Family Portrait (Luc)

[lucdulac]

"It's not about style, it's..." he stopped himself, this was an argument he didn't really want to get into. He didn't like getting defensive about his religion, because he didn't see the need for it. He knew his beliefs and he was happy with them, he didn't need to explain himself or defend them to anybody else, and he was a little bit annoyed at himself for being drawn into it with Tristian. At least Tristian didn't seem particularly bothered by it, which was good.

"Although I suppose for you, it's all about style," he added with a lazy smile, once he'd decided not to get riled up it was easy to relax again and just enjoy the banter as just that instead of as an argument - it might seem like he was still being frosty, but he meant it as a simple observation, he knew Tristian thought style was important and didn't judge that.

[Tristian]

“Of course,” said Tristian turning around to glance at Luc for a moment before returning to his work of art, “why go through your life looking like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards? That’s what I don’t understand, these people, people like my sister, who insist that it’s not important to look good, when they’re older and they look back on their youth and beauty they’ll think…yes…I could have done that with a lot more style.”

That done he moved over to the large Star Wars poster that had what appeared to be all the characters in it. Stopping to think for a moment he decided to just completely paint over the top ‘stupid this is.’

“And just wait till she gets her first boyfriend, or rather girlfriend, whatever,” he said shrugging, “then she’ll want to have style, then she’ll want to look nice.”

Turning around he looked over Luc and said, “You’re doing not too bad. Wrong colour of shirt, yellow?  Really? Oddly enough the plaid seems to work though. I would go with blue.”

[lucdulac]

Luc leant against the door frame, listening to him talk with a faint smile on his face. He loved hearing people talk about things they were passionate about, loved watching how animated their faces became and hearing the change in their tone - of course the smile immediately changed to a confused expression when Tristian rounded on him.

It wasn't that he expected the other boy to be self-absorbed, he just hadn't expected to be quite put on the spot like that, and usually when people got talking about something they really loved, they could go on for a while without needing another person's input, or drawing them into the conversation at all.

He glanced down at his shirt and then shrugged, looking back up at Tristian.

"You'll probably hate to hear this, but I pretty much just threw this on this morning."

[Tristian]

Tristian sighed as Luc made his confession and shook his head. It was perhaps a little more over-dramatic than the situation called for, but for Tristian this was one of his pet hates. “People like you drive me insane,” he said with just a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips, “the naturally stylish ones that can throw on anything and look good. Some of us have to spend hours to look as good as we do. Some of us have tried countless hair dyes to get hair as nice as yours and all have been ineffective.”
 
He had secretly tried a couple of dyes on his red hair, but it never seemed to stick, it just seemed to wash out as easily as he put it on. He was beginning to think that his mother had asked Merlin to put a charm on it so he couldn’t change it since she always tried to convince him it was a really nice colour. It was red. It was terrible. But he made it work, and for everything else he had the wig.
 
Which reminded him…
 
Glaring just a little he said, “speaking of…clothes…you have yet to mention the last time we met…”

[lucdulac]

"Well, I apologise and also thank you," Luc couldn't help but smile a little "it's nice to know you think I look good."

He wasn't particularly vain, or inclined to care about his looks at all, but it was still nice to recieve the compliment - even if it was one given out of frustration.

He raised a confused eyebrow, for a second he didn't even remember what Tristian was talking about, and then realised it must have been the supermarket. Then of course he had to wonder what Tristian's point was, it hadn't been the most successful encounter what with Arkady acting the way he did, but other than that...

"Was there something you were expecting me to say?" Did he owe Tristian an apology or something? He couldn't think of any way he might have offended the prince, but he supposed it was always a possibility.

[Tristian]

“There was a lot I expected you to say,” said Tristian, deciding that there was no point in beating around the bush about it, after all, the other boy pretty much knew his deepest and darkest secret, there wasn’t any way to hide it now.

“Something along the lines of ‘well that was a rather interesting yet stylish ensemble I saw you in last night, would you care to explain it?’” said Tristian doing his best impression of Luc’s accent, which wasn’t great, “or something similar in a much more growly and manly voice…or perhaps that’s just in my own head…hmm.”

Turning back to his artwork something caught his attention on the bedside table. It was a photo frame. Slowly he began to walk towards it.

[lucdulac]

Luc raised a confused eyebrow at Tristian as the other boy turned away, wondering what on earth he was on about. Pretty much everything the prince just said made no sense to him, especially when you added the strange impression of his voice and the musing-out-loud. Did he really have a growly and manly voice?

Shaking his head, he decided to just address the issue as best he could and hope he said the right thing.

"It was a very nice dress?" he tried "I... look I'm sorry Tristian, I'm sure you put a lot of effort into your clothes and, really, it looks great, but I'm a bit at a loss when it comes to asking about them. Am I supposed to ask where you got it? What it's made for? What...significance the colour has to your life? I don't know how fashion works."

As far as Luc was concerned, Tristian seemed to be annoyed that Luc wasn't taking an interest in the particulars of his fashion choices.

[Tristian]

He looked at the photograph in his hands and smiled a little bit. It was a picture that must have been taken on the day he was born. His mother was sat in a large bed, sat up with her back against the headboard, looking up at his father who was sat beside her holding a baby in his arms, which he assumed was him. They looked so happy, his father looked happy, proud even. He couldn’t believe that his father had this, that they looked so happy. Tristian did something he didn’t normally do…he smiled.
 
It was then that Luc caught his attention, he had forgotten he was there for a moment. He looked confused for a moment before he then said, “What on earth are you twittering on about? Oh for the love-that’s not what I mean! That fact I was wearing a dress doesn’t bother you?! Although point for asking about colour and fabric.”
 
Smiling a little he looked back at the picture when something else came to mind…why was the picture here?...why wasn’t it with him…in the castle…right. Yes. Of course. Because it wasn’t important.
 
He gripped the frame a little tighter.

[lucdulac]

Luc wondered what it was about the picture that had so caught Tristian's attention, unable to quite see what it was of from where he stood, but he got the feeling that Tristian wasn't the sort of person who liked you to pry about some things, and he didn't want to anger or frustrate the prince any more than he already seemed to be.

"Plenty of people from the club come through that store, it's not the first time I've seen any of them still in costume. It's not the first time I've seen you still in costume," he didn't say it accusingly, just matter-of-factly, he thought Tristian might be observant enough to realise he'd seen Luc working there before, but he also knew that a lot of people didn't pay much attention to staff, so he could just as easily have no idea. He'd certainly seem surprised to see him that night, so perhaps he hadn't realised.

He wondered if he should also mention that he'd actually been to the club, but decided that would be overkill, as long as Tristian understood he wasn't bothered by it. The prince could do whatever he wanted here, who was Luc to judge him for it?

[Tristian]

Normally, he didn’t have much trouble trying to process two things at the one time, he had made the act of appearing to be nice to someone whilst cursing them and calling the, every name under the sun, seem effortless. However, at this point in time he was finding it exceptionally difficult to concentrate on what Luc was saying whilst he looked at the picture.
 
“And you never said anything?” he said through gritted teeth, despite the fact the anger he was feeling at the moment wasn’t truly directed at Luc.
 
Tristian rounded on him, still gripping the picture tightly and said, “How do you even know about the club?! I doubt very much that someone like you would frequent such a place. So is this it, did your buddy Arkady send you here, are the two of you finally blackmailing because it’s about bloody time, I have been waiting for this very moment.”
 
As he spoke his composure began to drop away, his voice growing louder and angrier. He hated falling in to any kind of stereotype, one of them being the fiery tempered red head, but some things couldn’t be helped. Deciding to punctuate his final sentence, he decided to kill two birds with one stone, or rather one photo frame, throwing it at Luc.

[lucdulac]

"Why would I say anything? What is there to say?" Luc asked, completely mystified why Tristian was getting so angry about it - particularly when he clearly wanted it kept a secret, why would Luc mention something that he so obviously wanted kept on the down-low?

Dodging the photo frame, Luc glanced back at the wall it had shattered against for a moment before turning back to Tristian, lifting his hands in a calming gesture.

"Tristian, this isn't a blackmail attempt, I haven't been sent here, I live here. I'm sorry if I've offended you, it wasn't my intention. You clearly have no problem with what you do at the club, so why do you automatically assume that everybody else will? I never said anything because we've hardly spoken, and because I had no comment to make. It's your business."

[Tristian]

None of what he was saying made any kind of sense. No one was that reasonable, especially someone like him, the macho bad boy who had a reputation to uphold. No one was that laid back, it wasn’t possible and for some reason it was infuriating. If he had another picture in his hand he would be throwing it. Instead, without any explanation as to why he picked up a pillow instead and threw that. Slightly less effective than a photo frame but it did make him feel better.
 
Just as he was about to launch into another tirade of accusations and insults his phone began to ring, to the tune of ‘Back to December’. He groaned and immediately started patting his pockets to find out where it was, although he did pause for a moment to point at Luc and say, “We’re not done here.”
 
He took out the phone, glaring at whoever dared interrupt him…when he saw the name on the screen…his shoulders dropped all the tension leaking out of him, his expression softened and he even managed a slight smle. He had forgotten he had assigned him a ringtone. Pressing the answer button he said, “Hello Henry…I’m fine and you?...that’s good, how’s your family”
 
Sitting on the bed he held up a finger to Luc that basically told him ‘one moment’ and listened to Henry.

[lucdulac]

Luc caught the pillow, wondering if perhaps Tristian was now frustrated because he was angry for no reason, and he was about to say something to try and diffuse the tension when the phone rang and the prince's attention was distracted.

Digging his fingers into the pillow in his hands, Luc watched Tristian as he spoke to the southern boy, wondering if it would even be noticed if he slipped away now, let Henry calm Tristian down and take him out of his anger, and then the prince could go back to forgetting he existed every time he turned up.

He didn't move, though, something kept him there, clutching that pillow and watching the phone call, watching the way Tristian reacted to Henry's words.

[Tristian]

Tristian laughed as Henry spoke about his family, he had always liked the way he spoke about him. Always with so much love, for all of them, even that little brat of a brother Thomas who really didn’t deserve the many things Henry did for him, but he loved them all. It’s what made them so different, Tristian couldn’t deny it, he loved his family, he did, but it was hidden under layers of insults, coldness and resentments. There was maybe only…one sibling he could tolerate, and his mother. Merlin as well, who he had often considered a good ‘uncle’ if a little bit of a busybody. Oh and Bedivere, who was always so good at slapping him around the head and telling it to him straight.

“That’s wonderful…well I’m glad Dot managed to untie her hair from the fence how did it even get like that in the first place?” he asked as Henry explained, “…I see…yes…yes…they’re all fine…I’m being nice…I’m being as nice as I can be…I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

He was actually looking sheepish now, and shifting a little uncomfortably, “no…no, I uh…haven’t been losing my temper…I…”

He looked up at Luc who had managed to catch the pillow and who unfortunately had caught his eye, “Look…can I call you back later? There’s someone here…No! No, no, not that kind of someone, just someone from Camelot, I knew them as a kid we’re…reminiscing…yes Luc, did you know him too…you met him in the frat house of course you did…yes I’m sure he does have a brother and a sister…I’ll…I’ll tell him…ok, ok…bye bye…”

Tristian hung up the phone and looked at the floor.

“So…you have a brother and sister?”

[lucdulac]

Typical of Henry to remember. He was a nice boy, Henry Smith, and Luc was pretty certain it was unchristian of him to even remotely dislike the American when he was such a friendly, caring person, but there was something... oh who was he kidding, he knew exactly why he couldn't quite bring himself to like Henry, he thought it didn't matter anymore but it was obvious that it was still going to annoy him.

"I do," he answered stiffly when Tristian finally spoke to him, glad the prince was looking at the floor so he had a few moments to allow his poker face to drop and to regain his composure. When he did speak again, the tone was a lot more relaxed - and a lot kinder. The genuine affection he had for his siblings was obvious.

"Anna, my older sister, you might have met her she spends a lot of time at court these days, she's great, she's...been more of a mother to us than our own mother has, really, she's quite a bit older. My little brother Galahad is the cutest kid, mother doesn't like him going to court so you probably haven't met him, but he's really the sweetest."