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31_days2011-12-26 09:17 pm
seta-suzume.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2011-12-26 09:17 pm
[Dec. 26] [Suikoden III] Nothing Like Love
Title: Nothing Like Love
Day/Theme: Dec. 26, 2011 "it's not like anything they compare it to"
Series: Suikoden III
Character/Pairing: Sasarai & Dios
Rating: PG
Co-mod-ly comment: Don't miss the January 2012 themes!
It was unlike Sasarai to be up so late. Or early, except not having slept a wink from evening to now, he considered the entire stretch of time as one single, torturous stretch of night. As a matter of fact, giving it his best guess, he would say it was a bit past three o'clock in the morning (not that he was particularly skilled at estimating that sort of thing).
"You're just going to have to get through this, Sasarai," he said to himself. When he spoke aloud to himself (infrequently, for he was rarely alone and only then was he willing to voice his words to himself), he never felt quite sure what to call himself. He settled on "Sasarai" only because ever other option felt too awkward. "Bishop," "Your Excellency," or the most common "Bishop Sasarai." When he'd been a boy, there had been a few kindly caretakers who nicknamed him "Sasa," and those among that handful who remained might still say it privately, but it had never been a name he called himself. ...And then there was Dios. Dios called him by every title that the others did, but also something else. Dios called him "sir."
"Sir?"
There was that voice, groggy and on cue. Sasarai smiled into the dark. Goodness, love wasn't anything like they said it was.
"Are you awake?"
"Yes." He had discussed with Dios how much more difficult it was for him to sleep away from home and how, for some inexplicable reason, it was even more troublesome upon that to sleep at Budehuc despite the lovely room the charming young castle master and newly anointed Flame Champion had set aside for him.
"What's troubling you? Is there anything in particular I can do?"
A creaking sound slipped out among the shadows. "No, please," Sasarai insisted, "Don't get up. You, at least, should get a full night's sleep."
"I'm used to waking at odd hours. ...I have two children, remember?"
"Continuing to rest is the best thing you can do for me," Sasarai sat up in bed and stared into the dark room. He couldn't see much beyond the foot of the bed, but the silhouette of Dios indicated that his assisting strategist was sitting up as well, looking (or trying to look) back at him. "I promise."
"This is the kind of dilemma I was hoping to avoid," Dios gave a dry chuckle.
"It seems I'm unexpectedly full of dilemmas." It was funny that they were talking like this, laughing in the middle of the night. It relieved his stresses better than a thousand straightforward conversations of kindness during daylight hours. And why was that? "You're willing to put up with more, I suppose."
"It's my job."
"Oh, so that's-"
"It's also my pleasure."
Then again, he hadn't ever listened much to what little talk about love moved through the Circle Temple. Romantic love, Sasarai meant. The other stuff he knew plenty about. But romantic love. The serving ladies chatted about it, though only a select few of them ever spoke in his presence, and that was about anything, not just this particular topic. The ones who did (and this was mainly Nika, but she she spoke to him enough to make up for all the others) didn't tell him about love.
So what did he know anyway? Maybe this was exactly what love was supposed to be like.
Day/Theme: Dec. 26, 2011 "it's not like anything they compare it to"
Series: Suikoden III
Character/Pairing: Sasarai & Dios
Rating: PG
Co-mod-ly comment: Don't miss the January 2012 themes!
It was unlike Sasarai to be up so late. Or early, except not having slept a wink from evening to now, he considered the entire stretch of time as one single, torturous stretch of night. As a matter of fact, giving it his best guess, he would say it was a bit past three o'clock in the morning (not that he was particularly skilled at estimating that sort of thing).
"You're just going to have to get through this, Sasarai," he said to himself. When he spoke aloud to himself (infrequently, for he was rarely alone and only then was he willing to voice his words to himself), he never felt quite sure what to call himself. He settled on "Sasarai" only because ever other option felt too awkward. "Bishop," "Your Excellency," or the most common "Bishop Sasarai." When he'd been a boy, there had been a few kindly caretakers who nicknamed him "Sasa," and those among that handful who remained might still say it privately, but it had never been a name he called himself. ...And then there was Dios. Dios called him by every title that the others did, but also something else. Dios called him "sir."
"Sir?"
There was that voice, groggy and on cue. Sasarai smiled into the dark. Goodness, love wasn't anything like they said it was.
"Are you awake?"
"Yes." He had discussed with Dios how much more difficult it was for him to sleep away from home and how, for some inexplicable reason, it was even more troublesome upon that to sleep at Budehuc despite the lovely room the charming young castle master and newly anointed Flame Champion had set aside for him.
"What's troubling you? Is there anything in particular I can do?"
A creaking sound slipped out among the shadows. "No, please," Sasarai insisted, "Don't get up. You, at least, should get a full night's sleep."
"I'm used to waking at odd hours. ...I have two children, remember?"
"Continuing to rest is the best thing you can do for me," Sasarai sat up in bed and stared into the dark room. He couldn't see much beyond the foot of the bed, but the silhouette of Dios indicated that his assisting strategist was sitting up as well, looking (or trying to look) back at him. "I promise."
"This is the kind of dilemma I was hoping to avoid," Dios gave a dry chuckle.
"It seems I'm unexpectedly full of dilemmas." It was funny that they were talking like this, laughing in the middle of the night. It relieved his stresses better than a thousand straightforward conversations of kindness during daylight hours. And why was that? "You're willing to put up with more, I suppose."
"It's my job."
"Oh, so that's-"
"It's also my pleasure."
Then again, he hadn't ever listened much to what little talk about love moved through the Circle Temple. Romantic love, Sasarai meant. The other stuff he knew plenty about. But romantic love. The serving ladies chatted about it, though only a select few of them ever spoke in his presence, and that was about anything, not just this particular topic. The ones who did (and this was mainly Nika, but she she spoke to him enough to make up for all the others) didn't tell him about love.
So what did he know anyway? Maybe this was exactly what love was supposed to be like.