Will mostly finishes his meal in silence, unsure of what to really say. The weight of the room is significantly lighter with Marie gone, but Will can't help but wonder where the queen had gone. Perhaps she found her own dining room, Will's positive the castle has plenty. "Do you think she's plotting my demise?" Will questions as he stacks his empty plates. His wine goblet is relatively untouched. He keeps his tone light, but there's surely a genuine question in his words.
"Who, Marie?" Kaz replied, eyes narrowing for a moment as he considered the question. "I doubt it. She would not dare hurt you." he shook his head a little bit, standing up from the table and taking a final long sip from his drink, then set it down on the table again.
Will rises alongside Kazimir, blinking down at his semi-empty plates before looking towards the door. "Bed?" He asks. "Or perhaps I should bathe first…" It's been a day or two, Will had been waiting for the lacerations on his back to heal before risking to change the bandages and agitate them all over again. It seemed whatever fae magic salve had worked. Will hardly even feels tightness in his muscles.
"Mm, whichever you prefer." Kaz replied with a soft, quiet hum, leading the way towards the door and opening it up. "Alright. Let's go." he made sure Will was with him before he started moving, leading the human through the hallways and back towards the bedroom. He didn't seem to be trying to confuse Will anymore, didn't seem to be purposefully trying to turn this into a long, winding journey.
Will notes with a small hum that the way to the bedroom isn't nearly as winding as he had thought. Perhaps Kazimir is finally going to trust him around the castle. They enter to a freshly cleaned bedroom, but instead of going for the bed, Will turns for the bathroom. It already smells of lavender and a drawn bath. "Lavender's my favorite, you know," Will mutters quietly, at least hoping Kaz will hear.
Kaz looked up when Will spoke, gaze following the young man for a long moment. "Well, you are welcome to take a bath." he replied, moving over to the closet to change into something more comfortable. "Unless that was an invitation to join you?" he pasued for a moment, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth as he looked over at WIll.
He keeps his gaze forward, not needing Kaz to see the slight flushing of his face. "I wouldn't say no," he muses quietly. The Martyr can't quite bring himself to outright ask the Snake. It has been… well, a lifetime since they've been together. He still hasnt found the right words nor actions to comunicate yet, rhough he does know ruefully in his heart… he does care deeply for the other man. Not waiting for Kazimir to answer, Will steps forward and lifts the shirt from his chest with a sigh.
Kaz narrowed his eyes faintly, considering that. "That is not the same as a yes, darling." he replied in a soft tone, though he didn't look away as Will took off his shirt. He still disliked how skinny the human was, still disliked the way he could see each and every one of Will's ribs. His Martyr needed to eat more.
Will turns, dropping his shirt on one of the large vanities. Wordlesssly, he holds a hand out for the Snake to take. He prays that's invitation enough. In case it isn’t: "Yes," he says, barely a whisper as his fern green eyes meet Kazimir's blood ones.
Kaz smiled a little, and took Will's hand. "Alright, love." he replied in a soft tone, kissing Will's forehead. "I'll join you." he was not sure just what Will had in mind for this bath together, but he was alright with it no matter what Will's preference was. He released Will's hand after a moment in order to start taking his own clothes off, fingers undoing the buttons of his shirt carefully.
William considers himself a decent wordsmith, which is why it's so difficult for him to truly process why he can't quite find the words to tell Kazimir what he's feeling. I want you, is far too demanding; I want to be next to you, is far too pleading; and please, don't leave me, is entirely pathetic. Nevertheless, Will sinks into the bath once ready and hopes the redness in his face will be blamed on the steam.
Kaz set his clothes aside, leaving them in a pile on the floor. Without them, it was easy to see the black marks that swirled up his arms, and easy to see the scars that marred his skin, ugly and terrible and speaking of too much pain, so much suffering. Yet here he was, settling into the bath with Will, steam rising up around them and filling the air.
Briefly taking in the Snake's wrll-muscled form, Will also notes the black swirls and varying scars. He doesnt have to ask to know where theyre from. Will slips his eyes shut with a sigh, leaning his head back against the lip of the bath. Subconsciously, his hand finds Kazimir's beneath the water, linking their fingers together. How many peaceful moments will they get like this? How much longer will it be until it all goes to hell? Don't hurt me, William longs to say. "Stay," is what he mumbles instead.
Kaz exhaled faintly, nodding a little bit and leaning over to kiss Will's forehead. "I will." he replied, voice soft. The steam curled up into the air, the heat of the water meeting the air around them. He squeezed Will's hand gently, thumb rubbing lightly over Will's knuckles. "I will, darling."
The warmness of the water and the body next to him only amplify his sleepiness. He can feel the approach of a long sleep tonight. That is, if the Fates don't plague him with nightmares. He holds Kazimir's hand a little tighter. "I wish we weren't trapped. I hate… I hate knowing how it will end: dying all the time and having to be reborn." He sighs and cracks an eye open, staring up at Kazimir. "It's painful. I can assume it's much easier for you."
Kaz frowned a little. "Why would it be easier for me, darling?" he asked, brows gathering as he stared at Will. "Why do you assume that your death is easy for me, or that I look forward to this cycle continuing?" he didn't. He hated that it always ended the same way, but yet. But yet. He could not let the cycle end. He did not want to know what came after, did not want to discover what things would be like after they ended.
"It's so easy for you," Will says, finding a spot on the wall across from him for his eyes to settle on. "It takes moments if I'm weaponless, minutes if I fight back." An involuntary shudder runs down his spine as brief memories surge through his mind. A pang from the past spikes deep in his stomach, Will bringing his knees to his chest to fight off the sensation. "You're so cold as you kill me. So unbothered." The Snake's eyes, which could melt at the sight of the Martyr, had always been nothing but ice in their final moments. There had never been a warm sendoff for William.
Kaz clenched his jaw, gaze flickering away. "Easy." he echoed quietly, shaking his head and shifting in the tub, gaze moving to the door. "You really think so little of me, that you believe it is easy for me to kill the only person I have ever loved?" his eyes flicked back to Will for just a moment, and then he shook his head. "You truly think so little of me."
"I only speak on what I have witnessed, Kazimir." A memory briefly illuminates the back of his eyes. There's a spear. Straight theough his abdomen. At least it explains the residual pain deep in his stomach. "It's cold. The killings. I don't know if I expect you to do them tenderly, but they're–" He cuts himself off short when a particularly sharp jab echoes through him. "They're quick. Quick and sudden and there's nothing but ice in your eyes." He clenches his jaw, his stinging eyes still set on the wall. "Being cold and in pain are always the last memories of my life."
"Would you rather them be slow?" he asked. "Quick deaths are a mercy, William." he had experienced many deaths of his own, and while he tried to ensure Will's deaths were as quick as possible, he did not always have that. How many lifetimes had ended in a slow, agonizing death? He didn't know. He exhaled, covering his face with a hand and shaking his head just a little bit.
"Doesn't make it any less painful," Will says softly, for if he says it any louder he knows his voice will break. In this life it feels everything except his iron will is made of paper and glass. His voice, his skin, his bones– It all could break. "I'm sorry," he says. Why is he apologizing? He's never felt the need to apologize to anyone before… Sliding down the back of the tub, Will dips the bottom portion of his face bellow the water, his nose hovering just over the surface
(fgshbkjbh sorry!!)
"I know." he replied, looking over at Will and watching him quietly for a moment, studying the young man as Will slid down the tub. He looked away again after a moment, running a hand through his wet hair and slicking it back from his forehead. He looked tired. Worn. This life had been a long one already.
(askldjf dw man youre fine!!)
He mostly lingers in silence, though grateful to have at least the company of Kazimir. While their words get heated and argument looms and emotions tend to pile… Kazimir is still… there. An odd comfort Will should not entertain. Regardless, he sighs and dips his head below the water before reaching for some of the soaps. He can't entirely read whatever language is on the few bottles that actually have labels. "Which one is this?" He inquires, the simple question deflating the uneasy atmosphere.
Kaz blinked, looking at the bottle for a long moment. "Shampoo." he replied. "What are you looking for?" whatever it was, he could help Will look, if need be. Maybe he should find a way to teach Will to read the language here; it would likely be helpful for the young man to be able to navigate. But at the same time, if he did that, then Will might have an easier time finding a way to kill him.
(800 WOOOOOHOOO)
"Your alphabet is odd." Is all William says before pouring a small amount into his hand before lathering it into his hair. The water is beginning to feel cold. The warmth of the bed sounds absolutely divine. "You're the king. You should change it." It's mostly meant as a joke, but it's truly going to get annoying quick if William can't read anything as simple as shampoo labels. He dunks his head back into the water.
