jinglebros | (no subject)

(no subject)

Sometime during Day 4, Santa can be found waiting outside Niles' dressing room for him. He's prepared himself for the long haul by bringing a sandwich and a dirty book that he managed to dig out of the prop room. He's leaning against the door as he waits, which is probably a bad idea of Niles happens to be inside and comes out. Oh well.

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It's ready.

[ He'll elaborate, he just won't explain things that didn't happen. He starts to strip too, keeping his eyes focused on the wall.
]

I get the feeling we have similar pasts. What do you think?

[No shyness here, Niles just takes all his clothes off, except for the eye patch, and climbs right into the pool with a contented sigh. He has varying scars, most of them look very old, but there's a couple more recent war-related ones too.]

Perhaps. Are yours about yourself, or about others?

Mine are all about me. Pains I've endured, things I've lost...

[Taps his eye patch.]

[ Santa's shyness is less about himself and more about seeing Niles. He's never really been around someone with such a good body before, not while they were naked. But soon enough curiosity makes him give up on that and he notes the scars as he slips into the pool as well. ]

I never lost an eye, but I had to fight for food and home and listen to things I loved burn down past the skeleton.

[ Oh, how literal he's being. ]

That's a couple things in common. I grew up in the slums of Nohr. I nearly died countless times, and did desperate and violent things to survive... if you know how true starvation feels, not just hunger but real starvation, then I think we understand each other much more than most.

[Rests his arms on the edge of the pool and tilts his head as he considers Santa.]

...I suppose I could tell you more, if you're really curious. But I would warn you that the details may be too gruesome to hear.

[ Curious? Certainly. But not enough to get him to make someone to talk if they don't want to - but Niles seems open to it. Maybe he just needs to spill the beans to someone who might actually understand. Santa gets that. ]

Depending on how gruesome your story is, I'll share one in return. We can swap terrible for terrible.

[ The idea makes Santa a little nervous, but he believes in fairness. He messes the water around with his hands, cupping it onto his palms and then letting it trickle down. ]

[Doesn't immediately start to talk. The water is very nice and he lets himself sink down a little further.]

Well, to start, I was abandoned early on in childhood to live in the slums of Nohr. The capitol is already poor compared to other countries, but the slums always reeked of death.

I had to do violent things to survive. I had to learn to kill people quite early on. And there were assaults, begging, and plenty of stealing... and selling... both the material and the immaterial...

[Closes his eye and goes silent for a moment as he recollects.]

...I only remember most things in pieces. Some of it I don't even know how to put together.

...There was blood... cold rain... bricks and rats... a large man who would laugh cruelly and leave gold coins... and who did things to me that I--... I don't fully remember.

[Rubs a hand over his eye patch.]

Some lowlife ripped out my eye. I don't recall who, it might have been him again.

[Starts to laugh coldly.]

Oh, I thought things had started to look up when I joined a gang. But these "friends" of mine betrayed me... left me as a decoy to die as they tried to escape our botched robbery on the castle. Lord Corrin's brother, Lord Leo, found me and prepared to execute me. I begged him to do it... I didn't want to live anymore. But then, he let me live instead. He let me become his retainer and gave me purpose. It's the first pleasant memory I have.

Presently, Lord Leo has extended me to serve Lord Corrin on his quest. And that is where we're at now.

[ Santa covers his mouth as he hears this story so he doesn't look like an idiot with all the gaping he might be doing. ]

You weren't fucking kidding about gruesome...

[ He feels like his own story hardly compares. ]

...Yeah. But I'm not really sad about it... I've accepted that I'm filthy inside and out. I just wish my memories weren't in such scattered fragments. I can't remember anything very clearly from before I joined Lord Leo.

[Cups some water in his hands and rinses his face off.]

If you feel like telling me your own history, I'll listen.

....

I don't think you're filthy.

[ Santa leans forward. ]

The shit that has to be done to survive isn't your fault. It makes those people who forced you into those situations crap, not you.

[Doesn't move as Santa approaches, but Niles' face might be reddening just a little bit. Heat from the steam? Or a blush?]

...That's kind of you to say. I'm not sure I deserve such support, but thank you.

The way I see it, if Corrin sees something in you then you're worth looking at. You've told me nothing that changes this opinion.

[ Santa's voice is firm. ]

In fact, I'm more impressed now than ever.

[Niles isn't even sure how to respond to such uplifting statements.]

[So instead of speaking in reply, he reaches for Santa's hand, lightly wrapping his fingers around it.]

...Do you want to hear about Lord Corrin? I could tell you some things about him that you may not yet know.

[ Santa stares down at their hands for a long moment of silence before adjusting his hand so he can hold Niles' hand in return. He hopes any redness in his own cheeks is blamed on the steam as well. ]

Yeah. I'd like that.

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