forum one on one! (experienced writer's preferably)

Started August 29, 2021 by @_luxlibson

tune

_{(sure! that works. And if not, Julias probably would have asked to join him anyway, just for the sake of it–)}

Julias folded his clothes over the back of the chair, fingertips lingering on them for a moment before he followed Alder out the door. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, taking the room in strides. Every movement he made seemed effortless, footsteps so gentle on the wooden floors like he carried barely any weight.

His dark eyes wandered about the halls and he found himself appreciating the deep hum of the rain outside. It was just enough to dull the pauses in conversation, making the silence between the two a little less adamant. Based on the timbre, Ju could tell the rain was coming down harder. It made him look over to Alder again, thankful for all of the kind gestures.

"You're too kind, Alder," he said softly, nodding along. "It's very nice of you to go out of your way for me, like this."
And quite odd, if Julias was being honest. It had been ages since someone treated him with such hospitality. He found his gaze lingering on the boy for just a little too long, studying the way he carried himself and how he seemed to catch his sentences. And the way his hair fell, and the warmth in his eyes. It was nice to see. For some odd reason, Alder felt comfortable to Ju.
It was a few beats before he spoke again, clearing his throat. "Is there anything I could do for you? I feel rather bad accepting all of these luxuries without paying you back in some way."

"No, no," Adler quickly answered, waving his hands and letting a small laugh hum past his lips. They walked through the main living room, a cozy area with its own fireplace, mahogany paneling, and luxurious velvet couches. He found himself lounging in this room often times, either watching the rain or finishing his lessons.

"You don't need to do anything for me–yet. But, I'll take you up on that offer when I need it," he added with a light grin as he glanced up, his boyish personality slipping through his polite cracks. Adler felt relaxed to have a new acquaintance, and Julias put him at ease. It didn't feel forced like many of his relationships around the estate, which was nice for a change.

They approached the library, towards the end of the next hall, a room guarded by large wooden doors already swung open to reveal shelves upon shelves of novels, as well as furniture to seat several. The large window on the main wall of the room let in the gloomy light from the lawn outside, already drenched in the storming rain clouds. A soft aroma of candles and old paper swam towards the pair, almost stuffy, but comforting and warm in essence.

A soft smile was able to make its way to Adler's face, brightening his features at the sight of the familiar area. This would do nicely.

Julias took a deep breath and nearly unfurled himself into the library, casting his arms out in wonder.
"By god, it's gorgeous," he sighed, only the hint of a smile playing at his face. "You really weren't kidding."
When he extended his arms, the sleeves rode up just a bit, hiking up the shirt. The clothing was just a bit small, a little tight, but it was nice and warm and Ju could finally feel the blood flowing in his veins again.

Honestly, Ju could have found a place to stay. While he wasn't "rich," he wasn't poor by any means. Granted, the money was all either stolen or earned illegally, and he had gifted the majority of it to his younger sibling and Shaiya, the woman with whom he lived. Well, "lived" was a loose term– he hadn't gone back home in a very long time.

Two years, to be exact.

Regardless, Julias was still well-off. He dressed himself nicely and was no stranger to luxuries. Yet there was something about Alder's manor and the whole library and the fancy clothes that made him feel special. That made him feel like he meant something and was a part of something. Especially since Alder was so insatiably inviting, and the thought made him smile. Well, if you could even call it a smile. It was forced on pursed lips, quite crooked, but there nonetheless.

"It's phenomenal," he breathed again, gazing back to Alder. "I'm guessing you spend a lot of time in here, no? Are you a fan of books?"

Adler felt an evident smile creep onto his lips, truly alighting his features. He found immense comfort in the crevice that this room was to the house, and was glad that Julias seemed to appreciate just as much as he. He made his way to the nearest shelf by the window, raking his finger's across the spines of the books as the other man spoke.

"Hm," Adler hummed in thought, rubbing a hand through his hair at the nape of his neck. "I would consider myself quite the avid reader. The classics, Lewis Caroll, Lord Byron–have you heard of Jane Austen?"

He returned his focus to Julias, motioning for the other man to take a seat in the chairs towards the center of the room. Even with his younger age, Adler retained the manners of his parent's and the nobility, keen on keeping guests comfortable and engaged in conversation. The rain outside cast on ominous–almost comforting– glow in the room, but the fireplace emit enough of light to illuminate the two men. The yellow light brought out the warm, olive tone of Adler's skin, which remained dark with his mother's evident Italian and European descent.

"I think her novels are lovely, though not many men around the estate care for female authors," he added, taking a seat across from Julias, his gaze further away in thought. "And I care for classic philosopher's, but time for reading these days are scarce. What with apprenticing under my father and caring for the outside world. It's a great opportunity when I can just sit down and enjoy a novel."

Adler wasn't very fond of holding his tongue, or keeping most of his likes and dislikes a mystery, though it did not phase him to share sides of his personal life with Julias.

Julias nodded along to the boy's words, thoroughly enjoying his wistfulness. The poised way he spoke somehow relieved tension from Ju's shoulders, and he took a seat where he had been offered. He crossed his legs, leaning over the side of the chair to keep himself active in the conversation.

"Jane Austen?" he asked, eyes clearly more lively now. "It's been forever since I've heard that name. I didn't know people still read her books, much less a man that reads them. Not many people agree with her morals."
He waved a gloved hand, leaning back against the rest. "Mansfield Park has always been and will always be my favorite novel of hers. Generic, I know, but there's something so charming about the moral symbolism and the complicated love stories."

His expression dimmed as he sighed, the firelight making him look arguably more ghostly. "It's nice to look at that book from a distance. Don't look at the political side or the controversial side or whatever. Just simply look at people falling in love and that being their biggest problems in life. Well, some of them."
Ju folded his hands in his lap, looking up to Alder once more. He found that it was easy to open up to the boy. And maybe it was because he knew he'd probably be out of the city in the coming days, and he's probably never see Alder again.
"Love is so simple and fickle but it can mean the world to people. It's fascinating to me."

Adler nodded along with Julias' dissertation of Austen's books, a smile still alight on his lips. He seemed fully immersed in the conversation, tawny eyes intently fixed on the other man's hand movements and comments.

"Love," Adler repeated, humming as sat down across from Julias, leaning back comfortably in the soft, burgundy velvet. "Unfortunately, I don't have much…experience with that subject. Flings–" he paused, wincing at the word. It wasn't exactly a gentlemen's duty to have fleeting relationships with women. Much less acknowledge it. "Flings maybe, but not love."

He honestly wasn't sure if he had ever experienced the deep sentiment. The closest he had ever gotten to someone was pushed down to the depths of his mind, and he vowed to never uncover it again. It revealed a side much too familiar of himself, and he wasn't ready to reckon with it just yet. He was to be married–with a woman–no one else.

"If you don't mind me asking," Adler started tentatively, tilting his head to the side as he looked up towards Julias, trying to gauge if the other man was uncomfortable. "Have you ever been in love? You speak of it with great understanding– or maybe literature helps you uncover the truths without the heartbreak." He finished with an upwards quirk of his lips, trying to lighten the tone of quite a serious matter.

Julias relaxed as Alder took the seat beside him, and he finally let himself melt a little in the firelight. His limbs ached less and his lungs stopped stinging from the cold, and his bones no longer creaked when he moved. It allowed for much swifter motions, graceful like each thing he did was done underwater. Even if it was just a nod of his head, smiling up to Alder with melancholic eyes.

“I have, yes.” His words were heavy, voice incredibly low. “Of course, the written word provides ample situations to learn about love, but there’s truly nothing like firsthand experience.”

He leaned back in his chair, gazing at the fire. It was arguably the most expression he had ever shown, his entire disposition longing for days passed. He gently traced the armchair, avoiding eye contact.

“They were a wonderful person. Still are, honestly. While my times with them are long past, I enjoyed our times together more than anything.” It was clear Ju tried to steer clear of giving too much away, yet he continued on anyway. “It’s amazing to have someone to cherish. Sometimes, the heartbreak is worth the person.”

Adler watched Julias intently as he spoke of his experiences, eyes tracing the other man’s hand movements against the furniture. Julias seemed heavy, almost in a trance, a melancholic gaze arched about his brow. Whatever he described sounded, well, almost devastatingly beautiful. But part of him urged to lift the mood.

“I’ll have to take your word,” Adler replied after a faint pause, “Though I would still love to avoid the heartbreak.” He added with a small hum of a laugh, part of him speaking truthfully. If only it were that simple.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” He started, rubbing a hand against the morning scruff on his jaw in contemplation. “Are you truly passing by or do you live nearby.”

Adler wouldn’t even know the truth himself, with what little time he spent outside of the Estate.

“I…,” Julias trailed off, narrowing his eyes. There was a slight tenseness back to his muscles, weighing the options of what he should and shouldn’t tell.

“No, no. It’s true that I’m just passing through. I’m originally from Hollewin in the Auren Province,” he finally continued on, attention still locked on the fire. There wasn’t much he could gain or lose by telling the truth, so why not?

“I grew up there with my younger brother.” There was a faint pause as he mentioned Dawson, biting his lower lip. “A few years after he determined he could live on his own, I began traveling.”

“Traveling” was a very loose term, considering it had been more of “running.” But Julias wasn’t one to get caught up on the fine print.

“I left Auren and made my way around the world after that, staying where I could. I guess you could say…,” he tugged at his collar, fiddling with the hem. “I guess you could say I don’t really live anywhere. Call it pretentious but I have a severe case of wanderlust.” And call all of that a long shot, because even as he spoke the words, Julias couldn’t help from the certain homesick cadence in his tone.

“But I fear I’m talking too much about myself, now. Tell me, I’d love to hear about you. Did you grow up here? In this estate?”

Adler nodded as he listened to Julias, his full attention focused on the man. He was very polite in conversation, naturally and trained, though these topics made it easy to stay concentrated compared to the usual tea time concepts that his mother could stir up.

Julias looked awfully young to be traveling everywhere without a home, a hint of surprise lacing his features, though that was most likely where the wisdom came from. Adler could never imagine moving around and seeing new faces everywhere he went. Sure, he had the charm to make enough of friends, but he enjoyed the comfort of his daily tasks and similar conversations.

"I–yes," Adler replied, stammering as he realized that he had been staring at Julias in thought, his eyes dim as if in a daydream. "Yes, I've stayed here all of my life. My father often visits outside counties, and I enjoy accompanying him, but other than that my life has revolved around this area. I find it hard to…part with my comfort."

Did he ever want to leave? Julias' question raised his own inward ones. Adler had opportunities to leave, but daily comfort was hard to part with. The outside world was difficult to reckon with, and there was trouble everywhere. What was wrong with keeping everything in one place? And he didn't have Julias' confident demeanor to match…surely traveling would be impossible for a young adult like himself.

“Ah, no, comfort is good,” Julias was quick to agree, shaking off his previous comment. “But I suppose it stems from different things. I understand wanting to keep the luxuries of a home, though. It…”

He trailed off, the tired brogue of his voice causing his words to be breathy. They were said with enough truth, though, and utter honesty that astonished even him. “It would be nice to have a place to go back to, to tell you the truth. Traveling is for the wicked, the outcasts, the people who don’t have a place to fit in or a place to call theirs.”

Julias shook his head, nearly laughing. “And this isn’t self-pity, I’m simply describing what it feels like. While I’d argue I’m much less pathetic than a standard wanderer— and likely far better off than one— the draw of somewhere or someone to call home is delightful.”

It was another thoughtful glance to his side, catching Alder’s eyes just before he looked away. His own gaze was more lively now, voice animated as he spoke again.

“You know? I’ve always wanted to sail around the world. Preferably with someone. Just the salt, the air, the sun… It sounds beautiful, does it not?”

A faint, lopsided grin etched its way on Adler's lips as he listened to Julias become more animated about his passions and thoughts. Sail the world. He just kept getting more and more interesting, didn't he. He winced inwardly at the strange pull he felt towards the older man, but decided it could only be of a platonic motive.

"If you're quite the adventurer, I'd say that sounds lovely," Adler began, cocking his head to the side teasingly as he looked up towards Julias through thick, almost feminine lashes. His stance in the chair was a lot more relaxed as the conversation continued, almost making him lose track of time, but the storm outside only continued to darken the room against the pale glow of the fireplace. "If you're someone like me, sirens, storms and the possibly of drowning completely turn me away from the sea…but, alas, I see the appeal."

"I'd love to–" Adler paused, gathering his thoughts. He had never considered venturing too far out of the country side. Perhaps the city, another country, join the military as an officer? "Have you heard of the French Pyrenees? A French man down at the market last week had told me that it was beautiful during the spring time, and the mountains were still capped with fresh snow. I've never truly been to the mountains."

He seemed excited at the thought, a dreamy expression on his face as he glanced back down towards Julias. It was normal for Adler to feel the need to share with new acquaintances, to create a sense of easy charisma, but for some reason he wanted the other man to know about more than the surface. Maybe it was a competitive nature, to match up with Julias' confident stance on future plans? He wasn't sure.

Ju had to admit– he was captivated. This fellow brought him some sense of fascination that he couldn't quite describe, but the way he spoke was rather endearing. It had been so long since he had a normal conversation, about topics he was actually interested in. Hell, the last time he actually interacted with people with sentences over two words in length, everything he said had been lies. Ju was kind of sick of putting on masks, so having such a simple conversation with this random stranger brought him so much indescribable joy. It wasn't often he was this gleeful or this talkative in general, but Alder knew how to ask all the right questions and bring up all the right topics. They already seemed extremely similar in interests. As Ju said, it was refreshing.

"Vita nova!" he exclaimed, grinning fully now. "You've never been to the French Pyrenees mountains?? Such a shame, really, it's absolutely breathtaking." He adjusted in his seat, throwing his head back with a stifled laugh. "Though I was there during winter and, as beautiful as it is, it's dangerous. It's been years since I went, though…"

He gave a slight sheepish sigh, interlacing his fingers again and folding them neatly in his lap. He had kept his gloves on, the black leather complimenting the new outfit quite nicely. He found himself too interested in the stitching, mind straying from the conversation at hand. "I was actually there with my… ah– previous partner, last time I went. It's… It's a romantic place, but then again, I'd argue that any place could be romantic if you tried hard enough."

Julias caught his words at the tail end, breath hitching as he turned back to Alder. "But I digress– I highly recommend it, too. And if you ever need a tour guide, I'd be honored. We spent a significant amount of time around there, I'd say I know it fairly well."

His expression changed to one of more elated surprise– Julias would genuinely help him if he wanted to venture outside of Derbyshire? Of course, it was certainly just out of simple manners for such a forward acquaintance, and Adler was a very non-threatening kind of person. Surely it was just a spur of the moment comment…especially if Julias had been there with a past partner! Yet, he couldn't keep his mind from venturing beyond a friendly comment for some advice, and his cheeks flushed slightly at that. Stop, you look like an imbecile! He scolded himself, wincing inwardly at his racing dialogue. Julias did not want to spend more time with a teenager.

Adler cleared his throat, and sat up straighter, keen on making it seem as if he wasn't lost in his thoughts just moments ago.

"I, uh, would love that. That is, if you would be able to recommend a few places," he stumbled over his words stupidly with a lopsided smile, unclear with what he was trying to discern. "Ah–You seem experienced with all these things…and I haven't exactly been in heavy snow fall quite yet–"

Before Adler could continue his nervous rambling, a light, feminine voice sounded from down the hall. Had his cousins already returned so soon?

"Adler!" The voice called out, making its way towards the library where he was sure to be found. Adler found himself straightening in his chair and moving from the comfortable position he had been talking to Julias in. It would be only moments until the scene would unfurl, but there was nothing concerning about what the two men were doing. Just talking, right? Yet apprehension filled his chest as the voice neared.

"You won't believe the ribbon for my dress I just found. The white lace will match perfectly–" A young girl cut herself off as she entered the room, finding herself face to face with her eldest cousin and a curiously tall, dark man sitting across from them, her blonde brows pinched together in curiosity and surprise. She glanced towards Adler, her head cocked to the side in question, though still no deep concern for a stranger in their parlor. Similarly to Adler, she regarded Julias with naive curiosity, but she exerted even more of an air of nobility than her cousin's bedhead appearance, her blonde hair neatly curled, pale skin bright against the burgundy garment she wore.

"Who's this?"

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