(Closed & Open)

[castintoflames]

Who: Maedhros & Fingon + Maedhros & Open
What: They need to talk. About things. Then Maedhros is going to try to be personable.
Where: Fingon's compartment? Then around.
When: Day...23? I will update if it needs to be earlier.
Notes: Elves. Dark pasts.

(Closed to Fingon.)

He sends a note to his cousin - it seems polite to do so - and then he makes the short journey to his compartment. Maedhros is trying to remind himself to breathe and remain calm. This isn't about him and if Fingon reacts badly, well, that is to be expected, isn't it? He knocks on the door and waits, crossing his arms behind his back to keep from fidgeting unnecessarily.

"Finno, it's me."

(/)

(Open.)

After such an ominous conversation, he doesn't want to be alone; he wants to do some good. But what can he do? He cleans what looks dull or messy and he checks that there is enough food being prepared. Then he wanders the halls, pausing to check on anyone he encounters.

"Are you faring well?" he tilts his head after phrasing the question, his bright hair brushing against his shoulder. He is wearing it in a ponytail for simplicity and his robes are a soft, yet oddly proud Fëanorian red.

"Can I be of any assistance?" it isn't often that a prince or a king will give such an offer.

Comments

[utulien_aure]

"Russandol?"

Fingon's at the door in a moment- honestly, he's been pacing on the other side since the note arrived. Ridiculous, maybe, to worry so much- but Maedhros has always known that he could let himself into Fingon's space at any time, hasn't he?

Maybe it's just the roommate issue- it's harder to speak privately around here. That has to be it.

The look on Maedhros' face, though, isn't terribly reassuring. Fingon frowns faintly at the sight, then beckons to his cousin.

"Come in? There's no one else here now."

[castintoflames]

He stiffens upon seeing his cousin, but not because he is uncomfortable in his company. His adoration for the other Elf is unmatched and he sees Fingon's worry the moment their eyes meet. Stretching out his hand, he caresses his cheek, silently trying to soothe what fears must be lurking in Fingon's mind.

"Thank you." he slips inside and turns to face his cousin again, "I cannot phrase this in a way that will make it easier for you..." so perhaps it is best if he just says it, "Father is onboard."

[utulien_aure]

"Your father."

Fingon echoes, tensing in turn. His hands ball up, one almost moving to where a sword would usually sit, but his voice betrays no emotion at all.

In the privacy of his own head, he suddenly feels very, very cold.

[castintoflames]

Maedhros nods, pressing his lips in a tight, pale line. As much as he wants to reach out again - to comfort - he knows Fingon needs space to process this.

"He isn't as he was and he understands what fate awaits him in the Halls."

[utulien_aure]

"As he was? As he was when?" Fingon snaps.

"When he burned the ships at Losgar, condemning a hundred thousand of his own people to walk the Ice? When he stole the Swanships at Alqualonde? When he pointed a sword at my father? When he gave you a name that denied his own siblings' existence? Because as far as I can tell, Maitimo, as he was encompasses most of his selfish, insecure, petty excuse of a life!"

[castintoflames]

"...before he died, I meant." he speaks quietly, not flinching or backing down in the face of Fingon's rage. Eru knows the anger is just and completely understandable, however Maedhros has embraced the foolish child within him; the one that wants to be near his father and block out all of the horrors he witnessed and endured and caused.

"He is trying." to make amends, to be a better Elf, "Finno, I don't want to take the place of the Valar. I will let them see to his punishment. But while he is here, I am his son."

[utulien_aure]

There is no joy in the laugh that emerges from his mouth.

“Oh, beloved. That I have known for years, and what it means almost as long.”

He turns away, looking for something else-anything else-to focus on. Why are these rooms so bare, how can anyone stand this place without distraction?

“What will you do, may I ask? If trying isn’t enough?”

[castintoflames]

The moment Fingon turns away, Maedhros goes to him, resting his hands on his shoulders. His right hand shines, newly polished, and it is some tangible evidence that Fëanor, at last, is seeing his sons and their needs - not just his own.

"If he fell into old habits, I am confident Kano and I could silence him."

Killing is what they do, unfortunately, one bright like a flame and the other in shadow.

"Do you think I would let him harm my brothers? You?" he shakes his head slowly, "I'm much older now and I know the price of staying silent."

[utulien_aure]

Fingon wonders whether they really could- but then, perhaps it didn’t matter. They’d have to beat him to the punch, either way.

“I think you have always seen him in a better light than he deserves.” He sighs, giving into the temptation to lean back against his cousin’s chest. “And I don’t like that he still has the power to break your-“

Hang on. He turns his head slightly to the side- what does Maedhros have resting on his shoulder?

[castintoflames]

Maedhros has had to do truly terrible things, though his stomach revolts - and his heart - at the thought of hurting Fëanor, he trusts he could do it swiftly and painlessly.

"I have no right to judge anyone." he presses a kiss to the top of Fingon's dark head, "I won't break."

Maybe because in so many ways, he is already broken. After awhile pain becomes just more of the same.

The sudden attention to his hand makes him smile.

"Do you like it? Father made it for me."

[utulien_aure]

"You say that," Fingon replies, "but I worry nonetheless. You are not very good at keeping safe, and he has the power to hurt you badly."

He looks at the hand a long time, then gives a reluctant nod. "The work of a master craftsman." Well, it was true. And if he had been willing to see Maedhros suffer to spite Feanor, it would have been a bad sign indeed.

[runs_on_batteries]

"Is that Maedhros?" Tony called, his voice oddly coming from the much higher up inside his workspace than it should be. When the elf looks inside, he'll find Tony standing on the booth seat he normally sits on with a wrench and fiddling with contraption from the ceiling.

"Help me out," he requested, pointing to the device he was trying to put at the center of the room which he only barely could reach. He was holding on to one wall in order to stretch that far. "I'm going to let go and you're to catch that if it falls off, okay?"

[castintoflames]

"...or I could fasten it for you." he steps into the room, eyeing the contraption curiously, "You are going to pull a muscle."

Actually, with a quick thought, he has a better idea. Grabbing Tony around the waist, he lifts the man with ease, holding him within easy proximity. Of course if the contraption falls, he can see to it not hitting the floor too. Elves have ridiculous dexterity.

"I've been told I'm rather tall."

[runs_on_batteries]

"No I'll be- ack!" He made a very undignified yelp as the elf simply hoists him up in the air. As awkward as that had been, he was surprised too that now he was in the best spot to finish attaching the piece to the ceiling. "Uh, thanks. You are. It would be intimidating if I didn't know you better and I was the type to get intimidated."

He finished and gestured to be put down. "Thank you. I'm measuring how much tobacco and other contaminants are in the air. It should give me an idea how strong of a filter we need to keep this train safe for everyone. What have you been up to?"

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin is in the kitchen, cooking, as that's his task for the month. He whistles as he works, rattling the pans on the stove and mixing ingredients in bowls before shoving them into the oven or onto the stove top.

"Maedhros! I'm faring quite well, thank you. You can help if you like, but I'm good with it if you just sit and talk with me while I work. Do you want some coffee or tea? And tell me how you are doing?"

[castintoflames]

His brother makes for a lively sight and Maedhros takes a seat so that he is out of the way. To be honest, he isn't sure where to start or how to help, but if that changes, he can abandon his seat.

"I -" he sits up straighter, forcing himself to calm his frazzled nerves, "I told Finno about...Father." his voice is low so it won't travel over the kitchen noises, "I knew I should do it before they met accidentally."

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin puts the lids on a series of pans and turns the heat up, and then he gets himself a cup of coffee and offers one to Maedhros. He listens as he stows the boxes and containers of raw ingredients back in the cupboards, and then he leans against a counter and folds his arms and considers.

"You told Findekáno that Father is here? I think it was good to let him know. I too am a bit worried about what will happen when the two of them meet. Have you spoken to Father as well?"

[enthunder]

Having claimed the laundry section as her personal area of responsibility, Light isn't too surprised to be approached by someone during her self-imposed cleaning shift. Glad for the reprieve, she straightens from her attempt to scrape detergent out of the floor and stretches.

And then squints at him, because there's a nervous energy around her teammate that she recognises as the same kind that sometimes overtakes her. The need to act, to force the world to move on from something.

"Feels like I should be asking you those questions."

[sweetnessandfight]

Even if the team with food duty wasn't preparing enough, it was easy to find Sarai making a little bit extra--be it for a spider, a spider-teen, or just her monolith of a husband. There was always someone who could use a bit more to pack in an empty corner of their stomach.

"Of course you may!" Sarai beams up at the much taller Elf, pushing over a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. "You may help me by taste testing these and letting me know if they appeal. I do not often make chocolate chunk cookies, but have been told that a sugar cookie base with a chopped chocolate bar should rightly suffice."

Nut cookies were much more popular on Sarai's world. Including acorn cookies, but there were no acorns to be found, here.