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Originally, Illuga only intended to make a short trek to the Favonius Keep, meaning to drop off some reports, perhaps chat with the knights after recent happenings, and depart back to Piramida afterwards.
Instead, he got ambushed by the wild hunt along the way, spent entirely too long fighting them, and was set completely off his original course.
His fight with the wild hunt didn't go all that bad; there's a cut along his face that keeps dripping blood now and then, but it's too small to be a worry.
What was a worry, however, was the fact that he had no idea where he was, for the longest time. And by the time he figured it out, the setting sun in the distance told him he wouldn't arrive there until after dark.
Which… should be fine. Even if nobody's awake, he can leave a note, drop off the reports, and head back to Piramida without a problem. Lightkeepers are accustomed to the dark.
Yet, when he actually sees the keep up ahead, an uneasy feeling settles in his stomach.
Perhaps, it's just because he's used to seeing this place so lively? Or so bright? The quiet would surely be offsetting, then. That must be the feeling.
He creeps into the camp, keeping a hand on his lantern as he walks. It is a little eerie, being almost silent.
Illuga looks around, searching for somewhere more visible to put the papers. There's the main tent, but he shouldn't leave the papers on their planning table. The endless amounts of random papers he finds on the maps around Piramida and Cliffwatch Camp are prime examples of why not, in his opinion.
The camp is a little difficult to see in, at night, once the fire and lanterns have been extinguished. He strains his eyes and ears, trying to pick up anything—
There's a rustling sound in the bushes nearby.
Illuga can tell it's not an animal, but what else could it be? Another person, awake as late as he is? Or, could it be… the wild hunt again?—
Illuga whips around, facing the sound with his lantern illuminating the path ahead.
His eyes take a second to adjust to the light, but he sees… a pale figure with misty blue hair, staring right back at him.
They open their mouth, revealing a small smile as they do so.
“My, someone sneaking around the camp after dark?”
They begin to walk towards him. Illuga stands his ground, but keeps his mouth shut.
As they approach, Illuga can see a hint of a dark red in their eyes, not entirely unlike his own.
They stop, just enough to the point the distance could be crossed in just a matter of steps. A careful finger is placed atop his lantern, gently pushing it back down to Illuga's side.
“Now, who could you be?” Their voice continues, silky smooth as they confront him. There is a playful attitude lying in their speech, but their firmness bleeds through all the same.
“Illuga, Squad Leader of the Nightmare Orioles. A lightkeeper sent here by the Starshyna,” He replies, keeping his voice steady. “I'm here to deliver reports.”
“So late at night?” They continue, tilting their head just so. The moonlight reflects off of their skin, further illuminating the amused expression on the man's face.
“I got caught in a fight with the wild hunt on the way here,” Illuga explains. “Would you… happen to be a knight?”
“That I am,” they nod. Their gaze flickers down to the cut on Illuga's face. “Lohen, Vice Captain of the 5th Company of the Knights of Favonius.”
He holds his hand out for a handshake. With a second's hesitation, Illuga accepts, albeit briefly.
The small smirk has not left Lohen's face this entire time. Cautiously, Illuga attaches his lantern back to his side once more.
“How come I've never seen you around here?” He asks, earnestly.
“I don't return to base much,” Lohen answers, eyes flickering to his cut once again.
They make eye contact again. Illuga raises an eyebrow.
“Sorry, I just can't help it,” Lohen says quickly, voice becoming just a little less smooth than it had been previously. When Illuga makes no notion of understanding, he clarifies, “Your cut. It's— hold on.”
Lohen pulls one of his own gloves off of his hand, bringing a pale finger to Illuga's face to wipe off the blood seeping from the cut there.
Illuga watches with knitted eyebrows and a confused expression, that eventually shifts to shock, as the Vice Captain brings his finger to his mouth and tastes Illuga's blood—
“What—” Illuga chokes out, but Lohen's eyes are aimed down, and his focus remains on the blood now no longer on his finger.
He makes a small sound, but it is lost to the wind. Illuga eyes him in shock, not comprehending his next actions very well.
The captain slips his glove back on, places a firm hand on Illuga's arm, just above his elbow, and begins guiding him towards the main tent. It cannot be described as entirely forceful, but to say much less would be an understatement.
“Sir!—” Illuga calls, but the rest of his sentence is lost on his tongue.
Illuga lets himself be led into the main tent, finally getting a view of the other in better lighting, as Lohen quickly lights the lamps inside.
Their attire certainly fits with that of some of the other knights, but perhaps what stands out most is the small fangs that present themselves in his smile.
Lohen leans in—too close—to inspect the cut again.
It can't be that fascinating, Illuga thinks, but does nothing more than stand there awkwardly while the other says nothing.
Without warning, Lohen leans in and presses his mouth to the small graze, less so licking up the blood, and more so sucking on the small wound.
In an instant, Illuga pushes Lohen away.
“Hey!” Illuga exclaims, for lack of something better to retort with. “What do you think you're doing?”
Lohen's hand remains near Illuga's elbow, but he backs up enough that Illuga deems it an okay distance. There's a slightly disappointed look on his face, as he tears his gaze away from the cut.
“...You said you were here to deliver reports?” Lohen recalls, switching the topic.
“Yes,” Illuga confirms, suspicious. He's struggling to figure out the other's intentions, but he can't go back without leaving the papers here.
He reaches into his bag to pull the papers out, feeling Lohen's hand drop from Illuga's arm back to its owner's side.
Lohen extends his other hand, as though reaching out for the papers, but drops it as soon as Illuga goes to hand them to him.
“Over there,” Lohen directs, pointing towards a stack of crates in the corner of the tent. The playfulness in his voice is gone. “Just leave the papers over there.”
Illuga narrows his eyes, but walks over to set them down anyway. Lohen stands, rooted in place, not even turning his head to watch Illuga. Strange.
Without a hitch, Illuga walks out of the tent, casting his gaze over Lohen once again.
The man stands there, still in the same spot, but he's watching Illuga carefully, now.
“See you,” Illuga calls, giving a polite wave. He doesn't smile as he usually would, still cautious.
Lohen gives a small wave, and mumbles, “See you.”
With that, Illuga turns on his heels, and walks towards the exit of the keep. He still listens back behind him, praying to hear no noise, nobody following him.
He'll have to return during the daytime and ask somebody about that guy. Illuga doesn't exactly spend a ton of time here, but felt confident he'd seen everybody at least once. Especially if they're supposedly a higher ranking— a role like a vice captain ought to be somebody Illuga would have met, no?
He sighs, stepping out of the keep, deciding to dwell on it no longer. He's met his fair share of odd people, including, but not limited to, non-humans. Lohen will just have to be another name on that list. An encounter to muse on, and nothing more.
Except— there's another rustling from behind him, and he's given no time to turn around.
He doesn't even get to fully process anything, before there's a set of fangs sinking into his neck— and Illuga wasn't prepared for the way he (unfortunately) sinks into it, either. It doesn't hurt. It really, really should, but Illuga only feels dazed.
Once he gets a better grip on his senses, he quickly counts out, mentally, a few things he feels:
1— he's panting, out of breath, but it doesn't hurt. He doesn't feel hurt anywhere.
2— following up on that, that feeling is still there? Or— no, there's very much still fangs in his neck, it's more than a feeling.
3— there's an arm wrapped around his waist, supporting him. He's sagging against the body behind him otherwise.
4— there's another arm wrapped tightly around his chest, under his own arm, that's similarly pressing him into the body behind him.
…What were any of the things he just listed, again?
He's definitely still out of it. If he can just— get out of this grip— wow, he feels breathless— and weak, actually, he feels like he can't fight the grip at all—
And suddenly, the grip loses all its power, and Illuga almost falls face-first into the dirt.
Illuga holds that slumped-over position for a few seconds, remaining there, catching his breath. The grip around his torso has slackened, but still supports him to the point where he isn't falling into the dirt.
He feels… he feels…
Everything washes over him at once.
He pushes off the arms trapping him, stumbling forwards.
Illuga whips around, seeing Lohen in his vision once again. With those eyes that just barely pierce through the dark, and that same, wretched smirk— except now, it's tainted with Illuga's blood. It's smeared all around his mouth. It drips down onto his chin, it's smeared across his cheek from his hand coming up to wipe what his tongue could not—
Illuga feels faint.
“What—” Illuga says, in between breaths, “—the fuck— was—”
Lohen's eyes grow wider, just a fraction. He smiles wider too, taking a clean step towards Illuga.
He staggers back a few steps, now slapping a hand over the puncture in his neck. Speaking of, it's beginning to feel a little fuzzy…
Lohen reacts to it being obscured from sight, with the way his eyebrows knit and his smile drops fractionally, just smaller than what it was right after Illuga turned around.
“Illuga…” Lohen all but whines, taking another few steady steps towards the other. He reaches out for Illuga's hand, the one in between his shoulder and his neck.
“No—” Illuga resists, but he's too dizzy to put up more effort. He's fighting himself to remain conscious, all while fighting Lohen and whatever he's doing.
A hand curls around Illuga's hip, steadying him once more. Lohen frowns.
“Dear. I may have taken too much.”
Illuga would reply, but he can't find it in him. He wraps his other hand around Lohen's wrist in an attempt to steady himself further.
Ultimately, he's forced to relinquish his cover over the wound, opting to place that hand on Lohen's shoulder for better balance instead.
Illuga almost immediately regrets giving the other full view of the wound he made, but can't do anything about it now. Not when the other, without so much of a second thought, laps up the blood there that rose to the surface.
“Sorry,” He says, yet again, and yet to wipe that grin off his face. Illuga feels Lohen speaking against his skin. “I was returning from an unsuccessful hunt, when I smelled the sweetest blood making its way towards my own camp… I couldn't resist, Squad Leader.”
What, Illuga thinks, dazedly. Is that meant to be flattery?
Illuga feels more of his strength drain out in Lohen's grasp, almost collapsing into the other for just a second. How is he still trying to catch his breath? Just how much blood did this guy take?
“...Though, I definitely took too much,” Lohen grimaces, placing his free hand on Illuga's waist.
“C'mon, Lightkeeper, let's get you where you need to go,” Lohen sighs, carefully manoeuvring him to make eye contact.
The fangs have mostly retracted, Illuga notes through his daze. Certainly, that must be a good thing…?
Lohen sighs. “How am I to explain this to anybody, I wonder… almost took a lightkeeper out of commission.”
Illuga makes no comment, but tightens his grip when the knight manoeuvres the both of them to now be side by side.
Lohen starts walking, supporting the other by the side, but Illuga barely picks up his feet, feeling more like his feet are being dragged across the ground.
“Wait,” Illuga says, strained.
Lohen pauses, looking at him. His head is angled slightly down, to make up for the minuscule height difference between them.
“Just let me—” Illuga tries, struggling through his words. “—rest. A while.”
Lohen's eyes raise minutely, amused. He walks (drags) Illuga over to a nearby tree, carefully propping him up against it.
Illuga slides to the ground, back against the tree, exasperated. Lohen sits beside him with another sigh, looking bored already.
“Well. You've been awake longer than all my other victims, so… suppose it makes sense if you fall unconscious here.”
Illuga chooses to ignore the word choice of victims, and gathers his strength to talk.
“Do you do this often?” Illuga asks, accusingly.
Lohen looks the slightest bit surprised when he speaks. “Oh? You're stronger than I thought. Not bad, squad leader.”
A pause. Lohen looks out towards the grass. Illuga stares at his face, awaiting his answer.
“To answer your question… no, I don't. If the situation is dire, then maybe. Most times, especially back when I was still in Mondstadt, I'd go for a treasure hoarder or something. But when I haven't found anything in a week except the wild hunt and my fellow knights, and then a pretty lightkeeper like yourself shows up on my doorstep…”
Lohen's gaze returns to Illuga. This time, it seems, he truly examines his face. Illuga can't help but look away.
“Quite the— flatterer you are, Sir Lohen,” Illuga comments, mostly mumbling to himself.
Illuga looks at the mint-haired knight again. He's met with a similar smirk to before, but softer. At the very least, that indicates that his comment did not go unheard.
“‘Sir’, huh,” Lohen smiles. He watches Illuga pretty intently, as if committing every detail to memory.
Lohen leans forward, supporting himself by placing his hand between Illuga's knees, which are sprawled out in the grass. “Say, lightkeeper. Do you come by the keep often?”
He hesitates. “I do. Why?”
“I may have to swing by here more often. I would kill to get another taste of that blood,” Lohen smiles, eyes hooded as he stares at that puncture wound once again. Illuga doesn't know whether or not he should be horrified.
“I won't take as much blood next time. I'll be very careful,” Lohen promises, pressing even closer to Illuga.
He is very aware of the tree behind his back, and his inability to really easily go anywhere. It's mostly a shock situation now, really. Nothing could have prepared him for the situation he's in.
Maybe he should have turned tail after defeating the wild hunt, instead of choosing to still deliver those reports.
“Or, I can come to you, instead,” Lohen suggests, placing a hand over Illuga's chest to brace himself, and putting the other hand on the tree behind him. Carefully, Lohen places his mouth on the puncture wound.
Illuga rests one of his hands on Lohen's back. What am I even doing anymore?
He sighs. He feels like his eyebrows are lower on his face than he thought possible, Lohen is essentially straddling one of his thighs, and Illuga has a hand on his back. He's letting him do that. He's letting him gently press his mouth against the skin around the wound, almost trailing kisses, but not quite.
It's not… terrible. If he said that to himself ten minutes ago, he would've called himself crazy, but… he could fall asleep here. Maybe it's the blood loss. In which case, he should probably stay awake, but, well, he's actually feeling better, and… it wouldn't hurt to take a quick nap. Just for a little bit.
…And if his head drifts towards Lohen's when he falls asleep, that's for nobody but the knight to know.
“Guess you ended up falling asleep too, huh.”
No, actually, that was apparently for all the knights to know. And all the lightkeepers. Is there a secret link between the two factions that keeps up with the latest gossip on the other faction, or something?
A week after Illuga's encounter with Lohen, the lightkeeper hadn't heard anything of the knight. Or of any of the knights. His life mostly returned to normal, actually.
Until, of course, he heard a pair of lightkeepers talking about him being caught on a “sweet couples night out”? What? He didn't have to ask to know what they were referencing, but is that really what they looked like? (Illuga thinks back to their positions, and feels a little bit warm, but does his best to ignore it).
How did this news even spread? Illuga never saw anybody else out there that night. Or— wait, maybe he didn't look past Lohen. Or he was dizzy. Or— forget it.
He's grateful, however, that the rumours hardly spread beyond that. He hears a couple wild tales (Illuga has never once could have imagined many of these things. Seriously, where do people get these ideas from?), but the rumour dies out just as quickly as it started.
And then, for the few days after that, he can forget about it again. To the best of his ability.
…No, of course he can't. He can't forget it, but more notably— it's time to deliver reports to the Knights of Favonius again.
And— while this time he does not get delayed by the wild hunt, somebody else holds true to their word.
“Squad Leader Illuga,” Lohen greets, upon his arrival. He stands just outside the keep, giving a small bow with his head. The smirk and everything are just like how they were that night. “After you deliver those reports, of course…”
“Care for a spar?”