Entry tags:

fanfiction, rp, xaldin, xigbar

Incruentatus [chapter two]

. chapter two .

. xalxig . cleaned rp . NC-17 overall . AU . vampires .


Xigbar beckoned Xaldin upstairs, to the bedroom - the only room besides the kitchen in his tiny place, but it was a lot cleaner and certainly more comfortable. There was a couch and a squashy armchair as well as the bed, and besides Xigbar's three giant dogs (who seemed to be nowhere to be found) there was a cat, a sleek siamese princess who immediately leapt into Xigbar's lap and kneaded at his legs. Xigbar took a seat on the bed, ignoring his cat as he bent to unlace his boots. "Have a seat," he said belatedly, gesturing.

Xaldin took a seat on the couch, getting comfortable before waving a hand in Xigbars direction. "So. You had questions?"

"Yeah." One boot down. Xigbar let it thump unceremoniously to the floor. "How often. How many. Who." Many times, Xigbar hunted for money - others would hire him to take out a vampire that had killed a loved one, something like that.

Xaldin frowned and looked off to the side, avoiding eye contact. "Not as often as you'd think but not as seldom as you would like. As for how many, just one per feed and the who is usually random." He hated questions like these and knew that no matter what he answered Xigbar would not be pleased so he was purposely vague.

Xigbar kicked off his other boot and wiggled his toes. Damn. So there was no way of knowing if Xaldin was someone he was supposed to be hunting. "...Men or women?"

"As I said, they're random, for gender, race and the most part age." He wasn't sure if the answers were ones Xigbar wanted but he had learned a long time ago that it was a waste of time and near impossible to be accurate in determining who 'deserved' or didn't deserve to die.

Xigbar nodded; fair enough. "Have you ever given me a false lead to throw me off track?" He stood now, his cat dumping to the floor, to take his coat off. She padded over and sniffed delicately at Xaldin's ankles.

Xaldin gave the cat a glance but otherwise paid it no mind. "Perhaps once or twice but only to keep you off my ass, no one else's."

"...That's fair enough too. Shit." Xigbar's finger's paused on the brim of his hat, and a rakish grin spread over his face. "You make it damn hard to hate you."

"Perhaps I should try harder to give you a reason to." A pause. "I wouldn't normally ask since it's not my business but due to the circumstances... Why did you become a hunter?"

The grin faltered, for a second, but then it was back, if... a little forced. "Easy money? Nah, can't lie to you, can I? Wouldn't want to anyway." He took the hat off then, and reached back to slide his hairtie out. "You ready for a long story? It's a long story."

Xaldin nodded, "I've already resigned myself to staying through the day. Though, you only have to tell me if you want to, Xigbar." Xaldin knew the story likely brought up bad memories for the hunter, and didn't want to sound like he was forcing Xigbar to tell his story, especially if he didn't care to.

"I want to. At least, I think I do.

"...I was on my way back from Ireland, studying, drinking, some mess of both of those. Still hadn't a clue what I'd accomplish in life." He was turned so his eyepatched side was the only side visible, the rest of his face in shadow. "...Ran outta money halfway home. I was workin' for some coin down in... well, down the road a ways, tiny little lumber town. Needed an extra hand, I pitched in, in exchange for a ride on the transport. Got to know everyone there pretty well.

"There was a vampire lurking in those woods. Everyone knew it - I didn't get the whole story for a while, but soon I heard, about how he was particular, always struck at the same time of day, same days of the week - he had a modus operandi, made a drama out of it. Villagers were all scared shitless, thought there was nothing they could do." Xigbar folded his arms and tipped his head to the side, cracking his neck joints. "...There was a girl he was after in the village. Kid. Tiny little thing. I got in a fight with him, protecting her. Got my ass kicked, but it was enough time for her to get away. I thought I was dead for sure, but he didn't kill me - took my eye out, and told me he didn't feed on willing victims. That 'our kind' were only worth the chase, and the thrill, and he could see the resignation in my eye - it bored him. Told me the next time we met, I'd better put up a decent fight or run with a decent fear." At this, Xigbar spat on the ground, and his lip curled. "I've been back there - got to be at least a hundred times, but he's gone. The only thing I can do is hone my skills, watch, wait. Keep my ears to the ground. Keep on fighting."

Xaldin didn't hide his disgust as he listened to Xigbar's story and when he had stopped, Xaldin spoke up. "Vampires are just like people, Xigbar, in that they are all individuals. We were all human once and so we all act and react differently. For some, the turning drives them somewhat mad with power, others it has little effect on their character. Of course, if they have a foul disposition in the first place, it's unlikely to change," Xaldin spoke in the tone he usually used while teaching, firm yet somehow gentle and never scolding or condescending. "But Xigbar..." he continued softer now, his voice carrying more emotion than he usually expressed, "Revenge is nothing to live for."

"It's not revenge. It's... well, maybe it is. Maybe I just want to save my own ass. Maybe I want to stop people like that. Like him. It. Fuck." He sad down on his bed, face in his hands and hair everywhere. "...Damnit, Xaldin, it was so much easier when I could just... hate all of you."

Xaldin stood, abadoning his seat on the couch to sit on the bed next to Xigbar. He rested a hand on Xigbar's back and spoke quietly, "Life is rarely easy. You should know that by now, Xigbar. And I'm sorry. It's my fault you had to find all of this out."

Xigbar felt himself still at that cold touch on his back. "....Nah. Not you. I'd'a had to figure it out eventually." He didn't move - didn't want to shrug Xaldin's hand away by accident.

Xaldin sensed Xigbar's uncomfortableness and removed his hand, placing it on the bed. He always had a bad habit of prodding people's minds for general feelings, as it made dealing with people a little easier and predictable, but he usually didn't go deep enough to sense thoughts unless he really needed to. For Xigbar, he took the effort to stop completely, reminding himself that the hunter would likely not appreciate the slightest intrusion and that he had already gone too far as it is. "Really now? We've known each other how long and you still didn't know? I'm nearly certain you could've gone your life without knowing."

"...What if I was hired by a relative of someone you'd killed, set on your tail, and I didn't realize it until your head was already rolling in the streets? I don't think when I hunt, Xal. I just act. That's the only reason I've been so successful." Dipshit, Xigbar thought. You're not allowed to miss the touch of his hand on your back. Stupid idiot.

Xaldin chuckled, "Cocky bastard. But 'what if's are neither here nor there. Now, did The Great Hunter Xigbar have any more questions?"

"Yeah. Jus one more." His face was still in his hands. "...Are you my friend because you want to be, or because it's convenient to keep yourself safe?"

"If you don't know the answer to that, then you're a bigger idiot than I thought." He paused, nearly not answering Xigbar's question directly, but he changed his mind. "Because I want to be, of course."

"I just wanted to make sure." Xigbar swallowed. He didn't... actually have many friends at all. The hours he kept limited his workable friendships to a very narrow spectrum, and... well, now both of his closest friends were strictly nocturnal. Then, out of the blue... "...Why?"

Xaldin just gave Xigbar a look, "What kind of question is that? That's like asking why the sun rises or the sky is blue; There's an explanation but it's long and boring and you'll forget it before long. I'm your friend because I am. I thought you wanted to keep things simple."

"I dunno. I just wanted to know. You don't have to answer." Xigbar shook his head, then flopped down sideways on his bed, and heaved a sigh. "So...." He didn't want Xaldin to go. "....How old are you, really?"

Xaldin looked at Xigbar in amusement, "How old do you think I am?"

"Older than me." He grinned. "Give or take a few hundred years. No clue!"

Xaldin laughed. "Let me think..." he paused, doing the math in his head. "313."

Xigbar whistled, and poked Xaldin in the side with his foot. "Old man."

Xaldin rolled his eyes. "Least I don't look as old as you."

"Hey, I got a dangerous job. You should see some o' the scars I got, not to mention the eye. I'm just a human. Cut a guy some slack." He was still grinning.

"Perhaps it's not so much the danger of the job, but your own carelessness and lack of caution that got you so banged up. And humans are capable of extraordinary things, so don't use that as an excuse."

"Hey, you've never even seen me work. Or maybe you have." Xigbar raised an eyebrow. "...And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're obviously not living up to your potential. Maybe you should stop putting your race to shame and get on that." Xaldin smirked, the tone of his voice walking a fine line between being teasing and insulting.

Xigbar sat up suddenly, his legs sprawled open and leaning over them to get all up in Xaldin's face. "Oh, you got any suggestions?"

"Stop being so unobservant for one. You'd think you were blind in both eyes."

"Well... okay. I'll give y'that one. But I can be, when I put my mind to it. I just kinda have a blind spot for the people closest to me, or something."

Xaldin shook his head, "Even friends can become enemies, Xigbar. While I have no intention of fighting with you, others may not have qualms about it."

"Yeah, well." Xigbar ducked his head down. "...There's not a lot of people I have that kind of faith in. And I gotta say, I still kind of doubt I can trust you. I don't want to, and I know why you did what you did. But it still kinda... I dunno. Stings."

Xaldin just nodded. "It's only understandable but I don't believe I have ever wronged you in the past and have no plans to begin now. And while trust is not something gained through words alone, I hope they at least do a little to ease your mind."

He nodded. "They do. I just..." He trailed off, and suddenly - reached up, and tugged his fingers around one of Xaldin's dreads. "Hey, Xaldin... what makes you happy?"

Xaldin just stared at Xigbar, giving him a strange look. "Staying focused is apparently another quality you should work on to raise your potential."

Xigbar snorted. "Come on, answer the question." Tug tug.

Xaldin swatted Xigbar's hand away, "Well it certainly isn't you tugging on my hair." Another avoidance of the question simply because Xaldin wasn't even sure how to answer it. He had tried to think of what did make him happy, or even the last time he was happy but nothing in particular came to mind. It wasn't that he was constantly unhappy just that in general everything was just neutral.

Xigbar chuckled, a low, rough sound. "Should I keep trying things until you figure it out?"

"No. You should not." Xaldin doubted the response would actually stop Xigbar from persuing the question however, and kept sorting through his thoughts and memories to find a reasonable answer to the initial question. He supposed he had been happy at one point but the last time might have been when he was still human as he couldn't remember any other more recent instances.

Xigbar let his hands fall into his lap and curl into fists. "...Come on. I'm sure you can think of just one thing."

"I hate to disappoint you Xigbar, but no, I cannot." Part of him internally winced at actually admitting it, since it made it that much more real, but he had no other answer for the question.

"...Heh. So for all your three hundred years, none of it does any good." Xigbar tilted his head down again and grinned, though it was a grin without mirth. "...I was right."

Xaldin was unamused, and while he usually would, now he didn't bother to hide it. "Right about what, exactly?"

Xigbar stood and shook out his hair, before tying it back again. "...Immortality isn't worth it."

"I wasn't graced with the opportunity to choose if I wanted it or not," Xaldin shrugged. While he wasn't pleased with how things had panned out, he had learned a long time ago to cope with the circumstances he was dealt.

Xigbar's hands stilled. "...I'm sorry," he said, though he didn't turn around. Finally though, he sighed. "Look... I'm done asking questions, so... do whatever you want." He shrugged a bit.

"Don't be sorry. It happened long ago." He watched Xigbar carefully, so tempted to probe his mind and see what he was feeling, but out of respect for the other's privacy, he restrained himself. "And what are you going to do?"

"Dunno. Bum around. Read. I'd get some work done, but I'm lazy, and my heart's just not in it tonight. Y'know? One of those nights."

Xaldin nodded. "Do you mind if I sleep here?"

"Nope; not at all. Take the bed; I'm wide awake."

And with that, Xaldin stretched out on the bed and fell asleep.


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. credits .
xigbar: x_igrab
xaldin: clemmontine