Evan broke an approving grin, once more relieved by how Xavier responded to things. He'd been worried that hearing the charms might have a not-totally-all-positive effect would bring Xavier down, but there he was, eager to get going.
Gods, it was all Evan could do not to ruffle the boy's hair.
"We need one more," he answered, managing to keep his hands to himself, "I'm probably going to go talk to Seth next. If he can take it, I'd like to give him the chance to face his attacker again. Plus, he may be able to give us words of caution, since he's interacted with her in a way I haven't."
Oh, but-- right. The god detail. Evan... really did feel he needed to disclose that before considering the conversation with Xavier concluded.
"One more thing before you officially sign on though. The thing we're summoning..." Hrmm. Xavier had responded well to a lot of things so far, but the wording on this one still felt tricky. It was by far the most absurd-sounding part of this to just say out loud, at least according to Evan's current frame of mind.
"Our hostess would have us believe it's the goddess Dehaljadrun, angry and searching for something after the king destroyed her temples. The woman, at least, has hopes that the Demon Queen might join our cause to exact vengeance on the king."
All right, Xavier. Final hurdle. Evan knew that sounded absolutely wild - even with everything fitting together, he himself was still hesitant to really think of the thing he'd spoken with as a god, even now.
"I know that's... out there. And we mostly just have the woman's word to go on there, but.. it fits with some of the things I've observed, and in any case, I just want to make sure you know the possible scope of the situation, before I lead you into it. By end of day, we just might have a god on our side."
And, gods, with a best-case scenario like that on the table... yeah, there was that excited grin again, just a bit wider than he'd let it show the first time.
Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
Moderator: On Dreams And Desire
Re: Part 1
The dour mood Xavier had this morning appeared again at the mention of Seth, but Evan's awkwardness around talking about what they were facing cleared it up for Xavier quickly. It was difficult to feel slighted in any way when Evan hesitated like that.
Plus, now, Xavier was swimming in stories he had heard of Dehaljadrun since he was a kid. It was certainly a favorite story among his teenage friends, and more than a few of the people in Xavier's village had legends about the goddess, even before the temples were destroyed. Afterward, everyone added a hint of belief to the stories. Why would the king have torn down her temples if he didn't think she was real? Xavier was prepared to think she was real. His grandmother frequently spoke prayers to the goddess before asking for answers in her sleep, and Xavier knew that at least some of her dreams had been prophetic, so...
Then again, it was altogether another issue to think that Xavier was going to go with Evan and... Seth?--somehow that seemed to break the mood--to speak directly to the goddess herself. Probably in the forest. With a strange woman. This was something out of a fucking fairytale. Oh, yes, Xavier was so in. Not passing this up for a second. If the goddess really did appear, if the Demon Queen really did fight with their army? Bam, bam, pow! The king would be dead in two seconds. They could all go home to their comfy beds--fuck these cots--and Xavier could... Yeah, it wasn't actually that interesting to think about the future right now with Evan standing here offering an adventure with an outstretched hand.
Xavier didn't want to appear too believing, so he focused on the third person aspect of the ritual. "Do you really think Seth is going to be willing to go after everything that happened?" Maybe Evan was right about him knowing more about what they were up against, but Xavier wasn't crazy about the idea.
Plus, now, Xavier was swimming in stories he had heard of Dehaljadrun since he was a kid. It was certainly a favorite story among his teenage friends, and more than a few of the people in Xavier's village had legends about the goddess, even before the temples were destroyed. Afterward, everyone added a hint of belief to the stories. Why would the king have torn down her temples if he didn't think she was real? Xavier was prepared to think she was real. His grandmother frequently spoke prayers to the goddess before asking for answers in her sleep, and Xavier knew that at least some of her dreams had been prophetic, so...
Then again, it was altogether another issue to think that Xavier was going to go with Evan and... Seth?--somehow that seemed to break the mood--to speak directly to the goddess herself. Probably in the forest. With a strange woman. This was something out of a fucking fairytale. Oh, yes, Xavier was so in. Not passing this up for a second. If the goddess really did appear, if the Demon Queen really did fight with their army? Bam, bam, pow! The king would be dead in two seconds. They could all go home to their comfy beds--fuck these cots--and Xavier could... Yeah, it wasn't actually that interesting to think about the future right now with Evan standing here offering an adventure with an outstretched hand.
Xavier didn't want to appear too believing, so he focused on the third person aspect of the ritual. "Do you really think Seth is going to be willing to go after everything that happened?" Maybe Evan was right about him knowing more about what they were up against, but Xavier wasn't crazy about the idea.
Re: Part 1
... No comment on going to talk to a fucking god?
Evan decided not to be worried about it, and trust that Xavier was processing what he needed to. He supposed maybe it was a bit much to expect the boy to respond so immediately to something that fucking big. Evan wasn't really sure how he'd respond himself, in Xavier's position.
For now, Evan simply gave a shrug at the concern that Xavier did bring up. Not that it wasn't a valid concern, but that Evan wasn't sure there was much to be done about it besides just ask and see.
"He might not be, and I won't make him if he declines. I just know I'd want the opportunity, in his shoes."
Evan decided not to be worried about it, and trust that Xavier was processing what he needed to. He supposed maybe it was a bit much to expect the boy to respond so immediately to something that fucking big. Evan wasn't really sure how he'd respond himself, in Xavier's position.
For now, Evan simply gave a shrug at the concern that Xavier did bring up. Not that it wasn't a valid concern, but that Evan wasn't sure there was much to be done about it besides just ask and see.
"He might not be, and I won't make him if he declines. I just know I'd want the opportunity, in his shoes."
Re: Part 1
Xavier moved his head from shoulder to shoulder as if trying to put himself in Seth's shoes and finding it a little difficult doing so. After a moment, he nodded as though he understood.
"Let's go tell Seth we're gonna talk to a god, then," Xavier said, excited to start. It sounded a little like a joke, but it was fairly obvious that Xavier was still not shaken by the idea. To him, and--to be fair--the people from his village as well, there was a pretty vague line between demon and god, so the title did not impress him as much as it might have someone else.
"Let's go tell Seth we're gonna talk to a god, then," Xavier said, excited to start. It sounded a little like a joke, but it was fairly obvious that Xavier was still not shaken by the idea. To him, and--to be fair--the people from his village as well, there was a pretty vague line between demon and god, so the title did not impress him as much as it might have someone else.
Re: Part 1
Ha, all right then. Evan grinned excitedly again and pushed himself to his feet, but now faced a brief question of logistics and tact. That being, should he ask Xavier to wait while he talked to Seth alone? That was what he'd initially imagined doing, but now he wondered if it'd in fact be less awkward to have Xavier there as well? Or, it might be moreso... hrm.
Evan hadn't ever dealt with... this sort of awkwardness with a subordinate before, so it was hard to say what would be best. He did seem to hesitate a moment while he thought this over. But in the end he thought, the thing that'd mortify him the most in Seth's shoes would probably be worry that his superior wanted to talk more about the Embarassing Thing that had happened rather than just put it to rest. So, in that sense, hopefully Xavier's presence really would be better, as a signal that Evan had no intention of revisiting that conversational territory?
So, that decided, he nodded, and then smoothly started leading the way out of his tent and over towards Seth's tent as a starting point to look for the soldier.
((OOC: I got a little paralyzed trying to think about what on earth etiquette would be with regards to living in tents and seeing if folks are in their tent or not - basically whatever the substitute would be for knocking on the door? Would appreciate assumption that Evan would do the polite thing, whatever it is??? and/or if Seth's not in his tent anymore Evan can just approach him wherever he is xD))
Evan hadn't ever dealt with... this sort of awkwardness with a subordinate before, so it was hard to say what would be best. He did seem to hesitate a moment while he thought this over. But in the end he thought, the thing that'd mortify him the most in Seth's shoes would probably be worry that his superior wanted to talk more about the Embarassing Thing that had happened rather than just put it to rest. So, in that sense, hopefully Xavier's presence really would be better, as a signal that Evan had no intention of revisiting that conversational territory?
So, that decided, he nodded, and then smoothly started leading the way out of his tent and over towards Seth's tent as a starting point to look for the soldier.
((OOC: I got a little paralyzed trying to think about what on earth etiquette would be with regards to living in tents and seeing if folks are in their tent or not - basically whatever the substitute would be for knocking on the door? Would appreciate assumption that Evan would do the polite thing, whatever it is??? and/or if Seth's not in his tent anymore Evan can just approach him wherever he is xD))
Re: Part 1
Having cleaned himself up and changed clothes, Seth was more comfortable in his own skin than he had been when he woke up this morning, surely, but the lingering disgust with the situation would not remove itself from his stomach. He continued having flashes of what he had seen of the goddess the previous night, and his body reacted to them. Every. Goddamn. Time. Though he wanted to work out some of this frustration in training, he didn't trust himself to be around other soldiers yet. It took a while before Seth had been willing to even leave his tent, but his growling stomach, despite it being filled with mortification, eventually led him to seek out the camp kitchens for some grub. He was there when he saw Evan approaching with Xavier in tow. He had really hoped he could have avoided seeing his captain for longer than this. Fuck.
Re: Part 1
Heh, as much as Evan had resolved to not feel awkward, it all came rushing back as soon as he saw Seth's face. Mostly, he was pretty damn keyed in to when someone didn't want to see him. Most of the time he was also pretty fucking good at not caring, but Evan sympathized with Seth just enough here to make this uncomfortable as fuck.
Even so, he pushed through, and did his best to keep a stoic face. Really, the less awkward he could manage to be about it, the more comfortable Seth would be. Probably. Hopefully. Gods, he'd try his best.
The only trick now was getting Seth somewhere they could talk privately without being weird about it. Hrm.
For now Evan went ahead and approached the soldier, putting everything he had into keeping his countenance normal and like he was just proceeding with business as usual.
"Cadet," the captain greeted the soldier with a nod, "Xavier and I are embarking on a little quest later I thought you might be interested in." Ooh, in fact, Seth might appreciate Evan's excited grin, too - just more business as usual, yeah? The captain let his lips curl just a bit, keeping the expression subtle since he didn't want any other soldiers passing by to get too curious. Yes, this was all perfectly in character for an Evan who wasn't feeling awkward about a damn thing. Yes good.
The captain briefly tossed his gaze around the tent to take note of who all was around and how closely they were paying attention, in part just to give his leaning in a certain sort of conspiratorial texture.
"We'd need to discuss details in secret."
Please, gods, please let Xavier's inclusion in this keep it from sounding weird.
Even so, he pushed through, and did his best to keep a stoic face. Really, the less awkward he could manage to be about it, the more comfortable Seth would be. Probably. Hopefully. Gods, he'd try his best.
The only trick now was getting Seth somewhere they could talk privately without being weird about it. Hrm.
For now Evan went ahead and approached the soldier, putting everything he had into keeping his countenance normal and like he was just proceeding with business as usual.
"Cadet," the captain greeted the soldier with a nod, "Xavier and I are embarking on a little quest later I thought you might be interested in." Ooh, in fact, Seth might appreciate Evan's excited grin, too - just more business as usual, yeah? The captain let his lips curl just a bit, keeping the expression subtle since he didn't want any other soldiers passing by to get too curious. Yes, this was all perfectly in character for an Evan who wasn't feeling awkward about a damn thing. Yes good.
The captain briefly tossed his gaze around the tent to take note of who all was around and how closely they were paying attention, in part just to give his leaning in a certain sort of conspiratorial texture.
"We'd need to discuss details in secret."
Please, gods, please let Xavier's inclusion in this keep it from sounding weird.
Re: Part 1
Seth continued eating as Evan and Xavier got closer. God, what was it with those two? Seth had the momentary fleeting thought that maybe Evan had told Xavier details about what had occurred, and a flash of anger and shame careened across his face, but he quickly got control of his expression. Hopefully the food he was shoving into his face helped distract from it.
He also couldn't help but feel frustrated at being called cadet in front of Xavier, even if Xavier was a lieutenant. Though Seth had been impressed by Xavier's determination with the charms, he was still not convinced Xavier was doing a better job in the position than he could have done himself.
Evan's excited and conspiratorial grin creeped Seth out, if he was being honest. All things considered, even if whatever he wanted to talk about wasn't related to this morning, Seth didn't particularly want to hear about it. Lord knows, maybe since Seth came in his pants on top of Evan, Evan might suddenly think it was okay to offer some weird, creepy threesome with Xavier. Gods, what the fuck was his brain doing? This was still his captain he was thinking about.
Realizing that a lot of this frustration and projection was coming from embarrassment, Seth attempted to conduct himself with some decorum. Probably, Evan wanted to put this all behind them just as much as he did. And if there was something to do, it might be better than sitting around here.
"This better be good," Seth said less of a threat and more as a "here we go again" sort of statement.
Xavier flickered from Evan's expression to Seth's and back again, realizing there was clearly some awkward tension Xavier wasn't in on between them. At least it was an angry sort of tension? Although if the stories about this goddess we're true, any number of things could have happened in that tent while Seth was possessed. Xavier crossed his arms and tried to look intimidating.
He also couldn't help but feel frustrated at being called cadet in front of Xavier, even if Xavier was a lieutenant. Though Seth had been impressed by Xavier's determination with the charms, he was still not convinced Xavier was doing a better job in the position than he could have done himself.
Evan's excited and conspiratorial grin creeped Seth out, if he was being honest. All things considered, even if whatever he wanted to talk about wasn't related to this morning, Seth didn't particularly want to hear about it. Lord knows, maybe since Seth came in his pants on top of Evan, Evan might suddenly think it was okay to offer some weird, creepy threesome with Xavier. Gods, what the fuck was his brain doing? This was still his captain he was thinking about.
Realizing that a lot of this frustration and projection was coming from embarrassment, Seth attempted to conduct himself with some decorum. Probably, Evan wanted to put this all behind them just as much as he did. And if there was something to do, it might be better than sitting around here.
"This better be good," Seth said less of a threat and more as a "here we go again" sort of statement.
Xavier flickered from Evan's expression to Seth's and back again, realizing there was clearly some awkward tension Xavier wasn't in on between them. At least it was an angry sort of tension? Although if the stories about this goddess we're true, any number of things could have happened in that tent while Seth was possessed. Xavier crossed his arms and tried to look intimidating.
Re: Part 1
"Oh, it's good." Evan replied without missing a beat, his grin widening just a bit further. Honestly, the more he thought about what they were about to do, the more excited he was getting. He fully expected Seth to continue being sceptical and coy for a while, but he also expected that ultimately the cadet would be on board. Just needed to get from here to there.
"Let's go chat in my tent; bring your food if you like." He didn't want to cut Seth's meal short, but he also really wanted to get this ball rolling. To that end, he pivoted and tilted his head in the direction of his tent, and waited for Seth to start moving before fully turning to start leading the way. Yeah, there might've been some authoritative posturing in that last gesture, but honestly, Evan figured Seth would be just as glad to feel more like he was following orders than accepting an invitation. Here's hoping.
"Let's go chat in my tent; bring your food if you like." He didn't want to cut Seth's meal short, but he also really wanted to get this ball rolling. To that end, he pivoted and tilted his head in the direction of his tent, and waited for Seth to start moving before fully turning to start leading the way. Yeah, there might've been some authoritative posturing in that last gesture, but honestly, Evan figured Seth would be just as glad to feel more like he was following orders than accepting an invitation. Here's hoping.
Re: Part 1
Seth watched Evan start walking away and stared hard at his back, not inclined at all to get up from where he was seated. He still couldn't shake the feeling that Evan was going to jump him, but he also knew that was not coming from a rational part of his brain. Plus, it was Seth who ended up on top in their scuffle last night, even if it hadn't been him driving, so there's that, and Xavier didn't look like much of a threat, especially with his arms crossed like that.
Ultimately, though, Seth was curious. From experience, that type of a grin on Evan's face could only mean they were about to something incredibly stupid and dangerous, but, like, also fun? He wanted to give Evan a bit of a scare that he wouldn't follow his directions, but eventually got up from his seat wordlessly, shoved the last bit of food in his mouth, and followed a distance behind. Captain's orders, after all.
Ultimately, though, Seth was curious. From experience, that type of a grin on Evan's face could only mean they were about to something incredibly stupid and dangerous, but, like, also fun? He wanted to give Evan a bit of a scare that he wouldn't follow his directions, but eventually got up from his seat wordlessly, shoved the last bit of food in his mouth, and followed a distance behind. Captain's orders, after all.