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Lisa Stone had humiliated him.
Tempted to the flame for the hopes of his Outcasts, only to be burned by the spotlight as the slow destruction of his home was brought forward. A cracked moon, one spoken to be caused of a curse. A curse of a moth… To a flame. And while the claims were beyond his control as a child born under a bad omen, how could he have stopped it? Let alone, how could a single baby cause so much destruction?
But all the same, Lisa’s words could not leave Seer’s mind. How he has done nothing but sing praise to his Outcasts, but never uttered a word for a home he claims to be so dear to him. He could be putting all his time and efforts into helping the people of his home deal with hunger or their collapsing homes, helping displaced families… But instead? Instead he has been sprouting inspirational phrases and spending his time fighting in blood sports for a sense of feeling alive.
Seer sighed as he listened to the interview on repeat that had been uploaded to the internet. He hated to feel so defeated, so backed into a corner… And he hated to see himself so choked up. He was always so cool and collected, and for what? To freeze up in an interview because he was put on the spot? It was shameful. He hit play once more as he moved about his room, pausing to look at himself in the mirror of his vanity table while Lisa’s words rang out to him. Ah, so you see yourself above the criticism? Seer closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath as he couldn’t see those damned eyes of his in his reflection, hands gripping the sides of his vanity as he tried to calm the storm of his mind.
Obi?
A voice accompanied by a knock at his door, the artist opening his eyes to look over as he waited for any more words to giveaway who was there. “Are you available to speak for a moment?” The metallic voice all too familiar questioned behind the door, Seer letting out a shaky breath he didn’t know he was even holding. “Blódhundr? Ah, yes, just a moment.” Seer calmly replied as he took a few more breaths to relax, taking out his earbuds and locking his phone to instead move over to his door and open it a crack.
Bloodhound was standing on the other side in their general pose- arms crossed over their chest like they were a disappointed parent or something. It was something Seer offhandedly teased them for once or twice, just to make the hunter sputter out of embarrassment. “Is there something you need?” Seer questioned them with a tilt of his head, Bloodhound’s red goggles practically staring holes through him. “I would like to enter your room to speak more of it, if you allow it. I prefer the privacy.” Their voice was calm and unbothered, Seer merely answering them with a nod and moving aside to allow Bloodhound to enter. The moment Bloodhound passed the doorframe, they reached behind him to push the door closed, their other hand moving to his face, and wipe away a stray tear from his face that he wasn’t aware escaped his eyes.
“Obi- stjarnan mín - you have been avoiding me.” The hunter spoke soft with their metallic voice, their other hand moving to cup his other cheek as their thumb rubbed gently under his eye “You have been distant since that interview. I.. Missed watching it, I will regretfully admit, but I have heard nothing but ill word about you. What happened?” It was almost like magic- how their gentle hands and soft words caused all of Seer’s walls to break down, more tears escaping his eyes as his own hands reaching up to rest against their own as his lip quivered. “I was not.. They did not tell me what was going to happen. At least they were not honest about it. I was told it was a simple interview about my work in the games, but.. It was, in reality, something more personal than that.” His voice cracked from his sorrow, following the gentle leading of his partner as they urged him to sit on the edge of his bed, Bloodhound promptly sitting next to him and holding his hands tight in their own. “Did it pertain to the way you are considered a.. ‘Curse’? What you had told me about a few months ago?” Their question had Seer quietly, responding with a meek nod as the hunter uttered some quiet Icelandic. Some swears, maybe? Ill word towards Lisa Stone? Seer wasn’t sure, learning Icelandic was a slow process between him and Bloodhound. Seer took a shaky breath as he leaned into Bloodhound’s hand that moved to wipe his face clear of tears once more, eyes closing as he sniffed “She had made it clear how I have made no effort to help my home, or the inhabitants of it. Instead of.. Making tangible change for a means of food or construction, I spit out pointless poetry to my supporters and boast on a meaningless stange.” The words spit out like venom as Seer felt nothing but shame inside himself, wishing he had realized this sooner in his life and actions instead of push further into.. Whatever this was.
“Obi,” Bloodhound gently started, tilting their head at Seer in curiosity “Am I understanding she is holding you accountable for the state of your home?” The question... Almost hit like a punch from Rampart to the gut, a wince from Seer as he looked away from Bloodhound. They made no attempt to force his gaze back upon them, merely sitting in silence for an answer they may never get. “...Well. She is in line with the rest of Boreas-” “And they are all wrong.” Bloodhound interrupted, at least in a polite seeming way, the hunter gently pushing his hat up that had sunk into his face and brushing his hair a bit to the side “You have done nothing to warrant the collapse of Boreas. You were merely born, albeit under a bad omen- but there is no proof any of it was you. Omen or not, you are now a gipt given to the world by the Gods. To your family, your friends, and to myself. You are doing nothing in life but living.” Their reassurance was sang with praise, Seer letting out a bit of a scoff to their kindness “And what of my actions? I could have tried to help Boreas at all. But I have not.”
“You could have been trying all this time to help Boreas, yes. You care so much for so many people who do not see the beauty and change you bring. It is never to late to try and help your people, but with what you have told me on their stance of you, I believe it should be taken in.. Slow steps. Not confident strides.” Bloodhound’s voice still was so gentle and soft towards him, despite all of Seer’s emotions, none of it seemed to break their resolve. “But…” Seer tried, his words trying to think of more ways he has done nothing but disappoint, a gentle finger pressing against his lips “I am sorry to stop you, but there are no buts to this. You are merely a man, you cannot bare the weight of such a burden on your own shoulders. Not something you did not cause.” “You are almost more of a poet than I, Blódhundr.” He weakly joked, the words getting a laugh out of Bloodhound “Poets stick together, is that not the way it works?” They returned with a joke of their own, Seer sputtering a laugh despite the tears he still felt near ready to cry.
Silence was between them for a moment. Just the two of them sitting with each other, gentle touches of affections for reassurance as they just quietly enjoyed each other’s company. Usually Seer would break this silence between them, but this time, it was Bloodhound who had. “Do remember that time ago when you first joined the games? And we had first found ourselves fighting on Storm Point?” They questioned, Seer raising a brow in confusion but confirming with a nod “Yes. The tropical weather is not a favorite of mine.” The droned out words brought a smile to Bloodhound- one not seen, but heard in their voice as they continued. “Talos has been struggling with Hammond’s mining efforts. We had barely known each other at the time, but you had offered me kind words in a dark time. I was struggling with an internal battle, but you offered me so many words to encourage me to continue my fight. You insisted how I had more to do, and that if I was still here, the Gods must be willing for my survival as I continued to stand above through it all. What was built, can be rebuilt. Though it will not always be the same. And more poetically, if my memory serves right, you told me that not even a moon was promised to the sky. I held those words close in my heavy heart.” “B-Blódhundr-” Seer stuttered out, the words making his gentle heart flutter with love. “Your moon is not promised to Boreas. The safety of both our home planets are no longer guaranteed. We cannot dwell in who is responsible- merely we must focus on our present actions. What we can do for who is left, and for what may remain of our home. As you have helped me with Talos, Obi, I would like to offer my full assistance in your journey for Boreas.”
Seer sat himself up straight a bit, his face moving free from Bloodhound’s gloved hands caressing his skin “No- Blódhundr, do not take my words harshly, but you are working tirelessly for your people. They have been nothing but kind to me every time I have come to help. I cannot ask you to help me with Boreas while you have your own hands full.” He could not handle that guilt on his mind if anything happened to Talos because Bloodhound was distracted with his own burdens. “It would be of no trouble. My people are working hard, and fast, to get to a new home. Your home is suffering like mine, but we work as fast as we may. I am merely there as your support, it will be all your effort. As you assist me in helping the people of Talos who are nothing but grateful.” Bloodhound reasoned with his demons so easily, speaking from such a deep experience of suffering that Seer finally gave them a smile, despite how sad it may have seen. “ Daalụ, ịhụnanya m. Thank you, thank you… You always know what to say, you know?” He said while holding Bloodhound’s hands close to his chest, the hunter leaning forward to press their mask gently against his lips. A kiss with their mask- Seer affectionately called it ‘kissing their snoot’. It was something Bloodhound found incredibly endearing. “As do you, Obi. You know how to heal ones soul just as readily as I may seem to. To heal, Mr. Edolasim…” Bloodhound spoke teasingly, Seer rolling his eyes a bit with a snort from his lover calling them mister of all things. “...Is quite simple. You have to get to the root of the wound…” The hunter spoke slow, gently taking back one of their hands to remove their mask, their other hand slowly lifting up Seer’s arm. “...Then? You must kiss it all the way up.” “Oh- no, do not-” Seer tried to plead with a nervous smile, Bloodhound kissing up his arm with a mere hum reply as Seer tried weakly to wiggle away “No. I know what you are doing. You are not trapping me in this again.”
“Trap you?” Bloodhound repeated, a kiss to his wrist as their goggles met his eyes “No, no, my dear prey. I have hunted you.” “Oh. That is disgustingly sweet.” Seer teased, Bloodhound smiling before poking Seer in the stomach with the artist finally wiggling away from them “I mean it! This is not becoming another tickle fight with me crying from laughter!” He snorted out, Bloodhound laughing and wrapping their arms around his waist loosely “Alright, alright.. No tickles. But allow me to kiss you elsewhere?” They questioned, Seer smiling with blush tinting his cheeks as he sighed from his nose with a slight chuckle “That I will allow.” The second he gave the permission, he received a soft kiss to his lips from Bloodhound, his own lips gently returning the gesture as his own arms wrapped around the hunter.
“I love you, Obi Edolasim. I will be here to support you every step of your journey.” They eventually spoke against his lips as Bloodhound moved away, Seer giving them one quick kiss before replying to their words.
“And I you, Blódhundr. Thank you. For everything.” Seer quietly replied, before their lips met once more for another loving kiss