[prp] four walls (renard & thorne)

[moonjavas]

Thorne finishes Renard's commission despite everything, and stares at it for a solid day before deciding that he can let go of it. A part of him is disgusted that Corr's hands had twisted it darker. A part of himself is disgusted that he feels that Corr made it more powerful. He brought out something that before, Thorne could not.

Renard receives a message of completion the next day, and an inquiry to meet within the coming week, to see the new work and discuss matters. Discuss everything.

Now Thorne settles into waiting. Waiting on a reply. Waiting on Renard to tell him when.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Renard returns the email citing a time and a place. He'll arrange for pickup and transport of the piece himself, of course, but he needs to settle the final bill in person.

He smiles at Thorne when they meet at the Rider-Waite alumni gallery. It's a thin smile that acknowledges that the last time they spoke, Thorne was little better than a slave. "You look much like yourself," said Renard. "How have you been keeping?"

elkbones

 

[moonjavas]

"Alive," Thorne responds, and looks down from one of the paintings to Renard, sharp and reserved. He is dressed dangerously, clean lines, nothing but edges to cut ones self on.

"But I imagine that is all one can try and keep to nowadays," he added. "How have you been, Renard? I hear that you paid a visit while I was - indisposed."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"I was curious," said Renard. "It didn't surprise me to see that your work had taken a dark edge, but even I can't predict the workings of Melany's mind. She's become quite twisted since I made a noble of her."

He leans in to examine a whorl of paint.

"Whatever did become of Corr?"

elkbones

 

[moonjavas]

Thorne turns his head to look at Renard. The information should catch him off guard, like a punch he wasn't expecting. But after a moment, he only hums and exhales sharply, his eyes half-lidded.

"I imagine you still approve of it," Thorne says. "As much as I hate to acknowledge the additions he made, he brought out what I was lacking to see. What it needed to breathe." He pauses, considers, and looks at Renard. "If you have made a noble of Melany, does that mean I must refer to you as Lord now?"

He pauses again and turns his head, examining the empty halls around them.

"He died," Thorne says. "No. That's not quite right. I murdered him. I wanted to live."

It was a confession he recited in his head every night. He looked at Renard.

"I wanted to be free. Isn't that what you want too?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"It'd be wonderful to be free," said Renard. "It is my dearest daydream." He tucked his hands into his pockets. "I'm more of a god than a Lord. Our levels of assimilation into the dream cannot be compared."

He nodded. "I'm sure he's glad to be returned to the cycle. It bothered him, that he was held back from re-entering the cycle."

elkbones

 

[moonjavas]

"Am I still allowed to call you by your name, then?" Thorne retorted, dryly, and looked over at the other man, his eyes narrowed. "Is that why the weather has decided to mutiny? Are we closer to your freedom now than we were before?"

He paused, turning fully to examine the man. His eyes were shielded, cutting and sharp. He worked at words, wondered, tried to form them in the hollow of his throat.

"Was this what you intended? The cycles? Everything?" He tilted his head. "Noeh told me Melany and I once co-existed peacefully, and even now it's still difficult to swallow. How much have we changed, since then? How different are we from what you knew?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Why not? Is there a better title you'd prefer?" If Renard was being mocked, he was unaware of it--or very good at pretending to be--and his blue-eyed gaze was calm as the Pacific. He didn't look to Thorne, but instead circled a protruding sculpture. "I don't know. This cage wasn't of my construction. One might as well ask a software engineer to explain the functioning of your bones. Of course I can theorize, but I'll have a low chance of being right, won't I?"

He didn't laugh. It seemed odd, like this would have been the moment, but he didn't laugh. Renard was very serious: "I intended none of this. I intended to save the lives of my friends. So what that you and Melany were once close? So what that she's become a monster? I didn't create the circumstances which changed your paths. Those three children did, and once a very long time ago you helped them."

elkbones