"It wasn't on purpose," he says, but there's no bite to the words, as much as he tries.
"It would be a stretch to say so." His voice is dry. "It's where I got my fine companion from, the source of my power. And it ate me from the inside out, they deemed me a failure, and I was abandoned and exiled to the woods."
He pours them both another bowl. He drinks his next serve like someone else would drink alcohol.
"I was left to rot and branded as cursed for the rest of my days. The end."
His lips hover over the edge of the bowl, frozen in place, golden eyes icy even as they glowed brighter than before. He remembers hearing others saying something about him when he was young, how he had "potential," how it could work "this time," and others completely dismissing the idea and pushing to leave him as he was. He hadn't understood it at the time, but now... As absurd as it might have seemed, he believed the wizard entirely.
And these were the people he had been defending.
"No wonder." He can't blame the wizard at all. Better some evil (morally ambiguous?) overlord with weird ideas of weakness and strength than a bunch of corrupt bastards who infected others with parasites and left them to die.
At least the wizard had dragged him with him afterwards, gave him a place to live, and cooked for him, even if the man did seem to hate his guts.
"Bet you found it satisfying, seeing the whole place iced up like that."
"I didn't find it particularly objectionable, no," he says, after a long moment. "Though I wish I could have razed it to the ground myself. Some things feel better when you do them with your own hands."
Is that a bad thing to say? Yes. Does he care? Not really.
All this talk about pasts and histories and he doesn't even know the hero's name. He's not sure if he should ask, or if the other man is interested in divulging it (or interested in his own.)
"And we're pretty much roommates at this point," Avery agrees. The second the words are out of his mouth, he realizes just how silly it is, but... it's not exactly wrong, either. "It'd be pretty weird if we didn't know eachother's names."
It's not like it changes much. He gets the wizard's--Ekkehardt's--point of view a little more now, but it doesn't change what happened.
"We'll just consider this a truce. An official one."
"A truce...I suppose it must be necessary, if these living arrangements are going to be permanent ones." Frankly he's not sure why Avery hasn't just struck out on his own by now, but he finds that detestable as it is, he doesn't mind the other man's company.
"In a place this large, I wouldn't say we're roommates, though. Neighbours, perhaps." His tone is vaguely contemplative.
Avery shrugs. "Same difference. Mostly." And honestly, he can't help but like the aesthetics of the place. They may have had their differences, but Avery has always had a sort of quiet admiration for Ekkehardt's sense of style. And fitting the ruins out with modern amenities? That was real style.
He pauses for a moment, a thought coming to him. "By the way... you don't have any weird eating habits too, do you?" It seems a disservice to the people who die to call it that, but he's not sure he's ready to think of it as anything else.
"I drain life from my surroundings, should I need to do so," Ekkehardt replies, finishing his soup. "But it seems content with some amount of regular food and the occasional live animal, at least when it's not active."
Still weird, but he's used to it enough that it doesn't really register to him any more.
Avery sits up a little more, setting his empty bowl on the table. "Is that because it ate you or just a quirk of its own?" He tries to sound as neutral as he can, but even so, a little worry seeps through.
Ekkehardt shrugs. "It is what it is," he says, ever reassuring. "But I doubt you'll have to deal with the same symptoms, since we're so different, so you should pay more attention to yourself."
It's a more subtle wall, but it's there all the same. It's something he doesn't particularly want to discuss.
"You miss our little duels that much? I'm surprised." That sharp amusement is back, like it had never left, but the way he laughs, a brief bark, is proof that the request had surprised him too.
"Looking for somewhere to vent your aggression, are you?"
"No," he says, almost too quickly. "You just happen to be the only one to provide a good challenge. You're skilled. Even I can admit that. I'll even stick with magic."
"Oh, is that a compliment, of all things? Very well, I suppose I can indulge you." He likes the praise, though he doesn't want to think about why he'd enjoy praise from someone who murdered him (and the man he'd pledged loyalty to, at that). It should be easy to hate him; easier still to dispose of him.
It isn't. Something stays his hand. They're too alike for him to ignore; it's an almost painful sensation.
"Use whatever you like. It matters little to me." He traces a circle on the table, thoughts drifting. "You'd have to try very hard indeed to kill me again. And it would be a waste of effort, regardless."
"Yes, yes, I know. You're already dead because I killed you. You don't need to remind me. I just want to try something different for once." And, perhaps, to see how or if his magic has changed at all thanks to the thing inside of him.
"Just try not to be too infuriating about it, will you?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, is it difficult for you to be reminded? It's not as if I can forget about being dead."
He waves a hand. "Very well. I'll go easy on you. In that regard." He has no intentions of going easy on him in combat, so he might as well relent here.
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"It would be a stretch to say so." His voice is dry. "It's where I got my fine companion from, the source of my power. And it ate me from the inside out, they deemed me a failure, and I was abandoned and exiled to the woods."
He pours them both another bowl. He drinks his next serve like someone else would drink alcohol.
"I was left to rot and branded as cursed for the rest of my days. The end."
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And these were the people he had been defending.
"No wonder." He can't blame the wizard at all. Better some evil (morally ambiguous?) overlord with weird ideas of weakness and strength than a bunch of corrupt bastards who infected others with parasites and left them to die.
At least the wizard had dragged him with him afterwards, gave him a place to live, and cooked for him, even if the man did seem to hate his guts.
"Bet you found it satisfying, seeing the whole place iced up like that."
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Is that a bad thing to say? Yes. Does he care? Not really.
All this talk about pasts and histories and he doesn't even know the hero's name. He's not sure if he should ask, or if the other man is interested in divulging it (or interested in his own.)
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"Avery," he says after a moment.
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"Ekkehardt, then," he says, at last. "It's not as if either of us lose much from knowing each other's names, now."
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It's not like it changes much. He gets the wizard's--Ekkehardt's--point of view a little more now, but it doesn't change what happened.
"We'll just consider this a truce. An official one."
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"In a place this large, I wouldn't say we're roommates, though. Neighbours, perhaps." His tone is vaguely contemplative.
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He pauses for a moment, a thought coming to him. "By the way... you don't have any weird eating habits too, do you?" It seems a disservice to the people who die to call it that, but he's not sure he's ready to think of it as anything else.
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Still weird, but he's used to it enough that it doesn't really register to him any more.
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It's a more subtle wall, but it's there all the same. It's something he doesn't particularly want to discuss.
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Sometimes he feels it move inside him. He knows its hungry. It practically whines about it from within. But what is he supposed to do about it?
Maybe there isn't anything at all.
"Hey," he says, tapping a finger against the table. "I want to fight you sometime. Not seriously. Just sparring."
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"Looking for somewhere to vent your aggression, are you?"
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It isn't. Something stays his hand. They're too alike for him to ignore; it's an almost painful sensation.
"Use whatever you like. It matters little to me." He traces a circle on the table, thoughts drifting. "You'd have to try very hard indeed to kill me again. And it would be a waste of effort, regardless."
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"Just try not to be too infuriating about it, will you?"
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"Oh, I'm sorry, is it difficult for you to be reminded? It's not as if I can forget about being dead."
He waves a hand. "Very well. I'll go easy on you. In that regard." He has no intentions of going easy on him in combat, so he might as well relent here.