Latent Dream (Summervale) [Cramler] [M]

[GoblinFae]

Theo scowled mightily, jealousy written all over his face before he could rein it in at the idea of using Fletcher to get to her. "I don't want you hunting him either. I don't want you risking anything more. You're already more involved than I know you want to be and I'm sorry."

He huffed and shifted a box out of his way to look at the one beneath it as if keeping busy would help keep him from doing something he promised he wouldn't. "Is it freedom though, Jack? It's just the same cage with a new keeper. One who is likely far more insidious and dangerous. Or are you telling me if our roles were reversed you'd truly be considering this for yourself?"

[Nightcrawler]

Fletch could have sucked all the warmth from the room in his affront. "That's not what I'm saying. I'm not running from this, and you can't tell me to just sit and not help. And don't look at me like that. I said I wouldn't and I won't. You of all people know she's the last thing on my bloody mind. I'm not arguing. I shouldn't have to prove that I'm not interested.

"And no, I wouldn't consider it. Not in a million years. But I wouldn't take the deal you did for a man who ran at the first sign of trouble, either, so who knows what you'll do? It's not like you're waiting for me to say the word and take you away from here like it's a fairy tale. I'm just saying what I see for ways to loosen the manacles. But what would I know about that, ey? Why would I care and try to help? Hmm?"

[GoblinFae]

"...I know you said as winter progresses you will be more likely to snap and bite even at me. But throwing my past choices in my face is rather unfair of you Jack. No one is asking you to prove anything. I know how much you hate her."

Another crate was moved and searched through, this one slammed down more emphatically than the last. "Thank you for informing me of your conversation and her intentions." He lowered his voice and paused in what he was doing to look at Fletcher intently. "...I know you care. But you said not to do this. You can't be angry with me trying to respect that...anymore than I can be jealous I suppose."

He leaned forward on his hands looking incredibly worn and drawn. "I don't know how to hold these pieces and not drop things. I have to get rid of her. But I need her as my fiance. I can't leave, but you can't stay. It's like I can't think fast enough. I thought she was vapid and instead she's a viper. Just one more person to guard against and now I have to be worried about not being guarded enough."

Theo sighed and shook his head again.

[Nightcrawler]

"I said not t— "

Fletcher caught himself, lowered his voice until it was barely above a whisper, then tried again. "I said not to snug up next to me while I'm sleeping. I didn't say anything about pushing me away when things got messy. You made that bit up all by yourself." He could feel his ears go red as soon as he'd said it, and he leaned harder into the doorframe like it would somehow expand the distance between them. His scowl deepened, but it was more in response to those unbidden thoughts than to anything Theo had said.

"Going this alone is fucking asinine," he added. "You can't worry that you've lost a friend and then act like I'm not supposed to be here for it when you need one. When you decide to stop being such a stubborn arse, you know where to find me. Meantime, I need air." Without awaiting the man's response, he ducked back out into the hallway and shut the door behind him, and waited for Theo to finish whatever busy work he'd gone in there to pretend to do.

[GoblinFae]

Theo remained inside for quite some time, the only sounds from in the room being the quiet drag or thump as things were shifted about or a more solid thud followed by quiet cursing. When he did finally emerge, there was dust on his clothes, especially on his knees and where he had wiped dirty hands on his rear, a cobweb in his hair, and a redness about his eyes. 

He nodded to Fletcher as he exited looking hesitant to say something but very much like there was something deeply on his mind. An overflowing crate with old toys in it pull at his frame as he held it firmly by the handles in front of himself.

"I need to bring this downstairs for donation," he finally said before turning to walk back down the hall.  The silence from him was as heavy in the air as it was upon his shoulders. They did not get far though before he abruptly stopped and turned his head to look at his bodyguard. 

"I don't know how to rely on others...it's not stubbornness. Not intentionally at least. I'm sorry."

[Nightcrawler]

Fletcher returned Theo's gaze, and there was a flicker of understanding behind his sternness, and then a brief moment of gratitude and something more. Then he remembered himself and went right back to being gruff and irritable. "Yeah. Well. It's been how many months? Learn to. You're stuck with me, now." He didn't dare continue their previous conversation outside of the safety and privacy of a locked room, but he resolved, begrudgingly, to bring it up again when he could.

Still, after what had just happened, he pointedly avoided helping with the box. If Theo wanted to punish himself with busy work, chances were that he'd refuse the offer, anyway. So they made their way slowly down the stairs and into the kitchen, the nobleman staggering under the weight of too many things and Fletch following behind him like a lazy housecat.

[GoblinFae]

Why did his words feel like such a balm? It was like a hug they couldn't physically engage in being told that Fletcher was refusing to leave his side. Theo tried not to think too hard on how much it contrasted the last man he had professed to love, how Elijah had left after swearing to forever remain at his side in unwavering loyalty. But, with Fletcher it felt more real and less like obligation. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes that he blamed on the dust as he considered the notion that his bodyguard might also leave him. It wasn't like he hadn't heard the words before. But when Fletcher said them it felt like a promise, a declaration; and if all they ever had was friendship then Theo decided he could accept those few scraps of affection for not being alone.

He plopped the crate down on the counter, earning a frown from Kenna as dust puffed up around him making him sneeze delicately. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he quietly apologized and called for Aneisha.

"I thought you could pick through these and take some to gift to your siblings? The rest I want to donate to the orphanage after having you clean them all up. You can throw away anything beyond help though. I know most of this is likely absolutely filthy at this point from neglect and I'm so sorry."

The scullery maid's eyes lit up as she all but pounced on the box and began dragging out the dusty contents. Sack balls, carved wooden animals, a pair of stick horses, dolls in near perfect condition, a wooden recorder, a jar of small thin discs of different colors, and a string of bells were all removed one by one with various expressions of amusement and curiosity from Aneisha.

"You played with dolls?" She asked in surprise. Theo's eyes were focused instead though on the last item. He brushed his thumb against one of the bells with an expression of nostalgia and melancholy. The maid wiggled one of the dolls with its pressed clothes and like-new form at Fletcher in amusement as if to ask 'can you believe this?'

[Nightcrawler]

Fletcher leaned back from the dust and shot Kenna a look to tell her that none of this was his idea. Watching Neish pull the toys out, though, he softened into a kind and poignant smile that was rather uncharacteristic of him these days. She was so much like Zoey still. He'd been an ass to her, and he'd never apologized for it, and here she was, still sweet as could be. He chuckled quietly at the doll in her hand. "I dunno. If they were pirates in his mind, I could see him finding his way to liking them," he joked. "Just a hunch."

He glanced up at Theo to see if the man had caught him saying it, hoping to watch him turn red with embarrassment. But he knew that look. It was the same one Fletcher made when a reminder appeared of someone he'd lost. Theo was somewhere else just then. Fletcher's smile left him and he looked to the floor for a moment before catching himself and gluing it back on for the women. "What do you think they'd want?" he asked Neish in an attempt to steer the conversation away from wherever it was that Theo had just gone.

[GoblinFae]

Theo's eyes slid back to the present. He'd missed the ongoing conversation again. How was it that it happened more and more these days? He would just start to fade and retreat back into his mind, his eyes glazing over only to be startled back into focus by a waving hand or banging fist. The Baroness had been on a rant for weeks now about his current rudeness. The only saving grace was that he'd been able to use his 'feelings' for Edwina as an excuse for being so distracted of late.

He looked over at the doll in Aneisha's hand and Fletcher's attempt to redirect. "I think your sister would like the one in the blue dress better. You mentioned once she likes blue."

Aneisha paused and looked to the other doll. "You're right. I didn't realize you remembered that. I think my brothers would like the stick-horses."

"Then they are yours...provided Smuggler Jack doesn't decide to expand into horse thievery so he can become a highwayman on us."

The young woman giggled. "Does Captain Neish need to defend her horses?"

[Nightcrawler]

Fletcher recoiled like he'd been slapped. Surely Theo hadn't meant it like that, but nevertheless, he couldn't stop the arrow from hitting Ash again. And again. And again, and now it was back full-force: the memory he'd tried to shove away. The one that had retreated to his nightmares until now. By the time he'd gotten it under control, ten seconds must have passed without a word from him. He swallowed and blinked rapidly and returned his attention to Aneisha. As he spoke, he reached a hand beneath his coat and fumbled with something in an inner pocket. "No," he said distractedly. "Horses are all yours, Neish. Erm. If you'll...if you'll all excuse me a minute."

Fletch wove around Theo and pushed out the servant's entrance and onto the grounds without so much as a backwards glance. He followed the house until he'd found a spot out of sight of the guards, then pulled his flask from his pocket and upended it, desperate to quiet his mind.

[GoblinFae]

It took Theo a moment to understand the ashen horror upon Fletcher's face. Only once the man had stumbled past him, practically running out the door did it finally click into place. Ashley was dead. He'd died in the road to highwaymen. And Fletcher still blamed himself for something that was entirely Theodore's fault. 

"Aneisha why don't you pack these things up for yourself to send home and get to cleaning the rest. I'm sure Kenna would very much like the use of her kitchen back.

"I'll be right back," he added, quietly stepping out to see where Fletcher had disappeared to. Theo rounded a corner in time to see his bodyguard downing liquid courage from his flask and instead of confronting him, decided upon a quiet retreat.

The man clearly wanted and needed privacy and Theo found himself with no desire to rush him out of it. With Orz dead, it was not as if there was any real physical threat to Theo anymore anyway. Fletcher could drink on the job and the young master of the house would wisely keep his mouth shut to others on the matter. Yet, in the back of his mind a small niggling feeling worked through his thoughts. Fletcher was not doing well at all if he'd started drinking on the job. 

[Nightcrawler]

Fletch returned a minute later a great deal more composed than he had been all day. As he stepped in and closed the door quietly behind him, Kenna shot him a knowing look that was half concern and half warning. He ignored it. Of course she knew. He was sure half the staff did at this point. As long as she didn't say anything about it, he'd be fine. It wasn't any of their business, anyway. It didn't affect his ability to do his job. He'd just wait until after midwinter and then he'd pick himself off the ground and it would be like there was never any issue at all. All he had to do was hold out until then.

He surveyed the kitchen. It looked like Theo and Neish were done picking through the toys already, as the maid had gotten busy moving them off the table. That string of bells glinted and jingled as she stuffed it back into the box, and Fletcher wondered again what Theo had seen when he touched them. "Any more to bring down?" he asked the man. "Or was that it?"

[GoblinFae]

Theo glanced up as Fletcher re-entered but looked away just as quickly in time to catch Kenna's look. It seemed that he was not the only one aware of what Fletcher had gone and done. It did cause the nobleman to wonder though not only how many people knew, but also how long it had been going on for. Was it something he should be concerned about? His heart said yes but it was such an unreliable decision-maker and he could not bring himself to trust it. And if he said anything, would Fletcher even listen? It wasn't Theo's business. But they were friends so maybe it was?

Aneisha slapped the flat of her hand down on the table several times, the vibration catching Theo's attention where he still leaned up against it. 

"Where's your head at?" She signed. "Jack asked you if there's more to bring down."

"I'm sorry," he signed and spoke aloud before continuing to speak only. "Honestly, probably. I wasn't exactly thorough or organized in my explorations. I should probably just drag them out into the hall and go through them that way. You can send Tiff up if you think the dust and boredom will bother you though."

[Nightcrawler]

"Why would it?" Fletch frowned before catching on that Theo had given him an out. But he didn't need one. He was just fine, now. "Nah. Come on. Let's get this done with. I need something to do after having to deal with Miss Priss. Can only put up with it for so long." He winced after he said it. He supposed he should watch his tongue a bit more. They might be among safe company now, but badmouthing the future lady of the house wasn't the best habit to get into. Still, all it earned him was a giggle from Neish and a disapproving shake of the head from Kenna, which grew even fiercer as he nicked a biscuit from the table and headed back up the stairs.

[GoblinFae]

The nobleman also cast a concerned look at the slight to his future bride, his eyes anxiously looking to the other two before his shoulders relaxed some. He worried still that people would begin to talk. As much as he wanted to break ties with Edwina, he needed it to be on his terms and not hers. She had to be the one found at fault so as to protect him and all he was responsible for.

He nodded his head and trudged back up the flights of stairs and down the hall to the storage room. "It'll be good to get rid of everything though I guess," he spoke abruptly. "Not like they're going to suddenly have a second child." 

[Nightcrawler]

Fletcher made a face like he was about to be sick. "That is the last thing I want to think about," he grumbled as he held the door open and followed in after the man. "Sorry, by the way," he added quietly. "That was stupid of me. I'll be more careful."

[GoblinFae]

He snorted and entered first before waving his hand in dismissal. "We all have our moments. I doubt either of them are too partial to my fiance either way. But, aye might be wise.

"Can you help move the ones on that shelf into the hall while I get these? This place has been such a wreck since—" Theo caught himself and shook his head, dragging out more things into the hall to sort through. "Mother and her nerves: the reason nothing gets thrown away. Hopefully she doesn't catch me doing this."

[Nightcrawler]

Navigating the narrow confines of the storage room felt less like an impossible dance of avoidance now that he had a little whiskey in him. It didn't stop his heart from starting up again, or his fingers from tingling, but maybe that was just his body fighting the booze. Yeah. That was it. Don't kid yourself, he thought, and got to work moving the boxes.

The chore was a salve for the many dark and forbidden places his mind seemed to wander to as of late. Movement always did help, whether it took the form of fighting, or labor, or something else. Much as he suspected that this busy work was Theo's own way of coping with his fiancée, he'd take the distraction, and gladly. By the end of it, though, the same dust that had affected the nobleman earlier had now settled into his lungs, manifesting as a particularly persistent and wheezing cough. "Fuck me. Seriously?" he muttered as he stopped to press a hand against the wall and lean over until he could catch his breath. Maybe he needed to slow it down on the smoking, after all.

[GoblinFae]

"Why don't you sit and take a break," Theo offered gently. "I know it's a lot of dust and you're probably not used to all the pollen and plants and things with you not being from around here. I'll start going through this mess first."

He sighed and plopped down on the ground, opening the first box in front of him. A flurry of moths shot into his face making him cough and shake his head. Theo shoved the box aside and went for another one instead, albeit a bit more hesitantly. When nothing happened, he began to more fully unpack.

Broken baubles, garlands made of dried orange slices and cranberries, candle holders, and a box of gnawed on candles all came out reverently one by one. Theo chuckled softly as a metal tin came out next and he gave it a shake. A whooshing sound came from within and his face fell some. He placed it back down with the other things and moved onto a worn collection of nutcrackers.

"I haven't seen these things in a very, very long time. I didn't realize we even still had them. Starting to wonder if Mother is a pack rat rather than a noblewoman. Rat in a dress." He snorted and looked to Fletcher, as if to judge how they were doing in terms of dinging each other with accidental emotional bumps and scrapes.

[Nightcrawler]

"No, no. Stop that rubbish, I'm fine," Fletch insisted. He headed back into the storage room and lugged the rest of the boxes out one by one, though at a considerably slower pace this time, and with a look of irritation etching creases between his brows. He set each one down with a little less care than the last, then leaned against the wall over Theo and caught his breath as subtly as he could possibly manage.

"'S a disservice to rats," he replied as he craned his neck to look into the box. He couldn't say he'd seen so much useless shit packed away in all his life. Shipping crates of food and sundries and ore he could wrap his head around. Flea market collections — sure. They were meant to sell, to go somewhere. But this? It really was a rat's collection. "Can't say I understand it. Is this what nobles do? Hoard things and forget about them?"