View source for A Talk About Zero

The wind whistles by on the deck of a well-outfitted airship, the clouds whistling by. It's misty up here, and the ship flies through the edge of an occasional cloud, leaving droplets of chill water on _everything_. Still, the flight is uneventful, if cold, and Lheo has found himself a relatively sheltered spot in the lee of the wind that rushes past the deck. He's exchanged his damaged robes for a warm winter-weight, woolen robe in a deep, rich burgundy color that contrasts with and sets off the deeper green eyes, and now sits on a cargo box with the ochre robe in his lap, his sheep-brown cloak pulled around him. The hood is down, letting the wind ruffle his air. 

Since their conversation in the inn room, he seems to have relaxed a good deal and been much more his usual self, less tense, and less talkative as well, and he now applies himself to his task with his usual focus, that task being a small spell to mend the knife cut in the front of his robes. It has already been cleaned, and this, it appears, would be the last step.

Since their talk the other night, Theo has been somewhat more at ease as well, but perhaps not entirely back to his usual temperament. The paladin took it upon himself to scour the entire airship - that he had been allowed to scour - and didn't get a good restful sleep the night before.

Still, he has - like his brother - swapped out his usual summer-weight tunic for a winter one. Perhaps in deference to the fact that his brother had done so, or perhaps because it was old military habit. He spots Lheo at a distance, taking in the burgundy color of his robes, and his intent look before making his way toward the other man. He doesn't say anything in greeting just yet though, not wanting to break the wizard's concentration.

The paladin has seen Lheo do this before, and slowly but surely, each individual cut thread seals itself back up, one by one and two by two. It is a slow and painstaking process, but it is quite interesting to watch. At length, the gash closes, sealing itself away as if it has never been, and he releases the spell, looking up with a quirk of the lips. Quite clearly, he'd been aware of Theo's presence, but hadn't diverted the attention required to acknowledge or speak. 

"That's the last of it," he greets, folding the sleeves back on the robe and tucking them in. "Good as new. As well, that fabric wasn't cheap, and I liked the look. You look like you still haven't had enough sleep."

Theo grunts in reply, but nods in approval to his brother's skill with the spell that he's seen before. "It might surprise you, but the idea that a... fiend is overly interested in us made for a restless night." He sighs and shrugs. "I'll be alright. Just couldn't get the thought out of my head you know?" He's sure that Lheo will understand.

The look that Lheo fixes Theo with might as well have _you're not kidding_ written on it. "Yes. I know all too well. I've been studying, you know, ever since it happened. Trying to understand how it happened." He folds the robe in half, and half again, on his lap. "In case you were curious, Lhamneris is an azata. They're one of the ranks of celestials. He won't hurt either of us, though I've no idea why he followed us all the way here." A snort of laughter. "Quickie wedding? Is that what you said at the front door to get them to open it?"

"I'll be glad if you figure it out." Theo says seriously, giving a small shudder at the thought of a fiendish anything having interest in them. He nods just as seriously at the information about Lhamneris. "I was curious, but it seemed rude to ask. I take it he's one of Tarien's flock."

Then Lheo brings up the mission and Theo colors slightly. "You know I'm a terrible liar Lheo. It was the best I could think of on short notice." He snorts. "What was I supposed to do? Pretend that _Zero_ was a door-to-door salesman? Much less me in my armor?"

This time, a snicker that is perilously close to a giggle escapes Lheo. "No wonder he was so amused. Yes, he mentioned the Coyote, so that's best guess is he's one of Tarien's flock." The laughter has even reached the green eyes, which sparkle with mischief. "Why brother, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were telling me the truth about wanting to get married to Zero. Is it true, then? You _do_ like him?"

Theo snorts at Lheo's giggle, his own lips twisting into a smile. It _was_ funny after all. "I was going to ask you something similar." Theo turns slightly, leaning against the nearest available surface. "You seem to like him... or at least you're more comfortable with him than you are with most people."

A curious gaze. "How do you feel about him Lheo?" It was rather notably - not - an answer.

Lheo's smirk fades, and he shakes his head. "Zerthos is a friend, Theo. He was there when I needed him, and he's a good enough sort, but I don't want what's in his trousers, if that's what you're asking." one bony hand fiddles with the edge of fabric, his short hair ruffling a little as a gust of wind goes by. "I can't think of anyone I really want that way, you know?" He looks off towards the stern of the ship.

Theo shrugs, not really bothered by the thought that his brother wasn't terribly interested in anyone in a physical sense. "Maybe you haven't met the right person... Or maybe you've just got magic on your mind." He smiles at the other man in a comforting way. Even if Lheo's not looking at him, a smile shows in the voice. "Does it bother you that you're not?... interested?"

"No." Lheo shakes his head, shaking whatever momentary funk had him and turning back to look at his brother. "The idea of him trying to drag us both into bed gives me the creeps, though." A shudder ripples down his spine in response to the very thought, and he shakes his head to clear it. "I've got other sausages to fry, right now. But, if we're being honest, he seems desperate. If you want to, I think you should."

"I think he flirts like he breathes." Theo says with a soft smile then shrugs. "You don't seem to think very highly of him... So why suggest that I make a play for him?" Theo tilted his head at the other man.

Some of the smirk returns. "Oh, I'm sorry, Theo, did I say I didn't think highly of him? I said he's a friend, not a bedmate. You want to know what I think?" He leans forward over the folded robe, elbows on knees. "I think there's a lonely man under all that bluster, brother. That's what I think. I'm saying that if you want to, go ahead. I'm not going to compete with you or stop you. That's all."

Theo seems to think for a moment. "I think you're right. I think he's lonely. I saw something in him the other night. When your... Friend was there. He could have made a joke. Could have infringed on our space. But he didn't." Theo sighs and seems suddenly uncomfortable.

All of Lheo's former smirk is now gone, and he continues to watch his brother quietly. "Look. You're the one who gets people, brother. What do _you_ think? I'm the wrong one to ask about what makes people tick."

"I think..." Theo tilts his head up and looks at the sky passing by. "I think where he comes from that flirting was a defense. It was how he made friends. I don't think he realizes that he doesn't have to do that to be friends with us. I think... That he really cares about us in his way. In a way that has nothing to do with how he flirts." His eyes lower, bypassing Lheo and falling to the ground. "I don't know Lheo... But I care enough about him that the idea of bedding him and then watching him walk away hurts me a little."

He flushes suddenly. "Truth to tell Lheo... I've never considered bedding anyone until he came along, and..." He trails off without finishing what he'd been saying.

"You think he'll walk away? Is that it?" Lheo remains in that hunched over pose, but it's a pose that communicates interest, not a shutdown. "Because that's what he's always done? Why would you think that?" Where Theo watches the sky, he watches Theo, intently, pulling his cloak around himself a little more against the breeze.

Theo's expression is a complicated thing, proving to Lheo, who knows him best of all that the paladin has been thinking about this subject for some time. "I don't know Lheo. I just don't know. What if I'm wrong and he means what he says and I'm... not special to him?" His eyes lift and meet Lheo's. This uncertainty lies in him too, the way that it lies inside of Lheo.

"It takes more guts to love than it does to hate, doesn't it?" Lheo's listening, and only when Theo is done does he speak, mirroring the words of an old great-uncle when the pair were young. "I look at it like this. If you don't ask, the answer's automatically no, right? You'll never know what might or might not happen. So," he tilts his head in the way of one explaining with perfect logic, "your only chance of getting a _yes_ is to ask, isn't it?"

Theo sighs and then nods. Then his eyes fall to his brother's robe. "There's one way to be sure." His eyes meet Lheo's. "Can I borrow your robe brother?"

Surprised, Lheo straightens, and picks up the ochre bundle of fabric in his lap. "This? Of course, brother, but why?" It's a calf-length affair on Lheo, the cut he wears when adventuring rather than in the city. "Do you want the trousers too?" He holds it out towards Theo.

Theo accepts the bundle of clothes, tucking them under his arm. There's a serious look in his eyes as he looks at his identical twin. "You remember when we were small Lheo? How we'd trade clothes and no one could tell us apart? How sad it made us, when no one but mother and father knew?" He presses the clothes close to his chest. "I... I need to know if it's us, or if it could be me."

"You could always just be honest with him, brother," Lheo suggests, although he handles over the bundle of clothes readily enough. "That way you'll never have to tell me what you said." A quirk of the lips.

"I am going to be honest with him." Theo says. "And if he is honest with me... Then all three of us can laugh about this later. But if he can't tell us apart Lheo, or if he loves you and not me, or us and not me.... It's high time I learned."

That quirk of the lips becomes a chuckle. "Let me go get you the trousers." Lheo's answer isn't direct, but he stands up, his cloak billowing in the wind. "Just remember, you have to tell me what you said, so we don't look stupid if he asks, all right?" 

He disappears below decks, and returns shortly with the matching trousers. The trousers will be snug on the more muscular paladin, but that may be all to the good. They're certainly far looser than what Theo is used to wearing, but very comfortable.

"Of course." Theo says, taking the trousers and then offering a half-wave to his brother. "Wish me luck." With that he himself disappears into the depths of the ship. He's off to see a bard.

-End