Pay Back is Sweet

[Ronan "Kitten" Lynch]

Indeed there was no tone needed behind his word choice as Ronan still flinched as if he'd just been slapped. "Okay." His tone on the other hand took a much more quiet and cautious take to it. He wiped what he could back on the lip of the canister then wiped any residue off on his pants. He didn't want the possibility of it getting anywhere unintended.

He didn't really blame Sebastian for not just trusting him with a medicine he didn't know. It wasn't as if the two of them knew each other very well. Still, he felt anxiety ripple through him like a tide. Perhaps he was a bit too mistrusting but Ronan preferred not upsetting men he was alone with. Especially soldiers. Still, he returned to working out knots if just to return to his own semblance of calm.

"That Logan man," he started once he felt like his voice had returned to normal and wouldn't waver, "he seems more...relaxed than you." Maybe relaxed wasn't the right word for it. Less uptight? Perhaps. Though that didn't feel quite right either.

"Have you known him long?"

[Sebastian Arcturis]

The soldier's body language remained just as relaxed as it had been. He certainly hadn't intended to scare the man, simply to tell him the medical attention was unwanted. Basrian knew he would get over the dislike soon emough but it was a recieved trauma. That said, he felt no need to comfort the sensitive small man.

He did offer a soft pleased groan at the returned attention to the massage at least.

He almost didn't understand who Ronan meant. "Baird is a family man," he said, which might have explained some. It didn't help Sebastian was not normal and in a particularly difficult mental place at the moment. "Good man," he noted quietly. Thankfully, Bastian missed the direct comparison between him and Baird.

"Four years," he said, give or take. Maybe a bit longer honestly, but they had been...almost friends...for that long.

[Ronan "Kitten" Lynch]

"A family man?" That was at least interesting to know but it still made Ronan giggle. Not because he thought Logan couldn't get a wife just because of how friendly a 'family man' had been with Sebastian. "You'd think having kids would make him grumpier than you." He teased with a playful smile. Though that did make him a bit curious.

"Do you have a wife, Sebastian? Or kids?" Part of him doubted the kids part. He seemed far too rough to deal with children. Though he wouldn't be surprised if he had a wife. As odd as he might have seemed he was still very handsome and had shown he had the capacity to in fact be sweet and caring. "Perhaps there's a lady you're sweet on?" As he moved lower down his back to made sure to avoid any larger bruises and the strange claw mark looking scar. Though that one did catch his interest enough to finally ask.

"How'd you get this one?" Ronan lightly traced his fingers over the scar. Slowly feeling the rougher skin under his soft fingers. It was always a little strange feeling scars but an interesting strange.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

The captain didn't understand why Ronan found his term for Baird funny. The other guard was a decent human being, objectively good looking, a provider and protector, and quite good with children. Maybe family simply wasn't the first thing on Ronan's mind. Sebastian had considered he might like to have his own family. Moments like that were fleeting, however, and always tempered by the fact that he couldn't. Or more aptly shouldn't. Not that he had ever been careful exactly but he wasn't sleeping around. He just had an understanding that he was already a bastard and regardless of bloodline, he'd rather not do that to his own child. Not on purpose like his father had.

The understanding that children made someone grumpy was quite lost on the soldier. He didn't have much experience with family or children or squabbling siblings. It was quite foreign to him. Certainly he heard a lot of men complain about their wife or children, but it was always said in a...loving manner. Most of the time. Of course, he talked to a lot more commoners than nobility. As it was, he hummed faintly at Ronan calling him grumpy. That was the common way to put it.

“No” he said as a catch-all to both questions. As for a woman he was sweet on...he wasn’t so sure how to answer that one so he didn’t say anything further. He liked Rosemary. Which was honestly surprising. It wasn’t so confusing anymore, he’d long gotten over the whole drugging business. He had kissed her, after all. He still wasn’t sure if that was for himself or for her or both.

He could tell from the touch which injury the man was asking about. There was the real story. And then there was the truth. “Wolf. Rescuing a little girl.” It was mostly true. It would have had to have been a rather large wolf, from the look of the scars.

[Ronan "Kitten" Lynch]

Ronan had a bit more experience interacting with nobles who came to Candlelights. They talked about their families more as burdens or disapointments. Not all of them but enough for him to notice a pattern. He supposed family stress was one reason to seek out a brothel though.

Sebastian tilted his head a bit at the answer. "Really? You're handsome enough I figured someone would have snatched you up." While he wasn't lying it was said in a playful tone. Though Ronan didn't press any further on that issue. Family and relationships could be a touchy subject for a lot of people. Instead he continued his work until the vague answer about the scar made him pause a bit.

"Wolf?" It seemed rather cliche for an answer. Strong soldier saves helpless little girl from a big bad wolf. Wasn't that some kind of childrens story? Either way it wasn't that Ronan didn't believe him. More so he knew Sebastian wasn't telling all of the truth. "Animal or mystic?" He asked without really thinking. The scar looked larger and deeper than something a regular wolf might have left. Wolves also weren't known for hunting or fighting alone so wouldn't he have more similar scars if that were the case?

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian grunted. "Everyone is always surprised," he said in a rough whisper. Most women recognized he was handsome. Some told him so. Others approached him at parties and attempted to dance with him even when he wasn't a guest but a guard. All of them realized rather quickly he had...more baggage than they wanted to deal with under that pretty face. Most of them, anyway.

Sometimes, he wished he wasn't so good looking. Then people would stop taking him at face value and being disappointed and stop disappointing him.

The man was not oblivious to the fact it sounded like a fairytale but this was the age of fairytales. A particular healer would love to hear the story for precisely that reason, he imagined.

Animal or mystic. He let out a long breath and instead of answering directly, he reached back and lifted the tunic lingering around his neck and shoulders to show up the matching claw marks and teeth marks up there, where the beast had latched onto him and attempted to eother tear him open or crush his collarbone. If not for the fact he had also stabbed the thing, he would have been missing a lot more. "Don't knon. It had friends, but not anymore." He had only had to kill the one. He suspected the mystic had rallied a pack who quickly came to thwir senses after seeing the beast slain. Not to mention the smell of seared flesh was not comforting.

He settled back down again after a moment, pushing away the dark memories.

[Ronan "Kitten" Lynch]

As he lifted up his tunic more to expose the other similar wound Ronan couldn't help but run his fingers gently over it as well. With a soft hum of curiosity and acknowledgmemt he chose to leave it at that. There wasn't really much use in asking what else might have happened. It probably also wasn't something pleasant to think about.

He moved his hands back down to continue where he'd been. For a long moment he went quiet. Not because he felt awkward but because he didn't feel the need to say anything. Simply enjoying the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves and the rushing water of a near by river. Perhaps it was just nice to help someone relax.

Once the muscle felt looser and the knots he could get out were gone Ronan sat back and stretched his arms over his head.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

It seemed his avoidance of an answered worked well enough. It wasn't the worst memory but Sebastian wasn't one to glorify action. A man of actions over words he might be, but violence didn't engender any more passionate feelings in him than most other pursuits.

The soldier groaned softly as Ronan continue his work. It was a nice moment. He wouldn't say he managed to completely relax, but he did more or less forget about the mood he had been in earlier and how he had gotten there. After the man stopped, he didn't say anything for a long moment, both unsure if he was indeed finished and still wanting the almost enjoyable moment linger.

With a grunt, Sebastian pushed himself up and tugged his tunic back down. It felt a little bit...strange twisting his back, but in a good way. "Thank you, Ronan," he said, glancing sidelong at the prostitute. He wasn't very expressive, but he couldn't help be curious why the man had felt so inclined to make him feel...better. Fair trade, he supposed.

After another silence, he stood and stretched too, patting grass and leaves off his pants and taking a deep breath of the clear late winter air. Sebastian doubted his mood was persist past the night, but it was something.