forum Pheasant Brook (O/O with Icarus!)

Started December 12, 2019 by @GoblinKing

tune

Connor kept sketching. He was still working on the drawing of Wilhelm.

Wilhelm slid down on his bed, head propped up on the headboard. He continued to read, now laying down on top of his blankets.

Connor kept sketching, firming up the lines and working to get everything right.

Wilhelm lay partially curled up on his bed, turning the page and continuing to read. He yawned, running a hand down his face.

Connor kept sketching, starting to add a little shading.

“..This man’s writing is infuriating.” Wilhelm groaned, shutting his book. “He’s so.. what’s the word..? He believes that a man in power- in this case, a prince- doesn’t have to be a good person, just.. manipulative and aggressive.” He huffed, rubbing his eyes.

Connor looked up, eyebrows knitting together. "What? Oh my god, tha'…" he frowned. "Tha'…tha's no' righ'." he said slowly.

“I’m fully aware, Connor, but clearly this man has no clear sense of right and wrong, because he goes on to say that the prince’s common people are essentially sheep and will go along with most anything that still benefits their interests- note, of course, that he says when taking over a principality, one must use extreme force to beat the people down instead of gentle, because in that case they can fight back.” Wilhelm ranted, sitting back up and speaking with his hands now. “This man, Machiavelli, is dead and cold in the ground, but still, I feel that that is not punishment enough for what he has said.”

Connor looked away for a moment at that, thinking of his uncle's fists. He swallowed, then looked at Wilhelm again, nodding a little. "Yeah. Ah get it." he said softly.

“He’s fucking vile, in my opinion.” Wilhelm huffed, picking his book back up. “What’s worse is that this is a political treatise, it was written for one specific man in power.”

Connor scoffed under his breath. "Jesus." he muttered. "Tha's…damn it. Who?" he asked, looking at Wilhelm.

“Ah, let me see..” Wilhelm checked around in some marked pages. “Ah- here you go: Lorenzo de' Medici. Italian, just like Niccolò himself.”

"Yuck." Connor made a face. "Wonder if my uncle's read that." he muttered under his breath, shaking his head a little bit.

Wilhelm looked at Connor with a concerned look on his face, his head tilted. “What was that?”

"Ah. Nothing." Connor shook his head again. "Ah'm just…talkin' t' m'self. Nothin' for yeh ta worry about."

Wilhelm frowned, the concerned expression not fading away any more. “Are you sure?”

Connor nodded. "I'm sure." he replied, accent fading away for a moment. He swallowed softly, shaking his head a little.

“..Alright. I won’t pry.” Wilhelm raised his palms up, wondering if it was something that he said that made Connor’s attitude switch so quickly.

Connor bit his lip. "It isn't yer fault. Sorry. Ah just…" he shrugged his shoulders a little, looking down. "Shit. Just shit, tha's all."

“No, no, it’s alright. Don’t apologize.” Wilhelm said gently, leaning forward to Connor. “You don’t need to be sorry. I understand what you’re saying, I think.”

Connor shrugged his shoulders a little bit. Pull out of it. You're safe. You aren't in danger. He swallowed. "Alrigh'."

“If you ever need to talk, though, you know I’ll listen, don’t you?” Wilhelm asked, head still slightly tilted. I care for you. He wanted to tack that on so badly, but he knew it would come off too strong.

Connor nodded slightly. "Yeah. Thanks. This jus'…isnae somethin' tha' ah'm comfortable wi' sharin' jus' yet."

He nodded. “Of course. Don’t do anything that you’re not comfortable with.” Wilhelm chewed on his knuckle a bit, looking away towards his book.

Connor nodded a little, swallowing. "Alrigh'. Thanks." He replied softly.