trulygifted: (Default)
𝓷𝓲𝓬𝓸. ([personal profile] trulygifted) wrote2020-06-29 08:15 pm

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bloodypath: (I will do it gladly.)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-01-13 05:57 am (UTC)(link)
[Hubert isn't so quick to abandon his mug, sipping slow at it as Nico explains and grateful for the warmth; Enbarr's more temperate climate left him accustomed to mild winters.]

[It's... a surprisingly familiar story, enough so to make a part of him relish in the irony of it. "Church crap" headed by a false preacher and a child left to see to a parent's mistakes...]

[Hubert takes a final, thoughtful sip of his coffee, seemingly unacknowledging of how hot it was and meeting Nico's sheepish smile with a steady look.]


My. That's quite a tale. Your father utilized alchemy to bring monsters into the existence, and so you utilize it to remove those monsters; the world sounds far better off with you walking in your father's stead. [Hubert's tone falls just short of warmth, but it definitely contained some measure of approval.]

Others I know might even go so far to call it noble.
bloodypath: (We could be a couplet of birds)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-01-13 02:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[There's an amused glint in his eyes.] They would call it noble. I call it responsible.

[He could only imagine the grand way Ferdinand would tout the whole "redeeming your family" thing. Hubert had a much quieter and practical view of it. Another sip of his coffee, then he continues.]

House Vestra has always handled the Imperial family's uglier matters since the dawn of the Empire a millennium ago. I've been Lady Edelgard's servant since I was six—quite literally before I can remember.

[His attention turns to the banked fire as he talks, and a gesture of his hand and an effort of magic brought it to life.]

And the war... simply, I am one of its masterminds, alongside Her Majesty. I've spent half my life orchestrating it. [Hubert shakes his head, turning his gaze back to Nico.]

Fódlan has its own demons—one that masquerades in plain sight, and another that lives in the shadows—that have puppeteered it for a thousand years, if not more, and they have conditioned our culture to breed worse monsters in the hearts of men. Though the cost of war is immeasurable, we will excise those demons, swiftly and absolutely. We have seen the worst of what their guidance has wrought, and it is a madness Lady Edelgard and I could tolerate no longer.
bloodypath: (I'm merely trying not to frighten you.)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-01-13 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[He doesn't consider it rude if it's enough to draw a wan smile from him. ]

That is because I am her retainer, not her butler, and still a noble in my own right. House Vestra is unique amoung the great houses for many reasons - our servile relationship to House Hresvelg one of them.

[There's something in the way Nico bites her lip that lulls Hubert to a patient silence. But whatever she'd been considering seems to have passed, and a fleeting worry in the back of his head with it. ]

I simply have a different area of expertise. While others were following their parents to learn a trade, I followed my father to the palace to learn governance and subterfuge. If you asked me to forge a weapon, I wouldn't know where to begin.
bloodypath: (Seems it's my turn to not understand.)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-01-13 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[The silence that follows truly is comfortable. The revived fire is doing its best to remove the remaining chill from the room and the conversation is pleasant and coffee a familiar comfort... It's perhaps the most at ease he's felt since the severance of his Bonds. His gaze turns to the fire in idle thought; this late, it would be polite to invite Nico to dine with him and Leslie, but did he have the supplies for unexpected company?]

[Instead, his train of thought is derailed by Nico's offer; it seems "coffee" did mean literal coffee by the rare expression of plain surprise on his face.]

[Hubert clears his throat after a shocked second, his gaze briefly flickering aside before returning to Nico's face. ]


--Yes, it was... pleasant. I...

[He's been approached before. Of course he has; an heir to a great house was still an heir, even if Vestra was considering settling. All shallow things he had no interest or time for - but here, there was no status, no politics, no war, no... complications.]

[It's okay to want something, floats in the back of his head.]

[After a long moment of consideration, Hubert slowly sets his cup down. He wasn't sure if the heat in his ears was from the fireplace or a flush.]


I... would like that.

[His voice isn't as smooth as it usually was, but wasn't exactly timid. Still, this was beyond him in so many ways, so beyond his usual areas of comfort. ]
bloodypath: (I did what has to be done.)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-01-14 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
[For all his hesitancy, Hubert subtly leans into the touch at his jaw and heeds every little tug and press to reposition him. It's a simple thing, that touch, just like Nico's touch to his wrist prior in the evening, but almost overwhelming in its own way; touch was rare enough for Hubert, something he'd only had with his Bonded for cycling magic, and the feeling of skin against his face warmed something instinctual and touch-starved in him. The first fleeting kiss is just as warming, just as enticing.]

Nor do I, [Hubert murmurs back. This close, separated by just a breath, it seemed almost criminal to speak any louder—even if Hubert's surprised he can hear himself over the thundering of his heart. His right hand remains on the couch cushion; his left hovers uncertainly, trapped between them and the back of the seat.]

[He can't help but lean slighter into the gentle weight of Nico hand, the press of her lips. It's here Hubert feels the raw lack of his own experience, a yawning void depriving him of a way to express his reciprocation. Hubert's left hand tentatively settles on Nico's wrist, featherlight, and it's the best he can do to carefully mimic each little motion of Nico's mouth.]
bloodypath: (Respectfully I decline.)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-01-15 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
[That little lick catches him by complete surprise, and elicits a barely audible noise on his next breath. It's something Hubert knows about—he's happened across too many trysts while skulking about in streets or the academy's grounds at untimely hours of the night—but it's another thing entirely to be on the receiving end of the warm, wet sensation for the first time, and it draws a little color into his cheeks.]

[...Not unpleasant, but something that certainly would take getting used to.]

[Hubert's hand settles just as feather-light against Nico's waist as it had at her wrist—but something changes subtly in his eyes at her addendum, settling into a look marginally more solid. Just as Nico guessed, his gloved hand rests complete against the curve of her waist, and his other hand ventures so far as to settle atop her knee.]


Very well, [He rumbles, thumb brushing idly against her leg from where it rested. It's not an especially bold move by anyone's standards but Hubert's, but it was made all the easier by the request. Swimming in so much uncertainty, having a clear idea of at least something Nico wanted grounded him.]

[He presses into this kiss easier—perhaps still far from confidant, but he relaxes into the warm pressure of Nico's mouth and the enticing touch of her hand, his own sliding from her waist to her back as Hubert shifts closer. ]
bloodypath: (Seems it's my turn to not understand.)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-01-26 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
[That fact that Nico seemed to be walking him through each step of... this wasn't lost on him. Every motion was one bit of information, introducing something subtly different after Hubert adjusted. He's grateful for Nico's insight; her gradual introduction bordered on overwhelming as it was, and the practice (was there any other word for it?) she allowed him along the way lent itself to a growing ease. Hubert presses slightly more in to the slide of her lips, the tease of her teeth, starting to (experimentally) meet rather than react. The hand atop Nico's knee leaves to fold over the hand splayed against his chest. Even through his glove, even through his shirt, there was... something delightfully warm in the gesture that left the skin underneath tingling, enough to identify the simple fact that he liked it.]

[But if his cheeks weren't warmed before, they certainly were after Nico's request. They were certainly running up on the boundary of what Hubert was comfortable with at this juncture (the impropriety of this, in the living room for Goddess' sake), but... he couldn't particularly say he wanted it to stop just yet, either. There was a companionship in this he'd never had the luxury of; as much as Hubert played at being made of stone, he was very much human, and the touch-starved part of him was reluctant to let go.]

[But, Goddess, if that wasn't a request. Hubert has to clear his throat before words would work.]


If that is what you want, [he acquiesces with small nod, and after a beat, readjusts to lean against the back of the sofa.]
bloodypath: (We could be a couplet of birds)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-01-28 01:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Hubert does not fidget as Nico slides into his lap, and aside from the flush in his face, he might've been seated a rather mundane event with the absence of nerves from his expression. Still, Hubert's heart beats quickly under Nico's hand as it slides across his chest, Hubert subtly leaning into the gesture, and he folds quite easily into her embrace as one of his arms wrap about her lower back in return.]

[He's learning, both in technique and to be more comfortable. Compared to how he'd kissed her the first time, Hubert almost melts into the next one. There's an incredible warmth in this even with the fire discounted, far more than he would have expected from another's body heat alone. It's easy to bask in as Nico rambles between meetings, his free hand coming to rest easily on Nico's elbow.]

[What did he want?]

[Hubert doesn't answer immediately. While Nico might be a sexually-minded creature, he very much wasn't. It's unlike him to get caught up in any sort of indulgence, and part of Hubert wondered if he was trying to distract himself from the pain of his severed Bonds—though, he was undeniable fond of Nico, perhaps even so far as charmed.]

[Another kiss, then Hubert's forehead comes to rest gently against hers.]
Your companionship is more than enough, [Hubert rumbles, and in all honesty, it's true. This was a flurry of new experiences for him, after all, and company granting a reprieve from his newfound, constant loneliness was nice enough.] But... should anything cross my mind, I will voice it.
bloodypath: (Honestly... this is terrible.)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-02-02 02:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[He could get lost in this. Nico could feel him relaxing under her circling fingertips and her lips; something so very enticing in the subtle softness of that kiss left a desire to sit here and kiss like that the rest of the night. Hubert's better with pressure and the slide of his lips, and feeling comfortable enough to give back into that warmer press.]

[...Until Nico makes that soft noise that he enjoys a little too much. Hubert breaks apart, not far, taking a moment to swallow and catch his breath. The world filters back to him, the fire and the room and having a lady in a rather compromising position in his lap.]


I... should mention that Leslie is upstairs, [Hubert murmurs into their shared space, still pleasantly distracted by the motions on the back of his neck.] I expect she'll be coming down for dinner soon.
bloodypath: (We could be a couplet of birds)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-02-02 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[If there was room for any more heat in his face, he would have flushed a little. It's... tempting, more than it should be, and the fond little gesture makes a good argument. Hubert acknowledges the bump by touching their foreheads again.]

[But he couldn't shirk this responsibility. Hubert takes a breath before adding,]
I cook for her. She's thirteen.
bloodypath: (How can I show my face after this?)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-02-02 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[Nico scuttles away with speed enough to leave him looking startled. For as unaccustomed to contact as Hubert was, the sudden lack of it was... stark.]

[And though he doesn't flinch, the sharp use of his name strikes deeper than Hubert expected it would. After a beat, he finds the words. ]


I hadn't meant to upset you. [He stands, but to turn to Nico and offer her a formal bow, hand folded across his chest. ] That was my own egregious lack of insight. I'm sorry.
Edited (Holy typos batman) 2021-02-02 18:44 (UTC)
bloodypath: (A word of caution.)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-02-03 02:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I failed to mention an important consideration. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.

[I never would've— sticks in his mind, right beside a pang of guilt for putting her in that situation. To say that it was a little awkward was perhaps an understatement, but they certainly tried their best to power through it. Hubert tucks his hands behind his back as he nods, a little surprised by his own flicker of disappointment.]

Of course. You are welcome to dine with us, as well—though I understand if you'd rather not contend with heavier snowfall. And... [He takes a quiet breath.] Thank you, for inviting me out. I enjoyed myself.

[The best he could, anyways, with his affliction. Hubert wasn't unaware of Nico's recent attempts to lift his spirits.]
bloodypath: (Respectfully I decline.)

[personal profile] bloodypath 2021-02-03 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[Some part of this still felt surreal. But Nico continued to look at him warmly, and the gentle grape of her hand did more than he expected to ease his misstep. He smiles wanly back, and goes so far as to return the squeeze after a moment. ]

If I haven't managed to dissuade you yet, then yes, I would like that.