Ollie
18
Single
Soldier/Knight in training
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Post by Aiden de Sardet on Jan 20, 2021 22:54:28 GMT -5
Aiden shrugged his shoulders as his brother turned down the offer. Of course he was already going to have to explain his bruise but he wasn't terribly concerned about that. The most his parents could do to him at this point was chew him out. They'd tried locking him in his room as punishment and he'd always gotten out.
There'd been one time their father had threatened to give his dogs away. That had been over a series of problems and the argument hadn't ended well. "Tell Luis to let me know if you need me." Speaking of Luis, Aiden still wasn't tired. And as his brother had pointed out he had the man wrapped around his finger.
By morning Aiden woke up a little more sore than he had the morning before. The feeling of a cold wet nose pressing against his cheek though made him chuckle. The sound of their soft whines made him sit up. "Alright, alright I'm up." He sat up with a stretch before pulling on his clothes and leaving the room. As he was about to get on his daily chores he was stopped by their mother. "Aiden dear, have you seen-" She was cut off as he caught the bruise on his face. "What happened to your face?"
Aiden raised a curious brow then shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Probably from when I was wrestling with my dogs yesterday." She stared at him for a moment. Debating his answer but he knew better than to back down. "Well be more careful. Have you seen Raize?"
Right, Raize was probably still in his room. "I think he wasn't feeling well last night." He needed to check on his big brother. Knowing her oldest sons health Aiden watched a look of concern cross her features. "Oh, I'll need to check on him then."
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Orion
20
Single
Army Corporal
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Post by Raize de Sardet on Jan 20, 2021 23:23:48 GMT -5
Normally, he wasn't one for sleeping in.Oh, he loved sleeping and naps and snuggling up to someone he cared about, but not in the morning. Even with working night shifts, his body pulled him awake at dawn at the latest.
But not this morning. While he had slept alright once he managed to, he was exhausted. Recovering from the cold soak he had taken the night before had taken a lot out of him and managed to sleep well past morning and through breakfast. The fact the eldest de Sardet had missed a meal was telling in itself.
Siobhan's suspicions over her youngest son's extracurricular activities faded with even the suggestion her other son might be sick. If she hadn't known better, she might have thought it a ruse to pull her attention away, but after all the times Raize had become ill as a child, it wasn't a joking matter, even when her wiley Aiden wanted to sneak out from under her nose. She immediately made her way to the boy's room and with a single knock to announce her presence, let herself in. This was her house, after all, and she had seen all their was to see of her brood.
The knock got a groan of recognition. That had to be mother. He rolled over and smothered a cough before it could announce to her how "deathly ill" he likely was.
"Raize, dear. It's not like you to miss breakfast. Are you feeling alright?" She whisked across the room to the windows and threw them open. "Natural light would help," he murmured to herself. The sudden brightness made de Sardet wince and he tugged a pillow over his head.
"Mother," he groaned in warning. He was an adult, this was uncalled for, rude, and he would honestly much prefer the annoyance of a doctor than his own mother mothering him. Aiden had been enough.
"Don't 'mother' me," she replied, unfazed, arms folded. She glanced over at her other son who had followed her up, appraising him. Clearly she knew he knew something. But not what. Her eyes shifted about the room, as if looking for small details, something out of place. "If you aren't up by lunch, the house physician will be in," she informed him before making her exit.
De Sardet held his breath until he heard her footsteps descent the stairs and then hacked up a storm into his pillow. "And the physician," he mumbled, not entirely aware of whether anyone else was present, covered in blankets and pillows as he was, "Will prescribe bed rest and blankets, soup, that foul cough medicine, and some newfangled concoction to shove up my nose," he grumbled tiredly. He sounded more like he might lose his voice to a sore throat than like he had a cold, but all in good time, he supposed.
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Ollie
18
Single
Soldier/Knight in training
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Post by Aiden de Sardet on Jan 20, 2021 23:46:08 GMT -5
Aiden did follow their mother to Raizes room. Wanting to make sure he was okay given that he still felt bad for what happened the night before. Still, he waited patiently with his dogs in the doorway. The dogs sat on either side of him curiously as they waited for the lady to leave. There were plenty of secrets Siohans sons had that she'd never know. Certainly she might have some idea of what may have happened but there were some things she'd never fully know about.
Once she was gone Aiden and his dogs entered the room. Closing the door behind himself he let the animals sniff around the room curiously as he crouched next to his brothers bed. "Morning big brother." While he was playful he still spoke softly. Unsure how sensitive to sound he would be. Not wanting to be as rude as their mother. He pressed his hand to Raizes forehead curiously before letting out a soft sigh.
He stood from his spot before walking to the windows and closing the curtains a bit to at least dampen the light in the room. Aiden had a much stronger immune system than...well anyone in his house really. That didn't mean he never got sick. As much as natural lighting could be nice it was also a pain when you were ill.
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Orion
20
Single
Army Corporal
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Post by Raize de Sardet on Jan 20, 2021 23:57:51 GMT -5
He jumped a little at the sound of his brother's voice, not having heard his footsteps. "Morning little brother," he mirrored back gruffly. He was indeed quite warm to the touch, at least relatively. Aiden's hand still felt slightly warm, he he imagined anyone else would feel cool.
As the light dimmed slightly, he blinked and rolled back over so he could look about the room. "Thanks, Aiden," he said softly. I took him a moment for his eyes to adjust and he noticed the bruise on his brother's face, immediately realizing where that came from. "Your face alright?" he asked, not bothering to ask if mother had grilled him on that already. OF course she had. De Sardet sat up, coughed into his arm, and attempted to coax one of his brother's dogs onto the bed.
"Good news is, I finally figured out how to convince father to let you stay with Raina and I," he said with a playful, if strained smile.
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Ollie
18
Single
Soldier/Knight in training
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Post by Aiden de Sardet on Jan 21, 2021 0:18:18 GMT -5
The question on his face made Aiden press his fingers lightly against the bruise. It did in fact sting and make him quickly pull his fingers back but he instead shrugged. "Eh, it's alright. Not as if I have a hot date or anything tonight." Luis had mentioned something about the bruise last night but he barely paid attention to that.
It didn't take much coaxing for the larger of the two dogs to jump up on the bed. Aiden watched as he immediately rolled onto his back for a belly rub. The sight made him chuckle. "Big baby." He muttered before turning his attention back to his brother. "Oh yeah? What's that?" He honestly hadn't thought about leaving since Raize had gone flying into the freezing water.
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Orion
20
Single
Army Corporal
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Post by Raize de Sardet on Jan 21, 2021 0:40:21 GMT -5
De Sardet snorted. It was almost a laugh. "Well, I had hoped to visit-" he paused to cough "-some of the barmaids in the village tonight," he admitted. He wasn't joking, but he wasn't entirely serious either. "And I bet Luis would still go on a date with you." Also playful, also not entirely a joke. Luis was kind of cute, especially considering de Sardet liked older partners.
While even suggesting something so liberal would be considered obscene by their parents, he wasn't at all concerned about what Aiden might or might not think about him. Hilariously, the eldest de Sardet had barely had the talk about sex and children and marriage. It had been left up to him to talk to his younger brother about it. It had been...admittedly awkward. But they were close, always had been, and he of course had talked to his brother about his own first time with a woman and with a man.
He pulled the big puppy closer and proceeded to give him a lazy belly rub. "It's a secret. But you have to help me. And not a word-" another pause to cough as he held up a warning finger to Aiden, "not a word of this mess to father. Clear?" Odds were their father was in his study where he was not to be bothered and likely was unaware of his son's state. He eased himself to the side of the bed with a groan. He and Raina weren't in town for long, he needed to talk to him now before it was time to return to Ethion and there was no telling how long he might be sick for. Best to get it out of the way.
"Bring me some warm salt water. And something else hot to drink, would you?" He needed to at least be able to speak for a moment without coughing. Plus it would help wake him up.
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Ollie
18
Single
Soldier/Knight in training
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Post by Aiden de Sardet on Jan 21, 2021 0:56:00 GMT -5
"Oh poor baby." He teased as he folded his arms over his chest. The idea of him and Luis dating though made him laugh. Aiden had courted three people in his eighteen years of life. None of them lasted very long and it had mostly been for the benefit of their parents. Or at least get Lady de Sardet off his back. Largely speaking though he wasn't really interested in dating or relationships.
Well, not that he wasn't interested. More so he hadn't felt really connected with any one person to care. "Luis and I have fun at home." While he knew better than to talk about his preferences around their parents Aiden was comfortable with Raize. He'd been the first person he'd rushed so excitedly to tell with his first time with both a man and a woman. Of course it helped knowing his brother shared the same preferences.
Luis was in fact a few years older than Aiden. Though not much older than Raize. Hearing the two requests the younger de Sardet nodded and quietly left the room. Leaving one of his dogs to keep his brother company. It took him a bit to bring back the salt water and hot coffee. Possibly because he had distracted himself flirting with a particular servant. But as he came back to the room he didn't bother knocking before walking in with the two glasses. "Careful, this ones hot." He warned as he sat the cup of coffee on his nightstand.
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Orion
20
Single
Army Corporal
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Post by Raize de Sardet on Jan 21, 2021 1:24:44 GMT -5
De Sardet hadn't felt connected with any of the women he had courted either. But he had certainly connected with them. And with a lot of others. Love was all well and good, but he was simply looking for a good time and he never misrepresented his intentions as such.
"So have him on a romantic picnic or something," he said with a shrug. Anything, even at home, could be a date. But he understood that what his brother had with Luis was not anything serious. At least not right now. Anything beyond that, de Sardet respected his brother's privacy and ability to be with whoever he wanted. Even if it was still a little weird how much Luis resembled him.
While his brother absconded to do as he asked (he honestly wasn't sure if he would, sick or no, he didn't often tell his younger brother what to do) de Sardet got himself up and dressed. It was a rather tiring affair so the extra time it took his younger brother went unheeded, but with some help with his hair, he managed to put himself together well enough. Not so well enough that Raina or their mother wouldn't notice, but he was pretty sure their father would not. The man didn't look up from his ledgers very often as it was.
He took the not hot cup first, moving over to the balcony. He gargled that first, managing not to swallow most of t, thankfully. It helped a little, if not as much as he would have liked. He took the coffee next, though he held it at arms length. "I always like the smell of coffee..." he mused, almost sounding like he was afraid of the thing. The taste however...he hated the taste of coffee. With or without cream or sugar, didn't matter. It was gross. Maybe just...the aroma would be enough to wake him up. That would work, right?
After a few more rounds with the salt water, he gave up, swallowed some lukewarm coffee and straightened his jacket at the door. "How do I look?" He asked. Hopefully decent enough to get away with talking to their father. A few minutes was likely all he would get and hopefully was all he needed.
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Ollie
18
Single
Soldier/Knight in training
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Post by Aiden de Sardet on Jan 21, 2021 1:39:10 GMT -5
It hadn't occurred to him the resemblance Luis shared with his brother. Perhaps he just didn't want to notice. The servant was at least taller and slightly more muscular than Raize. That counted for something right? Aiden knew how much his brother had a distaste for coffee. The younger de Sardet wasn't exactly a fan of it either. The smell always brought him back to early mornings though.
During the new moon when he was ill even during the day. Their father would sit with his youngest son and read to him a bit while enjoying his morning coffee. "It was the only hot thing I could get quickly without questions." He explained with a slightly apologetic smile. He watched his brother for a moment. As he held off drinking the bitter brown liquid.
As he finished and turned to him with a question Aiden chuckled. "Like shit." He stated mostly teasingly. Under the eyes of himself or their mother or sister it was obvious that Raize still needed to be in bed. He'd almost insist on it if he didn't know how short their visit would be therefore how urgently this talk needed to happen. Knowing Raize he was also going to get far worse before he got better. "Good enough for father though. But make it quick you need bed rest."
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Orion
20
Single
Army Corporal
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Post by Raize de Sardet on Jan 21, 2021 2:02:29 GMT -5
Some cider would have been nice, but his younger brother had a point. Most of the cider at Castle Grove was...not the sort to have before lunch. Thankfully, he had an iron stomach, so as much as he found the taste disgusting, it wasn't going to hurt anything.
"I wasn't asking you, Aiden, I was asking Brutus." Obviously his pillow friend's opinion was more valuable, dog or not. Besides, he knew what Aiden was going to say. Brutus, on the other hand...well, de Sardet was always clear about how much of a gentleman and teddy bear Brutus was and hoped he would be kind enough to return the favor. He nodded to the notion of resting. He felt stiff and sore and while moving had helped a little, every time he stopped, it caught up with him.
He took a careful deep breath and let it out. Make it quick, right. "Five silver says he tells me to fuck off before even asking who it is." It was fifty-fifty their father would ask him to enter or leave just from a knock. In fact, it was even less likely he would say anything and just ignore any knocking all together.
De Sardet crossed the hall eased himself down the stairs and up the hall to the end where their father worked. Well, 'worked' was relative. He was a very hands on man when it came to his business. Where others hired accountants and lawyers and the like, the Viscount performed such duties himself. It kept him busy, out of their mothers hair, and honestly, from meddling too much in the affairs of his adult children. Of course, he still pushed his sons to make something of their lives and soldier was not it.
He took a moment to collect his thoughts more than his bearings. Yes, he'd thought over his proposal to his father a lot, but it hadn't been until last night that he realized he needed to do it now rather than wait. He knocked on the door. When there was no reply, he knocked louder.
"Enter," came the distracted voice of their father. Well, that was a better start than he could have hoped for.
He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "Viscount, I apologize for the intrusion but I wanted to speak to you about-" and then the door closed and muffled most of it. Should Aiden attempt to eavesdrop, while the doors were quite thick, it made it difficult. The stray word could be caught here and there, and from the tone, it was clear his brother was doing most of the talking.
"...opportunity...career. I would stake my...success of our...promise..."
There was a long silence. "Is that what you want?" Their father.
Whatever the answer was, whether is was quiet or some other none verbal answer, there was eventually the sound of a chair moving, and what might be a pen tapping in an ink jar. Then more silence until de Sardet appeared at the door again, looking even more exhausted, but distinctly proud of himself. He let out a victorious sigh and leaned back against the door.
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Ollie
18
Single
Soldier/Knight in training
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Post by Aiden de Sardet on Jan 21, 2021 2:55:04 GMT -5
Brutus had made himself quite comfortable on the older boys bed and busied himself licking at a small scrape on the bottom of his paw. Hearing his name though his head shot up before offering a big puppy grin. If Aiden was being honest his dogs were a lot like the de Sardet boys themselves.
Brutus was more calm, calculating. Never leaping at an opportunity before knowing what his plan was. Linus on the other hand was far more wild and playful. Always ready to cause trouble the second there were no eyes on him. They both loved affection and when together Brutus and Linus were a force to be reckoned with. Aiden was also certain Brutus forgot to use his brain when playing with Linus.
Aiden didn't bother eaves dropping on their conversation. He did have chores to take care of, dogs to care for. However he was incredibly anxious. Wondering what their father would say or even if he'd be willing to talk with Raize at all. As he'd finished his chores and cared for his dogs the three of them moved back to the house. Finding themselves in front of the office just as Raize leaned against the door. "Are you alright?" While he wanted to know what their father had said he was a bit more concerned with his brothers health at the moment.
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Orion
20
Single
Army Corporal
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Post by Raize de Sardet on Jan 21, 2021 3:19:31 GMT -5
De Sardet had nevwr actually compared himself to Aiden's dogs so directly but even he would be quick to point out which brother was more like which dog. Of course, while he might call both dogs dumb sometimes, he would nevwr do that to his brother. He reserved other special terms for Aiden.
He took half a step, grinning at his brother and then bent double coughing. He'd been holding it in the entire time in the study, the salt water not helping much after only one sitting at least. He waved away Aiden's concern. "Fine, fine. I would love to sit," he said, straightening up with a shiver. He wasn't cold though.
With ginger steps, he moved himself back upstairs. If his brother attempted to help, he would accept small touches but anything to overt earn a grumble that he wasn't an invalid. He got himself upstairs and back to his room before collapsing on his bed with a sigh.
He twitched in excitement but clearly seemed bent of making Aiden ask what had been discussed, if he even planned to explain anything at at. Sure there were...less than exciting parts about the trade he had made but all in all, he considered it worth it. He would do just about anything for his siblings, after all.
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Ollie
18
Single
Soldier/Knight in training
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Post by Aiden de Sardet on Jan 28, 2021 18:48:25 GMT -5
As Aiden tried to help his brother up the stairs it became evident Raize wasn't going to let him practically carry him like the nighr before. Instead the younger de Sardet settled for lightly placing his hand on the middle of his back to keep him a bit more steady.
As they reached his room Linus was quick to rush over to the bed. Licking at any exposed skin on the older brother he could. Aiden gave a quick snap to catch the dogs attention before Linus slowly eased back down again. With a sigh the younger man quietly shut the door behind himself and moved to sit on the bed next to his brother.
"Do you need anything else? You're not going to throw up on me are you?" He spoke in a mostly playful and teasing tone but the way he idly ran his fingers through hi brothers longer hair conveyed more of his real concern. "What did father dearest say?"
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Orion
20
Single
Army Corporal
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Post by Raize de Sardet on Jan 28, 2021 21:05:30 GMT -5
De Sardet twitched in surprised at thw first wet dog kiss but he was quick to reach over and distract the pup by scratching at his ears until he backed off. "Love you too, Linus," he murmured, clearing his throat painfully. He hadn't realized how taxing standing had been until he sat down. He didn't want to get out of bed.
"Probably not. A nap," he grunted, despite having just got up. "Some bread later. Oh and be a dear and - leave my hair alone - and keep mother busy." Raina he could deal with. Two of Aiden?...definitely not. Honestly, his brother might be a lot like him, but he was also a lot like their mom. He knew Aiden was worried about him but this happened often enough that de Sardet was more resigned to it than anything. He just needed rest and then hopefully he could handle the ride home.
"Aw, so you do want to know?" He teased, shifting in the bed so he could prop hinself up with pillows and cozy into the comforter and furs. It was a dramatic paise that demanded a climactic build up but of course de Sardet didn't capitalize. Maybe on purpose. "He said you can come live with us."
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