Then, before he could control himself, his thoughts turned to Pyrra, he could see her in his mind. He muttered her name, for a moment lost in the memory of her, a thousand memories running together and intermingling, from when he had met her, to the letters they had later shared. Alexi would feel a nearly overwhelming sense of love and admiration, even some remaining sexual desire. But before Erik could stop himself, it all came crashing down, and the pain began to come back. Quickly, he let go of Alexi's hands and took more deep breaths, trying to tone down the intense pain of loss, even more than the loss of Zanri, for Alexi's sake. “I'm sorry,” he muttered. “I'm so so sorry.” But it was unclear exactly to whom he was speaking. A light gasp escapes Alexi's lips and he almost giggles as the feeling races through his system. He recognizes the feeling, the joy of accomplishing something thought difficult or impossible. Even as a memory it is far stronger than what the human normally feels, but for now he does not think on that, instead just enjoying this unique experience. His eyes remain locked on Erik and he offers a smile at that first wave of pride. When the second comes, the accompanying sting is what causes Alexi to gasp this time, but his gaze never wavers, this sting unfamiliar to him, thus new and interesting. The name, as that name strikes Erik's lips, he can feel a change. He does not flee from this change, instead bracing to feel the sudden shift of a mor honest emotional recollection. This recollection not called up, simply rolling through him naturally. The sudden cascade has him biting his lip, the foreign . The feelings crack across his hear like a whip and a harsh whine finds it's way out of him. He can not sort through them all, even the positive ones are too intense for him to handle, but he does not let go, wanting to share this with Erik, even just for a little while. Before he pulls back the pain, something Alexi [b]can[/b] recognize, slams into him like a brick wall to the face, and he cries out. However, as Erik pulls away, Alexi finally acts on those impulses to comfort the man and without thinking he does what Joseph used to do. Moving forward on his hands and knees, tears on his face he can't even feel, he moves to Erik’s side and gentle as a mother holding her babe, he wraps his arms around Erik and pulls him in tight, pressing the vampires head to his chest, his fingers moving ever so slightly to brush through that short cropped hair. He doesn't say anything, not knowing what to say. He simply tries, for a moment at least, to share in the older male's pain. Despite his newly ignited curiosity, Alexi has no intention of asking something that is obviously not his business. Erik trembled and allowed himself to be taken into Alexi's breast. [i]It was over twenty years ago now. Twenty years, and she's still in that damn hellhole. And there's not a damn thing I can do about it.[/i] But a ray of hope came to him. [i]She'll be free, somehow, just like the rest of them will. I have the old plans memorized. But now, I should have the resources to free her, assuming she doesn't free herself the minute Alexi's devices break. What am I doing here? Feeling sorry for myself instead of being productive. I'm a Leader for godsakes. I do not have the luxury of wallowing in self-pity.[/i] Slowly, the rebel pulled away from his friend and smiled. “I'm sorry, Alexi. I told you that I wasn't good at this.” Alexi holds the shivering male, having no idea if he's helping or not. He wonders desperately if he's even capable of comforting someone with this cold heart and unpracticed hand. The storm calms slowly, and it isn't until Erik pulls away that the human realizes that he himself is crying. With a faintly stubborn pout he hunches down a bit and wraps his arms around Erik's neck, burying his face in the vampire's shoulder from the side. In a soft voice he whispers, “Do not regret it for a minute Erik. That was the most incredible thing I have ever felt, and I would not trade it for all the world of fantastic artifacts. . .” He continues to cry gently, waiting for his normal state to kick in and the pain to fade, even as he clings to it as hard as he can. Erik held Alexi somewhat awkwardly, and grimaced at the irony of his words. “And I would trade almost everything I have, short of my freedom, to not feel as deeply as I do. You have no idea how difficult it is to project stoicism and confidence through this sea of negativity. I cannot even focus on a happy emotion without ultimately feeling the pain of loss, whereas most of what I feel from you is this confidence bordering on arrogance. I'm not saying I would want to be as emotionally stunted as you are, but you should not envy the depth of my emotions. They are a burden, not a gift,” the vampire argued sadly, still holding onto the human. A faint smile begins spreading across the rich man's face and suddenly, with a weird little flop, he rolls backwards off the bed. Landing hard he lets out a faint sound of pain however he ignores it as he vanishes under the bed. There are odd thumps and scrabbling noises and by the time Alexi comes out the feelings have faded. However the tear tracts on his face now have a very fine layer of dust on them along with ever other inch of him, the streaks simply darker than the rest. [i]'I need to clean under there soon. Joseph knows better, and it has been far too long. . .'[/i] With a cough and a shake he climbs back on to the bed with a very old and weathered looking book. The cover is brown and peeling in places, and in the middle is a slightly lighter looking part with a figure of a gold crown at it's center. The author's name is mostly illegible, but at the bottom the title has survived the years. [u]The Prince and The Pauper[/u]. Alexi hands it over to Erik gingerly. “Sorry, it is just. . .The way we have been talking about all this, made me think of this book. You are free to read it if you like, when you have time of course. Just, do not try and put it back yourself, it is a mess down there.” As he says this he smiles childishly, all traces of the sadness gone, save for the dark trails leading down from his eyes of course. Erik watched Alexi curiously, wondering what exactly he was getting. He took the ancient book tenderly and smiled. “This is on Project Gutenberg, you know,” he pointed out, grinning slightly. “But, I haven't read it. I don't read fiction much. My life has enough action, and what you call fantasy, and dystopia and class warfare. I don't have much use for fiction. Still, I'll try and read it, if you want. Although, I don't really think of myself as a pauper,” the vampire leader commented, smirking slightly. [i]Of course, I once was, but that was a long time ago.[/i] he thought. Alexi's nose wrinkles at the mention of the project that he believes was invented specifically to de-value books. He chuckles however at the comment about being a pauper. “No Erik, you are the prince in my eyes, and I am the lowly pauper.” He smiles sadly and runs his fingers over the book. “You do not have to, I just thought that it would be an interesting take on how we view one another.” He smiles at Erik, smearing a bit of dust across his cheek as he swipes a hand across it. “Without making another pointless argument out of it, I would point you to your oodles of servants, finery, and money to dispute such a statement,” he replied, chuckling a little at the human's words. “But it really doesn't matter. I'll read the book while I'm here, my friend.” Alexi chuckles. “Despite all that,” he says with a wave of his hand, “I am the poorest man I know.” With that he points to his heart and offers Erik a sad smile. “Where it matters.” His eyes then land on the clock and with a faint yipe he races off to the bathroom to clean off at least a bit of the dust before racing back to his room and pulling off his soiled clothes. “I am late, so late, for a very important date!” he says in a little sing-song voice while he begins pulling on his track suit. Erik smiled, “In some things, perhaps,” he agreed, rolling off the bed and striding back to his desk. “I'm glad we could talk. I guess I'll... see you when you come back.” The vampire sighed slightly, before resuming the task he had been doing before Alexi had walked in. A faint whine finds it's way out as the human manages to once more forget he's injured and pulls the muscle a little to quickly. He pouts to himself over the pain for an instant, then thinks about who made it and smiles. Not because the thought makes him happy, but because he knows it should. He should be happy, thinking about something that makes him happy, it simply does not happen, but he's learn to fake it at least. [i]'Though I am faking it to myself. . .'[/i] With a sight he waves at the vampire, already hard at work once more, and heads out into the hall. He pauses right outside the room, looking at the blank wall opposite his door, and tries for the billionth time in his life to think back on something and simply feel, and once more he is disappointed. [i]'Ah well, maybe somewhere before this ends I can ask him to do it again, since he seems open to trying'[/i] With a sigh he jogs down the hall and then down to the first floor. Mois meets him at the sliding door leading to the back garden and with a smile to his older sibling Alexi sets the pace around the mansion so Mois doesn't have to worry about going too fast for his out-of-shape younger sibling. [i]'Out of shape, but still fit. That workout room and carefully planned diet has kept my inactive brother quite trim indeed for a pencil pusher'[/i] He's always been interested in his family's high metabolism, but even their father had gained a bit of pudge and he'd been more active than the youngest Vandros. [i]'Maybe the chef is sneaking some of those supplements into his meals to help him there. . .I know she knows some old folk remedies and stuff, she may be. . .Ah, whatever, it's not like his body's gonna do him any good soon'[/i] His dark thoughts must be showing on his face because after only a minute of jogging Alexi slows and looks at him with furrowed brow. “What is wrong Mois?” he asks, a note of real concern in his voice. [i]'Shit. Damn him and his perceptiveness!'[/i] He rages to himself before smoothing out the lines on his face with effort. “You know what's wrong Brother. . .” he murmur, his lips pressed together. Alexi does not have the chance to reply however as Mois speeds up the the former pace, the need to breath making it hard to talk. Alexi knows that Mois still hasn't forgiven his decision, even if he's agreed to follow through with his younger brother's wishes. [i]'I pray you will forgive me one day my dear Mois. It is for the best. . .'[/i] Once the jog is over the two do some stretching before Alexi heads for the house. He is a bit surprised to spot Mois following him and he turns to walk backwards. Before he can question however Mois speaks up. “I'll be joining you for dinner.” There is no request in the elder Vandros' eyes and Alexi's objection dies on his lips. With a faint smile he shrugs. “As long as you are willing to bathe first. You tend to stink worse than I do.” Mois gets the distinct impression of just whose nose Alexi does not want to be offended but doesn't say anything, instead just nodding silently. With a smile Alexi drops back to walk with his brother, rambling on about Riley as they go with minimal input from his older sibling. Once at his room he unlocks the door and motions for Mois to wait a moment. Sticking his head around the door he makes sure Erik isn't nude or practicing fighting moves or something else it might not be good for Mois to walk in on. Joseph entered the room a few minutes after his master had left for his jog. But the younger vampire was busy in his work, and finished writing before greeting elder vampire and standing to help, as he had promised before. After fifteen minutes, Erik was the first to break the silence. “Joseph, would you mind giving me more blood? Perhaps a larger glass, and one with each meal?” the younger vampire requested. The head slave merely raised an eyebrow. “Why?” In normal circumstances, the dose that Joseph had been giving Erik would be more than enough to sustain a vampire for 24 hours, but they both knew that. “I'm working on these plans. The work could be time sensitive, as we will only have a small window of opportunity after Alexi shuts down the devices, before the details could radically change. I need all the energy and concentration I can so that I can get through all of this in time. I need to be able to sleep less and work more efficiently, especially if I am going to be taking breaks to talk about my feelings with Alexi.” “Well, in that case, no,” the head slave replied, meeting the rebel leader's eyes. For the briefest of moments, Erik's anger flared up, though not enough to affect his eyes. “And why the hell not?” “Because, as you well know, you need sleep just as much as any human does, even if we vampires need somewhat less of it to get by. I cannot stop you from sacrificing your sleep or your sanity, but I do not have to facilitate it.” “I gave up sleep all the time in my duties as Leader, and before that, as a soldier. Joseph, you're being ridiculous.” “No, I'm not. This is not life threatening, and you can enlist help from myself and Masters Mois and Alexi on these plans. Losing sleep will hurt your concentration more, and added blood will only be a stopgap measure for so long. You will become more irritable, and God knows what your unchecked emotions will do to Master Alexi. I will not allow it. Now what would you like for dinner? I need to inform the kitchens.” “More blood. AB-positive if you have it. That stuff's tasty,” Erik replied with a mischievous grin. He paused and tried again. “Okay, fine, if I promise to get enough sleep, could I have an extra dose to make sure that I can concentrate better?” Joseph thought for a moment and continued dusting before stating his reply. “Very well. For the time being. If it turns out to be harmful, I reserve the right to cut you off on the extra dose. Now, what do you want for dinner tonight?” Erik smirked slightly, but refrained from hugging Joseph. “I'm really not picky. I don't know... Something with meat and vegetables?” “Master Mois has asked that you select the dish. I just agreed to do you a favor, so please, come up with something?” “Fine, how about... steak and vegetables. No, wait, nothing that requires something so sharp to eat. I wouldn't want to put things more on edge with the asshole who actually captured me. Seafood medley pasta. I don't care what style, would that work?” “Of course, I'll tell the kitchens immediately,” Joseph replied, pulling out his phone and sending a message to the head chef. It was a few more minutes before the pair said their farewells, and Joseph bowed and left. Erik, unsurprisingly, returned to his work, and continued it until Alexi next entered the room. Alexi lets out an audible sigh at the sight of Erik yet again hard at work but smiles a moment later. “You really are dedicated Erik.” He murmurs, waiting until Mois is inside before closing the door once more. Mois stares at the vampire for a moment, his gaze blank in an attempt to avoid starting anything with the obviously over worked male. He's interrupted Alexi at paperwork before and he doubts this man would give him as much leeway when it comes to breaking his concentration. Alexi however seems to ignore the fact that Erik is busy, wandering over to check what Erik's doing while Mois makes his way towards the bathroom. “Join you in a minute Mois. . .” he murmurs, waiting until he's out of earshot before saying softly, “I hope you do not mind. He informed me he wanted to eat with us tonight kind of suddenly. . .” Erik ignored Alexi for the moment, staring at his papers as an excuse to think. He was somehow uncomfortable with Mois in the room, remembering the strange dislike that he had sensed before. In truth, it was strange to greet yet another former enemy, a different kind of enemy than Alexi, someone whom he could have easily met in battle, someone who had defeated him. “Yes, I mind somewhat. But not enough to ask that you get rid of him. It's my own issue and I'll get over it. I am capable of being nice,” Erik replied gently, realizing that there was, at this point, no reason to try and lie to Alexi. He did not yet know how to mask his true emotions from him, and he knew that the human would currently be feeling mild apprehension, tension, and another spark of inadequacy. But they were mild emotions and the vampire pushed them to the back of his mind, hoping that Alexi would be able to do the same. Running a hand through his hair, the vampire stood and strode over to the couch, sitting down in a place that was more open to conversation, and waiting for Mois to emerge. A few moments tick by before Alexi gets his answer and he lets the faint feelings slip over him gently. Reaching out he squeezes the vampire's shoulder, something Mois use to do to him often when he was young to thank him for something, and murmurs softly, “Thank you Erik.” With that he moves off to the bathroom to get washed up. He manages to engage Mois in a short splash fight when the reach the last pool, the elder winning of course, ebfore the both of them move over to the robes linning the wall. The smiles from the game fade and while Alexi settles for a calm smile, Mois' lips return to their normal emotionless state. Pulling on one of his plush, fuzzy robes Alexi gives the stoic mad a tight hug before heading back to his room. Mois takes a more traditional cotton one and heads after him, determined to not fight with the vampire. Not yet at least. He has the distinct impression that a fight is inevitable, even if it doesn't happen until after Alexi is gone from this world. Back in the room Alexi takes a neutral position on the floor at the head of the coffee table while Mois sits opposite Erik, his eyes tracing over the man quickly before looking to his hands as he folds them atop the table. The three sat in increasingly awkward silence for several minutes, and to be honest, Erik was not willing to be the one to break it. Eventually he stood, and brought over the floorplan to Grunblak's mansion to look over, at least until some form of conversation began. Meanwhile, Joseph sent his younger Master a text stating that supper would be up soon, and that the kitchens were completing their finishing touches on a scrumptious meal. Quite comfortable with the silence Alexi hums lightly, simply observing the other two men in the room. Mois on the other hand feels a vague discomfort with the whole situation. Unlike he brother he's not quite as dismissive with social morays and being in nothing but a bathrobe in front of such a dangerous man who, without knowing it, has shortened his dear brother's life span has him more than a little upset. None of it shows, not really, but as Erik rises to go fetch something to do his eyes follow the man with his usual hunter's stare. After a moment he pulls out his phone and texts Joseph. -Bring me some clothes with dinner please.- Putting his phone away he looks to his brother who's still smiling and just watching them. The younger Vandros spots what Erik brought and has an idea. He thinks on it for a long moment, knowing full well it may not turn out to be a good choice, but far too curious to care either way. With a light clap he smiles up at Erik. “Erik! You have expressed a wish to have someone of a more militaristic mind to help you with this planning no? How about you and Mois look over the plans together?” His phone goes off as he says that last sentence and he holds up a hand so he can check his text. Mois on the other hand rolls his eyes, looking up at the vampire out of the corner of his eyes waiting to see how he responds to his brother's attempt to make the two of them more friendly toward one another. [i]I didn't mean this bastard. How do I know he wouldn't simply use what I tell him in capturing other cells? I'm not going to work with a man who gets paid to capture and kill us. At least not until I am sure he has completely quit his position. Besides, I can see the way he looks at me, with just as much dislike as I look at him. Maybe its not completely rational, I don't know. But I don't think us working together would go well. Hell, Alexi should know that.[/i] “No thanks, I don't really need the help,” Erik muttered, choosing the polite and dishonest route, rather than ranting over his distaste for the elder brother. Though, Alexi would feel a significant surge of irritation directed towards the idea. Even without their bond it's easy for Alexi to see how much distaste his suggestion brought up in the vampire. Flipping his phone closed he takes the kick in the gut with a sigh and flops down on the table like a bored child. “Just trying to be useful. . .” he mutters with a pout. Mois looks at his brother with a brow raised. “You could have asked me if I would even want to first.” Alexi looks at him with an equally cocked brow. “What you want does not really matter here does it? It is what is best for the sake of our future.” “However long they may be.” Mois mutters, flinch lightly as that earns an honest to goodness glare from his little brother. “You know, you look just like father when you do that.” A faint sting follows the ripple of irritation at Mois' mention of life spans. “I look nothing like our old man.” he says with a faint huff. “You are the one who was cursed with that endowment.” Mois lets out a long sigh and ruffles Alexi's hair, pulling a whine out of the smaller male as he pushes the hand off. The elder brother's brow smooths for a moment and a faint genuine smile flits across his face at his brother's childish responses. Erik watched the interaction curiously, feeling confused at the flicker of emotion he received from Alexi. [i]It was right after Mois mentioned something about a short life. Interesting... No idea what it means, and it's not like that bastard is going to tell me, but interesting.[/i] Besides that, he found the banter between the two brothers rather entertaining, and for a moment almost wished he had a sibling of his own. Vampire reproduction was rare and difficult. Even without protection, it was very difficult for most vampire couples to conceive. Erik had saved his parents years ago, but they had not given birth to another child, even after being freed. Still, he simply watched in silence, refusing to speak unless addressed. He was in no mood to talk and was, frankly, looking forward to the distraction of dinner. Mois put his hand back, causing Alexi to whine and bat at it. The little exchange escalates into a very short wrestling match that ends with Mois smiling down at his little brother, his arms pinned to his sides by Mois' knees, pouting up at him quite cutely. The elder lets out a small laugh and dismounts the smaller male, helping him sit up before taking his place across from the vampire again, his face not quite as hard as before. Meanwhile Alexi retakes his place and gazes up at Erik. Deciding on a different route he murmurs, “Mois was captain of both the boxing and wrestling team in school. He even studied some martial arts, but he has always told me that I was more suited for them.” He sighs. “He has had a far more interesting life than I. . . .More. . . .Friends. . . .” With another sigh Alexi flops his top half on to the table face down, his still damp hair causing water to trickle down his exposed neck on to the table. Mois watches silently, a faint touch of sadness for his brother flitting across his face. Erik was no stranger to such fun wrestling matches, and simply watched, amused that two heirs to one of the most rich and powerful families in the world played and roughhoused the same way that he and his comrades did. It was rather amusing, in fact. “Interesting. Perhaps I will take you sometime, though, it would probably not be fair with my magical strength. No offense,” Erik said politely, looking to Mois, and rather afraid he had just unintentionally insulted the man by speaking the truth. “Given the people you guys were stuck with, I'm surprised either of you made any friends at all, really.” “Alexi has a very different definition of friend than most people. Those I called friend are not what he would actually call friends.” Mois replies softly, sounding a little sad. “And I didn't have many. Most were those there on scholarship, not the richie riches that Alexi was constantly surrounded by.” He nods slightly. “As to a match, that would be an honor, though if it is wrestling, strength isn't everything.” He gives Erik a rueful half smile to show he's not offended before returning to his normal state of internalized emotions. Alexi himself listens to the exchange silently, smiling to himself that they actually managed to exchange a handful of words without snarling at one another. [i]'Mois, in his moods, can be a vicious little tiger. . .'[/i] He muses, sliding back and looking at the door as it opens. [i]'Of course not, but I've also been doing this longer than you've been alive. You are clearly skilled, but that's not something any human can match.'[/i] Erik was not one for long dick-measuring contests, so he did not say his thoughts aloud in this case, and merely smiled. He was gradually realizing that perhaps he could come to like Mois reasonably well. “We shall have to try sometime, but you bested me where it counts, so you'll always have that over me,” the vampire replied politely, smiling to hide the bit of shame and humiliation he felt. Just a moment later, Joseph entered with the full spread of dinner and Master Mois' clothes. He set the former down on the table and handed the latter to his elder master with a bow. Alexi feels faint waves of doubt from the vampire and smiles ever so slightly, the smile widening at the sight of Joseph entering the room with food, and for some odd reason clothing. When the pile is handed off to Mois however Alexi rolls his eyes. [i]'Of course, can not be comfortable in front of the vampire that is sharing my soul and helping me die faster. . . .'[/i] The following feelings coming from Erik confuse him for a moment, then he recalls how much Erik hates that Mois caught him and with a huff he looks at the vampire with a pout while Joseph makes up the table. “Well then perhaps you two should try a game of cat and mouse under similar circumstances, or at least setting. That way it would be more fair?” he says, tilting his head to the side. Mois stands and looks to Erik. “Well, that sounds fun.” He says softly before heading to the bathroom to change. “Yes, it actually does. Perhaps someday we will get the chance,” the vampire agreed, grinning a bit at the idea. Meanwhile, Joseph began setting the table for the three of them, and set out a bowl of salad and an even larger bowl of pasta, with vegetables on the side. Alexi openly enjoys that Mois and Erik no longer seem to be so much on the defensive and once he returns from the bathroom and the settle into the meal Alexi strikes up a quiet conversation about Mois and his' childhood. Mois mostly listens, only speaking up when he feels Alexi missed something, or when he recalls something differently, but for the most part he's quiet. His eyes drift to Erik every so often, his gaze mostly unreadable, but sometimes tinged with the kind of concentration that only comes with being in his line of work. When at last the meal is over Alexi calls Joseph back to clear away the mess. Mois does not stick around, instead giving his brother a firm hug before excusing himself. On his way back to his shack he pauses in the entrance hall. He doesn't look around, he doesn't fidget. He just stands there, looking at a point that even the most sharp eyed magical could now see on the best of day. A point that only one in his exact position can see. His heart aches, and for a long moment he sends a silent apology to his brother. [i]'Forgive me brother, I just can't accept it yet. I will do as I'm told, I will not let you down in this your crowning achievement, but after you’re gone. . .I just don't know if I can follow him. . .You tell me to go on living, and yeah, he would be the smoothest transition, but. . . .'[/i] He hangs his head in silents prayer. Not to any god in the heavens nor any deity the world has ever seen. Simply a prayer, and one he hopes will find it's answer one day. ~*~*~*~*~ Yawning wide Alexi stands, stretching. “That was excellent Joseph, my compliments to the cook.” He smiles over at Erik. “You like fish, right? I guess she remembered the special call for fish from before, such a sweet woman.” He has no idea that his dear brother was the one who should be thanked for the fish based dish and it is clear from his expression that he truly believes it was the cook being nice. [i]'Likely thought the special order means I am in a fish mood this month. Well, that should keep her happy. She likes cooking fish'[/i] Of course, the elder vampire merely nodded and bowed at Alexi's words, then continued to pick up the plates. “Yeah, I like fish. That's why I requested it when Joseph asked me about dinner. I thought you knew about that,” Erik muttered. Alexi pauses mid stretch and turns to look at Joseph, a familiar gleam in his eye. “Joseph?” Joseph turned to the human bowed, "Yes, Master?" he replied softly, stepping towards Alexi. Dropping his arms back to his sides the predatory gleam in his eye sharpens. [i]'I have the feeling that. . . .'[/i] “Is it a coincidence that Mois came to dinner the same night you went out of your way to ask what Erik would like to eat?” There is nothing accusatory to his tone. Instead there is his usual soft curiosity that means he's discovered a piece of a puzzle. The vampire shook his head. "Of course not, Master Alexi. Master Mois requested that I meet Erik's preferences, so that is what I did." Alexi offers up a half smile before bounding over to his bed and flopping down on it. Whipping out his phone he texts his brother. -I saw what you did there.- A few moments later Mois texts back. -I didn't do anything.- -It is not going to work you know.- -What isn't? I told you, I didn't DO anything!- -Now you are just being silly.- -You are the silly one Brother. Chasing shadows like this.- -Shadows can bite Mois, you know that.- -Yes Brother. I know. . . .- With a fond sigh Alexi flips his phone close before looking over at Erik with a gentle grin. Faint touches of amusement and intrigue flit through him, puttering off quickly as Mois is already long gone. ~*~*~*~*~ Across the compound Mois puts his phone on his bedside table and crawls into bed, a faint groan escaping him as he settles in. He makes a mental note to ask Joseph for a massage tomorrow before turning off the light. The shadows in his room stretch and dance and for a moment he can not stop his mind from dropping back into the little exchange between he and his brother, and the memories it brings back. However his aching body does not let him dwell for very long and soon enough he is asleep.