Rebel Rebel (Mordred)

[Luc DuLac]

The problem with magical smoke detectors was that they were a lot harder to fool than the regular kind, so hanging out of the dorm window for a cigarette was not as plausible an option as it might otherwise be. It was just another small annoyance that, to be honest, only made him want to smoke in his room more. He was contrary when it came to the rules established by basically any authority, especially if they were as stupid as that - why, after all, be enchanted to react to cigarette smoke in such small quantities at all? It wasn't a fire, it presented no danger, and just because it was technically against the rules didn't mean the smoke alarms should be allowed to tattle on them.

Still, there was no way around it without setting off the alarm and getting the whole building evacuated, so he had to head outside instead, sitting on the steps up to the main door to enjoy his cigarette in peace - or, it would be, if he didn't have to bring down his leather jacket to save him from the cold, and if he wasn't interrupted by people walking past as they went in and out of the building. Tintagel dorms had successfully turned smoking from a calming pastime into something frustrating, and Luc was not pleased with this state of affairs.

Still, at least it wasn't raining. Yet.

[Mordred Le Fey]

Whistling as he strolled through the campus, Mordred stuck his hands in his jeans pockets and winked at the nearest group of girls, who immediately giggled and started whispering amongst themselves. As a smirk spread across his face, Mordred continued on his walk, bypassing the group and wondering if he would ever get tired of this power he had - the power to reduce a group of perhaps semi-intelligent girls into a giggling mess. Somehow, he didn't think so.

Turning a corner, he made his way towards the dormitories, a vague notion of finding Tristian and strong-arming him into some form of debauchery and sin. It was never as much fun alone. As he reached the dormitory, he noticed a familiar figure sat sullenly on the dormitory steps, surrounded by a cloud of smoke.

"That stuff'll kill you, you know," He said smoothly, placing one leg on the step and resting his elbow on his knee. "What would Daddy say?"

[Luc DuLac]

Luc was in a world of his own when Mordred strolled up to him, only realising the other boy was there when he was suddenly leaning in and speaking. He looked up with a raised eyebrow. It was rare to be noticed by Mordred, some of the other boys at Camelot used to fight to be noticed by him or the prince, but Luc didn't really care either way. At least, that was the way it had seemed, although it wasn't Mordred's attention he'd been waiting for.

"Daddy can go f**k himself," he drawled in return, just enough savage bite in his tone to reveal how serious he was. His resentment for his father was sharp and bitter and didn't seem to want to go away any time soon. It wasn't quite as bad as how he felt about his mother, but his father had been the one to leave them there, gallivanting off to court whenever he could. "I couldn't care less what he'd say."

[Mordred Le Fey]

Mordred snorted at the response to his taunt. He did love it when the 'kids' got rebellious, he had always found it highly entertaining, and something he fully encouraged and endorsed.

It was, of course, something he also relentlessly mocked.

"Oh my, Daddy issues are out in full force today, huh?" He smirked, turning around and leaning against the stone bannister and folding his arms as he looked down at Luc. He pulled his vape out of his pocket, fiddled with the voltage and took a long drag, exhaling and covering Luc in an enormous cloud of blackcurrant scented smoke. "Daddy issues aside, though, no one smokes anymore, kid. You want to move up to the big leagues with me." He winked at Luc as he took another drag on his vape.

[Luc DuLac]

Luc just rolled his eyes. The daddy issue mockery was definitely something he'd heard before - after all, he wasn't exactly shy about how much he disliked his father, it became immediately obvious to anyone who spoke to him or even saw him speaking to Lancelot.

"The..big leagues?" he raised an eyebrow, observing the vape in Mordred's hand. It didn't look anything like a cigarette, and it didn't smell like one either. He had no idea what it was supposed to be or why it was any cooler than the white stick between his fingers, but he also didn't much care - a dedicated follower of fashion he was not.

"Why would it matter to me what everybody else was or wasn't doing?"

[Mordred Le Fey]

"This, my friend, is called vaping," Mordred indicated his vape dramatically, "and it will change your life."

He grinned down at Luc, with the air of someone about to impart the kind of wisdom that would surpass Merlin on his best day. "No more, the acrid smell of cigarette smoke clinging to your very being. No more, the yellow, stained fingers. No more, the watery eyes as the smoke blows in the wrong direction and blinds you. No more, the repelling of beautiful young ladies who resent kissing ashtrays." He held up his vape as if it was the Holy Grail itself.

"Whether you care what everyone else is doing or not, this is about caring about yourself, my friend." He took another long drag, and smirked at Luc. "Plus, this is basically vapour - the smoke detectors don't pick it up." He winked at Luc.

[Luc DuLac]

Okay, as much as Luc resented Mordred's condescending attitude (and the fact that he was close friends with a certain prince who didn't even know Luc existed), he had to admit the list of benefits was actually somewhat tempting - not least because he could get away with using the stupid thing inside without setting off the even more stupid detectors.

"Okay, so it smells better," he conceded, casually ignoring the comment about beautiful young ladies "does it give the same buzz?" that was, after all, the reason he engaged in the awful smell and all the other listed downsides to smoking. Definitely just the buzz, nothing at all to do with the fact that it also made him look kind of cool..well, maybe just a little bit. He wasn't overly obsessed with image, or care too much about ruining it, but he also knew that he had an image and he sort of vaguely maintained it, with his messy dark hair and (vegan) leather jacket and motorbike, and cigarettes sort of went with that, these 'vape' things kind of didn't.

[Mordred Le Fey]

To be honest, Mordred wasn't entirely sure why he was wasting time trying to convert the Little Du Lac - he'd always been kind of annoying as a kid, and not in a good way, like the ones who'd hung off Mordred's every word, hoping he'd throw them a bone. He'd just been... there. And not even regularly.

Still, Mordred was missing having minions. He might not be heir to the throne, but at least everyone wanted to be more like him than Tristian. It was that air of mystery and danger, and he relished it. But here... not so much. He looked Luc over again, and the cogs began to turn. A ready made follower, perhaps?

"Ah, so you're all about the buzz?" Mordred nodded in understanding. "I can understand that. It's a different kind of buzz, but it's a buzz nonetheless." He held out the small machine, offering it to Luke. "Go ahead, try it."

He watched the kid with interest. "And if you're after a buzz, there are other things that will do that, you know." He said, with a smirk and a wink.

[Luc DuLac]

Luc was oblivious to the thought process behind Mordred's offer, but he was still lured by the arguments the older boy had made about the benefits to be had, so he took the offered machine with a nod of thanks and took a drag.
The flavour was strange and unfamiliar, or rather, it was familiar but he wasn't used to it being in that form, but the kick of nicotine was definitely present, and on the whole it was just as satisfying as a good drag on a proper cigarette. Interesting.

"I see what you mean," he agreed mildly, offering the machine back. It still looked weird and he wasn't sure how he felt about the odd flavour, but he wasn't ready to completely dismiss it yet.

"Oh, I know, but they're a lot more hassle to get caught with," Luc snorted in response.

[Mordred Le Fey]

Taking back the vape as Luc spoke, Mordred couldn't help but grin. "So don't get caught." He winked at Luc, dragging on the vape and, putting his head back, he blew vape rings into the air.

"I'm always good for something that'll give you the buzz you're after," He said with a shrug. "I'm very knowledgeable in that particular area. Even the lame stuff you could make back home.

"So what's the deal with you and your Dad, anyway?" Mordred asked bluntly, looking straight at Luc. He could never be accused of beating around the bush, and he was intrigued. Mordred had never been a fan of Lancelot anyway, but he wondered what the deal was between Luc and his Dad. Camelot had its fair share of Daddy issues, for sure, but Mordred had a need to know everything that was going on, and this was one that had always been on his peripheral.

[Luc DuLac]

"That simple,huh?" He asked,amused, but he was mostly joking. He was happy enough with the cigarettes most of the time, but well,he wasn't going to say no to a nice experience every now and again, the only authority he respected had nothing to say about drugs after all.

"I'll bear that in mind," he added, unsure whether he'd take Mordred up on the offer or not, but at least he knew it was an option. He tossed the butt of his cigarette down onto the step, grinding it below his heel and scowling at the question.

"I just don't really appreciate the way he treated his family is all. He f*cked off to go make puppy eyes at the queen whenever he felt like it and left my siblings and me to deal with my psycho mother," he shrugged. He didn't particularly like talking about his dad, but he didn't intend to keep his reasons secret, he had no reason to.

[Mordred Le Fey]

"That simple." Mordred replied with a wink. "Well, you know where to find me."

Mordred listened quietly and with interest as Luc briefly explained his hatred for his parents. He had never particularly been a fan of the queen himself; even as a child he'd never fully trusted her, always felt an intense dislike for her he couldn't quite explain. Of course, a lot of that could probably be traced back to his mother's dislike and resentment of the queen. Mordred had always taken after his mother in every way, after all. And, since arriving in Tintagel and reading up on the history of Camelot his inherent dislike of the queen had been somewhat explained - he figured it was just in his blood.

And he'd never really understood why every male within a 50 mile radius seemed to be so utterly infatuated with her. It was sickening, really.

He watched Luc stomp out his cigarette and felt a craving - sure, vaping was cool and made him look good, but it would never truly beat a real cigarette. Lowering himself down onto the step next to Luc, he nudged him with his elbow. "Alright, you win, let me bum a real smoke. I've been dying for one for bloody months."

"I always thought your dad was a bit of a tosser anyway." Mordred said with a shrug. "Fawning over the queen, all those knights are idiots, anyway."

[Luc DuLac]

Luc almost laughed when Mordred sat down and asked for a cigarette, but he settled for a smirk instead, one that may have been ever so slightly smug. Still, he reached into his pocket and flicked open the packet, offering one to Mordred. After a moment's hesitation, he pulled a second out for himself as well, offering the older boy a light. He wasn't normally the chain smoker type, but while he had the company he may as well indulge.

"Pretty much," he agreed, putting away the packet "Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against her majesty, but he had responsibilities at home. Mind you, he's always been a bit of an absentee father even before I was born, pretty sure he was here for the first couple of years of my sister's life," he waved a hand to indicate the school. He was well aware that Lancelot's marriage to Elaine was one borne of convenience and youthful indiscretion, but he honestly had no idea why they'd chosen to have two more children after Anna, or why his father hadn't just taken all three of them and split. No, instead he'd left them to deal with their mother alone.

[Mordred Le Fey]

Rolling his eyes at the smug look on the kid's face, Mordred accepted the cigarette and light and took a long drag, closing his eyes as he exhaled and letting out a small groan of pleasure. "I meant what I said about vaping being better, but god I miss real smoking." He took another drag. "But, the ladies don't like it, and I'm a slave to their whims." He winked at Luc.

He gave a derisive snort at Luc's comment about his father's whereabouts for the first couple of years of his sister's life. "The lure of Tintagel. We've all been abandoned to it, mate." He thought for a moment. "Well, the best of us have. The perfect princes and princesses not so much." He took another drag on his cigarette. "You want a sob story? My mum had me here, took me back to Camelot, forgot I existed and came back here, then came back and picked up like nothing had happened. And who knows where my dad was for that time." He grinned at Luc. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, or some shit like that, right?"

He had to admit, although he'd never really given Luc the time of day before - he was Lancelot's kid, who Mordred couldn't stand, and he'd always hung around like a quiet little shadow when he had been at Court - but Mordred couldn't help but feel an affinity to anyone who shared his dislike of Lancey-boy or the queen. Plus, the 'psycho mother' thing had him intrigued. Pulling his trusty hipflask out of his pocket, he took a swig of whiskey before offering it to Luc.

"So what's the deal with the psycho mum then?"

[Luc DuLac]

"I suppose I can see your point," Luc conceded thoughtfully, wondering if perhaps certain other people would prefer him smoke-free. It was probable that they would, considering said person's obsession with personal style, there was no way they'd want to be around the smell of smoke for too long... perhaps it was time to quit after all.

"Sounds about right." there was something about Mordred that had always rubbed Luc up the wrong way, perhaps it was his arrogance, but he couldn't deny that they had more than a few things in common, could maybe even be friends under the right circumstances, perhaps the arrogance was merely a front that friendship would wear away, only time would tell. "To absentee fathers, may they get everything they deserve." he raised his cigarette in a toast as if it were a glass of champagne.

"Oh, my mother is..." he paused, trying to find the best words to describe her "Strict isn't even the half of it. She's very devout, a very intense Christian. Everything is sin, we all must repent, that kind of thing. Nothing any of us ever do is good enough for her. She'd have us in church every day if she could, practically worships the ground her priest walks on. Or would, if it weren't idolatry." he snorted.