forum Opportunistic Omnivore: Scavenging the Remains of the Divine || OxO || Closed || 18+

Started March 15, 2023 by @ElderGod-kirky group

tune

Sláine caught himself in the mirror as he pulled on the last of his clothes and pulled a face. His hair was still a mess, and they didn't have enough time for him to painstakingly brush it out. "Fuck it," he muttered, and grabbed his hair to twist it into the messiest bun ever. It wasn't pretty, but it would hold, and he didn't really care at that point. The last thing he did was reapply the mask, and in seconds, he was just a normal pretty boy—no horns or sharp teeth to be seen. It was still surreal to look at himself and not see those things, even when knowing they had grown in and he didn't have them his entire life.

Shaking his head, the prince gathered his clothes and shoved them into his bag. "Yeah I'm ready. Wait, actually, no," he quickly backtracked. Sláine grabbed his bag and walked over to Eurion, wanting to touch but knowing he can't, not when the assassin wasn't making an excuse to do so. Eurion had a lot more willpower when it came to them than the prince did, it would seem. But Sláine only scanned the man's face, getting his fill of seeing the other like this because it wouldn't happen again until the next time they were alone.

With a soft touch to the other's cheek—because, again, willpower—Sláine sighed. "Yeah, okay, now I'm ready. I'm going to miss you." Even though they were going to be just a few feet apart, and still talking, they wouldn't be them. It wouldn't be the same as right now, or during the night. They'd be different people that hadn't plummeted into each other's lives with deep affection. But as much as it pained Sláine to not touch Eurion even more, he pulled away and resisted the urge to do anything else. They had to go, had to pretend the assassin hadn't just turned the prince into a mess beneath him just minutes ago, and play that song and dance until nightfall once more. Caoimhe would only wait so long for them, and they had already pushed their luck.

Sláine tilted his head towards the door while mentally seeking out Solise. From the familiar auras near her, she was being entertained by his brother and Aideen, so she had time to hide from Eurion's sight when they left. "Let's go before I kiss you."

Eurion left a soft, fleeting kiss to Sláine's palm when he felt the touch on his cheek, but nothing more than that, because if he leaned into that temptation they would never leave this room. They had already spent far too long stalling, and the assassin wouldn't be surprised if the other two greeted them with an onslaught of questions as to what the fuck they had been doing as he was still unaware of Solise lurking in the shadows.

That familiar, creeping, lurking feeling did alert him that something was there, but as he wasn't magically inclined when it came to witch magic he put it down to simply being wat in an unfamiliar situation. His shadows, however, were not as forgiving because he knew they were feeling whatever it was that had made an appearance overnight but he reigned them in. Over the years they had become almost their own entity, ones that he had bonded with and were just as connected to him as he was to them. So that nagging feeling felt more like a whispering, softly pulling on his conscious and entwining with his soul and being. But, it made it easier to shut them up with the depth of the bond.

With Sláine's words, Eurion was quickly distracted, anyway, because they were going to be with each other for the day but it wasn't like this, they both knew it and with that connection between them? It was torture to have to pretend to not care about the prince. To not be able to touch and tease and say what he was really thinking, no matter how much willpower he possessed.

"I'll miss you too. Let's just get through this day." One day at a time. They would then be able to figure out what their bond meant for them along the way when they had the time and when eventually, they had it sorted, they would be able to tell the other two. But that wasn't now, and it wouldn't be anytime soon as much as it sucked ass.

So, to turn his thoughts away, Eurion opened the door and led them out, gently closing it behind them with one final sweep of the room to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything.

As the door opened, Solise disappeared and Sláine got particularly grumpy. He had a perfect morning with Eurion, but it had to be ruined by time frames and secrets. Just the knowledge that the both of them were unhappy with the situation, that the assassin would miss him just as much, soured his mood. In a silent act of protest, he didn't move away from Eurion, even if the space between them was acceptable and not at all close enough for him.

Aideen was the one to jump first. "Does it really take that long to nurse your wounds? You weren't even hit that bad." Caoimhe gestured to her in agreement, though he had a pointed stare at his twin.

Sláine opted to ignore them both and sent a flat stare at Caoimhe. "80th birthday party: you're not allowed to be mad at me for being just a little late." For once, it was the older brother that reared his head back in a failed attempt to hide his blush, while Aideen had a wolfish grin. That was enough to distract them, and Sláine had pulled that card so many other times with mundane reasons he just didn't want to explain that they wouldn't think anything of it. Of course, that didn't mean the same for any other. A ghostly snicker echoed through his mind, which told him that Solise knew exactly what he had been up to, but he also opted for ignoring it.

Now that he wasn't thoroughly distracted—and debauched—by Eurion, the exhaustion was creeping back up on him. Sláine desperately clung to the hope that he'd last long enough to get to their next stop, because he didn't want to slow them down or prove to Eurion that he had been lying by omission. But Aideen had a keen eye, and it wouldn't take long for her to notice the bruises under his eyes or the way he made an effort to be awake, albeit still grumpy. He could chalk it up to just waking up, but that excuse would only last for so long.

Only slightly recovered from his brother's stunt, Caoimhe looked to Eurion instead. "All good to go?"

Eurion couldn't help the glances between the two brothers at their conversation about whatever the hell happened at their 80th birthday. He was starting to begin liking the fact that he didn't have any siblings because it meant avoiding all the banter that came with it, all the things that the other would know even if they hadn't meant to overhear or learn it. Especially in his line of work, it was a blessing to not have a liability of a sibling.

Either way, the thought didn't last long when Caoimhe recovered and was directing his attention towards him and Eurion gave the prince a nod, "All ready." Any of that softness that had been present when he had been with Sláine was gone from his voice, and the hard feeling assassin had returned just as easily as it had left the first time. Easy to flick the walls back up when they hadn't been down for long, even more so when it had been his entire life up until Sláine. It was still strange to think they had only known each other for a few days but it had felt like a lifetime.

But, he didn't say anything else as Eurion led them down the stairs and out of the inn with a nod of thanks to the innkeeper on the way out. The road weaved between the woods that lined either side of the track, a straight line that would be easy to follow until the inevitable breakaway to venture further towards the Fae lands. The first two days were always the easiest, but as the track became harder to follow, as the lands became more dangerous, they wouldn't have to worry about witch hunters but everything else that lurked on the outskirts of Dalthia. Still, Eurion hoped they would be fine. It would be difficult considering his injury but he was sure it would be fine. He hoped it would be fine. There wasn't really a choice because he had to be otherwise it was going to take them even longer than they had planned and Eurion soured more at the thought.

Sláine should've figured Eurion wouldn't ask for any more painkillers, and he nearly sighed before he bit it back. It had taken almost an argument to get the man to take care of himself, so it wasn't all that surprising, albeit still disappointing. Without a word, the prince held out a hand to his brother and wiggled his fingers, casting a pointed look Caoimhe's way. His twin only took a second to understand, and tossed over the bag of the remaining medication. Sláine caught it midair and looked through as Caoimhe filled the silence while they walked.

"We didn't end up needing any," the older prince said, shrugging. "Anything that hurt was manageable if it didn't go away." Sláine hummed and handed it off to Eurion. His headache was gone and all that he felt was in need of a good nap, so there was no point in him wasting any either. Caoimhe slung an arm over Sláine's shoulder and knocked their heads together. "Sounded like one of our neighbors was having a grand ol' time this morning." Fuck. "You heard it too?"

Don't blush don't blush don't blush. Sláine rolled his eyes and elbowed Caoimhe even as his heart skyrocketed in his chest. "Yes, but I know well enough to mind myself and not pry."

Aideen was counting coins she had snagged from a few of the patrons of the inn when they had left. "He was a good boy and stayed in his room instead of investigating." The prince huffed at the term but didn't argue it, more upset over it being used around a new person rather than the words themselves. "We mostly did inventory and went over a few things, nothing exciting. I still say we're going to run into hunters."

Caoimhe curled his nose, still leaning on his twin. So close and without their distinguishing horns, it was hard to tell the two apart if you didn't already know who was who. Their eyes were still different, but those hidden galaxies were faint enough that they could only be seen if close enough. Otherwise, they physically looked like the same person. "And I say hush. We don't need bad luck."

Eurion resisted the urge to fight the prince on the fact that he would be fine without the painkillers, even if he knew that wasn’t the case. But he took a couple regardless because he did need them. It would make things easier in the long run if he wasn’t worried about moving too fast or twisting the wrong way and pulling on the wound. Either way, he swallowed a couple and slung his bag around to place the remaining few away safely in case they needed them again.

He figured they would, but tried not to dwell on the thought of any of them getting injured again. The chances were high but now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. Not when the brothers were talking about witch hunters.

“We don’t need any more trouble along the way.” He said over his shoulder.

That includes arguments between the group, too. Eurion didn’t look at Aideen, but the woman had started yesterdays dilema between them with her strong opinions and lack of social awareness. He was hoping it wouldn’t happen again today but somehow he figured it would.

His mind was focused on other things, like making it to their next resting point without trouble, without arguments or night stalkers or anything of the sort and the brothers talking about witch hunters was a bad omen in his mind. They didn’t need any bad luck, but Eurion was a bad luck charm and nothing ever went his way.

Aideen ignored Eurion's barb, only because Caoimhe had spoken with her about the incident and explained that she was definitely in the wrong. She didn't like it, especially with how the twins had pulled rank on her and she still thought herself to be right, but she kept her trap shut and did exactly what she was told to do—leave Eurion alone. Caoimhe was friendly to the assassin, warming up to the other's presence and cold attitude, but didn't make an active effort to engage Eurion in conversations when it was clear that the man wasn't in the mood for such a thing.

Sláine also kept his distance, however much it hurt to stay away. It was made easy by his twin hanging off of him for most of the trip and excitedly chattering about this and that. It distracted him from the pull he had towards the assassin leading the way, and lifted his mood as the hours went by. Aideen popped in here and there, but was quieter than usual. She spent most of her time scanning the grounds around them, more on edge from the incident in the woods and her gut feeling. Though there was no direct indication that there were any witch hunters around, she didn't want to write the possibility off, no matter how much the group didn't want a bad omen reigning down bad luck.

That was how she caught the exact moment Sláine hit his crash, even when his brother was so close.

"No, no," Caoimhe was saying, insistent that he was right, "because if we can get an army trained in battle alongside beasties, then that's an extra edge we can have."

Sláine was slow to respond, which could've been chalked up to thinking, but his gaze was unfocused and fixated on nothing, with tense lines pulling at the corners. The sun was arching just over the peak of noon. He hadn't made it as far as he wanted, but he was pushing through. "But that would mean extra time to raise and train the beasts, not to mention bonding time. Maybe a small division… but an army is excessive and too reliant on time and resources that aren't viable during a time of war."

Caoimhe frowned and started arguing back, but Aideen cut them off and stopped walking. "We're stopping here for a break. Sláine's crashing." The prince couldn't even muster up the energy to deny it. Now that she had pointed it out, Caoimhe was lifting off of him and noticing the signs, and Sláine was sure that Eurion would notice too.

Eurion had spent most of the walk quiet, barely even joining in the conversation unless there was a direct need for him to do so. It was weird having travelling companions. To be able to hear conversation behind him and not just the quiet of the world around him, the softness and breathing of the earth but someone physically there. Nice, but weird, and he didn't think he would ever really be used to that, no matter how long he ended up travelling with the trio.

When Aideen said they were stopping, Eurion was ready to turn around and argue because they didn't have time to waste out here, but when he heard the reason, his scowl turned more into a worried frown, although he did, for the sake of both him and Sláine, try and hide just how worried he actually was. He had noticed this morning but had hoped the prince wouldn't have lied about just how much sleep he had gotten. Clearly, he was wrong, and as much as he him and the prince had a connection, it didn't stop the twang of disappointment and the thought to once again put his walls up, even around Sláine.

Right now, though, the other was crashing and needed rest, "Let's move off the path." Eurion led the group away from the open road, a little off the path so they weren't out in the open but not deep enough into the woods that they would be in danger. The little clearing would be good enough for now, and Eurion kept a close eye on the prince as they got situated in the clearing, making sure Sláine wasn't going to trip and fall or faint before he properly had the chance to lie down and rest.

Aideen grabbed Sláine and practically dragged him along with them as they exited the pathway, even as the prince complained and insisted he could walk just fine. There was a sinking feeling in his chest unrelated to his exhaustion, and he knew it had to do with whatever Eurion could be thinking about the situation and the question from earlier. As they settled down, in a fit of defiance against the guard and a desperate need for comfort that was more unconscious than anything, he moved over to Eurion.

Caoimhe watched his brother nearly collapse right then and there into the assassin's side, mouth open to warn his twin that it might not be a good idea. But Sláine was already hooking his chin on Eurion's shoulder for support and his eyes were heavy-lidded, now clearly on the verge of falling asleep. So, instead, he quietly asked, "How much?"

Sláine knew what was being asked of him, so he gave the same answer he gave Eurion before. "Some."

"Liar." Aideen sat next to the older prince and hooked an arm over her knee. Her stare was challenging, uncaring that Sláine was fully exposing his exhaustion. "Try again."

But he didn't know how else to answer. How did he explain that the only fit of sleep he got the night before was fleeting and constantly interrupted by himself so that he could avoid sinking into dreams, and the last time he had slept was for an hour or so with Eurion in his arms, and nightmares circling his mind? His eyes shut against his will as he mumbled, "…a few hours over the past two days." If the other two didn't hear it, Eurion would, and he could tell them. Sláine was quickly getting dragged down now that he was no longer moving and had the assassin's scent and warmth right next to him.

Motherfucker. Eurion had every mind to scold Sláine, for both lying and not resting when he should have been. But right now he was sure that whatever he said would go mostly unnoticed and registered considering how the prince was falling asleep on his shoulder. As they sat, as Eurion leaned against the nearest tree for support and watched as Sláine rested his head in his lap, he tried his hardest to remain as still as possible.

He should move, and use something else that wasn't his leg for a pillow because it was going to cause more harm than good in the long wrong with the questions he would have to face. It was all well and good that Sláine was resting but did he have to use him? Of course, logically, Eurion could tell that the prince didn't care as he was crashing, and the assassin wouldn't lie and say he didn't like knowing that he was a source of comfort for him, but it did have his heart racing, as much as his face remained as unmoving as stone.

"A few hours is not enough over multiple days," Eurion sighed, resting his hand very softly and very carefully on Sláine's back. He'd blame the touch simply on support, but really it was because he wanted to provide as much comfort as he could, no matter how he felt about being lied to. His other stayed holding onto his bow, just in case he had to defend and protect his prince while he slept, "We'll just have to make up the lost time over the next few days."

If they woke early, didn't stop until late they would still be able to stick to the desired time frame, but he doubted they would. As long as they made it to Dalthia before the festival, then it wouldn't be an issue.

"He won't sleep for long." Caoimhe was eyeing the two of them, but his concern mostly lied on his twin for the time being. He could question whatever that was later. Sláine was completely out within seconds of getting comfortable, and he doubted that his brother had heard a single word the assassin had said. Caoimhe sighed and leaned against a nearby tree, with Aideen curling up under his arm in a space that she fit perfectly. "Two hours tops, maybe three if we're lucky."

Aideen hummed and got comfortable. "It's normal," she explained to Eurion. She would've kept going, but it felt more like a situation that the prince had to talk about rather than her, especially from yesterday's fiasco.

With a sigh and a mixed expression fixated on his face, Caoimhe elaborated. "He does this. Can't sleep for a while, then takes quick naps during the day. When he crashes like this," he added with a gesture to the passed out prince, "it's usually when it's bad. I just… I don't know the full extent of it. He doesn't like talking about it." Which he understood why. Caoimhe knew it was a residual effect from Seiger, but he had never really been allowed to know what the old king had put his twin through to make him develop a sleep disorder. Sometimes he woke up with severe nightmares from several times in his past, but Sláine would go forever without even attempting to get a full night's sleep.

"Surely you've noticed something," he said, looking over at Eurion after staring at his brother for some time. Caoimhe gestured vaguely in their direction. "Clearly he's comfortable enough with you for some reason, and you've been in the same room overnight as him. Has he said or done anything?" Caoimhe's concern for his brother overruled his confusion and skepticism over their relationship. He could interrogate the assassin after seeing if there was anything about his baby brother he had missed. Though, he was deeply interested in the cause for Sláine to make his potential assassin a pillow, when he could've laid on the ground or even the two that were his family.

Eurion tried to not let his gaze linger on Sláine for too long. His heart didn’t stop racing, especially with the look that Caoimhe was giving them both. He could tell that something was up but he was lucky that he didn’t question the two of them. Well, him, because Sláine had passed out so fast once he had been comfortable that he was sure he heard none of what was being said. At least he was sleeping, Eurion was glad of that. It didn’t stop his worry and he knew he would continue to worry about it for a good long while.

When he looked to Caoimhe his gaze was as if everything was normal, despite what was going on inside his chest, “No, he hasn’t said anything.” He replied. Because he hadn’t. The prince had pretended like everything was fine, has said the first night he had been going to watch Eurion - which had been the smart idea at the time - and had only fallen asleep afterwards for a couple hours after the visit from the Old Gods, “Just said he had ‘some’ sleep last night.”

Some had been barely anything. Eurion could only presume it was less than an hour or so from just how fast he had crashed. His worry increased at thought. As much as he was angry at the other for lying to him, he didn’t let it show, and he would talk to Sláine later when they were in private and away from the other two to have that talk.

“Nightmares, I think,” He continued, “The first night he did, well, I believe he did.” The way he had woken up with such a jump, how Sláine’s breathing had picked up and Eurion had felt his heart rate increase, there was no way it wasn’t. Even if he hadn’t been told directly Eurion knew all too well what it was like, so it was obvious and as clear as the sun rising.

Nightmares. Of course. But how bad did they have to be for him to have such a horrid relationship with sleep? There had to be something else going on, but it would seem Eurion didn't know any more than Caoimhe did, minus the assumption of nightmares. What had Seiger done to his brother when he wasn't looking? The prince swore under his breath, and Aideen squeezed his thigh in silent comfort. It wasn't going to be a mystery solved just like that, but it was still frustrating how secretive Sláine could be about things regarding himself.

But speaking of secrets and Caoimhe not looking—if he couldn't figure out why his brother wasn't sleeping as he should, then Caoimhe could target the next best thing. He watched, amused and concerned, as Sláine cuddled closer into Eurion's space, as if seeking out the other's warmth. Then Caoimhe's gaze flicked up, and he didn't know if he should play concerned big brother, let himself find humor in the situation, or start interrogating the assassin they had dragged into this mess. All three modes conflicted with each other, and ultimately stayed at war.

Folding his arms over his chest, the prince arched a brow at Eurion. "Should I be concerned or thankful that you're not stabbing my baby brother for invading your space?" He then jerked a chin at them. "Since when did this happen?" 'This' could mean anything between mutual trust to exactly what was going on, and Caoimhe was interested in seeing what sort of explanation Eurion would go for when faced with the vague wording of the question. Aideen's stare was less amused and more calculating. Even as she was curled up into the prince's side and buried away, her eyes were hard and stern.

Trusting Sláine to handle himself while sharing a room with the assassin was one thing; that, they could easily accept. But this was different from a truce. Either the prince had collapsed into the nearest person without any regard for who it was or his safety—or he truly trusted in Eurion to not hurt him while he was in such a vulnerable state. And neither Caoimhe nor Aideen knew what to feel about either one, but especially the latter.

Eurion held the princes stare, because if he looked away he was sure that if he looked away that would raise more questions as to why he was unable to hold his gaze. If there was nothing going on then there would be nothing stopping him from holding that stern, calculating gaze.

Eurion huffed a sigh through his nose. He may as well tell at least some what of the truth about what happened on the first night if Sláine hadn’t told them everything, “Look, the Old Gods aren’t exactly gentle when it comes to how they relay their messages,” A small shrug, “Sláine was there and it makes it easy to be okay with someone when they help you recover from that kind of invasion.”

He left it at that because he didn’t particularly talk about the incident, how bad it got when the Gods took his mind and conscious into their hands and manipulated it however they wanted. Either way, Sláine had been there, Sláine had helped and that was the truth. He could also say he was just repaying the favour for the prince helping him by, therefore, being a pillow for the other now that he needed it. Favour for a favour, debt for a debt, and totally not because there was something deeper doing on that they didn’t know about.

Aideen cocked her head in intrigue, while Caoimhe's gaze softened some. "My brother's always secretly had a soft heart." When in battle or on a mission, he could be detached and ruthless if need be, but Sláine had always found the ones in need to help, no matter what he was doing. As surprising as it was to hear that Eurion suffered something from the Gods enough that Sláine stepped in, he wasn't all that surprised to hear that his brother had in fact stepped in. "I won't ask, because I can tell you don't want to talk about it," he ignored Aideen's elbow in his side, "but are you okay now?"

It made sense, to return comfort with comfort, but there still wasn't exactly something adding up. Eurion hadn't been the one to offer himself as a person to lean on—it was Sláine that had chosen him and his lap to lay on. A simple exchange of repayment would've been a good excuse for it had they communicated beforehand about it. But they didn't. So Sláine's level of comfort with the assassin was still on the table to discuss. He didn't just rely on anyone, and it was a questionable decision at best to pick the one person who had tried to kill him as the one to watch over him.

Of course, Eurion still had his bow in hand, as if ready to defend when need be. Perhaps the assassin wasn't as keen on killing the twins now. When he thought about it, Eurion had teased Sláine alongside Caoimhe the day before. Perhaps the two had formed a sort of friendship in the time they've spent sharing a room. If Sláine never slept much, then he'd have plenty of time to talk with Eurion. Caoimhe's head spun with possibilities, and as much as they all made sense, there was just one thing that always poked a hole into them, and he couldn't put his finger on what was going on—and Eurion's blank expression did nothing to give anything away. It was frustrating, and Caoimhe hoped that the assassin cracked at some point, gave away just something for the prince to add to the puzzle.

In response to Caoimhe's question, all Eurion could really do was shrug. Truth be told he wasn't okay, but lying to both himself and others was what he was good at, so even he had managed to convince himself that he was fine enough, at least for now. The Gods had always been intense, more so when he got older, and it always heightened when they wanted something desperately. Generally, it wasn't too bad, well, not bad enough to warrant more than a day or night of semi-recovery, but there were always those days, those times, when things got out of hand. Eurion had a feeling that one of those moments would arrive sooner rather than later considering the intensity of the previous visit, but he could never know for sure.

"I've had a day to recover. I'm okay. What about you two?" He was mainly referring to yesterday's incident. Caoimhe had said they hadn't used the painkillers since their injuries hadn't been significant enough for them to need it, but, he figured he may as well ask. If they were going to be stuck with each other when Sláine was out of the picture, Eurion was going to have to learn how to make conversation as much as it pained him on the inside.

Even though the assassin's face remained a mask of unwavering coldness and lack of emotion, his actions, however small, were the giveaway that something was up between both him and the prince. Sure, he could say it was a debt being repaid, or them trying to be friends after talking for two nights with lack of sleep for them both, but Eurion wasn't thinking about that. Not when Sláine's loose strands of hair that had fallen out of the bun he had made in the morning were falling on his leg, and Eurion couldn't help but twist the strand around his finger, just to touch. It was mainly hidden by the others head, thank the Gods, but he was sure it would be noticed eventually, when he even noticed he was doing it himself.

Aideen decided to join in the conversation, though she didn't remove herself from her prince's side. If Sláine was going to be comfortable and take a nap, she was going to be at least comfortable as well. Caoimhe uncrossed his arms and slung one over her shoulder to wrap around her waist, keeping her secure—a cute gesture, if he also wasn't afraid of the woman getting up to harass Eurion. "Minor cuts and bruises, nothing we're not used to." Caoimhe nodded in agreement. "I'm guessing you've already been mother henned by Sláine with your injury?" she asked, though from how the prince had fussed to get the bandage on the assassin when it first happened, she had a feeling she already knew the answer to that question.

So far, neither one had noticed Eurion playing with Sláine's hair, even if Caoimhe was trying to piece things together on his own. The sleeping prince didn't even so much as twitch from the feeling. Giving up for now, because it was starting to hurt his head trying to figure it out, Caoimhe waved his hand in a lazy dismissal. "Sláine mother hens. Of course he did. I swear, he's the godfather of so many kids because he fusses over them when he can't find at least one parent."

Aideen rolled her eyes. "That's children. When's the last time he forced you to take care of a wound the moment you could?"

"57th birthday," Caoimhe supplied cheerfully. "I broke a fountain and gave myself a gnarly gash down my side. Except I didn't feel it because I was high in adrenaline, and just plain high. Sláine held me down until the healer arrived to stitch me together. Other than that, I've been quite capable of handling myself, thank you." He stuck his tongue out at Aideen, who rolled her eyes again, and turned back to Eurion with a little grin that might've been sympathetic. "If he keeps hovering and shit and it bothers you, just let us know. We'll knock some sense into him. I get that he gets concerned when people are hurt, but sometimes I think he tries to help the people that don't want help and it frustrates them both. Plus, with you two being roommates and all, it's bound to happen."

Eurion probably needed someone to tell him to take care of his wounds but he wasn’t going to admit it. The time Ren had saved his life from Seiger’s men and the injuries they had inflicted was a clear indication since the assassin had been inclined to simply lie there and take it until he bled out but the bastard and stitched him back together whether he liked it or not. He also wasn’t going to admit to slightly liking the idea of someone taking care of him. After having no one for so long it was a change that he hadn’t expected to liking. Maybe that was just because it was Sláine, though.

“If it gets too annoying we’ll sort it, but cheers.” Eurion doubted if he told Sláine to leave his wounds alone that he would. The prince had made it clear that he wasn’t going to relent this morning and had kept a careful eye on him until he had seen Eurion doing as he was told.

Another small fact that he didn’t care to share. All those secrets between them. Nothing out of the ordinary for him, but Eurion could only wonder if it was the same with the prince. Having no siblings left him wondering about what it may be like to have a brother, and in turn someone who acted as both friend and younger sister. Did Sláine tell them most about his life or kept it a secret? Especially now they were older what was it like now? A conversation for another time, for now, his attention was directed towards the two awake companions.

In favour of turning the conversation away from him, Eurion cleared his throat, “So… how long have you two been…” He gestured to their position.

That was good enough an answer from Eurion that Caoimhe was expecting, so he took it without argument and studied the man a little more. There wasn't anything inherently suspicious, but there was a pulling at his gut that said there was something going on. Too much ease between the two. At this point in their lives, even when not holding the title of princes, assassins were so commonplace that it wasn't all that much of a shock for them to befriend one that got stuck with them. But Sláine was sleeping on said assassin. Pure exhaustion couldn't explain that completely.

It was his returned attention that caught the idle twirling of the prince's hair, and Caoimhe felt a little flutter of triumph, then something else. A bit of protectiveness, a bit of renewed suspicion, and a bit of warmth because maybe that meant Sláine at least had someone else besides the two of them in some capacity. He nearly pointed it out, but Aideen had jumped on the assassin's attempt at diverting the topic elsewhere.

"Not long after meeting," she said. In her hands was one of Caoimhe's rings, and he did a double take at the theft before checking his hand to see that it was, in fact, missing an adornment. The guard had a smug smirk on her lips at both the story and his reaction. "Of course, that was mostly because we had no choice but to be around each other all the time. I saved his ass from an assassin—sloppier than you, it was a pure accident I caught that novice—and the king decided he was tired of his cousin constantly getting himself into trouble. So I was promoted from the knights to personal guard, and he felt instantly in love with me."

"I hated you with a fiery passion," Caoimhe corrected. "You were a pain in my ass and pissed Sláine off more times than I could count on both hands. Not to mention all the thieving you did, you little shit. Still do." Aideen snickered and tried out each of her fingers to find which one she could put the stolen ring on. The prince watched her for a moment, then looked back to Eurion. "About a year or so. Got together maybe a couple of months after she was appointed. Mostly because of the hurtle of how often we got on each other's nerves."

Aideen held out her hand and admired the ring now situated on her thumb, glittering even in the shade of the trees. "I'm just too hot to resist. And you're fun to mess with."

Only a year or so. Eurion thought it had been longer from how the two acted around one another. Of course, they had known each other for a while, which was different, but still, the assassin had thought the two had been affectionate towards one another for a lot longer. He really shouldn’t be too surprised, not when he thought about him and Sláine.

They had known each other for a few days and were already acted like a couple. Sharing rooms, cuddling, kissing, more and now here Eurion was, twirling Sláine’s hair around his finger with one hand and spinning his bow idly with the other. Whether or not Caoimhe had realised or noticed, the assassin didn’t know because he was too focused on Aideen, for once, and the stolen ring that she was now wearing.

Thieves will always be thieves. No one of their nature changed, at least not for good or forever. Just as Eurion would always be a killer, no matter how long he went without doing so, he would also have the title attached to his soul, just as Aideen would always have hers. At least she had a different name in associated with who she was now, Eurion doubted he would ever have that luxury, no matter what happened between him and Sláine.

Still, it meant they weren’t talking about him, and that was good, “How’d you manage to go from hating one another to being together?” Maybe it was because Eurion had little experience with relationships but regardless, no amount of proclaimed ‘hotness’ Aideen may have should stop someone from hating them.

"Hate fucking," Aideen said instantly.

Caoimhe rolled his eyes as she snickered to herself, and flicked her throat right where a deep bite mark was, just for added punishment. "It was more a mixture of forced proximity and a mutual understanding of one another on some levels." Aideen hummed and nodded, though did grab the hand around her waist to start playing with the rings and bracelets he wore. It was a comfortable and habitual act, one that said it's happened regularly enough that Caoimhe held open his hand for her as she traced the jewelry and the lines of his hand and wrist.

The prince, besides that small act, focused on Eurion and didn't otherwise acknowledge his lover's touch. "However much we butted heads, and she dragged me around because I didn't want to tend to certain obligations, there were things that we saw eye-to-eye on. General mischief, messing with visiting nobles who were assholes to my cousin because they're not—" he tossed up air quotes with his free hand, "—'fit to rule their own life, let alone rule a kingdom.' Which is bullshit. Azi suffered through so much shit growing up; it's not his fault their mother was an abusive cunt and a half." Aideen rubbed a spiral into his palm, and Caoimhe calmed down with a sigh. "Sorry. Besides that, I saw it as a challenge to get her to like me, and in the end, it just took letting down guards while in private to connect."

Aideen nodded and smiled a little at the memory. "When we stopped making it our mission to hate each other, it just clicked." Then she grinned over at Eurion and gestured to the sleeping prince in the assassin's lap. "Why so curious? Looking for pointers?"

Eurion supposed that made sense. Everyone was different and it wasn’t a surprise that they ended up this way, if only because they had to be together all the time. Walls were hard to break, he was an expert at building them up and never letting them down again. Well, had been, until Sláine.

And the moment Aideen asked about why he was so curious his hand stilled from where it was twirling the deep red curl and he did his best to not tense. Eurion wasn’t looking for pointers, he didn’t need pointers because the connection that the two of them had was different. Eurion had gone into the mission intending on killing them but had left with a bond that was deeper than just wanting a quick fuck or some entertainment. Sláine was his and he was Sláine’s. Not just in the sense that partners felt that way about their lovers, how Aideen and Caoimhe may feel about each other, but they were made for one another. How the fit together physically and spiritually, so different and yet one in the same.

Because now the thought that Eurion had gone into that palace intending to kill Sláine filled him with dread. If Aideen hadn’t stopped him then… he didn’t want to even think about it, not right now, and not when Aideen was grinning at him like she was.

“Just trying to make conversation,” Was his reply, because he was, and he wasn’t exactly good at it, “Isn’t that what people do when they have to be around each other?”

Almost as if sensing Eurion's distress, Sláine let out a sleepy little noise and nuzzled into the assassin's leg, and his body curled up a little more. He was too far deep into his sleep to know what was going on, but the instant reaction could've fooled anyone into thinking he was conscious. His brother, on the other hand, simply cocked his head and stored that small tidbit away for later. He'd get to the bottom of these two, but not right now. Eurion's response to Aideen's teasing was neutral and smooth—if Caoimhe had been asked the same question while hiding a romance with Aideen, he wouldn't have been as cool and unruffled.

Aideen held her hands up in surrender, still grinning even as she fixed a look of innocence on her face, then dropped them back into her lap and went back to idly tracing Caoimhe's hand. "Fair enough, fair enough," she relented, "Just curious, is all." Eurion did have a point, now that they no longer had Sláine padding the conversation between the two and acting as buffer with Caoimhe, they were forced to make conversation while they waited and rested.

She tilted her head and thought a bit, then decided to give a bit of more in-depth background into how exactly they met. "I was born in another country, where the people weren't fond of witches and magic. My family fled for the legendary shelter of Draíochta Síoraí, but ultimately didn't make it the entire way; I was the only one to make it past the gates. From there, I grew up on the streets. Thieving comes with the territory, as does general mayhem and violence." The guard shrugged and traced a vein up Caoimhe's arm, her voice still holding an airy and flippant tone to it. "Got into a tiff with some knights, but they thought it was entertaining rather than offensive, so they took me under their wing, unofficially adopted me, and I got dragged into knighthood. By the time I got the fancy title, the kingdom had shifted its power from one king to the rightful one, and these two numskulls got crowned First and Second Prince."

"And then she stumbled upon a would-be assassin," Caoimhe sighed heavily, "and lo-and-behold, she's not nearly as well-behaved as I was led to believe. Still find it wildly offensive that I'm in need of a guard."

When the conversation shifted, Eurion didn’t resume his idle twirling for a few moments, especially when Sláine effectively cuddled into his leg further. But it didn’t take long until he returned to the action, to soothe both him and Sláine, it seemed. The twirling was soft, and soon he was massaging the prince’s neck here and there to try and relieve any tension the other might be holding while he slept.

It was an effort to not pull Sláine closer, to adjust so Eurion was sure he was comfortable and okay, to run his fingers through his hair while they spoke. It all seemed a natural thing to do and it was almost impossible to resist the urge to do so. But for the sake of them both, and the assassin’s racing heart, he didn’t. A blessing that he had learned how to mask his features into a cool, natural state of calm- or displeasure, especially with his near permanent frown.

It wasn’t a surprise that Aideen had gotten into a fight with the knights of Draíochta Síoraí, and the corner of his mouth twitched very briefly at the mention of it, and Caoimhe’s comment about how he didn’t need a guard, “Had you not have had Aideen stationed it would have taken longer for you both to get to this point,” He motioned with the tip of his bow to their position, the cuddling, “Take it as a blessing, I suppose,” A small shrug as he surveyed the area, “You wouldn’t be in this mess trying to reach the Old Gods, however, so maybe not an entirely good blessing.”

Even in his sleep, Sláine relaxed under Eurion's soothing touch. It was a subtle thing, not enough for the other two to notice, but Eurion would be able to feel the steadied breathing and lessened tension the more Eurion massaged. With anyone else, there wouldn't have been a reaction from the prince given how unaware of the world he was in his current state. But Eurion wasn't just anyone—he could calm Sláine with just a soft touch, steady him simply by being within his sight. Even in sleep, the prince was incredibly responsive to the assassin.

Thankfully for Eurion, though, Aideen had only been teasing with the insinuation, and Caoimhe chose to let it go for the time being until he could get actual evidence that something else was going on. He still couldn't tell how he felt about any of the possibilities, but a big portion was screaming, 'You have no room to judge,' so he was also hesitant to figure out just how he felt.

Aideen pointed to Eurion in approval, then twisted her head up to look at the prince, who curled his nose. "Yes! See? See? I am a blessing. It's not anyone's fault that you're shit at self-preservation, but you are damn lucky that trait got you stuck with me. He said it himself."

The prince flicked her again, this time earning a displeased hiss. "We are not forgetting the fact that you are also the reason we got dragged here, but I'd rather not get into that again with you." Aideen pouted, and Caoimhe ignored her. Time for his own conversation skills. "So, any family to pass on the legacy of the great servant of the Gods, survivor and champion of the High Witch trials? Surely someone of your prestige has managed to snag a wife, maybe even kids." He tilted his head and added, "Or husband. Partner. I don't judge."