View source for Logs:Mutual Understanding

{{ Log
| chars = [[Arnaud]], [[Five]]
| summary = 
| gamedate = 2022.10.22
| gamedatename = 
| subtitle = "Are you my boyfriend? That's what the vampires said."
| categories = Changeling, Mortal, Mortal+
| log = That velvet couch is big and surprisingly comfortable, which might be why Arnaud got it from some second hand place somewhere, probably the same place they already visited - so it's not a bad spot to sleep for a guest.

Arnaud has not made a sound for ten hours, having passed out after Faith sorted out his wounds, but now the door to the tiny bedroom opens and he limps outside with some effort, a large patch of bandaging on his back and his belly, and his face pale and drawn like someone that lost way too much blood tends to do. Still, he's going to live.

He takes the three steps needed to reach the fridge and throws it open to find water, pouring it down his throat like he's dying of thirst.
 
Although Five had similarly passed out as soon as she settled onto the couch, she was able to naturally awaken from her own slumber a couple hours before Arnaud. While waiting for him to wake up, she had given herself a little tour of the place, which didn't take very long. So, she eventually ends up posting herself up near the window, peering past the alley to get some sort of view of the sky. When Arnaud finally emerges from his bedroom, she quickly turns her attention to him. "Hey... Feeling better?" she questions with genuine concern, brows furrowing as she watches the Changeling. The hoodie had been used as a pillow and since the apartment isn't too cold at the moment, she's wearing just a tank top and her oversized pants.
 
Arnaud wipes his lips on the back of his hand and glances over at her, studying her with an unreadable expression. "Yeah. Are you?" he asks and walks over to sit on the armrest on the couch, handing the water bottle to her if she wants some. "I fucked up yesterday. Terrible fighting. Soon as I'm back to a good shape, we'll start practicing. That happen again, we need to be a team, and I was just..." He waves a hand, eyes flickering. "You got hurt."
 
Unfolding her arms, she steps away from the window and takes the offered bottle. "I'll be alright," she assures him. She lifts her tank top just enough for him to see the bandaging. "Faith did a really good job." Putting the shirt back down, she returns her attention back to Arnaud. Five plops down on the couch, making herself more comfortable. She might be healed up but she's still pretty sore for the night before, and not just physically. "You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. They're the ones that decided to attack us." There's a small pause before she adds, "I would be down for practicing though. I could've done better."
 
"I am definitely blaming those motherfuckers over what happened, but if I did my job right, neither of us would've gotten hurt," Arnaud says grouchily, curling a hand into a fist in latent rage when he thinks about it. "Good thing Faith and Haliburton showed up, though I would've grabbed you and ran. I might be crazy but I'm not suicidal," he tells her with a dark smile. He leans closer and points at her, eyes shining with some of that madness he lives with. "If we're fighting superior numbers, we don't grapple with them. First rule."

Five can't help but frown slightly when she sees his fist curl. "What do you mean 'your job'?" she questions with a small tilt of her head. Although she leans back to further make herself comfortable, she does scoot a bit closer to Arnaud as they speak of future battles. "I'm not as good throwing a fist. I'm not exactly..." She peers over him. "Strong like you are. Or big."
 
"My duty, as a warrior amidst my people," Arnaud clarifies openly. He rubs his belly - it's making noises. He stalks to the fridge and starts taking out food stuffs to make some sandwiches, which is all he has the energy for right now. "You can set them on fire." There's a raised eyebrow at her, as if wondering why she didn't just burn them all to ashes yesterday. "You hungry?"
 
"If I ever say no to food, you should be worried." There's a light, playful smile as she attempts the joke. Although she doesn't stand up just yet, she repositions herself on the couch again to keep her eyes on the Changeling. Then she's back to being more somber and serious as she shakes her head lightly. "I... I told them I wouldn't hurt them with my fire. And in a situation like that? I don't know how well I would've been able to control it." She raises her brows at him. "I didn't know you could do fire too," she tells him, her tone complimentary and almost excited.
 
The bread is from a bakery, and Arnaud puts on various sandwich stuff to make two large and filling sandwiches in short order. "Mmmmm," he replies and looks over at her thoughtfully and assessingly. "You're a good fighter, but grappling is your thing, right? We'll practice based on that then. The fire - used when all else fails." He grabs some cans of coke, and then gestures for her to come sit at the small table on the one chair there is. He remains standing and tears into his sandwich, ravenously hungry. "Right. That fire shows up sometimes. My powers are fickle like that. It's part of me making my body stronger, and uh, our magic sometimes go 'here, have a bit of extra today'. No telling when."
 
Easing herself to her feet, Five makes her way over toward the table. She gives an 'are you sure?' look to him regarding the chair, but eventually sits down in it. Then she starts eating, not as ravenously as Arnaud but it's clear she's hungry all the same. "I understand that. Fire doesn't hurt me but... it's dangerous to others. And flashy. And now I have to be concerned about people knowing what I can do." She pauses in her eating for a moment, looking over at him with a raised brow. "Did you tell them?" she wonders.
 
Arnaud points to the bandages - sitting down is actually more uncomfortable for him than standing up. He is leaning against the counter and looks comfortable enough, and also less pale already. The sandwich is paused mid-air and he stares at her as she says people have found out. "No," he replies simply. "I would never. When you say people - who do you mean? Accorded?"
 
The Changeling gives his answer and the mortal believes him. Still, the fact that it /wasn't/ Arnaud causes Five to become even /more/ concerned. "Yes. But, if I had brought out the fire last night and someone else saw... That would be bad, too," she tells him, that frown lingering on her lips. She shakes her head gently before taking another few bites of the sandwich. "This is really good, by the way. Thanks." There's a beat before she adds, "For everything so far, too."
 
Arnaud feels something weird, rubbing a spot over his heart. Like a strange ache. People usually call it 'worry', but for Arnaud it's strange and new. "There's a whole list of variables. Someone could've read your mind. Someone could've seen you - plenty of supernaturals out there that can be invisible. Fuck them, by the way." He slurps some cola and looks wildly out through the window, as if imaginging violence against Sneaky Monsters. "Nothing to be concerned over. So what if they know? It's probably a good thing, means they will be careful not to piss you off."
 
Arnaud isn't sure what there is to thank him FOR, but he nods at her and feels good that she is thanking him, anyway. He rubs that spot on his chest again. Weird.
 
Noticing him as he keeps rubbing at his chest, a brow raises with concern. "You eat too fast?" she questions, obviously taking it to be something physical. She finishes up the sandwich quickly enough, leaving behind only crumbs on the otherwise empty plate. "I don't want people to be scared of me. I'm sure you can understand that," she tells him as she gives him a knowing look. Then she shrugs as she moves to her feet again, slowly starting to walk and stretch out her legs. "Is fire the only thing you can do?" she wonders, peering back at him curiously.
 
"Mmmm, probably," Arnaud says, who has never felt problems over eating something too fast his entire life, and it's so obviously a lie when he says it. He finishes his own food and brushes some crumbs off his chest. He pokes something away from between his teeth with a claw - to her it looks like he is using a nail, but it doesn't quite look normal anyway. The thing about the mask is that it hides any odd physical features, but they are still /there/ - so he can't wear a hat because he has horns, and maneuvering with claws can be a hassle. When she suggests he can understand not wanting people to be scared of him, he snorts in amusement and crosses his arms over his chest. "I don't care what people think, but I guess you do, so if you don't want that - I understand. Just remind those jerks that talk about it to keep their mouths shut. It's part of the rules of the Accord." He scratches carefully on the bandage on his stomach, because it's starting to itch - it might be time to change them, but no blood has seeped through yet. "Told you, the fire is just a side-effect of the main thing - I become stronger, faster and more resilient. That's why I could go on as normal even after being stabbed like that. I can do many other things. Climb up and down any surface, like a spider or lizard. Run super fast and jump long distances. A few other things I won't tell you yet, because if I have to do that, we're in a whole world of trouble."
 
"You care what I think and I'm a person," Five points out with a bit of a smile. "I used to think I ran pretty fast until we had to run out of the museum that night." It's a playfully envious look that she gives him at that. "All I really have is the fire stuff. I can kind of..." She pauses as she attempts to describe it as best as she can. "If I concentrate, I can kind of... shift things around?" She makes a gesture to her body. "Like, making myself stronger but then I don't feel as... sturdy. It's hard to describe. Can't really show it, like the fire."
 
"That is because you are a friend. I don't care if OTHERS think I am terrifying. I--" Arnaud says and stops, because he's about to utter words he never said before; "...don't want you to be scared of me." He abruptly opens the fridge and starts putting food items back after making the sandwiches, listening to her explain her abilities. It pauses him again and he looks intrigued. "Really? That's useful. I can steal other people's strength or agility if I want, if I'm grappling them. But, we both saw the limitations of that yesterday. Only works so far." He starts making coffee, having bought a new coffee machine because there is a limit to his second hand purchases. "Anyway. Maybe now is a good time you tell me about yourself. You lost your memories - but how did you end up in Chicago? Do you remember /nothing/, or...?"
 
"Nothing really," Five confirms with a small shake of her head. Slowly she makes her way toward the window again, looking out it with a bit of a distant stare. "There's... glimpses. I don't know how... real they are," she elaborates with a frown. Folding her slender arms across her chest, she gives Arnaud a quick glance. "That... portal or whatever that you opened last night. I don't know why but it gave me an... odd feeling. Bad but... something else, too. That's what I feel like when I try to remember things. I can sense something bad happened but something /else/ is giving all the warnings not to delve into them." She shakes her head again. "I know it sounds weird."
 
Arnaud's hackles rise, literally. His scales shift as in response to goosebumps, when she explains what she is feeling. Nothing puts the fear in a Lost like the idea of the unknown and that /feeling/ - the feeling of the True Fae, the dread that is ingrained in all of them. "If you ever see a portal like that, with thorny vines beyond, NEVER go inside," he tells her, whirling around to face her. "Not even if one of us asks you to join. Never." He stalks over to her and grabs for her wrist, like he has a bad habit of doing. "It sounds all too familiar." He tilts his head and looks at her, bending down so his face is close to hers so he can look into her eyes. "Do you ever have glimpses of memories in your dreams?"
 
Bright green eyes go wide as she's suddenly spun and grabbed, caught off guard by the gesture as always. A show of trust as she doesn't attempt to yank her wrist away. "Not even you?" she quietly asks as she peers up at him, raising her brow as she meets his gaze. There's a few moments of silence before she gives a slow nod to his question. "Not always, but yes. Sometimes things get triggered randomly when I'm just... out and about. Rarely anything more than jumbled images I can't make sense of," she tells him, unable to help but frown more.
 
Arnaud lets go of her arm as abruptly as he grabbed it. He can't sense anything odd about her, and he knows she can't see his Mien. "You haven't been there before," he says, which is a weird statement. He straightens up and crosses his arms over his chest, frowning. "We can enter people dreams and help. It can help someone bring forth lost memories."
 
Five seems to take Arnaud's word that she hasn't been to the OTHER SIDE before. She certainly doesn't really know one way or the other! "What if the memories are bad? What if something terrible happened and...?" The mortal lets the sentence hang as she turns her gaze downward momentarily. "What about you?" she questions, an attempt to shift the topic away from her, even if only momentarily. "Your own memories of things are a little fuzzy too, right?"
 
"It's different for me," Arnaud replies evasively, waving a hand. "Besides, I remember enough to know I might not want to remember everything." He realises that's just what she said, so he snorts. "Right. It's your choice. Maybe you're better off not remembering. Besides, there's no guarantee that dream stuff will work." He sits down carefully on the couch and stretches his legs out. "As for if I ask you to come with me into the Hedge?" He frowns; he avoided answering before, but now he does. "I'd break a LOT of rules, and it'd only happen if your life depended on it."
 
"I trust you," Five tells him, her tone reassuring. Then she gives him a light smile as she shifts the topic again ever so slightly to more light-hearted things. "The past might be important to learn later on, but, I'm enjoying just living in the now." Turning him to face him better, she takes a few steps over toward the couch. "Like our fun adventures. Even just doing some shopping with you is fun." Then she stretches her arms out in front of her. "When should we start training? I mean, I know we got to still heal up and everything first."

"That's the spirit. Living in the now." Arnaud, the man who has no consequence thinking and always lives in the now might not be one to take advice from, but they do seem to be kindred spirits in many ways. "Speaking of fun adventures - I am thinking of giving that damn museum a bit of a surprise." He smiles widely, eyes glittering. "Maybe paint a giant dick on it."
 
Arnaud waves a hand. "As for training - let's start in a few days. I feel like I've been run over by a train."
 
"We should make sure it was the museum that did it. What if it was like, some ghost or other weird thing in there just messing with us? We could find whatever it was and get them back somehow," Five replies with a grin, not completely against the idea but obviously not wanting to just cause random damage. "I mean, the others last night literally came out of the shadows." There's no blame on either of the vampires of course, they wouldn't mess with her like that! But, that thought leads to other thoughts, her brows furrowing as she gives Arnaud a curious look. "Are you my boyfriend? That's what the vampires said."
 
"Hah! I'm training to learn how to be the Sun," Arnaud says and perks up because he feels fairly sure that anything that is Shadow doesn't like the sun. He's less worried about causing random damage, but he will listen to reason from Five, so he nods slowly, and then he leans back in total surprise, eyes wide as saucers as he stares at her. He points at her again, opens his mouth to say something, closes it again and folds his finger back into his hand. "I should not be anyone's boyfriend. I wasn't joking when I said I'm a psychopath. Fancy term being antisocial personality disorder these days, they told me. I was like that before I became a monster, and my time in the Fae lands didn't make me better. I've almost never cared about anyone my entire life, and the thing is - I don't even care that I don't care..." He pauses and looks at her, putting a hand over his heart again. "Except, my mentor said that I needed to Find My Heart, that was taken from me. Fae people like to talk like that, it can be fucking annoying, but there's actual real magic in the world so I've learned to not dismiss it." He clears his voice and his eyes shift around. "Do you want me to be?"
 
The mortal keeps her bright green eyes focused on Arnaud as he speaks. Usually she's easily distracted or looking around at other things. When she's serious though? She's got that laser focus. Her expression continually softens, even to a degree of potential vulnerability that the Changeling hasn't seen yet. "I don't know," Five answers honestly and softly, though through her tone he can tell it's not because of him. Slowly the woman makes her way back toward the couch, clearing his legs off if need be before she sits down with him. "I don't know everything that such entails and wouldn't want you... either of us.. making any promises we're unsure about or whatever." She shakes her head gently. "What I /do/ know... I care about you more than anyone else I've met and trust you just the same. And I feel I would do a lot to keep you safe. I don't know what that makes us, but yeah. "
 
Arnaud approaches this topic with his cold carelessness, but at least that means he's brutally honest about it too. He nods as she says she doesn't know - of course not being worried or upset, because as he just said, he has no particular feelings about such things. Still, he does feel SOMETHING with her; he's even said as much, saying her words are the only ones he cares for. "If you don't know, then I won't be. If you know one day, then we'll see." Arnaud wouldn't know romance if it manifested and shouted in his face, probably. "I care about what you say and think of me, and I didn't like you getting hurt, and I don't want you to be afraid of me." He stares into thin air. "I will probably hurt you one day. Say something cruel. Not realise you are sad and do something to make it worse. When I do that - even if you are hurt - tell me what I did wrong. I think... I might feel regret over doing it." He grimaces and runs a hand through his hair. "My father was a psychopath. I was never taught anything else. I can't read people at all."
 
There's a slow nod as she listens to him, Five's gaze unwavering even as Arnaud himself lets his eyes drift elsewhere. After he finishes speaking, she lets the silence linger for a few long moments while she reflects on her own thoughts. "That's what I'm afraid of, too. Hurting you," she tells him, a small frown on her lips. "Mostly physically, sure, but..." Another but smaller pause as she gathers her words. "Sometimes I feel like fire itself. Uncontrollable, especially when getting caught up in the moment. Like at the museum. I think I might've set that whole place on fire or destroyed something if you didn't remind me of the sprinklers." A hand reaches up to brush some of her hair from her face. "And there's something in here... I felt it start building up last night and it felt bad and I knew I didn't want you anywhere near it."
 
"...what. Really?" Arnaud says and is surprised - like he can't imagine someone worrying about him in that manner. Uncontrollable fire doesn't worry him (but then, he doesn't feel worry over anything until just recently and hasn't started to understand that emotion yet). "Eh, I said it before; I don't care if you burn a whole fucking place down. As for me, it takes a lot to kill me, so I'll be fine." He lifts a hand and pats her on the head again, except it's more of a stroking of her hair this time. It's progress in endearment showing! His hand lingers for a moment and he stares at her, then pulls his hand away and flexes it. "Would it be bad if you lost control? I'm asking cause I literally don't know if it matters or not." He gives her a wry smile, then watches her with that strange expression again, as if he doesn't know what he feels. "What do you mean. Building up? Something inside?"
 
At the touch, Five can't help but close her eyes momentarily and lean a little into it. She doesn't seem to be the most touchy-feely person herself but the light stroke does seem to bring her some comfort. She leans more against the couch, pulling her legs up and crossing them underneath her as she settles in comfortably. Glancing back over toward him, she purses her lips slightly to the side. "The way I got my coins is because someone saw me lose control when I first got here. I think they... well, I think they didn't want me to be their problem but didn't want me completely in the dark," she elaborates. Lifting her slender hand, she very gently touches the still sore spot that she had been stabbed in the night before. "When I got hit, I could feel... a spark? Then when I tumbled it felt close to... I don't know. Something bad. Like fire inside."

Arnaud sinks further into the couch himself, shoulders dropping - he's relaxed and comfortable. Still hurting, just like her, but it's a dull and bearable ache that he's had many times before. It will go away. He glances at where she touches and he frowns, remembering that she is in fact also hurt. "So, if you get seriously hurt, chances are you will explode like that," he assumes. He curls his hands into fists again, remembering when he realised last night that she too HAD gotten hurt - he's focusing on the wrong issue, because he is like that. "I don't like it when you get hurt. I don't want it." It's kind of selfish, too.
 
"I don't like it when you get hurt either," she tells him. Rising to her feet, she offers a hand out to help him out. There's a grin on her lips as she says, "But, we seem to both be in the business of trouble so I don't think us not getting hurt is going to change. So, I'm glad we have each other's back when that happens." There's only a brief pause before she says, "Want to go grab some more food or coffee or something?"
 
"Right. We might dislike the hell out of it but it's going to happen and you better not break down and cry or something," Arnaud says and accepts her hand to stand up. He's mocking her, grinning widely at her. "Let's go over to Heloise's place." Said and done, the Dangerous Chaos Duo step out into the world to find coffee.
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