IC; Duplicity Inbox

[redrighthanded]

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[redrighthanded]

Paranormal investigator. [ Hellboy says it like someone might describe themselves as a lawyer or a farmer, then realises he might have to explain it a bit further. ]

When people get into spooky stuff they can't explain -- ghosts, monsters, vampires, things like that -- I help them out. I used to be part of an agency that took care of it. [ His expression goes a little dark and distant. ] Now I'm mostly.. freelance.

[massrez]

[ The way he says it, the way his eyes sudden lose focus as if seeing something long past, Anduin doesn't need to ask for clarification. Something happened, something terrible, and it does little good to bring it back to the fore simply to satisfy his curiosity. ]

That would certainly explain having a collection of holy relics lying about. But it sounds a very noble cause.

[redrighthanded]

[ Another shallow shrug. ]

Sometimes. Sometimes it's just survival. [ He eyes Anduin thoughtfully, able to give it a bit more care now they're past the most uncomfortable stuff. ] You're -- what? A healer? Medic?

[massrez]

A priest.

[ Among other things, less important in the moment. ]

I understand the word has different connotations elsewhere. In Azeroth, it is someone who channels the Light through faith. A healer, a shield, and a source of guidance to the people.

[redrighthanded]

[ Hellboy's eyebrows go up, an interested expression on his face. He's met plenty of priests, but very few who have acted like Anduin. ]

A shield. [ That he remembers, rather literally. ] That something you choose? Or does it just happen?

[massrez]

There can be a natural affinity for the Light, but to become a priest in full takes training and study. It is one of the fundamental forces that shapes our world. Calling upon it is no easy thing.

[ But it lingers around him, ambiently. Even now. ]

My father would have much preferred I trained as a warrior, as he did. But the world has more than enough people willing to fight with force. I thought I could offer more than that. Even here, that remains my hope.

[redrighthanded]

[ That glow isn't difficult to miss, little motes of light floating around him like he's been gilded by the sun. ]

Tough place for that. [ Hellboy covers the darkening of his expression by taking a swig from his beer. Here's a guy trying his best to stay away from having to use violence, and he'd run himself onto the end of his sword like a boar being spitted. ]

[massrez]

[ Anduin's smile is small, but resolute. ]

All the more reason to try.

[ All the more reason to be here now. To prove that because it's difficult doesn't mean it isn't worth it to reach that hand out anyway, to someone who needs it just as much if not more. ]

[redrighthanded]

[ The little smile is heartbreaking. Hellboy takes a breath. ]

You're a good kid. [ He turns his beer bottle around between his fingertips, fidgeting with it. ] I can see why Jacob likes you so much.

[massrez]

[ Silently considering that few things make one sound more childlike than insisting how much they are not, in fact, a child, Anduin instead takes another sip of his beer.

Though at the mention of Jacob, he brightens considerably. ]

He's a good soul. One of the first I met here upon my arrival, and I'll forever be grateful for that.

[redrighthanded]

Yeah, he is. [ A flicker of a smile crosses Hellboy's roughly hewn expression, then he pauses, thinking over what Anduin's just said. ]

So you haven't been here all that long? [ He sounds a little surprised; Anduin seems so confident, so sure of himself already. ]

[massrez]

A matter of months, in truth.

[ He hears the note of surprise, prompting a curious look of his own. ]

Apparently my new arrival was fairly obvious to some. Is that still not so?

[redrighthanded]

[ Hellboy shrugs, running his thumbnail idly around the neck of his beer bottle. ]

You seem to have it together.

[massrez]

[ At that, Anduin pauses. He takes another, longer drink of his beer, quietly considering the bottle for a moment afterwords before lifting his eyes once more. ]

I learn quickly.

[ There's no alternative, at home. He has to adapt, find a way through, or everything falls apart. As king, he has to take that burden of responsibility.

Here, at least, there are fewer lives on the line. ]

[redrighthanded]

[ Those few words hold a weight that echoes down through the chambers of Hellboy's heart. He doesn't sound like a kid in that moment at all. Regret and sympathy knits lines between Hellboy's brows. ]

Well, like I said. [ He clears his throat. ] I'm sorry if I made that harder.

[massrez]

Please.

[ Brow knitting himself, Anduin reaches across. A rather bold move, perhaps, but there's no hesitation in reaching for Hellboy's hand, laying his fingers gently across the stony knuckles. ]

Do not apologize. As far as I am concerned, there is no cause for it.

[redrighthanded]

[ That hand hasn't got any feeling to it, so Hellboy just watches Anduin's fingers flatten across the warm stone. It's a gesture that means more than the younger man probably intends, when the true purpose of those rocky fingers is taken into account. ]

If I was in your position, I'd've smacked the guy who did that to me across a room. [ He admits it slowly, not proud of his words. ]

[massrez]

Are you saying that because you would, or because you feel I ought to?

[ Lips crooking wryly, Anduin withdraws the touch, fingertips settling against the cool glass of his bottle once more. ]

If making it up to me somehow will ease your conscience, I can think of far better ways.

[redrighthanded]

[ Hellboy doesn't have a good answer to that question, so he grumbles wordlessly instead around a pull from his beer. When Anduin makes his offer, he looks back up at him across the table, eyes narrowing slightly. ]

Like what?

[massrez]

[ He's quiet for a moment longer, clearly thinking about his answer with some measure of deliberation. When his gaze lifts again, it's as solemn as it is earnest. ]

Jacob mentioned that that...wasn't how it was meant to be. Being on that end of things.

He spoke of how gentle you could be.

[redrighthanded]

[ Of everything he's expecting to hear from Anduin, that offer is probably at the bottom of the list, well below 'maybe I can hit you in the face' and 'you need to buy all of my drinks from now on, and also do my laundry'. He blinks, shocked into silence. ]

You.. what do you mean?

[massrez]

[ He hesitates, though not from uncertainty. If anything, he seems to be trying to make certain he says this correctly. ]

I feel if amends are to be made, it could be done by...

[ Replacing the memory of that night with something better. Allowing that night to be the exception rather than the rule. Taking control back, for the both of them.

How to say all that? ]

...by doing things correctly.

[redrighthanded]

Doing things correctly. [ Hellboy repeats the words like he wants to make sure he heard them right, his drink forgotten as he studies Anduin. He's still not used to the idea that anyone wants to do anything like that with him, let alone someone he's already hurt so badly, and in such an intimate way. ]

You'd want to.. uh..

[massrez]

I realize it's not the most orthodox solution.

[ The blond lifts his chin slightly. ]

And it is not a demand. Rather, an offer. The choice should be yours as much as it is mine, given that we were both rather short on choices at the time.

[redrighthanded]

All right.

[ That doesn't feel like the correct answer, but Hellboy can't think of another one. He rubs his jaw uneasily with his fingertips. ]

Can I think about it?