scrub-a-dub-dub

[darkeststars]

WHO: Archeval and Five
WHEN: A bit after the start of the blood rains
WHERE: The caravan's encampment
WHAT: Even Five occasionally has to make time to be domestic; it's not like these bloodstains are going to get themselves out. Arche just happens to have a talent for taking care of clothes.
WARNINGS: Descriptions of blood, probably two assholes being assholes


Archeval has heard it said that humans, as a species, find it easy to fall into routine, and annoyingly he finds that he's no exception. It hasn't taken long to adjust to the rhythm of the caravan, packing up in the mornings for their perilous ghost-escorted journey and then settling down each night; by this point, even the awful red rains drenching the entire company every evening are starting to feel predictable. This has hardly been what one would call a safe journey, but in some ways he's at least felt better able to step back and focus on his own affairs than he did back amongst the tense, nerve-wracking chaos of Sa-Hareth. (And it's probably really saying something that the dangerous trip across crumbling mountain cliffs, escorted by a ghost army, hounded by hunting avian creatures, and washed by blood rains on the nightly still feels less terrible somehow than Sa-Hareth did, but -- as far as Darth Imperius is concerned his life already passed the absurdity event horizon a number of years ago and since then he does his best to simply take these things as they come.)

Right now, as the sun sinks in the sky and the caravan unpacks its things to endure another night in this cursed pass, Arche is headed for the thin mountain stream they've made camp by to wash himself a little as best he can before the whole thing runs red tonight. Given how the rains have followed them, persistent and terrible, for night after night lately, it's no surprise to see others doing the same -- some of Mazyar's people seem to be hauling off fresh water while they still can, a few others linger around further downstream from here, and... off to one side, hm, there's Five. Five, who seems to be... squinting at his own dripping jacket, right in the middle of washing it perhaps?

It's still a little odd to see him just hanging around visibly among the group, given how standoffish Arche has found the young man to be, and even odder still to encounter him in the middle of something as normal as doing chores. Are those bloodstains on that jacket...?

Arche drifts over behind the young man to squint at his handiwork entirely uninvited.

"Is all that from the rains?" he grimaces, dearly hoping to hear that isn't so. Far better Five's been off murdering someone bloody instead; the rest of the macabre downpour dropping onto their heads every night has largely been vanishing the following morning, and Archeval very much hopes that trend isn't about to change. He only has so many pairs of clean clothes.

Comments

[darkeststars]

At last, Archeval does glance up now, pausing in his work just to turn around and fix Five with a bone-dry stare.

"To not have to watch you walk around in a tattered jacket covered in half-cleaned stains and falling apart at the seams," he drawls. "You're going to let me fix those too, by the way." This time he doesn't even nominally bother with the 'asking' part, going right back to his self-appointed task once he's given Five that look.

"If I wanted a favor, I would ask for it and barter appropriately. Sharing expertise among the group keeps us operating at best efficiency, and as I keep saying, my goal is for all of us to get out of here safely. I should think that's all simple enough."

As ever, it's hard not to remark on the fact that Five seems somehow out-of-sorts. But that's not the sort of thing Arche could've said to his fellow apprentices back at the Academy either. Any hint of something that could sound like pity in the wrong light would surely have been taken as Arche signaling he saw a weakness he intended to pounce on; and he very much suspects the same holds true here.

[somebadnews]

That answer hardly satisfies him, and it doesn't wipe the suspicious look from his face. He would have been more comfortable if he were doing this for any other reason, but he doesn't make a move to stop him. Never mind if some of it is misdirected resentment. As someone trapped in this young body, he's always dodging concerned glances and uninvited questions to any discomfort he isn't successfully able to mask. His personal space is constantly invaded, and no matter how often he lashes out at them, it never seems to sink in.

For the sake of efficiency. Arche doesn't need to say what he's thinking for Five to pick up on it. As if this is his polite way to force assistance because of how pathetic he looked trying to do simple tasks. The pity is implied.

He seems to remember him having a problem with Five doing everything himself, even before he was struck with whatever affliction is currently hampering his ability to function. Apparently he'd been somewhat convincing, considering he took him up on that offer back in the woods. But sitting here now, watching him insist on helping with something plainly unimportant, puts that in a different light.

"What would we do without you?" He smiles again, the way he usually does when he's irritated at a faulty perception. He can relate to the feeling of being more capable than everyone else, but he wouldn't even hover over his own family as much as this. If what he heard is true, that Arche is the one who killed Unhalad, this all might be another way to assert dominance over the rest of them.

"Things must have really slowed down for you since the farm."

[darkeststars]

"Yes, I haven't been on the quartz as much to be snooped on, have I?" Arche drawls out wryly, holding up the blazer to the light for a moment to inspect his work. It's not at all often in his life that he's ever been accused of being polite, so the exact nuances of Five's irritation are going over his head right now, but he continues right along seemingly unperturbed by the more-or-less expected reaction from the other 'young' man.

"And presumably without me you'd be walking around in disgusting tattered half-cleaned clothes, honestly this entire group is hopeless. I suppose at least I haven't yet caught you poorly pretending you know which end of a needle is up the way I did Mingyu, finally couldn't take that one anymore," he sniffs. And, while working a little more soap into a particularly stubborn spot, he'll glance over his shoulder briefly again with one raised brow.

"But you know, if it would be useful for you to hear what I've been up to lately, you could just try asking. I don't like being spied upon, but trading information is another beast entirely. If you wish to consider our arrangement a one-time deal now expired, then so be it I suppose, but as long as we are all stuck together I don't see how it benefits either you or I to return to square one."

[somebadnews]

This is hardly the first time he's brought up the spying that Five readily admitted to. He only gets a shrug in return. If that's the reason he's not been using the quartz, he should be thanking him for the lesson in being more careful. Who knows what else he could have learned if he hadn't made him aware.

Apparently nobody ever told Five that he shouldn't stare at someone for long periods of time, because he keeps right on scrutinizing every action and expression he makes. The anecdote about Mingyu is an amusing visual, but it also might have been his attempt to prove that he's not being singled out. This could always be some elaborate trap, or a ploy to take his guard down, and he refuses to let it slip. Especially now, when he's more vulnerable.

Is that fair, when Arche has only ever offered to help the survival of the group, and in fact could be credited with saving many them from a horrible death? Of course it is. Five has seen how powerful he is, and he'd be a fool to turn his back and hope that he won't suddenly have a change of heart if he learns too much about him or his family. Now that he's not the only member of said family here, that becomes more likely.

"Alright then." Five shifts and leans forward, deciding right then to call his bluff. Far be it for him to offend him with improper ettiequte. "What have you been up to lately? More than laundry, I'm assuming."

[darkeststars]

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it? Didn't strain anything over there, I hope?" responds Archeval in that usual sardonic drawl.

"I exerted myself quite a bit during the siege, took an injury. For a while after that I wasn't in much of a state to do anything useful but rest and recover my energy." And, of course, try to get a handle on his new passenger. Everybody's probably already heard that he stuck a lightsaber through Unhalad by now, or so he assumes, but what happened between the two of them afterward is something that so far he's been very selective about sharing. Certainly if Five found out that he's sitting here right now with both Darth Imperius and the same warlord responsible for dragging most of their little band to this hellhole of a world, Arche can well imagine this conversation would turn a lot less casual.

"Since getting back up to speed, I've been pitching in here and there around the caravan and trying to take stock of what notes of mine I managed to rescue from the farmhouse, copy back down what I can recall from things that got lost in the chaos. It's a project I've had going for a bit trying to get a handle on Sa-Hareth's language." If the usual pattern holds true, Five has probably already heard about it, but might as well cover his bases.

"And I broke into some kind of temple in the side of a cliff for Lan Wangji, looking for one of his relatives. Fascinating place, actually, very... evocative. But that would be the long and short of my terribly riveting adventures on the caravan."

He gives Five a very dry look before turning back to his task again, inspecting the dripping garment one more time. It looks much improved from a few minutes earlier, the stains mostly removed or at least unnoticeable -- not perfect, but probably about as good as it's going to get with these facilities -- so with that he starts to carefully wring out the excess water.

"The local ghosts don't seem nearly so inclined to drag us all to our deaths as everything else around here has been, so indeed, I suppose I've been less busy. I suppose you, meanwhile, must have your hands full."

He doesn't elaborate on that statement at all, calmly continuing to squeeze water out of Five's blazer one section at a time.

[somebadnews]

Five gives him a flat look at another unappreciated attempt at teasing. There's nothing wrong with his method of collecting information, but Arche seems to need little prompting to go into detail about his activities. Or maybe he's doing so intentionally, just to prove how willing he is to make good on his word. Possibly because he believes he has nothing to fear from oversharing with the likes of him. Somehow he doesn't think that all has to do with Five being especially good at hiding who he is and more to the fact that Arche is that sure of himself.

He looks him over with some interest when he reveals the state he was in after the siege, but can't spot the injury he's referring to. It's possible he's well on his way to recovery. To the extent that he can focus on his notes at least. For that, Five is envious. Concentrating on his work has felt nearly impossible lately, and he can't trust that he hasn't made too many mistakes while trying to salvage any of it.

The bit about the temple raises an eyebrow though. Lan Wangji's relative? Must be his son, who Five is only vaguely aware of. Of course that's the subject he breezes by without elaboration. Arche isn't the only one who hasn't been paying enough attention to their little network lately, and he frowns thinking he somehow missed an opportunity.

Fortunately, he has an easy excuse to why he's been distracted. Which he assumes Arche has already picked up on, with that last statement.

"With my sisters, you mean?" He isn't sure if he is aware of Allison's arrival, but he sees no reason not to point out his family. If only to make it clear who shouldn't be messed with. "They know how to take care of themselves."

If he thinks that Five is going to expand on that, he'll be disappointed. He isn't done asking questions, since he seems to enjoy answering them so much.

"Tell me about the temple." His sister arrived somewhere similar, so he's curious if it's the same one. "Did you find who you were looking for?"