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Walking outside into the cool night air, Julien scans the forest for his missing companion. Occtis had managed to slip out of the cave unnoticed and while he has every right, Julien still doesn’t like the thought of him being out here all alone, especially after everything that’s happened today. The violent specters that make up the boy's family could very well still be looking for them still, making it unwise at best to wander off.
Luckily, Occtis does not seem to have gone very far. Barely viable in the shadows, sitting under a tree just barely a hundred feet away from where Julien has emerged. He tries to make his foot steps louder than he normally would to alert Occtis to his approach which seems to work as Occtis does not startle when Julien draws near. The boy’s glowing eyes focus on Julien as he sits down next to him. They stay silent like this for a few minutes, both looking out towards the lake. In the darkness, Julien’s own shadow is hidden and for that he is more than grateful. Wishing he had taken more wine earlier, Julien itches for another drink. The day has been long and stressful, learning of this curse only made things even worse.
There is a familiar feeling in his chest of knowing he should be happy. They did what they had gone into that forsaken manor to do. The druid was rescued, Alba’s stone was found, but instead of the victory he should feel, it all feels hollow instead. For as much as they gained, they lost a great deal. Three allies died in that house. The information they have learned has led to more questions than answers, and more problems than solutions. Of course Thjazi was in the thick of all of this! He has always been at the center of the worst parts of Julien’s life! That traitor’s machinations refuse to let any of them go, and even if some of what he was doing was a small measure of good, none of them have gotten a choice in any of it. They are running blind with no idea as to what they are facing now.
A sharp noise beside Julien rips the knight from his thoughts. Occtis is wide eyed, clutching his chest again, and in less than a second Julien is acting. Occtis has already taken off his outerwear, leaving him in just a shirt, so that is where Julien starts, quickly undoing the buttons and checking Occtis’s chest.
The boy is clutching over the place his heart should be, and Julien needs the hand out of the way, “Remove your hand, just for the moment.”
There is a grimace on his face, and soft whines are making their way out of Occtis’s mouth with each inhale and exhale, but Occtis complies with Julien’s demand, holding onto his wrist lightly as he makes quick work of the spot, then clutching over the space again. Nothing is visibly wrong, but the dark liquid is spilling from the corner of Occtis’s mouth again. Without thinking, Julien wipes it with his own fingers.
“What is wrong boy?” Julien demands again, tone far too frantic, but the awful expression that Occtis was making is thankfully easing away.
“I don’t- I don’t fully know what that was,” Occtis traces his fingers up his own sternum, and Julien tries not to stare at the vast expanse of olive skin now showing.
Julien tries to steady his own nerves, “At the manor earlier, something similar happened…” he trails off, not knowing how to phrase the myriad of questions rushing through his mind right now, and hopes Occtis can parse what Julien means even if he cannot say it himself.
“When the stone was sundered I assume,” He looks Julien in the eyes as he says it, and only now does he realize just how close they are, one of Julien’s hands still holding Occtis’s shirt, and the other resting on his shoulder, dyeing the fabric underneath his fingers with the dark liquid. Occtis seems to realize in the same moment, eyes darting down the hand on his chest. Pulling himself out of the boy's personal space, Julien cannot help but drag his fingers over the spot Occtis was just clutching, feeling for himself if anything seems off. It doesn’t, the skin smooth and lifeless as it should be, and Occtis does not protest the slight touch.
Looking at Occtis again, Julien tries to remember where they left off beforehand, “So why did it happen again? Did it feel the same?”
The boy is staring at Julien’s stained hand and he feels himself shrink slightly underneath the inspection, “It felt less I think? Like it was an aftershock of what happened earlier. Earlier it hurt a lot worse. I was just surprised is all.”
“So you are ok?” Julien asks.
“I-I think so? It just hurt, but didn't do any damage this time. I hope it won’t be a regular occurrence but I will live,” Occtis pauses at his choice of words, “I will continue on just fine if it does. You don’t have to worry.”
Julien can feel the face he makes as Occtis says the last part, but he does not want to reveal too much. It's better to let the boy think he does not care and that it is not personal, “It is important to me that all of our companions are in good condition for travel. If it continues to bother you, I will help find a solution.”
Rolling his eyes, Occtis huffs out a disbelieving laugh, “Ok Julien, I will keep it in mind,” His eyes flit back to Julien’s fingers and he swallows roughly, “Would- would you help button my shirt back up. My fingers are stiff at the moment.
Nodding, Julien is careful to not steal anymore touches from him. It was rude of him to do so earlier, even if just to ensure that he was ok, Occtis is a lord and Julien is a knight. Even if their relationship was more friendly, it is not appropriate for someone of his station to be so familiar. Instead he pays attention to the task at hand, deftly doing up the buttons, letting himself feel the finery of the shirts silk fabric and the buttons themselves. Julien finds himself fascinated with them, for something so simple, they are of high quality befitting Occtis’s position in the world, the color a subtle off white against the shirt, with slight variations in the color, and delicate engravings, matching the patterns of the boy’s vest.
“What are these made out of?” Julien asks him, unable to stop himself.
Occtis looks momentarily confused before recognition flashes across his sharp features, “Oh! They are rabbit bone!” He exclaims with a smile, then it falters as he glances down and hunches his shoulders, “Sorry, I know it is odd,” Occtis mutters, clearly embarrassed.
“I find it quite interesting. I tend to prefer metal, because it's easy but bone might work better with the leathers I tend to wear. The engravings are a nice touch too, I might have to stop by your tailor the next time we can make it into the city,” Julien reassures.
“Most people don’t like it.”
Julien has finished buttoning the shirt and now grabs the cravat from where it was discarded, and starts affixing it, “I wear mostly leather, if I were to look down upon you for having buttons made of bone, I would be a hypocrite to the highest degree. Plus I don't care much for rabbits anyways.”
Occtis chuckles at that, and Julien finishes with the cravat, fully pulling away now.
“We should head back to the cave shouldn’t we?”
Julien sighs, “Probably.”
He stands, knees cracking as he does so, then offers a hand for Occtis to take, which the boy does, his joints also popping and cracking as he stands.
They walk back to the entrance in a comfortable silence, enjoying the peace the night brings to them. The road will surely be rough, with only the dead shapers knowing what may lay ahead. For now though, they take solace in the small moment of peace. Julien will continue to watch over Occtis, and if he is struck from the pain of his second missing heart again, Julien will be there to help.