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

Started March 15, 2023 by @ElderGod-kirky group

tune

“We can talk while Eurion is occupied, it puts a little more distance between the two of you for the time being.” Adelphia nodded towards Sláine. She was more than aware that he would have questions about her friend and the agreement he was involved in. Whatever Sláine wanted to know that Adelphia was more than happy to oblige. She loved Eurion, and as much as the stubborn bastard wouldn’t admit it, he loved them, too, it showed the the care he took towards them whenever he was around, far too soft and gentle. If Adelphia could help, then she would. They both deserved it. As much as she didn’t know much about Sláine’s situation when it came to romance one thing she knew was that he deserved as good as love as anyone else, as Eurion. The pair weren’t bonded for no reason.

Cara wanted to bat Aideen away but the pastries were crisp and golden brown. Her magic shimmered away and she took a small step backwards, “Alright fiends, help yourselves but make sure to have some fruit too!” The small woman was quick to lay out some spreads for them all to chose from to add to the pastries, setting a knife with each before she was fully satisfied with her work.

If almost on cue at the smell of food, Eurion woke. He groaned at the crick in his neck and the pain that settled in his chest and hear. He was sure Addie knew he had woken, and with the commotion in the kitchen that he could hear in his half groggy state he was always aware breakfast was made. Adelphia moved towards the curtains “I’ll be back in a moment.” She said, disappearing away so she could tend to her friend.

Sláine nodded in thanks to Addie, relieved that he wouldn't have to come up with an excuse to hide. But he was also grateful that he could talk to her about just what Eurion got himself into with the Gods, and maybe even what he was like. Because as much as he was confident he knew his assassin decently well in terms of how they were when alone together, he didn't know much. Not in the ways that also mattered. He wouldn't pry for too much, because he didn't want to have all the answers from the mouth of someone else, but just enough. Just enough to get a sense for how others viewed him, the people who were his friends for a lot longer than Sláine.

At Cara's allowance, the two vultures swooped in to get their food. Caoimhe at the very least gave compliments to the chef and flashed a pleased grin, while Aideen simply snatched her food and got out of the way as if someone was going to steal the pastry and fruits away from her. Sláine hovered nearby until she was gone, then calmly grabbed some food as well. Caoimhe knocked their horns together in greeting, but also as a way to check in with his twin. Sláine squeezed Caoimhe's arm in response. He'd be okay, because he had to be. The prince didn't want everyone fussing over him like he was going to break down again. He desperately wanted to avoid being seen like that.

At the arrival of Addie, and Eurion being awake, Solise stirred and slid off of the assassin's chest. Adelphia needed as much room for her magic as possible, and there was that chance of Eurion being coherent enough to realize she was a strange creature taking a nap on him. But she didn't move far, and in fact sat next to his shoulder to look over him like a guardian, her tail moving around to curl over her toes and rest on the floor.

Eurion pushed himself up onto his hands slowly, wincing at the pain that shot through him at the movement, “Morning,” He grumbled when he noted Adelphia who shot the assassin a soft frown in response to him moving. He looked over his shoulder and down to Solise, soft confusing marring his own features. He didn’t know what she was, but she’d been comforting enough last night, “Morning to you, too.” The presence was the same familiarity to the one he had felt at the inn the other day, the one hiding in the shadows just out of view. Watching over him and Sláine and the others.

Adelphia crouched down in front of the assassin, holding out an apple that she’d snatched off the counter, “Eat and stay as still as you can.” Eurion rolled his eyes but obliged as his friends magic washed over him once more, curling around his chest like a warm blanket. It felt nice to have the comfort of the magic and the pain relieved. The assassin didn’t say much, letting Adelphia work. He didn’t know what to say, anyway, unusual when it came to the other. He was still reeling from last night, from what he saw. It made his heart race thinking about Sláine tearing about that witch, erasing them, just as he’d seen the Gods do.

Finally, Adelphia’s magic faded away, “Aideen is going to come and talk to you about what happened. I figured you wouldn’t want either of the twins.” She said.

Eurion swallowed, “Why can’t Cara or you stay for a bit?”

“Because as much as we love you dumbass, we’re not exactly in the best position to help.” Adelphia ruffled his hair and Eurion frowned at her but didn’t protest further. He wasn’t going to win the argument no matter how hard he tried so he didn’t bother.

Solise's ears stood up high, pointed towards Eurion, as she chirruped in greeting. For now, she knew that he was likely overwhelmed by everything going on, especially the nearly dying part, so she saved him from the added confusion over what she was by tacking on her ability to speak telepathically. Her wings stretched out some in a soft flap to stretch them out, feathers puffed, then resettled back into place as she tucked them back in. The spirit would be there for the future conversation, then she would tend to her witch. They both needed comfort, but Eurion needed someone while Sláine had his twin, and the assassin couldn't turn to his friends in this particular situation due to the nature of everything happening.

As if summoned, Aideen finished her food and headed over to the curtain to see Eurion and Adelphia talking, the assassin seemingly coherent enough for a conversation. She noted the spirit a second later, and sat on the floor next to Eurion while offering a small nod of greeting to them both. "Hello, Solise. I'm glad you've joined us." Caoimhe's spirit was still unaccounted for, most likely due to the prince not calling for him, and it not being the time or place for that kind of spirit. Solise was small and easily portable, while Anim… was not. Aideen made a mental note to have Caoimhe summon his spirit for a little bit of extra insight into what was going on, but for now, her focus was on Eurion.

She let Adelphia finish tending to her friend, and simply sat with her legs crossed while inspecting the jewelry she had taken from Caoimhe. Aideen didn't know where to start, what to ask or how to prompt the assassin to talk. They weren't exactly on the buddy level that it was normal for him to spill his deepest fears, or for her to pull him out of them. But, she decided to try and go at it from the angle of her helping Sláine, by way of helping Eurion. Maybe that mindset would make her a little less klutzy with the conversation.

Adelphia left the two alone not long after, Eurion chewing the apple a little more aggressively than he had been to show his distaste for the situation. He knew that he had to talk to someone, simply avoiding the issue was going to make this so much worse. Whether he wanted to be around Sláine or not right now didn’t matter because he had to be. Talking about it might be good for him, at least Aideen knew Sláine, better than he did, at least. But it was more the fact that out of everyone there it was Aideen he was being forced to talk to.

They didn’t get along, as much as they had had a small truce going on that didn’t make them anywhere near remotely being friends. The only time they had spoken was when Caoimhe was there to buffer, or even Sláine, and their first few conversations had gone far from well. Eurion pretended like his apple was more interesting than Aideen was, although he did mumble a soft, “Hi.” As a greeting.

Adelphia headed back out into the living room, grabbing herself a couple of the left over pastries that hasn’t been devoured by the princes or her partner. She wouldn’t lie, she was worried about how that conversation was going to go. It was clear that they didn’t like each other and Adelphia knew her friend. It would be a hard conversation, most likely with a bunch of swearing and glaring on his end. She had a feeling Aideen was the same, probably why the butted heads.

For now, she turned her attention back to the youngest prince, “Whenever you’re up for a chat I am more than ready.” She said, munching on her pastry.

Aideen tossed a ring up in the air like it was a coin, watching it go up and down with each flick of her thumb. They wouldn't get anywhere like this, the stubborn silence of two people who didn't like one another. "Hi," she greeted back, reluctant to be civil but needing to be. This was going to be a long conversation. As if her mere presence could act as a way to cool their tempers, Solise hopped into Eurion's lap and head-butted his stomach, much like a cat. What Eurion didn't see was the sharp stare she sent the shifter's way, and Aideen winced a little in response. Fine, okay, she'd start them off.

"Look," the witch said, catching the ring and spinning it between her fingers. Paused. Where did she even start? "Look, I don't know what all the Gods did to you." Mostly because Sláine was stubbornly tight-lipped about the whole ordeal. "And I know you don't like me, but it's not entirely an out there idea to talk about it with someone." She shrugged and flipped the ring again into the air. "Maybe we can sort things out. I can't—" Bad word choice. She tried again. "Sláine's an asshole, I'll be the first to say that. I'm curious to know why you think he sucks."

Said prince winced at what little he heard coming from Aideen, and turned to Adelphia. "Now would be good." Now, before he tortured himself by listening in on the conversation. Before he had to listen to what Eurion thought of him. And so that his assassin didn't close up, just in case Eurion could still feel him there and didn't want to talk while the prince was in the vicinity. Sláine grabbed himself one more pastry, then moved closer to Adelphia and indicated that he would follow her lead. Caoimhe stuck to the kitchen to be moral support for his lover, and entertained himself by conjuring a ball to bounce back and forth.

Eurion looked down to the spirit in his lap, Solise, and was grateful for the being acting as a buffer even if she wasn’t speaking. Solise was comforting in a similar way that Sláine was. Even though they were different, and as much as his brain was foggy, the assassin took a gamble and guesses the spirit and the witch were connected and that was why he felt comfortable with the unknown creature.

He frowned a little at Aideen’s words, “Sláine isn’t an asshole,” He said, petting Solise with soft hands. The prince wasn’t an ass, and Eurion didn’t lie when he said it. He may be scared of him, of what the prince had done, but that didn’t warrant the name calling, no matter what his brain screamed at him to try and believe, “The Gods showed me what- what Sláine did, to the witch,” He took a glance up at Aideen although didn’t want to make eye contact for the time being, “How he just- just tore them apart like that and his magic?” He shook his head, “He acted like one of the Gods, I don’t get how he could just kill them that way and the screams?” It had reminded him too much of Xirus.

Back in the living room Adelphia led Sláine over to the couch, taking a seat on one side and gesturing for the prince to take a seat on the other, “Ask away young man.” She would do her best, that was for certain.

Solise purred sadly and leaned her weight into Eurion's hands when he recounted what he saw. She pitied the assassin for believing the Gods, only because she knew that their torment over him had to be strong for him to believe them about his own mate without question. Aideen, however, caught the ring midair and frowned. She and Caoimhe hadn't paid too much attention to what Sláine had been doing after being told to stay with the assassin, but she knew for a fact that didn't sound right. It didn't sound like Sláine, even when angry.

"Eurion," she said slowly, "what exactly did they show you?" What truths had they bent so far into lies that they were threatening to break? Gods. Did Eurion really believe that the man he took a fucking fireball for was capable of such horrible things? Sláine had torture the witch some, she will admit, by turning their fire on themself, but she imagined it had only been revenge for the pain Eurion had been subject to. As far as she knew, anything beyond that, the erasing, had been quick and relatively painless. She couldn't remember at any point seeing them slowly ripped from the world—just there one second, and gone the next.

Sláine hovered for a second, now unsure if he should be asking these questions. It felt unfair to be knowing things that Eurion hadn't allowed to be told to him. But the prince was desperate for answers. So he sat down where Adelphia indicated and leaned his elbows on his knees. "The main thing I want to know, I guess is… why? What did the Gods offer him for him to accept it? Why has he done this for so long and endured their abuse?"

Eurion chewed on his lower lip. He didn't know if he wanted to recount what he saw, he didn't even know entirely how to describe it, either. Deep down, and from the way Aideen spoke, he doubted the Gods. They were shifty and cruel and cunning but his past ran too deep for him to differentiate between anything at the moment. Whether or not what he saw was true, Sláine had walked into the Gods realm like it was nothing and he shouldn't have been able to do that. The only reason he could was because his power was like theirs, and it was only solidified in his mind with the way he had killed the witch.

"I saw Sláine turn the witch's fire against them," He started, keeping his gaze fixed on Solise, "How he increased the strength, the heat, and burned them, slowly. How he- he bound them there and took them apart with their own magic little by little, and then used his magic to fucking erase them. Having to watch as their body disappeared and their fire and how they begged for a quick death only for him to draw it out as long as he could. Their screams were so loud they- it…" It sounded like his own, when the Gods tortured him and made it slow and painful so Eurion learnt his lesson.

Adelphia looked over to the curtain as if trying to listen in to Eurion's conversation. They were just out of earshot and with Cara cleaning up in the background for added noise she could only make guesses about what he was saying. She knew that eventually, Eurion would tell Sláine and the assassin might be pissed at her for telling him before he was ready but it was necessary, "You don't get a choice, when the Gods pick you," She started, "It's not an offer, an exchange. The moment they decide you're who they want you're bound to them. They take you to their realm, they tell you who they are and what you want and either you accept and you live, or they kill you." Because they weren't just regular Gods, the kind people worshipped. They didn't care about the land and the people they had created so long ago, they just wanted to rule and control.

"The tattoo on his back serves as the physical indication of that deal, as the reminder of who he serves. He's tried burning it off, cutting it off, fuck even I've tried but no matter what happens it heals exactly the same every time." Her face was grave as she spoke, "They threatened to kill his parents, too, when he tried to leave, but then they died and he felt he didn't have any other choice. Eurion had no one else. This was before Cara and I so, what else could he do?"

"That's not true." Aideen wasn't sure of much, but she was sure of that. Sláine hadn't taken his time. He had gone back to Eurion as quickly as possible, gone before the last speck of the witch could float away. Sláine was too soft hearted to torture someone like that, but far too smitten with Eurion to leave the assassin for too long. The most accurate part about that recounting was the fire being turned on the witch, but they had only cried out some. Everything else was a fabrication. The witch had not begged for death, not that she had heard. And Aideen… she had heard stories about how the twins could be during battle, when they had been thrust into wars needlessly. But she refused to believe that her friend could be so cruel. Brutal, maybe, but not cruel. He was never one to take his time, especially when he had someone else waiting for him. That was Caoimhe's thing, and even he had lines he didn't cross.

Before she could think about her next words, or Eurion's inevitable protest to her denial, she was talking. "When you think of Sláine," Aideen blurted, still not looking to the assassin, "when you picture him in your mind, what do you focus on first?" Solise sat up a little, intrigued by the shifter's train of thought. Even if she curled into Eurion and encouraged him to pet her more for comfort, she silently encouraged this new direction of the conversation.

A muscle feathered in Sláine's cheek from his jaw clenching. A choice. That wasn't a choice, that was cornering someone into submission. The Gods, he was quickly learning, had no interest in the people and land they had once created. They were having their own replacements killed because of competition. They wanted the power of control once again. But things were different, forces have changed. And a child of the Middle was beyond pissed with them and their treatment of his assassin. Not theirs. They didn't deserve Eurion or his abilities. If they were so weak that they needed someone of their choosing to give them their power back, then that should be telling enough.

"Chains can be broken," Sláine said, speaking to his white knuckled grip he had with his hands laced together. "A slaver is only a slaver when the chains around the neck of his servant go unchallenged. Rusted from age and strained, they are bound to snap." The prince shook his head and leaned back against the couch. "What all has he done for them?"

Eurion finally looked up at Aideen’s words. Not true? What did she mean that it wasn’t true? Well, it was obvious what she meant, that the Gods had lied to him. If they had turned other memories against him then there was no reason to say they wouldn’t do it again. But he hadn’t seen the event happen, so there was nothing in his memories for them to twist. Before he could protest Aideen was talking again and asking him a question and Solise was pressing into his hands once more.

There was a multitude of things that he thought about when he thought of Sláine. How his hair felt between his fingers when he braided the auburn locks and how they got tangled in his horns, how his canines caught on his lip when he smiled or how, how when they were nose to nose he could see and count every freckle on his face. How Eurion thought he was beautiful. He opened his mouth to talk, closed it again and took another few moments petting Solise before he replied, “His eyes.” He settled upon.

Adelphia sighed, running a hand through her thick curls, “These aren’t just any old chains, Sláine. They don’t rust if they’re unable to, and even if they did I have no doubt the Gods would kill him if it ever reached that point and neither of us want that.” She couldn’t lose her friend and he couldn’t lose his mate.

“From what I know of Eurion and his life, he was training to be a protector, a guard, for his people, for the Fae royals. Before he finished his training he was chosen and there was a falling out between him and a friend. It’s one of the reasons why he doesn’t go home,” Another sigh, “All he’s done is kill. From the moment he was picked until today. He’s tortured people for the littlest of information needed for the Gods to simply taking people out with nothing more then knowing their name and last known location. He’s their sword for a reason. I don’t know how many, exactly, he’s killed, but it’s more than anyone should have to bare.”

Aideen didn't elaborate further on her declaration. Eurion could piece things together in time, because if she tried telling him what really happened, he would either be frustrated by her lack of concrete details, or outright deny her retelling as truth. She wouldn't blame him for either, but it would cause too much of a headache and she didn't want to go through that more than necessary. Instead, she went with her newest angle of getting Eurion to think. Think of his mate, of the prince he had fallen hard for the past few days. Of Sláine, who was undoubtably breaking down by the second at just the thought of being repulsive to Eurion. The exact opposite of the Gods.

She hummed and tilted her head, moving to lean against the wall and hook her arms on her knees. "Their eyes are pretty, though I haven't seen his up close before." Caoimhe had constellations that she liked to track. "Beautiful orangy-brown, always open and earnest. Sexy when they give you that look." A slash of a smile hooked at the corner of her lips, and she moved on. The questions conjured themselves without her say-so, and she just rolled with each one. "Opinion on the horns?" She certainly liked them, mostly because it made it easy to direct the twins where she needed them to be, and to hold Caoimhe back whenever he was getting a little too nippy.

Sláine knew that. He knew that it wasn't a simple solution, not as easy as disposing of a corrupt king even if it hadn't been easy in practice. It had taken a rebellion and foreign forces, a crafty High Witch getting into the inner circle to crumble the tyranny from the inside. But he couldn't let himself sit by while Eurion was trapped by arrogant Gods unwilling to let go of those they enslaved. Neither choice was life, even if one kept him breathing.

"Then we aren't so different," the prince murmured. He may not have been an assassin looking for specific targets, but he had been sent to realm after realm, charged with either eradication or diplomacy—and if it didn't work, then battle it was. Caoimhe had done more because he enjoyed the thrill of battle, but Sláine didn't. It never stopped him from being a pawn, though, and he had spent many years doing things that he regrets to this day. The prince rubbed at his nose and pressed his fingers into his eyes, as if that would erase everything bad from his vision and memory.

"There has to be some sort of loophole, a way to break their hold on him without getting him killed." When he lowered his hand, his expression cracked for just a flicker of a moment. Except, when he had tried to break his assassin free, it put them into this mess. The Gods had decided he was a challenge to their status as Gods because of his power, and instead of going after him, they took it out on Eurion instead. What could he possibly do if it only ended with someone else bearing the pain of his failures?

Eurion thought back to the inn, how Sláine had spoken about masking his horns because they got in the way when they were cuddling. Their horns were unique to them, an identifier but strangely stunning. How they twisted up, brought attention to their faces. Sláine’s were lovely, he found. When he touched them softly and he shivered, felt the grooves under his fingertips. He wondered what they would have been like when they were growing, what sensations that came with it, “They’re… I like them. Haven’t seen anyone with horns like theirs before.”

Probably because of their excess magic causing the abnormalities and altering others to who they were and the magic that they possessed. Eurion also found it cute when Sláine’s hair ended up tangled in them, especially if it was because of something that he had done. His mind once again drifted back to the inn, to that morning, Sláine against the bed and breathing hard and saying his name the way he had… He nearly blushed but he changed that train of thought before any redness seeped into his cheeks. But their bond flickered as if it could hear his thoughts, see what Eurion had been visualising and chimed up in response, encouraging, as much as the assassin tried his hardest not to think about.

Adelphia’s gaze softened at the look she found on Sláine’s face. She couldn’t imagine the hurt that he was going through, knowing that Eurion currently didn’t want to see him and was scared of him, of his magic. It hurt her own soul to think about them being unable to get past this point. But the healer was optimistic that they would be okay, less so when it came to whether or not Eurion would ever be free of the Gods.

“If there is a loophole we haven’t found it yet, none of the others have.” There was no mention or knowledge of any other messenger breaking free from the hold, ever stopping. Either they were killed doing their job or disappeared which Addie could only assume meant the worst, “I fear the only magic that could break the bond would be the magic of the Gods themselves, the ones who created it. Maybe if there’s another of the Old Gods alive out there who could help then… but I don’t know, I’m sorry, but it’s the one thing I cannot answer.”

"Mmm," Aideen hummed in agreement. The horns were certainly eye-catching, the first thing that people were often drawn to when they walked into a room. Not to mention their need to duck because of them, which only drew attention even more. It made the twins more imposing, regal, but also giant goofs when they forgot to duck. She wiggled her fingers some. "They're definitely unique. Makes it easier to handle them." In several different contexts.

Eurion was doing a good job of hiding his reaction to his own thought process, but Aideen had her own that had delved into a territory that wasn't good for Eurion's attempt at cleansing his mind. Her tone was amused, even if she fixed a bored expression on her face while she went back to flipping the ring like a coin. "What's it like kissing him?" No point in the assassin trying to deny their relationship.

Sláine lifted his head, feeling that flicker of their bond and being more than a little confused by its activity. What was Aideen doing? What thoughts were going through Eurion's mind right then? Was he angry, and Aideen was only making it worse? Or something else? The prince wanted nothing more than to go over and find out himself, but he couldn't. Solise was there for comfort, she would be able to calm the assassin enough to give Sláine some peace of mind, and Aideen respected the spirit too much to push too many boundaries. They were fine. But his skin still crawled from the lack of his assassin's touch, and his body itched from the missing warmth. He wanted Eurion back.

Pulling himself back to his own conversation, Sláine looked to Adelphia, as if she were his mentor and he needed answers. "Do you have any idea what they want from him? At all?" Because the chances of them getting into contact with a God that wasn't determined to kill them all was slim, next to none. Banking on that as the only way to free Eurion from their bonds would do them no good. The prince shook his head and redirected, knowing that no one could really know what the Gods wanted. "I just—I want him to be safe. But I can't help him."

Eurion spluttered. Did Aideen always have to be so abrupt? And she said it as if it didn't imply the obvious. His first thought was to downright deny it, but that wouldn't fly. There was no point in hiding it. As much as everything about their relationship was confusing and had been from the very start, everything was obvious, as much as Eurion didn't want it to be and had hoped that he would have been able to talk to Sláine about it before it was revealed to the world that they were mates but clearly fate had other plans. One that involved Aideen currently asking about what it was like to kiss him.

He swallowed. What did he even say to that? The thoughts had his heart racing and he was back to looking at Solise as if she was going to somehow shield him from the humiliation that he was going to feel when he admitted what he was thinking. Aideen was the last person that he wanted to have this conversation with but there was no getting out of it.

Kissing Sláine felt… right. There wasn't really any other word he could find to describe how he felt. He didn't know whether to admit that the first night where they had ended up in the prince's bed together, when they woke and he was pressed against his side that his lips had been enticing. How when Sláine had touched his cheek he felt the urge to press his lips against his palm. Or at the inn, when they had kissed for the first time, the world around them had disappeared till it was just them. Stars dancing together through the sky without care for the world around them. Because the prince's lips had been soft and inviting, fit perfectly with his. Had moved against his own easily and beautifully and had Eurion wanting and craving more. Even now, thinking about it, his heart lurched, their bond glowed and Eurion… Eurion was stuck in his own thoughts of the prince against him for a while before he spoke again, "It feels right," He said slowly, "Like it was supposed to be that way."

Adelphia leaned against the back of the chair, one hand resting on the top to keep her head propped upwards, "Eurion has only ever given me bits and pieces. Names of people he'd been tasked to kill- or had done, how he felt they were all interconnected but there was nothing to prove his suspicions. The Old Gods have been gone for so long now, people don't even believe they existed, that they're just tales and legends. I don't think they're too happy about it," She sighed, "You can help him more than anyone. You're his mate. You're fated, intertwined with one another no matter what he may think right now. This hurdle will pass and you will help him simply by being there."

Aideen snickered at Eurion's sputtering, even if she tried to school her expression into neutrality. She had been told to get Eurion in a headspace where he could look at Sláine in a different way and get him to not be afraid of the prince. No one had ever said that she didn't need to take the angle of making the assassin comfortable while doing so. And, she doubted that he minded remembering those specific things much anyway. His fear clearly didn't diminish how he viewed the prince much outside of his magic, so pulling up the memories he undoubtable was getting lost in wasn't hurting Eurion a bit.

Solise looked up at Eurion and returned his look, though hers was more in line with a refusal to help him with his emotional turmoil. She couldn't help save him from the humiliation of talking about his relationship with Aideen. He had to talk about it, because from where she was standing, it was helping. The assassin was getting lost in the thoughts longer and longer, and there wasn't an ounce of distress that she could sense from him.

The shifter tossed the ring again. "And what's your favorite thing about him? Not his looks, but him? Can be anything as simple as his favorite color, an odd habit, or personality trait—anything. Or, if you want to, several favorites. I know I can't ever pick one."

"But it's not just this hurdle." Sláine ran his fingers through his hair, snagging on the braids he had done and only getting more frustrated. The prince stood to start pacing, to let out that nervous and frustrated energy. "Yes, I'm worried about right now and how things will turn out now that all of this shit has happened. But it's not just that." The prince laced his fingers behind his head, shoulders hunched. "I don't know how to help him. Being there does fuck all when the Gods snatch him away from me the moment they decide they want him, and then it's out of my control. I couldn't—" Sláine faltered, but didn't stop pacing. "Being there did nothing." Not in the ways that mattered. Not when Eurion had been on his knees begging and screaming for the Gods to give him mercy.

The bond pulsed again, like it was gaining its strength, and Sláine stopped to stare over at the curtain. He felt lost, like he was in a sea of everything he could want, but the ship he stood on had him roped to the masts. If he got free and dove overboard, would the sea welcome him with open arms, or would it drag him down and burn his lungs? As much as he wanted to fall to his knees and plead for Eurion to forgive him, promise that he would never do something like that to him or anyone else, he knew that he'd drown. The best chance he had was waiting, staying tied back until he was sure they'd be okay.

Eurion glared at Solise. He was unaware of the fact that she could talk so in his mind it was entirely normal that she was quiet but it didn't stop him from giving her a look that screamed, 'fuck you for not helping me out here.' The more he thought about Sláine past that of the magic and the event, remembered all these things that they were talking about he didn't feel any stress or nervousness, not like he had done yesterday. When the prince had knelt in front of him all Eurion was able to see at that moment was the witch. All he could think about was how Sláine had looked in that moment and used his magic but now? There was none of that. The side of him that screamed at him to believe what he had seen, what the Gods had shown him was still yelling but the noise was fading softly into the background of the memories that were taking its place.

"I like how he can just… be calm and patient. Know exactly what to say when it's needed and he's not afraid to help others. Help me." Because that first night together, after that visit from the Gods, Sláine had calmed him down quicker than anyone else had ever been able to. Had taken his mind away from how terrified he was to the tea, to him, and things had shifted from fear to just exhaustion. He let Eurion lean on him when he needed it. As much their relationship had been solely prince and assassin at that point Sláine had still helped and he was so grateful for it. He didn't know what to do without it. He was struggling now but he still needed him, needed the prince's touch and care and soft hands telling him it was going to be okay.

"Have you been with Eurion when he has been with the Gods before?" Adelphia asked, watching the prince like a hawk tracking its prey, "What did you do then to help?" Because what he had encountered with the Gods yesterday was different. It happened more frequently than it should, yes, but it wasn't a normal interaction between Eurion and them and so, it was an outlier. Usually, things would be different, which would allow Sláine to help even if he felt he didn't have the opportunity or the skills.

Solise blinked innocently up at Eurion, even if she was internally laughing, and gave a small trill. Then she head butted beneath his chin and pressed into his body, as if apologizing for her lack of help. It wouldn't do anything, she still wasn't going to help him or intervene, but at least she said sorry. Besides, she could sense the bond strengthening. Not nearly as well as Sláine, but there was that hint of the magic connecting the two men together, and she could see the string pulling taut between them with each memory Eurion pulled up. Aideen's tactic was working, and though it might not be addressing the magic just yet, it was still working. Eurion could keep drawing memories of his Sláine each day, and soon enough they will be strong enough to cover the false memory the Gods crafted.

Glancing over in the general direction of the living room, as if she could see the prince they were talking about, Aideen nodded slowly. Sláine was calm and patient, and always there to help others no matter what. Eurion needed to remember that, latch onto it, and think. She then looked to Eurion, her expression soft for once. "And what would he say to you right now?" How would he comfort and help his assassin in pain? What did Eurion need to hear, even if it was just Sláine's voice echoing thoughts in his head?

"Once." Sláine paused in his pacing, but the annoyance at himself didn't change. "The night we first met. I saw… I saw the realm pulling his mind through, but I didn't know what it was. Just that it was a violation." The prince shook his head and started pacing again. "When he came to, I gave him a tea I used to use for when I was still getting the side effects of travel. We didn't talk much just… He looked so scared, even when he was trying to do something else. So I hugged him, because he looked like he needed it. Stayed like that for the night."

Eurion's frown softened as Solise pushed against his chest and the assassin couldn't help but wrap his arms around her. It wasn't Sláine, no one would ever be able to provide the comfort that his mate did but Solise was close enough. She was rumbling and soft and allowed him to pet her gently and cuddle her to his chest. He needed it. As much as it was slightly embarrassing considering Aideen was right across from him, he didn't care all too much. He needed comfort, and Solise was providing it and he was going to latch onto her for the time being. Even though the assassin knew nothing of the spirit he had grown fond of her in the short time they had been together, much like he had grown fond of Sláine so fast.

Eurion thought back to their first night together once more. Things had changed so drastically since then but it was a moment of weakness, along with the prince caring for him at the inn. Sláine had been gentle with his words although firm when it came to making sure Eurion took care of his wound and had held him as if he were the only person in the world that mattered. That first night? A simple hug had been enough. Enough to calm his racing thoughts and mind, to get him to a place that wasn't covered in fear and pain, the memories that came with the emotions. The prince, his prince, had taken all that away with nothing more than a few touches and soft reassurances, "He would say that we have time," Eurion's gaze flickered around the room, "To be okay. To figure it out. That things would work out and- and no matter what happened, he would protect me, us. He would protect us."

Adelphia swung her feet up onto the couch now that Sláine was refusing to sit, taking to pacing instead. Her eyes didn't move from the prince, "And what did Eurion do that night? How did he act? I'm guessing you both ended up tangled together which is inevitable for mates, but was he calm? When you both woke, was he still scared?" In her mind, if he had been still terrified in the morning then Sláine wouldn't have helped. If it was the other way around, however, then the prince was doing exactly what he needed to be. Calming, reassuring, being there for Eurion when he needed it.

Eurion was holding her like she was a pillow to be held to his chest, but Solise didn't mind. She quite enjoyed the cuddles, and was happy to provide the comfort the assassin needed. All she did was start purring once more and adjust herself to be in a more comfortable position to be held. It was obvious that Eurion needed the comfort and presence of his mate, especially with the way he held the spirit and talked about Sláine. She wished it could be as simple as calling the prince over to have him coddle Eurion and tell him everything was going to be okay, but it wasn't yet. It would be, though. She was confident in that much.

Aideen tilted her head, watching Eurion as he thought about Sláine and recounted what he would say in this moment. She watched as the assassin's gaze darted around, and she wondered what that meant. Aideen had no idea if those words would be at all accurate to what Sláine would say, but if what she witnessed when the prince was crying over Eurion earlier before the Gods showed up, then she had no doubt that they were accurate. Her next question was only a natural follow-up, and a slight prod back into dangerous territory. She needed to know for sure if Eurion himself had hope that they would be okay, and he wasn't just recounting what he thought the prince would say in the moment. "And would you believe him?" she asked. "Given everything, would you believe him?"

Sláine shot Adelphia a glare, even if his cheeks tinted pink at the memory of that morning. Yes, they had ended up tangled together. He had also ended up with a gorgeous assassin sitting comfortably in his lap, and thinking back, he definitely should've tried kissing him right then. He had looked so beautiful and adorable, especially sleep-ruffled and smiling. "No," Sláine bit out, trying to pull himself out of the memory. "No, he wasn't scared." He had been laughing, and smiling, and rolling around the bed with the prince as if he had every right to be doing so. "He was—I'd like to say he was happy. If even just for a moment. Calm at least, if not."

Eurion would forever be grateful for Solise, for letting him cuddle her like he was. The assassin leaned back into his mess of pillows, making himself more comfortable. It made it easier to hold the spirit to his chest and it also meant he didn’t have to make eye contact with Aideen. He could feel her gaze, how she was watching for every change in his demeanour and body language, looking for anything that might be telling of what he might be thinking, what Eurion wasn’t saying out loud in regards to her questions. As much as her gaze had been soft before it still felt judgemental, in a way, but he just hoped that it came down to Aideen being a bastard rather than her judging what he was saying.

But could he believe Sláine? Eurion chewed on his lip and took longer to respond than he had been, sitting in the near silence. On one hand, Sláine had lied to him before, about when it came to how much sleep he had gotten, that he was okay, what’s to say he wouldn’t lie about it when he came to them? And the Gods had shown Eurion what he believed to be the truth of the witches death - with no memory to lead from he could only presume it was truth even if Aideen had protested. But Sláine… Sláine, he knew, wasn’t like the Gods, deep down he knew it. He was calming and comforting, made him properly smile and laugh and no one else had drawn those from him other than his friends. It was a difficult spot to be in, and it made things all the more complicated, “I think…” Eurion started, “I think maybe I would. Maybe.” It was the best he could do.

Adelphia raised a brow at Sláine and gave him a look that conveyed that he had just proven her point and was looking very smug about it, “So you don’t have to know, Sláine. It comes in the moment, and you’ve just proved that you can help him. Cara and I were never able to make hm look calm, let alone happy after a visit. You just being there, listening, taking in the situation and reacting accordingly is all you need to be doing.”

Aideen might've been judgemental, but she was also mildly uncomfortable with the topic. This was basically her brother in law they were talking about. She really didn't want to know all the intimate things about Sláine's relationship with Eurion because they were personal and not things she could even tease him about. So her attention on the assassin was purely to see when she was pushing too far, like right now, and when she needed to revert her questions back away from the issue to give Eurion more time to think. Give him more things to consider when facing the Gods' lie.

The guard sat back and resumed tossing the ring. "When you think of his hands, what do you think of?" Her question was out of left field, but she now had a strategy. "Him hurting you?" Association. If she could just get him to think about all the things about Sláine that were good, distract from the false memory long enough for him to apply everything he knew about the prince to it, then she would call it a success—and scrub her mind of every answer Eurion gave. As a sort of olive branch, and return of the favor, she gave an answer of her own. "I think of valleys and rivers that I can trace." Aideen spread out her own hand, as if she could imagine Caoimhe's. "His palm against mine. How rough they can be, but how gentle they are with me." Most of the time.

Sláine made a noise of strangled frustration and pointed at Adelphia as he started pacing again. "Don't look so smug; nothing happened." Then he sighed and started gesturing aimlessly, trying to get his point across without actually talking, because he couldn't seem to get the right words out. "It's not that. It's not an inability to comfort him or this situation right now. I don't want to be there to patch him up after every visit. I want there to be no visits. I want them gone from his life. Do you get that?" Sláine rounded on Adelphia, and even if he was trying not to raise his voice or lose it, his voice was breaking and the pain was back as he looked at her, as if pleading for her to understand him. "I want to help. I want to understand… understand why this shit is happening to him because it's not right and I just—if they're so worried about me, why can't I do anything to protect the one person that I would give everything for?"

Eurion sighed through his nose, "Well, not until…" Not until yesterday, not until the Gods had shown him what his prince had done to the witch and then manipulated the scenario until it was Eurion in that position and on the other end of Sláine's magic.

But it wasn't the first thing he thought of when he thought about his prince's hands. It was the way that he had been so gentle with him on that first night, how in the morning he had placed his hand on his cheek and traced the circles that lay underneath them. How his hands fit against his waist when he had been on top of the prince, or tangled in Eurion's hair in the inn, had found other places to touch that had felt too damned good. Even though Sláine's hands were able to conjure up the magic that he was afraid of, it wasn't what he first thought of, "I think of how they fit with mine," He settled upon a moment later, "How even though his are smaller they still fit, like two puzzle pieces." How he could feel both the strength behind those hands as well as know that they would be gentle with Eurion when he needed it.

Adelphia's gaze softened a little at the prince's tone, "You and Eurion being mates I doubt they planned for," She started, "If they knew that you were they wouldn't have sent him specifically to kill you because it would be a lot less complicated. Eurion is, unfortunately, just a by-product of the fact that they are trying to get to you and Caoimhe. It gives them someone else to use against you both, you specifically because they know that you would do anything for him. It's ingrained in both of you, to protect, and the fact that you can't is exactly what they would be looking for."

Anything to manipulate the twins into doing what they want and need, into making sure that they came out on top, "I don't know how the visits will stop. The only way would be to break the bond between them. Then they would be gone." She could only hope.

Aideen hoped that Sláine couldn't hear their conversation, because a quick flash of pity for her friend flared up when Eurion admitted to being afraid of the prince hurting him. She'd have to address that later. But right now, Aideen bit her smile back when Eurion finally answered. She had a feeling he was taking so long to answer the questions because he was thinking of plenty of other things, and finding one answer to settle on. Which was good, that he had so many things to sort through, but it was funny to her. Another question popped into her mind. "What's one thing that he does that you love? Not what he's like, but a behavior."

It was probably a stretch, given they hadn't been together long, but Sláine could be a simple creature sometimes and develop habits in no time. Especially if they were in regards to a person, and if they elicited desired responses, he was bound to keep doing it. But she knew there were general things that he did, and Aideen was both curious as to what Eurion had picked up on, and wanted him to think of how the prince acted. Internally, she begged the assassin to stop believing the Gods and start putting the pieces together that she was trying to hand him. Gather all of those memories and answers to her questions, and put them next to the singular incident that he hadn't even witnessed himself.

Sláine spat out rapid-fire curses, all in a tangle of languages from worlds beyond their own. The intensity of his desperation, his frustration and anger at himself, caused Solise to perk her head up and look in his direction, despite the curtain blocking her view. The prince crumpled to the floor, back against the couch, and rested his forehead on his thumbs, hands clasped together as if praying to any divine entity that would listen to him. "But there's no known way to break the bond, so that's back to square one."

He breathed a laugh that lacked humor. "Not like it would help my case any." Who else would be able to break a bond created by the Gods than someone with similar magic? Eurion would certainly think that way, if he carried the fear with him. No matter what he thought of, his own fears of Eurion's rejection and his inability to do anything rolled over everything like angry thunderclouds. He couldn't win.

Love? The word choice had Eurion frowning, well, it was more of a pout than anything else, but either way, it was a strange word to use. He liked a lot of what Sláine did, but he didn't know if he loved them. He could see himself growing to love them, the habits even though they had only been together for a few days. From the way his prince always seemed to want to press closer to him when they were walking, subtle enough to show that he wanted to be right there but not enough to give away the nature of their relationship. Not that it mattered anymore considering that everyone knew. Fuck, Cara had been certain of it before he had mentioned it to Sláine and that wasn't exactly how he had wanted that conversation to go. It was too late to change that now, but that wasn't what he was supposed to be thinking about.

"I-" Eurion didn't know how to answer for a moment. His mind was conjuring up a solid list of behaviours that he liked about Sláine. From how when they cuddled together his prince let him hide away in his chest and ran his hands through his hair to calm him. When he noticed he was in pain he made sure to check in with him, or when he saw that Eurion wasn't taking care of himself correctly he was stubborn in pushing him to make sure he was okay. How he leaned into Eurion's touches like a cat whenever he found his hands on his face or in his hair, or the pet names that he called him, that had come up so quickly after meeting, "I love how he tends to not use my name when we're talking, it's always a- a pet name. I guess it just… makes me feel… not loved but, special."

Adelphia sat up straight, leaning closer to Sláine. She was tempted to give him a knock round the head so he would stop being so negative. She understood that he wanted to help Eurion, to be there and stop the pain, stop the Gods from hurting him but giving up before they even started to try and get things fixed wasn't going to help the issue. It also didn't help that the prince didn't believe that Eurion could differentiate his magic from the Gods, "Then you find a fucking way you idiot," Addie nudged him with her foot, though it was more of a kick than anything, "Just because there isn't a known way doesn't mean there isn't. If you really want to help him then you find a way, you confront whatever God you have to to get there but simply wallowing in this bubble of self-doubt and pity is not going to get you anywhere. It is certainly not going to get Eurion back, either."