is definitely new to Dimitri, although he's not lacking the interest to learn. He nods solemnly before rising to his feet. "I will be sure to do as best I can." If this means success, well, he's not promising on that. Instead, he heads straight out the door and doesn't get sidetracked as he heads straight down to the fields.

It might take a little bit longer than what Claude could have done, but he's apparently trained the horses well enough or they're hungry enough, because Dimitri soon returns looking moderately relieved that he could put the bridles on well enough. Doing instead of just watching had really helped him in this particular task; he'd mostly remembered what he'd needed to do. Although he does have a question. "Do you want me to brush Wyvern as well with how you currently are?"

--

"Nah, I'll make myself stand for this." Claude gives Dimitri a rueful grin. "He can hold me up while I work. Besides, you can watch me brush him and then you'll know how to handle the big guy when it's your turn." He hums. "We need to clean their hooves, too."

--

"If you're sure..." It seems like holding one's self up while cleaning at the same time might be difficult, but he won't stop Claude if this is what he wants to do. "Do their hooves need to be cleaned often...?"

--

"Every day," Claude says cheerfully. "Horses need constant maintenance. We'll have to muck out the stalls sometime soon, too...normally you should do that at least once a day, but since they're only spending the night in there and we've had kind of...exceptional circumstances last night and tonight, I think it can at least wait until tomorrow morning. By then I should hopefully be able to walk without feeling like my legs are going to give out."

--

....Horses sure are a lot. Dimitri blinks a moment in surprise before giving a slow nod. "They are living creatures... so they would need just as much as a regular person. Even more, with how much we ask from them..." He'll have to do his best for both of them, especially after everything. "Do you think the fire is alright now, then?"

--

"Yeah, it's starting to catch. We can let it grow while we go out to the stable." Claude, experimentally, tries to get to his feet on his own. This is only marginally successful. "...ow."

--

Claude... Dimitri just lets him test how that's working out for him all on his own, staying quiet for a moment before he patiently offers, "Want me to carry you more until you can lean on Wyvern?"

--

Claude gives him another sheepish grin. "I think I'd better, yeah."

--

"Truly..." Coming over, he scoops Claude up into his arms easily and goes to head out the door. "Even you said that you would need at least tomorrow morning until you could reliably walk."

--

"Hope springs eternal," Claude replies. "Or limps, in this case."

--

"I think you are too independent..." He makes sure the door is closed behind them before he continues into the stables. "I am always going to be here for you, you k now. Please ask for me if I can help."

But there are the horses, put neatly into their stables. The right ones, even, and the bridles put away like they'd been that morning. Dimitri really had been paying attention.

--

Claude grins when he takes in everything. "You're a fast learner," he says, pressing a kiss to Dimitri's cheek. "Don't think my not relying on you is because I don't think I can, you know. I just don't like being laid up. And I don't want to take advantage of you, either...which I think it'd be very easy to do, with you being so grateful to me and wanting to make yourself useful so badly."

--

"If there's anyone who can take advantage of me for such trivial matters, I would say it is you more than anyone else," Dimitri answers, heading towards Wyvern's stall. "I'm your lover. I want to pamper you, when you're injured like this. When it comes to important things.... I'll be sure to voice any worries I have. I won't be silent."

But for now, he tries to enter into Wyvern's stall, hoping the horse doesn't try to bite through Claude's hair right now of all times.

--

"Just because I can doesn't mean I should," Claude points out. "And I honestly can't think of any request I could make that I think you'd refuse. That's a dangerous level of freedom for me to have! Just ask anyone."

Wyvern behaves himself admirably once they enter his stall. He makes a soft nickering noise as soon as he sees Claude, moving over to nose at him with surprising gentleness. It seems he can tell Claude's not feeling his best, and is concerned in his own way.

Claude hugs Wyvern's head - so much smaller than the black stallion's - before letting him go with an affectionate pat. "Walk me around to his side," he instructs Dimitri. "Once I've got my hands on his back, you can lower my feet to the floor and I'll hold myself up from there."

--

Dimitri does as he's asked, rubbing Wyvern's head as he goes around to the side. "I wouldn't call it a freedom," Dimitri says quietly, carefully lowering Claude down and making sure he doesn't wobble or wince. "It's a privilege. Isn't it?"

--

Claude chuckles quietly as he braces himself on Wyvern. "Yeah...you're right, it is." He gives Dimitri a fond look.

"Can you get me the brush and comb out of the box in the corridor? Also, there's a hook-like pick in there; we're gonna need that, too."

--

"Of course." Satisfied with Claude's state currently, Dimitri feels fine with going back into the corridor to retrieve everything. Even as he's piling it into his arms, he asks back into the stall, "Then the pick would be for cleaning his hooves, wouldn't it?"

--

"Yep. It's surprisingly easy once you know what you're doing; I can show you that first." Claude chuckles. "I might need you to hold me up for that one some."

--

"I knew you would need to be held up at one point." So there's one point for him, he supposes. Still, Dimitri returns and hands Claude the pick while he places the other tools to the side. "It doesn't hurt when it cleans out their hooves?" It's a pick. He'd never assume that was for cleaning, if he'd been on his own.

--

"Nah. The hooves are probably made out of similar stuff as your claws, so the hooves themselves don't really feel things. You'd practically have to be trying to hurt them down there...or using the wrong kind of tool." Claude glances over his shoulder. "Put your arms around my waist, okay?"

--

"So only this kind of tool..." He'll remember this for later. There are probably specifics that he needs to learn, but later. For now, he does as he's told, ready to move wherever Claude needs him to. "They seem sturdy."

--

"In a way, they are." And Claude abruptly, without warning, hauls off and smacks Wyvern's side so hard that dust visibly flies.

Wyvern turns his head and snorts at Claude, seeming entirely unconcerned. If anything, he seems to be merely investigating why Claude just did that.

"See? He barely even felt that. I mean, I wouldn't do that if I were you, but you're practically as muscled as they are." Claude grins over his shoulder at Dimitri. "So on the one hand, it'd be wrong to call them fragile. On the other hand...they can be stupid, and neurotic, and hurt themselves, and they can't see things directly in front of them if it's too close to them, and they heal so badly from broken bones that if a horse breaks a leg most people just put them out of their misery because the chance they'll ever be able to stand on it again without suffering - or even heal from it at all - is that low. And it's easy for them to get hurt or sick when people aren't taking care of them. So on the one hand, they're hardy as hell...and on the other hand, they're like four-legged toddlers made of glass and anxiety."

--

...Nevermind, he takes back everything he's ever thought about horses. Clearly he knows nothing. Dimitri stares for a long moment, ears pressed back still from when Claude has slapped Wyvern's side.

"...I am highly concerned now ab out my having a horse of my own, Claude." He's concerned about just interacting with a horse at all, now, and he thought he had been making some good strides there with how he had brought them into their stable stalls.

--

"Relax. I'm an expert with horses, and you're a fast learner so soon you will be, too." Claude laughs. "And, big as he is, your horse is actually the sturdier one. It's smaller horses with delicate bones like Wyvern that're more likely to get hurt, so I've got the harder job. Don't worry so much!"

With Dimitri bracing him, Claude shifts so that he can reach down to Wyvern's leg. "Here, watch. Our horses are used to having their feet cleaned, so usually as soon as you slide your hand down their leg they'll lift their foot for you. Feel free to lean on them while you do this, they're not gonna fall over."

He points with the pick. "The bottom of a hoof actually has a lot of hollow spots - that's why they need cleaned, see? Stuff gets in them. You especially want to watch out for stones, but you want to clean out mud and things, too. The outer wall is solid, so you don't have to worry about that - and they've got horseshoes on there anyway." He taps near the base of the hoof. "Now, at the back of the hoof here is a shape called the frog - looks a little bit like a wishbone. All you have to do is clean the hollows around that. So you dig the pick into the crap here, and you pull it like this...and then you do it from the other side. See how the shape looks a little bit like a skinny heart? Then you can just scrape out anything you missed on the first pass, and you can use the flat of the pick to scrape off anything sticking to the surface if you want. It's clearing out the hollow parts you actually have to worry about, though."

By the time Claude finishes this explanation - honestly, even before that - he's done with Wyvern's hoof, and he lets go of the horse's leg. Wyvern seems largely unconcerned with the proceedings.

"Oh, yeah," Claude adds. "If they start leaning on you while you're doing it, you'll go over if you let them, so elbow 'em to get them to knock it off if you have to."

--

"I don't think I should be allowed to hit the horses," Dimitri says quietly. Yes, he knows Claude said 'elbow'. He stands by what he said, in turn. Still, this does all seem easy enough, especially if Claude seems to already have them relatively trained into the habit. Patiently, he continues to brace Claude for as long as he needs. "Is it difficult to train them into this...?"

--

"Not really, no. Horses are accustomed to having a leader who tells them what to do - what to run from, what to be afraid of, what to not worry about, where to go. They're used to a hierarchy, in other words. All you have to do if you want them to behave for you is establish yourself as that authority. Then they'll trust your judgment on things." Claude shifts forward, so they can move onto Wyvern's back hoof, tugging Dimitri with him. "That's pretty important to riding them, too. A person's usually got better judgment than a horse. If they trust you to tell them what's safe and what isn't, they won't panic over anything unfamiliar they see - like a sheet flapping in the wind or something. A horse that doesn't trust you might bolt, but a horse that does will decide what to do based on whether or not you're worried about it."

--

"....I do not think I have better judgment than my horse." He's just going to state that right now, put that into the open. "At least, not yet."

....So, there's hope. Maybe. He has to say that his horse certainly seems to be more assured of how things are currently, which is more than Dimitri can confidently state at any given time. He's barely hit twenty four hours.

--

"Nah, if you know the difference between a hungry horse-eating predator and an inert branch, you absolutely know better than him." Claude proceeds to clean out Wyvern's back hoof. "There are certain things you might want to trust your horse's instincts on, but in most cases you're going to be the smarter one. Horses' first instinct on just about anything is to run, because that's their best defense mechanism - outrunning things - but in a lot of cases that's actually a bad idea. Your job is telling them when that's a bad idea."

--

"My first instinct is... not that." Then again, for someone groomed as an executioner, that's utterly unsurprising. There's nowhere to run to in an executioner ring, and he'd hated most of the church too much to want to do anything but lash out when they tempted him, much like Carnius and a few others had a habit of doing.

Dimitri cranes his head over Claude's, watching his hands go at work patiently. "It seems that may cause some problems."

--

"We'll find out," Claude replies cheerfully. "And we'll deal with it if and when it comes." He nudges Dimitri. "Okay, we need to get to the other side." Wyvern's got two more hooves to do.

--

Hardly seeming even remotely bothered, Dimitri hefts Claude around to the other side. It'd be even quicker, if he wasn't making sure that Claude was doing moderately alright on the physical comfort side of things. "Is that all that can be done?"

--

"Is what all?" Claude asks, even as he cleans out Wyvern's other back hoof.

--

"Just.... waiting for the worst." His tail slides across the floor of the stall. "Waiting for something to happen."

--

"You're such a pessimist." Claude chuckles. "Who says anything bad's going to happen at all? It's not waiting for the worst - it's waiting to see if we ever even need to worry about the worst. Which we might not!"

--

"I wonder where your confidence comes from, that you can think there's no need for us to worry..." When he thinks too hard on things, or for too long, Dimitri finds that happens to him a lot. He doesn't recommend it, honestly. Not now, anyway. "I still... prefer doing things, instead of waiting."

--

"You can't fix a problem before it's even materialized, sadly." Claude is deeply amused as he finishes with Wyvern's hoof and nudges Dimitri into backing up so he can get the front hoof. "Have you seen enough of this yet to feel confident doing the big guy's yourself?"

--

"....Have you tried?" Dimitri, no. Still, he looks towards the stall door while Claude works, thinking carefully. He has a good enough idea.... He thinks. It's merely putting it into practice, which he's slightly less sure of. The pick's shape... really makes him uneasy. Or perhaps that's merely his own reservations and past at play. "Do you want me to put you down soon, then...?"

--

"Once I finish with Wyvern's hooves, yeah. But I'll show you how I brush him down before we move on to the big guy."

--

Dimitri looks back down to focus particularly hard on Claude's hands. "Then... I think I may be confident. This sort of thing will need to be done whether I am confident or not, and I can't wait on my own feelings when I doubt they'll ever become strong enough without my action."

-

Claude grins at him. "Hey, fake it 'til you make it, I always say. I do that sort of thing all the time."

--

"I never would have known." His thumb rubs circles and vaguer shapes along Claude's skin. "But then, I suppose that is the point. I doubt I can fake it very well, however. Not with how obvious I apparently am."

--

"You're not that obvious." Claude chuckles. "Or, at least, probably not? I'm very good at reading people, you know. I don't know if what's obvious to me would be that obvious to other people. Or horses, for that matter."

--

Dimitri considers this for a moment, looking over Wyvern as Claude finishes up with the hooves. "I think the horses would know better than most people," he concludes after a moment. "People would perhaps over-simplify... or over-complicate."

--

Claude laughs outright at that. "You're not wrong," he agrees, amused. "But believe me, the first time you see a horse go into a full-blown panic over a leaf, you'll realize horses aren't exactly sensible creatures themselves."

--

"All that tells me is that no living creature is sensible." They're all fools, and cheese is good. Dimitri feels he's learned two important truths to the universe in the span of twenty four hours. Well. He's known cheese is good for like two months now, so perhaps only one has been learned in twenty four hours.

--

"Pretty much, but humans and horses especially." Claude finishes with Wyvern's last hoof and gives him a pat before straightening up. "All right, time for the brush."

--

Time for the thing Dimitri is slightly less worried about than injuring the horses, which is injuring Claude, and, frankly, the only reason Claude ranks lower is because the injury has already happened. It's just a matter of not making it worse. Dimitri carefully makes sure Claude is upright and against Wyvern before he begins to let go. "If you start to hurt more, tell me."

--

Claude leans on Wyvern. "I should be okay, I think." He hands the pick over to Dimitri, waiting for him to fetch the brush to exchange it with.

--

At least it doesn't take long, with long legs and a small space, and Dimitri hands over the brush promptly. Afterwards, however, he can't help reaching up to fiddle with a few strands of his own hair. "...The horses have been brushed more than I ever have been." That's sure a strange revelation to have.

--

Claude grins. "Good point. Want me to brush your hair once we're finished with this?" He begins brushing Wyvern down, firm and quick with the ease of long practice. "Pay attention to the way the hair lies while you do this, Dimitri. Always brush the way it's lying, not against it."

--

Dimitri's ears flick upwards once Claude gets to work, and he shoves aside his own hair issues in order to pay attention. "Going against is uncomfortable.... That makes sense. That's been annoying for me in the past as well." Having fur brings a unique perspective when it comes to caring for animals. At least, different than a human's.

--

Claude blinks, glancing at Dimitri, and then grins. "I guess there's some things an Intseh might understand about a horse even better than a human, huh?"

He works slowly down Wyvern's body. "There's actually a bunch of different brushes you can use, but they don't keep most of them in stock here. They've got enough for basic care, but horses aren't supposed to be staying here for an extended period of time so it's no more than that. And obviously when you're traveling you can't carry pounds upon pounds of horse care supplies with you, so one brush and one comb is what you'll mostly get used to."

--

Dimitri, who hasn't seen a brush in some twenty years, goes, "There's more than one kind of brush?" Well, color him quite fascinated, and also wondering how he can possibly get another one for his own horse. He's not going to carry a whole... pound of horse supplies, but just another one. He feels as though he should do something for him, with what he's put up with and continue to put up with in the foreseeable future.

The obvious answer means interacting with.... other people, but Dimitri's mind automatically shies away from just considering that... even in the context of simply other Intseh. It's hard to imagine. Terrifying to imagine.

Just... him and Claude. If he could live that life.... it might be worth living.

--

It's genuinely tragic how limited Dimitri's life and experiences have been. Claude supposes he could mourn that...but he finds it far more optimistic to instead look forward to the thought of all the things Dimitri gets to have now, and to be introduced to. So as depressing a question that is at its core, Claude still smiles at it.

"For horses, definitely. Humans don't tend to need that many; it's usually just a choice between brush or comb. Intseh might have more types; it's not something I've ever really investigated, y'know?"

--

"I suppose.... That might be the sort of question that would get you some curious glances, as the most polite response." Dimitri feels that's probably the correct reaction from the average Intseh... although he can only think of it in the manner of how he would have reacted as a child. Thinking deeper on that is....

Dimitri forces his attention back to the movement of Claude's hand, and the brush. "So the brush for the body, mainly, and the comb for their hair?"

--

"That's right. When you use the comb, start at the ends and work up from there." But for now, Claude's content to simply demonstrate for Dimitri how to brush a horse.

"Always be careful around a horse's legs, by the way," he adds. "Especially the back legs. They can absolutely break bones if they kick out. They usually don't unless they're either vicious or you're giving them a good reason to, and these horses aren't vicious."

--

"I will be careful around all parts of a horse." That just seems for the best, right now. Dimitri shifts a little bit, looking around Claude at a different angle as if that will help reveal some great horse brushing secret. "But... is there a particular aspect to be careful of? Touching them... wrong, for example."

--

"Mm...well, in general, horses don't like sudden movements or loud noises. Remember what I said about them being anxious. Just be calm and quiet with them, and let them see and understand what you're doing, and that'll go a long way."

Claude looks down at Dimitri's feet. "You're...gonna need to be real careful of your feet. A horse is barely gonna notice if it steps on your foot. I've got boots, which helps a bit, but..." An Intseh generally goes barefoot, with their big padded feet. Claude imagines that'd hurt.

"Let's see...don't brush the legs or the face. You need a special, softer brush for the face, and generally that's not too necessary so that's one of the brushes we don't have right now. The legs you generally don't have to worry about; if they get dirty, it's easier to just wash 'em off than brush them. Just focus on the body, and the mane and tail."

--

Dimitri looks down when Claude does, padded toes kneading into the stable floor for a second as if solidifying that, yes, they are very large and soft, before he takes a step back. Just in case. He's gotten hurt before- hurt plenty of times, if the massive scar on his face wasn't clear enough- but broken bones he found were always the most unpleasant thing to deal with. Healing went deep... Had to go deep, cleaning all impurities and stitching flesh back together. Yet he found, personally, that it never seemed to feel right when it had to go fix bone.

Then again, he'd never really liked that kind of healing anyway. Perhaps he was always meant to be biased.

A bone broken on its own, let alone so many that are in his feet, isn't exactly any better, so he makes sure to keep that lesson firmly in mind. "It seemed to still take you a long time... last night, to clean them, even without the face and legs." How strange, to think that he's been free roughly a day and night, now. Is it too long? Too short? Dimitri can't even tell. Time doesn't seem real, when he tries to think deeply on it.

--

"Because I was doing two horses after a long ride," Claude replies. "It's a lot easier today; no road dust, and they haven't worked up much sweat." He finishes with Wyvern's coat and holds out the brush to Dimitri, nodding toward the comb.

--

Once more, Dimitri darts back and forth in his retrieval duties, making sure to give Wyvern's hind legs a decent birth as he possibly can this time around. "So the hair should be not as difficult to deal with either?"

--

"Oh, you never know. Depends what they got up to. Could've rolled around in the grass, for all we know." Claude scratches behind one of Wyvern's ears before he starts combing his fingers through his mane first, doing some preemptive untangling. Then he gathers a big handful of mane and begins to brush out the smaller tangles still left behind. If he's a touch rough, it doesn't matter too much; after all, since he's holding it, it's his other hand that feels the tug, not Wyvern. "You don't have to make it perfect, really. Just keep it relatively decent so that little tangles don't have the chance to turn into huge problems."

-

Oh gods. Delicate fingerwork. Dimitri rubs one thumb over the smooth curve of a claw before stilling himself so that he can better watch exactly what Claude is doing. "...They can roll in the grass with their legs that stiff?"

--

Claude laughs. "Someday you need to just take the time to watch horses for awhile. It'll answer so many questions for you."

--

"I thought I would be watching them today for much longer than I ended up doing..." He grossly underestimated his ability to keep his hands off of Claude, including if he could keep a love confession to himself. Well. That's just what happens, he supposes.

--

"Well, I think your time elsewhere was time well spent." Claude gives him a saucy wink before going back to his combing. It doesn't take him too long to get through Wyvern's mane, although Wyvern is now taking an active part in the proceedings by reaching around to try to nibble at Claude's hair again. Possibly he feels this is equal treatment.

--

"You would say that...." Still, there's no denying the quiet little show of pleasure from a few flicks of his tail. Flirting can be for later, however. Instead, he starts carefully reaching around for the bottom of Wyvern's jaw when the horse starts getting chewy again.

"No.... No. I just did that...."

--

Claude laughs. "Yeah, don't ruin Dimitri's handiwork!" He hurriedly finishes the mane before edging his way down Wyvern to the tail.

"If you fart while I'm doing this, I'm selling you," he warns Wyvern. Wyvern looks monumentally unconcerned. Even if he were capable of understanding the words, this is probably a regular threat.

--

Whereas Claude edges away, Dimitri seems to just... take his place as he pets Wyvern's face with his claws carefully pointed away. It's fine if his hair gets eaten, because Dimitri hasn't cared about his hair for a little over a decade and he's not going to start now. At least, right now. Perhaps that will change once Claude starts brushing him.

"No you won't," he says, directly calling his lover out. "He's done very good work."

--

"Dimitri," Claude says in mock pain, "don't undermine my authority in front of him!!" But he's grinning as he gets to work. "We may know that, but he doesn't."

Wyvern totally knows that, and he's practically radiating it. He's not quite spoiled, but he's clearly a dearly loved horse and comfortably secure in this fact.

--

Taking Wyvern's face gently in his hands, Dimitri inspects the animal's eyes and overall expression. After a moment, he lets go to return to petting.

"No, he knows. I told you horses are smart."

--

Wyvern nuzzles at Dimitri. He seems to be developing an affection for the Intseh - not surprising, given how positively his owner responds to Dimitri.

"Ughhh, now he's gonna be insufferable," Claude complains, as though Wyvern wasn't already. He's still smiling, though. "Be careful near the base of a horse's tail when you're brushing, by the way. There's bone in there underneath all the hair."

--

Dimitri is fairly certain that Wyvern has been exactly as insufferable as he's always been, and he'll accept that if the horse likes him. A tentative nervous smile finds its home on his face as he continues to pet the horse, although his ears flick up again when he hears Claude speaking up on something that doesn't involve mocking his own horse.

"That makes sense." His own tail- much longer, tuft shorter, but still understanding- gives another slow sway that skims along the ground. "Do you have to brush near there often?"

--

"Not necessarily more than anywhere else. The tail can get pretty gross sometimes, though. If it is, then wash it before you comb it." Claude's just about finished; he drops Wyvern's tail to look over at Dimitri. "You know, if you ever want to practice your braiding, you can always mess around with their manes. Or even their tails. Lots of people braid horse's manes and tails, although it's usually only to show off."

--

I don't want to show off...." But it's rather absent mindedly said. This is another confrontation to Dimitri's mind that, one day, he'll have to interact with people again... Will almost certainly do so whether he wants to or not, that he'll be... perceived by them. lt's enough to make his tail flick again, this time a little more aggravated, before he forces himself to focus on petting Wyvern some more.

Still. "I think it could be nice, possibly, to spend time with them, if they do not mind it."

--

"Nah, they wouldn't mind it. Horses are pretty social creatures, you know." Claude grins at Dimitri. "Okay, Wyvern's all finished. Now it's the big guy's turn. You want to try to handle him yourself?"

--

He didn't know, actually, but that's irrelevant. Instead, Dimitri takes a breath and nods. "He is my horse, so he is my responsibility." He can't just run from it forever. With one last pat to Wyvern's nose, Dimitri goes around him to fetch the pick and brush before also fetching the last important horsecare item, Claude himself. It's a little awkward to pick him up this way, but Dimitri manages well enough.

There's no missing his nerves as he steps out of Wyvern's stall to peer over into the other horse's, however. "...I'm back."

--

The big horse turns its head to survey them both. He doesn't look as welcoming as Wyvern, perhaps, but he doesn't look uninviting, either. If anything, his attitude could be chalked up as expectant. Perhaps he knows, and is even anticipating, what's coming.

--

Expectant is much more acceptable than hostile, or aggravated, or really a great deal many emotions that Dimitri could come up with. Carefully, he goes to set Claude and the tools down against a wall for his lover to lean or sit against as he pleases. Using the pick is still a nervewracking idea as he takes it in hand, and he pauses alongside his horse to stroke his side.

"...I was thinking... Ashimihran. Is that good?"

This really isn't a question for Claude, needless to say.

--

Claude opts for leaning; sitting is still a somewhat uncomfortable proposition, especially on a hard floor.

"Ashimihran..." Claude rolls the unfamiliar syllables around on his tongue. "Is that the name of the Intsehli hero you mentioned?"

--

Blinking, Dimitri glances back over his shoulder as if he'd forgotten Claude was in on this conversation between him and a horse. Not that... the horse has really responded. But he hasn't objected to the name, either.

"That's right... Outsiders probably wouldn't know him too well, but he was in a great many stories back on my home island. It's not the exact name, but...." He thought maybe that would be a bit much. You know, in terms of responsibility for his horse. He doesn't want him to feel pressured.

--

"It's a lot of syllables," Claude says with amusement. "Not saying it's a bad choice, a lot of horse names can be long - sometimes they're whole phrases - but you might want to consider a nickname for everyday use. Unless that'd be disrespectful, of course."

--

"Mahtashi."

...Dimitri, did you just use the prefix for 'honored' for the horse? Of course you did. Is that even a shorter amount of syllables-

--

Claude blinks bemusedly. "Is that...a whole different name? I was mostly thinking about shortening the first one." Not that he's objecting, really; it's just a little odd to him.

--

In turn, that makes Dimitri tilt his head to the side as well. Different name? "It is shortened, technically." The actual name part certainly is, anyway. Still, while it takes him a second to realize what the problem is. It's such a common little thing for Intsehli... and Claude speaks it so fluently, he hadn't thought there was anything he'd missed. But- "Do you not know 'maht'?"

--

Claude blinks...then laughs. "No, I know the word. I just don't hear too many Intsehli nicknames, you know? I forget how they're constructed sometimes. It's not the same way nicknames work in other languages."

--

Dimitri's ears flick down briefly in the same slight show of disappointment like when he hadn't been able to catch a fish for Claude. He was almost hoping he could teach him more Intsehli, somehow. Well, it doesn't matter, he supposes. Pick still in hand, he slowly slides the other down his horse's leg.

"Ashi is short enough, if you need one you're more used to."

--

"You should teach me more about Intsehli nicknames," says Claude, who both wasn't born yesterday and is also just genuinely curious. "Maybe I could call you by one."

He grins at the horse. "If you'd asked me, I would've shortened his name to Ash anyway, so Ashi isn't much different."

--

"You would....?" That's somehow a very simple logical step that Dimitri just didn't think of; all his focus had just been on the exciting idea of being able to teach Claude something again like when they were kids. Does he like hearing Claude say his regular name more than a nickname? Something to ponder.

But also- "It has to be Ashi," he says rather firmly on the matter, relieved when the hoof is lifted up accordingly and he can get to work. Once again, it's an experiment of going very gingerly, and carefully increasing the amount of strength he puts into things until he's at a spot he's sure at.

--

"Ashi," Claude confirms with a nod, grinning. "And what's wrong? Don't want a nickname? You could give me one."

--

"It isn't that I do not want a nickname..." Not exactly, anyway. Dimitri still has to think on it for a while longer. However, at the idea of giving Claude a nickname himself....

The very end of Dimitri's tail starts rapidly flicking from side to side, even as he busies himself with cleaning the newly christened Ashi's hoof.

--

Claude watches this with distinct amusement, staying silent for the moment. He can't see much of what Dimitri is doing from where he is, but it looks right to him.

"You can straddle the leg if it makes it easier," he says. "They can't really lift it further up when you've got them bent back, so you're not going to get kicked in any sensitive areas. Also, Wyvern's pretty well-behaved, but if Ashi gives you problems you can always tie him in place so he can't move much until you're finished with him. I didn't have any problems, but I'm experienced with horses and sometimes it seems like they know it. He might be more difficult with you."

--

"....Wyvern chews your hair..." He has some questions on what Claude views as 'well behaved', especially considering the other man just broke him out of the church. It seems to be rather different than what other people would say. Still, he does his best, only occasionally pausing to make sure that Ashi doesn't pull away. A patient horse's temperament and Dimitri's own strength seem to be making this manageable, although not as quick.

--

Claude grins at Dimitri. "I mean, he lets me do what I need to do for the most part."

--

Dimitri finally pauses at that, letting Ashi put his hoof down, so that he can stare back at Claude. "....He chews your hair." He's not sure Claude heard that part.

--

"That's affection," Claude declares. "Also being a brat, but mostly affection. He wasn't pulling his hooves out of my hands while I tried to clean them or anything."

--

Dimitri's skepticism is exchanged for blank worry as he looks back down to Ashi's hooves. "....He was pulling a couple of times..."

--

"That doesn't mean anything." Claude chuckles. "If he really wanted to, he'd have overpowered you." He pauses. "...probably."

--

Probably.

Still, that reassures Dimitri enough that he's not causing undo harm to his horse, or causing Ashi to hate him. For lack of having made any connections to actual people beyond Claude for... ages, Ashi's interest in him is more important than it might be for anyone else besides children with intense horse phases. With that assured, he goes to move onto the next one.

"You know so much about horses.... Because of your people, right?" He's heard Claude reference this connection a few times, now, after all. Not often, but....

--

"Well, partially. It's true that we had them when I was growing up, and I spent plenty of time around them...but that was still cut short pretty young, after all." Claude rests his head against the wall, closing his eyes. "But it's because my people favor riding so much that I made so much of an effort to focus on it growing up, and eventually get my own horse. It was one of the few things from my culture the church didn't punish me for showing an interest in." He smiles a little. "And maybe it's the Almyran in me, but I do love horses. And riding."

--

Dimitri listens to all of this carefully as he works through Ashi's next hoof, taking it all in. It's almost- no, definitely enviable that Claude was able to find something of his people that he could explore and take into his own. The church might have burned his home to the ground, and still think of him as something worthless enough to treat expendable... but he was still a person in the end. A lesser person by their standards, but....

Dimitri isn't even sure what he would have explored, if he'd been in a similar position. If he'd been given the opportunity.

"...I wasn't paying as much attention last night. Is there something special to it, besides the connection...?"

--

"Hm?" Claude glances at him. "You mean the riding?"

--

"Yes. It just.... hurt. Mostly." A much more limp flap of his tail. He'd be more amazed that he's not feeling more sore from that if he weren't well aware of the kind of damage he can take even without being distracted by so much.

--

"When you learn to move the right way with your horse's gait, it hurts less." Claude chuckles. "It's something we probably won't have time to teach you until we're further away from the church, but it involves holding yourself up in the saddle a bit with your legs so you don't bang down so hard on the saddle with every bounce."

--

"....So it's going to keep hurting..." Oh no. Dimitri doesn't complain, however, besides stating the obvious. He merely continues cleaning Ashi's hooves, satisfied that he's getting a little bit more into the motions of it. Still deeply terrified that he's going to horribly injure his horse if he's not careful, but...

"Still. What do you like about it?"

--

"It can be exciting." Claude grins. "I've entered a few races and competitions with Wyvern, you know? It was a challenge when I was building up my bond with him. To make myself good as his rider, to learn what he could and couldn't do and how to ask him to do it. Racing's exhilarating, and Wyvern's fast. He's a good jumper, too, even if he's a bit on the small side. And when you're guiding your horse in a race or through an obstacle course, it gets your blood pumping. When it's going perfectly, you can feel that you're both straining toward the same goal - it's almost like fighting at someone's side. Failures teach you what you need to work on, but the successes...man, those are sweet. Because even if the horse is doing most of the work, it wouldn't happen without your training and guidance, or if you were a bad rider, so the victory really belongs to both of you."

He breathes out a sigh of pleasure, closing his eyes. "Also, even when you're just riding to travel, or for fun...when you're sitting high on a horse, feeling the wind, seeing the landscape rolled out in front of you...there's something primal about it. The whole world feels open to you, full of possibilities. You can feel how opportunity is waiting everywhere for you, and all you need is your horse to ride out to meet it. No matter how complicated life is, it always feels so simple when you're riding - like if you chose to, you could do just about anything. Go exploring, travel, start a whole new life if you wanted. It takes you back - well, it takes me back to the days when my people were nomads. It feels wild. It feels free."

Claude's eyes open after a moment, as if he realizes just how long he's been going on. The sound of his own voice, and going over the feelings and visuals of riding behind his eyelids, had lulled him into a dreamy state; he feels almost awkward just how poetic he'd waxed while his tongue ran away with him. "Ah...sorry, guess I kind of rambled a bit."

--

It's nice, listening to Claude talk. Dimitri has often thought that- moreso when he was younger, although perhaps he merely appreciated it more. He'd understood so little of what that boy on the other side of his door spoke about, struggled to be taught as much as he could, but it had been difficult to feel really bad about it. Their shared excitement to meet another friendly face had been a part of it, of course. Still, listening to that warm voice, so full of enthusiasm that matched the glimmer in his eyes.... Even in a language he didn't understand, it'd been pleasant.

A similar feeling washes over him now, although a little bit different. It's nice to merely listen to Claude... enjoy himself like this. Not in the usual way, the cunning and teasing way. This is more... deep? It feels similar to the more solemn sides of Claude, merely lighter, sweeter. Dimitri lets Claude's words wash over him as he listens and works, comforting some of his nerves and making his task seem not so difficult. Maybe even Ashi is affected, although he might just prefer it when Dimitri is so calm and a little more practiced as well.

By the time Claude finishes, Dimitri's done with another hoof, and has turned around to watch his lover's face. "I know that feeling," he agrees quietly, thinking of dirt under his paws and how wide the sky had stretched out over his head only earlier that morning. "I don't want you to apologize."

--

Claude gives him a lopsided, still slightly self-conscious grin - and self-conscious isn't a look that Claude wears often. "You like hearing me talk like that, or you just appreciate how it feels?"

--

Today has just been full of expressions he's never seen on Claude before, with the cage bars between them. Dimitri rather likes the experience. "Can't it be both?"

--

"I guess it can." Claude eyes Ashi. "So how's the grooming going?"

--

Dimitri doesn't say anything for a moment, just blinking back at a hoof before getting up to move around to Ashi's other side with all the hurry of a kid who's been told to stop ignoring his homework. He gets lightly swatted at by a tail for his trouble, although that might be pure coincidence.

"...I wanted to see the face you were making when you were speaking like that." And since he can't watch his hands and a hoof at the same time, well....

--

Claude chuckles. "I was just checking on you, not trying to rush you. It's not like I can see much from here."

--

"That only means I should stick to my duty even more, doesn't it...?" That his duty is the very mundane chore of cleaning out his horse's hooves is, well. Dimitri is still very serious in a lot of ways, able to show a little more now that he's free of his cage and able to do all sorts of things.

--

"It's not like you can't take your time with it," Claude points out.

--

"But we have fish. They go bad." So he has to stop getting distracted by Claude, and how much he loves Claude. At least he doesn't rush the process in a way that would get Ashi hurt. Or rush at all.

--

"Not within an hour," Claude replies with amusement. "Besides, the two smaller ones are still alive." The big one, obviously not.

--

"Alive with the corpse of their kin..." Somehow, it sounds so much worse when Dimitri says it like that. Amazing a talent, really. At least he seems to be adjusting to cleaning Ashi's hooves well enough.

--

"Try not to sympathize too much with our dinner," Claude says dryly. Not only does it sound bad the way Dimitri says it, but Claude at least notes the parallels.

--

Dimitri looks around Ashi with a blanket look on his face, not helped by his slow blink. "It wouldn't matter if I sympathized or not." And with that depressing if telling statement or not, Dimitri ducks back to finish the next hoof.

"I'm almost done."

-

Claude frowns at that. "How would it not matter?"

--

A sort of foolish question, really. Dimitri concentrates on keeping Ashi's hoof steady more than his answer. "How would it?" His ears flick back a little bit in his concentration. "The larger fish is already dead. The other two are going to be eaten as well. That can't be changed."

--

"Well, the larger one, yeah. But if you suddenly got so sympathetic to the two little ones that you didn't want us to eat them, I'd let them go." It'd be kind of ridiculous, but doing what makes Dimitri feel happy - and letting him have a say in what they do - is important to Claude. He doesn't ever want Dimitri to feel the level of fatalism he displayed when he was in his cage back at the monastery, not when he's with Claude. Or any level of fatalism, really.

--

"What?" It's a good thing that he's been adjusting fairly well to cleaning horse hooves, because surely even Ashi would get sick and tired if he kept stopping every five seconds without making much progress. As it is, he's near enough to finishing that he can pause for only a second with that quick bit of disbelief before wrapping things up.

Standing up, he looks around with a confused frown. "...But we caught them."

-

"We did," Claude replies patiently. "And if you wanted to let them go again, we'd let them go."

He wants Dimitri to understand how important his comfort, his wishes, and his input all are to Claude, and to their relationship.

--

"....I don't." He shifts in place, fingers wringing about the pick he's holding and a frown across his face. "I was simply describing the situation. That is all."

--

Claude chuckles. "Good, because I'm hungry." He watches Dimitri, a slight smile on his lips. "But it's important to me that you know I would."

--

"....You treat me too well, Claude." More than he feels he might deserve, sometimes. More than this situation warrants. He look sback down to the pick, rolling it in his fingers.

"....But I think I'm done with his hooves.Do you want to look at his hooves, or shall I move on?"

--

"I trust you. You're plenty diligent." Claude smiles. "Go ahead and brush him down."

--

If he's sure.... Dimitri carefully puts the pick out of the way so that it doesn't fall off onto the ground anywhere before he retrieves the brush. Curiously, he rubs his thumb along its bristles. At least this is the easier part, in theory. He simply has to be thorough.

Where did Claude start again? Right, right- As Dimitri begins to brush Ashi, keeping in mind the direction of his fur, he speaks up. "I... do not wish to trouble you with myself, Claude."

--

Claude tilts his head. "You don't. What brought that on?"

--

"Just now." His hand pauses for only a second before he continues on. "You are tired, and injured." Well. Mostly sore. It's a bit of a stretch to really call it an injury. "I would not want to waste any food while you are like this."

--

"And I don't want you to ever feel like you can't change things again," Claude says firmly. "That's way more important than some fish."

--

"They are not merely fish. They are our dinner. And... how long will that last?" He shrugs a little bit, not bothered. "There will be something I cannot or should not change."

--

"True." Claude studies him. "I guess it's more accurate to say that I don't ever want you to feel like what bothers you doesn't matter ever again."

--

That.... makes Dimitri pause again, quietly surprised instead of alarmed or confused. It feels like such an obvious thing, a problem and response, he just... hadn't thought of it. "....Thank you, Claude."

--

"You don't have to thank me," Claude murmurs, eyes faintly troubled. "That should've never been something you learned to default to. This, now, is just...normal. You've just never had normal before."

--

"How normal is it, I wonder..." He almost wants to argue about that, like he did behind the bars of his cage. Discussions like that, alongside learning another language, were the main things which kept his mind distracted from his dull life, the monotony of it all.

But- "I like brushing Ashimihran."

--

"Mahtashi?" Claude teases. He might not know Intsehli nickname structure well, but if he didn't have a good memory he wouldn't learn new languages as quickly as he does. "He likes it, too. Look how relaxed he is."

Indeed, the large horse has his eyes half-closed, head bowed. He seems to be enjoying the attention.

--

"Ashimihran formally. Mahtashi when we're relaxed. Ashi can be for when we are truly in a hurry," Dimitri says matter of factly, smiling a little. It's probably a lot... and far too much. But this is what one gets when they let him name something after so many years.

Besides, Ashi deserves all of it. Name and brushing alike.

"Can you brush a horse too much?"

--

"As in, can you hurt them? Only if you do it too hard, which obviously you're not. And like I said, horses are pretty sturdy when it comes to smaller animals dealing with them." Claude grins. "You might spoil him, but I think he's doomed to that anyway."

--

"It is not spoiling if it is what he deserves." Dimitri finally makes it to Ashi's other side. "I believe that is an argument you are familiar with."

--

"Okay, but he wasn't severely deprived beforehand," Claude complains. "It's totally different. Also, you didn't spend years fantasizing about getting to give him all the things he was missing, either."

--

From over Ashi's back, Dimitri's eye peeks over towards Claude. "You fantasized about such a thing...?"

--

Claude rolls his eyes. "Not only did I fantasize about it, I've told you about it before. About how I dreamed of running away with you even when we were kids."

--

"Running away is different than giving me things." Dimitri tries not to get distracted again, going back to brushing. "And... You said about running away back to your homeland." Although now that makes him wonder.... He tilts his head to the side slightly as he continues to brush Ashi.

"...Are you going to return there one day?"

--

"I wanted to do both. I wanted to play with you, show you things, take you places...I wanted to share my life with you, instead of your life being confined to that cell. And obviously I wanted to give you things, because I didn't let them stop me from doing that even with all the limitations I faced as a kid." That nostalgic honey candy Dimitri has is a reminder of that.

At the question, Claude looks up at the roof of the stable. "Yeah, I am. Probably pretty soon, actually; I was thinking maybe my people could help the Intseh in objecting to the church. And I'll admit, my people are usually pretty gung-ho about fighting people, so it probably wouldn't take much convincing. But someone has to put the idea in their heads."

--

That's right... Claude had spoken of war, of the possibility of that and so much bigger things that Dimitri still can't fully visualize in his head. Like so many other things which come from Claude's mouth, from his head, it sounds like a rather solid idea. Still, Dimitri falls silent after a moment as he continues to brush Ashi. Once again.... This is something he can't avoid thinking about. Not when it's put in front of his face like this.

When he finally finishes brushing Ashi, Dimitri goes to put the brush aside in favor of getting the comb but he doesn't immediately get back to work. Instead, he pauses in front of Claud with it in his hand. "...Will we go there on the way back to my own homeland, then?"

--

Claude looks up at him. "No, after. If the Intseh aren't on board, it'd be a bad idea to work up the Almyrans against the church. They started with missionaries, trying to 'enlighten the savages', as they like to put it. Mostly what they meant is that they want us to believe in their god and forget our own culture, to live like they do and be grateful to them for teaching us the right way to live." Claude's eyes are dark. "Not only did that not work, it understandably offended the Almyrans. And for better or worse, we've always been a combative people. We drove them out. The church swears the missionaries were killed, made martyrs of them; most Almyrans believe they were just driven out of our lands, that they wouldn't have been killed because we don't bother fighting when there's no challenge or glory to it. They were probably humiliated, run off with their tails between their legs, and the church inflated what happened to them as an excuse for what they did next." Claude smiles thinly. "Which was to attack us."

He closes his eyes. "I should mention, Dimitri...the branch of the church that thinks so little of Intseh, that steals its children for its executioners...I've told you before that's a small, extremist branch of the church. But it's not a branch of the church that wants to re-educate the Almyrans, that views us as savages. It's the entirety of the church. Well, okay, there may be individual exceptions, but you know what I mean. That's their official policy. Cultural genocide.

"When they couldn't convert us peacefully, they declared holy war on us. Their army isn't exactly big, but Almyrans are pretty nomadic and scattered; we don't have much national infrastructure, as a rule. There's a royal family, but they rule more by the respect of the people - particularly the local lords that enforce their edicts - than by personal power. Almyrans follow their king because they believe he'll make better decisions for our people than anyone else could."

Claude shrugs slightly. "So, to no one's particular surprise, the first strategic move of the church in undermining Almyran culture was to target the royal family. The only person capable of uniting the lords into national action is the king. Removing him removed both the larger threat of Almyra as a country that could mobilize its forces, and our legitimacy as a nation by turning us into a leaderless rabble.

"Most Almyran communities are pretty small; I said we're a martial people, but not in the sense that we have anything like an army. Most Almyran hostilities, as people call it, are just border skirmishes that happen when the local lords get bored of testing their strength against each other and turn their gaze outwards. We've always liked a good fight, and to see just how much we can bite off before we can't chew it anymore. I won't pretend that's really the best kind of conduct, or that people don't die on both sides. But the scope is a lot more limited than most people realize. Depending on the king, he might discourage that sort of thing, but again, Almyran governing is by mutual consent. A lord who doesn't respect the king - or who's too antsy - might attack people even against the king's orders, and it's the king who's considered at fault if they do. A strong, respected king should be able to earn his lords' compliance." Claude pauses. "...I think I went off on a tangent there.

"Anyway, what I was trying to say is that Almyran communities are mostly small, and while most Almyrans are good fighters, they don't have any more protection than however many people are living there. So when they church decided to go after the royal family, all they needed to do was gather considerably more soldiers than any Almyran settlement had - not hard - and strike fast. They drove a straight line to our capital - one of the few permanent Almyran settlements - and annihilated every settlement in their path. Without warning, and no survivors to pass on the warning - because they captured those who they didn't kill, like myself - no one saw it coming. And so the capital and the royal family fell."

Claude shrugs and offers a wry smile. "Ever since then, Almyra's been more fragmented than ever, with no one who can muster the local lords together and mount anything like a cohesive resistance...which is exactly what the church wanted. Without a king, and with the considerable danger of the church launching another major attack on Almyra if a new king ever presents himself, there's not a whole lot Almyrans can do against the church. Not if they want to survive. But they also resent the hell out of the church. Getting them stirred up before there's some way to convince the lords to work together for a common goal - the way they might have done under a king - would just mean the church would end up crushing what's left of Almyra piecemeal as they launch scattered, uncoordinated attacks that are more rage than sense."

--

At this point, Dimitri would almost think that he has learned more about Almyran culture than Intseh culture. Underneath his own curiosity, there's a strange sort of feeling that bubbles upwards at the realization- the same as when he'd realized he'd not brushed his hair for most of his adult and adolescent life, when Claude had pointed out that he might have done something he remembered from his childhood. He's interested, he wants to know more- not only because he loves Claude and wants to learn so much more about his culture and childhood but because he wants to know more in general. He wants to know everything he never had the chance to learn, with the monastery keeping him trapped in a cage, isolated from not only his homeland but the rest of the world.

It's just... that curiosity seems to be bringing with it emotions he's not entirely sure how to deal with.

But Dimitri has always been good at burying his own feelings for a very long time now, through cold miserable necessity even as much of it might have been his own bad habits if he hadn't been kidnapped to be executioner. He listens, and absorbs, and stores away every little bit of information that Claude is giving him. His only reactions are in response to hearing about the church, eye narrowing in clear hatred and waves of contempt following the curl of his lip over his fangs.

When Claude is finally done, Dimitri snarls quietly under his breath. "Even if you had not told me.... I cannot say I am surprised by the actions of this church. Even if they are extremist... A branch grows from a main tree. It cannot exist from nowhere." He looks down at his hands, twisting the comb in his fingers. "If they viewed Intseh with such contempt despite knowing we attempted to communicate with them... If they were willing to view you as lesser merely for being an outsider..." Without really thinking about it, he starts to dig the fangs of the comb into his other palm.

"....The lesser version of that is still nothing but disdain and hatred for those that are not themselves."

Still. They both know that, if he really wanted to- and in fact has, in the past, behind the bars of a cage- Dimitri could go on forever on his disgust of the church and everything connected to it. Instead, he shakes his head slowly before looking back up towards Claude. There's something else, past his hatred, that he couldn't help but notice. Something of a slight flaw.

"Still.... How do my people factor into this? I do not know if there is a connection that I am unaware of-" He'd understand perfectly if there was, he clearly is lacking in his knowledge of the world. You know. Alongside practical knowledge. "-but.... From what I remember of my childhood.... We are... not very like the Almyran people?"

It says a lot about Intseh culture that, even after being separated from the rest of his people for decades, Dimitri still remembers enough of his childhood to know that they are, to put it politely, chatty motherfuckers. Even without any knowledge of the quiet xenophobia his own people are capable of, Dimitri isn't sure how well the two cultures would mix.

--

"Oh, we're not at all alike, as a rule," Claude agrees cheerfully. "In fact, the Intseh don't like us much more than the church does. They consider us savage barbarians. They just prefer condescension to violence." Unlike with the church, this seems to be more of a source of amusement for Claude than bitterness.

"But the Intseh aren't, as a rule, a warlike people, whereas Almyrans like fighting so much we do it as a pastime. What the Intseh lack is battle acumen and combat skills; what the Almyrans lack are strategy, organization, and numbers." He spreads his hands. "But if you unite the two against the church, with their mutual grievances...it's a match made in heaven."

--

Claude may find amusement in this, but Dimitri narrows his eyes again. It had been one thing to know that his people would have been wary of Claude coming to them on his own with papers describing the Church's misdeeds; that had made some logical sense. He could understand that. Who would trust a complete stranger on something so enormous? Yet that they might still think so little of Claude even now....

There may be some problems, when they finally make it to Intseh lands.

Finally turning back to where Ashi is patiently waiting for him, Dimitri begins to gather up some hair in his hand like he saw Claude do. "...Even if our two people make up for one another's weaknesses, it still seems like a... difficult match to connect."

--

"It will be," Claude agrees again, without hesitation. "But what can I say? I'm a clever negotiator with a silver tongue. I think I can pull it off.

"And it helps that neither the Intseh nor the Almyrans can do much against the church without outside help, so this may be their best - if not their only - shot at forcing the church to acknowledge and pay for its crimes. Because the Intseh and Almyrans have some trade influence on the world, but not enough to sway the church. The only way they'll renounce their campaign against - and make reparations to - the Almyrans, and renounce the northern extremist branch of the church, is if their hand is forced. And since the economic might of our individual nations isn't enough of a threat to bring to bear, it'll have to be martial might. If we're lucky, between the military threat a combined force of Intseh and Almyrans represent and public opinion turning on them when news of the northern branch's atrocities gets out, the church will make concessions without anyone's even having to fight. Which would disappoint the Almyrans, honestly, buuut we can't have everything."

Claude folds his hands behind his head. "It'd be nice if convincing our people to work together helps eliminate some of the racism between them, too. I can't say Almyrans think too highly of Intseh, either. They tend to see your people as soft and smugly intellectual, totally detached from the real world, afraid of any actual struggle or risk." Claude grins. "Ironically, you'll make an excellent Intsehli ambassador among my people. You're everything they respect, but in a totally unexpected package. You're proof that stereotypes are pointless - that you can't write off an entire race, and that you should judge people as individuals." He looks up at the ceiling. "Meanwhile, I hope I'm clever enough to disprove some of the Intsehli biases against Almyrans for my own part, but we'll see."

--

Faintly, Dimitri wonders how he'll be able to learn all of this on his own, even as he patiently listens to Claude talk. He's not entirely confident in his ability to read, for all of his vocabulary, so will books be good enough? He already knows the answer is that they won't be, not for a very long time until his skill can catch up to his desire to learn, his curiosity. So that only leaves.... other people. Once again, there's that fear pressing down against him at the idea of speaking with others. If he can speak with others, if they would. Dimitri tries to imagine it, tries to imagine talking to another person in the way he does with Claude, and his mind can't manage it. All there is is... is... a fog, white noise, and his heart rate speeding up in preparation just at the idea of it. It takes him a second to realize his fingers are starting to wrap tighter around Ashi's mane than he means to- not pulling, but definitely tight enough that it could be a problem if he moves his hand at all. Dimitri hastily lets go-

Just in time, when Claude brings up ambassador, and he looks back with a frozen look of shock. "....I.... should not. I do not deserve that title. There must be others who would fare better than I."

--

Claude laughs. "Relax, I didn't mean officially. I mean, I'm not exactly in a position to assign one, am I? I meant just as an Intseh who doesn't match up with their narrow-minded idea of what Intseh are like. You're strong, you're aggressive, you're good at fighting, and you're built like a brick wall. You could probably fight any Almyran warlord and win. Almyrans respect strength just as much as - maybe even more than - anything resembling diplomacy. Someone like me is...a bit of an outlier in our culture, really."

--

Dimitri still doesn't look particularly assured by this, tail giving short rapid flicks as he uneasily turns back to Ashi's hair. "I... am good at killing." He's not entirely sure if he would say that is the same thing as fighting, not entirely. In fact, the only reason he would say he hadn't killed any of his handlers yet was because he was always waiting for a grander target and because, most of the time, there were bars in the way or he was bound in some other capacity such as with their magic physically restraining him when dragging him out of the execution ring.

"I doubt they would respect... that." Paying strict attention this time, he again wraps his fingers around Ashi's hair to carefully begin working on the knots in his mane. "Not as much as they should respect you.... considering that you are their best guarantee for saving your culture at all."

--

"Maybe you didn't hear me when I said our border skirmishes kill people." Claude smiles thinly. "Not all of our bad reputation is unearned, Dimitri. Almyran warriors do kill people. Even when they're just fighting to challenge themselves against other countries, that doesn't mean they're merciful. Sure, they generally only kill people who fight back, because there's no challenge or glory to it otherwise, but it can be bad. Most people think of Almyrans as barbarians, or raiders, and from an outside perspective that idea didn't come out of nowhere. So believe me, your being skilled at killing is exactly the kind of combat prowess they'd admire."

He has to laugh at Dimitri's compliment of him. "Well, we'll see how it goes when we get there. I actually haven't...visited Almyra much. Partially because it's hard to get an excuse to travel there for the church, since they don't have much business there now; ever since the capital fell, there hasn't been much in the way of targets for them to launch attacks at. Besides, an Almyran wanting to go to Almyra...it'd make them suspicious."

He's quiet for a moment. "But just as much of it's been me holding back. I guess part of it is...not knowing how it will feel, being surrounded by my people and culture again. Especially after I've been kept away from them for so long. I'm sure you can appreciate that. But I'm also about as much like your typical Almyran as you're like a typical Intseh.

"To an Almyran, I'm very obviously one of the stolen children who was raised by the church, and that's tragic - but it's also suspicious. The church tries to turn children like me against Almyrans, after all. We're meant to represent what the church wants to turn all Almyrans into. And, of course, I've had to maintain my act as an agent of the church, so it's not like I can advertise that the church failed to convert me much. So...to Almyrans, I come off as brainwashed by their enemies, on top of being intellectual - which they distrust because of how formally educated people tend to look down on them - and pacifistic, which they consider cowardice. And, of course, I'm devious and underhanded, which...mind you, Almyrans don't tend to argue with results, but they still respect the strength of being able to plow through to victory with an honest, straightforward approach more than they do winning by trickery. Sneaky tactics tend not to be about strength or glory, which happen to be what Almyran warriors value.

"I'm really not what any Almyran would trust, or respect...because I'm not much like any Almyran who was raised as one."

--

There's so much to say to that, and yet so much Dimitri doesn't know how to say. Where to start. So he stays quiet, working through tangles in a horse's mane that are so much easier to deal with than the tangles in his and Claude's lives. They're working so hard for people who would not necessarily... want them, as they are now. Dimitri knows he is not changed in the same way Claude is changed from his own heritage, but that is only worse, in some ways. Dimitri reflects on it, tugging the comb through Ashi's hair. Claude might be something turned against the Almyrans... but he is something broken from the Intseh. How will they view him, with his hallucinations, his temper, his violence?

He needs to go home- for himself and for the executioners whose remains he carries with him. Yet, the more he thinks about it, the more he digs into the depth of such an idea... The more terrifying it becomes.

Yes. He can appreciate that alongside Claude very much. If 'appreciate' is even the word.

Ashi's mane doesn't give him much trouble, and neither does his tail, thanks to the hard work Claude did the night before and how little has passed since then with not much exciting happening in the interim. While the silence between is heavy.... Dimitri breaks it as he returns to where Claude is, comb still held anxiously in his hand. He doesn't know the details of all of this like Claude has had a chance to learn. He's not sure how much he'll truly be useful, how much he'll be able to stomach. But...

"I'm scared as well," he says quietly. That is another thing he thinks they share in common, even if Claude keeps the exact words, the exact feelings, tucked away where others cannot see. Where even Dimitri has not seen before, for many days now. Still, but- "You are not alone. I will not let you be, now, as long as I can make that choice."

--

That gets a smile from Claude, who's obviously been wrapped in heavy thoughts since he fell silent. He reaches out, his hand braceleting Dimitri's wrist. "You aren't either, you know. I won't let you be. Remember that."

--

Letting go of the comb, Dimitri rests his hand gently across Claude's. "....I know." There's just the faintest increase of pressure before he eases up. "I'm done, now. Are you ready to be picked up again?"