He taps Astarion's hand as he talks, not even seeming to notice. "My middle brother Joseph had a wife. Her name was Faith. She was pregnant with their daughter and was in an accident. Faith died and the baby - died, too."
That's a story for another time.
"Anyway, he keeps finding these women, young and blonde, who need help. Usually addicted to some drug. Brings them in and calls them sister and they're obsessed with him. And when they see through him, he finds another one, names her Faith and makes her push the previous one off a fucking cliff."
Jacob lets out a long breath. "It's real fucked up."
"....Not an ideal way to acquire siblings, and I say that with some
experience," Astarion murmurs, gazing up at the ceiling. "How long does a
particular 'Faith' tend to last?"
"I don't think I would, either. At least the 'siblings' I acquired along
the way were fairly consistent. The ones who weren't going to last were
thinned out quickly."
"...No. Cazador wanted us to. He played favourites, pitted us against one
another - he even kept better quarters for those who played his games best.
He couldn't bear the idea that we might take comfort from each other's
company. But when I was able to get away...I don't know. I just pitied
them."
"It makes me feel rather special, imagining such powerful entities squabbling over what's left of my immortal soul," Astarion says, in grim humour. "But I agree. Fuck the lot of them."
Jacob isn't a gentle and tenderhearted person. Not even under his gruff exterior. But he softens here, too exhausted to be truly angry, but too aware of the misdeeds to be truly complacent.
He pulls himself up ad Astarion talks, grabbing his water bottle and taking a long drink.
"Could there have been a worse fucking pick for you?"
"...John has less of a spine than I credited him with," Astarion says,
after a few moments' thought. "How valuable that knowledge is, I'm not
sure. What about you, inmate?"
"You tell me," he sighs. "Did it mean anything to say what I did? I've been challenging fuckers like him my whole life. Not always for as good of a cause, though."
Astarion twitches a smile, then rolls onto his side to look at Jacob.
"...it was stupid, and reckless, and utterly futile. It accomplished less than nothing. And I wouldn't have thought less of you if you'd just walked away."
The kiss is entirely unexpected, but there's a knot that seems to unclench in his chest. Everything had been futile in his goddamn life, so to have one thing go right, mean something to someone, makes the whole thing almost worth it.
"I'm sure that when I gave it to you, it was with the condition that I'd never seen it in my life," he says, lightly teasing. He rests a hand on Jacob's waist. "So I would say you lost your dagger. Commiserations, darling."
He closes his eyes, the rhythmic movement soothing.
"The vampire hunters?"
He snorts. "Christmas is when people celebrate the birth of the son of a god who was also a god himself. They put a lot of pagan shit in it, like a tree, but do gift giving."
Apparently, following God wasn't enough to dissuade him from manipulating a string of young women into murdering their predecessors. But he can imagine not every deity in every pantheon would disapprove.
"Following someone you can see and talk to seems the better choice."
Jacob's not entirely sure that was the Voice. He's fairly certain that was his brother's own crazy fucking schemes, but the Voice only said that he would need to unite the brothers. It didn't say a damn thing about not bringing in some random sister/wife substitutes.
"And he's right. He's right, even if he is fucking crazy. The Collapse will happen, sooner rather than later. It's better to be prepared for it since we can't just fight it."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 03:53 pm (UTC)He taps Astarion's hand as he talks, not even seeming to notice. "My middle brother Joseph had a wife. Her name was Faith. She was pregnant with their daughter and was in an accident. Faith died and the baby - died, too."
That's a story for another time.
"Anyway, he keeps finding these women, young and blonde, who need help. Usually addicted to some drug. Brings them in and calls them sister and they're obsessed with him. And when they see through him, he finds another one, names her Faith and makes her push the previous one off a fucking cliff."
Jacob lets out a long breath. "It's real fucked up."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 04:06 pm (UTC)"....Not an ideal way to acquire siblings, and I say that with some experience," Astarion murmurs, gazing up at the ceiling. "How long does a particular 'Faith' tend to last?"
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 04:16 pm (UTC)"Long enough to count, but not long enough to matter. There's been three now. Lana. Selena. And now Rachel. I don't tend to get to know them well."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 04:34 pm (UTC)"I don't think I would, either. At least the 'siblings' I acquired along the way were fairly consistent. The ones who weren't going to last were thinned out quickly."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 04:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 04:48 pm (UTC)"...No. Cazador wanted us to. He played favourites, pitted us against one another - he even kept better quarters for those who played his games best. He couldn't bear the idea that we might take comfort from each other's company. But when I was able to get away...I don't know. I just pitied them."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 05:19 pm (UTC)"Don't reas the note," he tells him, one hand on his arm. "You got nothing to prove to him. Or any of the others."
Which is rich coming from him, but he's trying.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 05:31 pm (UTC)"I know."
Astarion laughs bitterly.
"He'd only be telling me that it's somehow my fault that the Admiral poached me, instead of permitting the death my master designed for his children."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 05:34 pm (UTC)Jacob winces. "Well fuck him. And fuck the Admiral, too. He doesn't know half the shit that goes on in his own ship, but wants to play god."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 05:41 pm (UTC)"It makes me feel rather special, imagining such powerful entities squabbling over what's left of my immortal soul," Astarion says, in grim humour. "But I agree. Fuck the lot of them."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 06:24 pm (UTC)He pulls himself up ad Astarion talks, grabbing his water bottle and taking a long drink.
"Could there have been a worse fucking pick for you?"
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 06:27 pm (UTC)"Absolutely not," Astarion says, through a bitter laugh. "I don't remember my real family. They would have just been visiting strangers."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 06:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 06:49 pm (UTC)"...John has less of a spine than I credited him with," Astarion says, after a few moments' thought. "How valuable that knowledge is, I'm not sure. What about you, inmate?"
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 06:52 pm (UTC)"You tell me," he sighs. "Did it mean anything to say what I did? I've been challenging fuckers like him my whole life. Not always for as good of a cause, though."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 06:57 pm (UTC)Astarion twitches a smile, then rolls onto his side to look at Jacob.
"...it was stupid, and reckless, and utterly futile. It accomplished less than nothing. And I wouldn't have thought less of you if you'd just walked away."
He leans in to kiss him fleetingly.
"But I...I still like that you didn't."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 07:02 pm (UTC)He slings an arm around Astarion's middle.
"I uh - lost your dagger, though."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 07:04 pm (UTC)"I'm sure that when I gave it to you, it was with the condition that I'd never seen it in my life," he says, lightly teasing. He rests a hand on Jacob's waist. "So I would say you lost your dagger. Commiserations, darling."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 07:12 pm (UTC)He breathes in with a shiver, his muscles aching. "According to the pirate, I have my choice of wardens who will freely hand 'em out."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 07:27 pm (UTC)Astarion smiles, thumb drawing slow circles through Jacob's shirt.
"You do. The Belmonts both gave me weapons for Christmas, and I didn't even ask. I don't even know what Christmas is, really."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 07:34 pm (UTC)"The vampire hunters?"
He snorts. "Christmas is when people celebrate the birth of the son of a god who was also a god himself. They put a lot of pagan shit in it, like a tree, but do gift giving."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 07:44 pm (UTC)"The vampire hunters," he agrees, in a wry tone which communicates his keen awareness of the irony. "Are those gods you follow?"
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 07:46 pm (UTC)Which seems like a close enough correlation.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 07:51 pm (UTC)Apparently, following God wasn't enough to dissuade him from manipulating a string of young women into murdering their predecessors. But he can imagine not every deity in every pantheon would disapprove.
"Following someone you can see and talk to seems the better choice."
no subject
Date: 2024-06-16 07:54 pm (UTC)"And he's right. He's right, even if he is fucking crazy. The Collapse will happen, sooner rather than later. It's better to be prepared for it since we can't just fight it."
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: