hauntedsnowfall: source ? (calm 02)
Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd ([personal profile] hauntedsnowfall) wrote in [community profile] etrayalogs2024-07-29 07:29 pm

{ Closed || Playing House }

WHO: Yuri Leclerc and Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd
WHEN: Throughout Mission 004
WHERE: Moorecroft Village || Leclerc-Blaiddyd Household
WHAT: Suburban Living
NOTES\WARNINGS: Ghost imagery, hallucinations, poor mental health, dissociation
My attic is full of bones and full of hopeless young emotions that just won't grow up...

Content Warnings by thread
  1. First Night || I will be your scarecrow
    • Ghosts | Haunting | Hallucinations | Poor mental health
  2. Rainy Weekend || My life will always be painted in grey
    • Dissociation | Low self worth


wolfish: (concern)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-10 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ The reply gives Yuri pause, eyeing him critically. It's an assessing sort of look, as though he's searching for some new and open injury to mend. ]

...Are you feeling overheated?

[ Or is being in this small, enclosed place affecting him the way he's seen it do to others? Yuri isn't sure which it is, but if Dimitri needs to cool off or could use fresh air (or both), Yuri is equipped to handle that. He smooths some of Dimitri's long hair away from his face, then pauses. ]

I've got something better, I think. I'll have to let this light go for now, but I'm still here.

[ He lingers a few moments longer, then the healing spell flickers out. With some concentration, Yuri tries to limit the energy going into his wind magic. After several moments he moves his hand, directing a soft, cool breeze toward Dimitri. ]
wolfish: (lean)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-12 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yuri can tell when Dimitri relaxes, listening to the steadying breathing. It's a relief to hear, and he remains quiet so he can hear him over the gentle breeze he's conjured. Getting Dimitri back to a place of calm takes priority over anything else at this moment, much as he may think their conversation was necessary.

The words Dimitri had spoken roll around in his mind as he continues to use his spell. He'd already heard the man views himself as a monster, but unlike the country rumors of the Blaiddyd strength making them monstrous, it's something different. Something tied to his actions, understandable though they were in time of war.

At least, Yuri would call them understandable. Dimitri's force was excessive, but he's a Blaiddyd. Outside combat, he's constantly restraining his prodigious strength. Hunting Adrestians may not have sat well with some, but they were invaders within Faerghus' borders, and Yuri knows some thieves and brigands, like Miklan, are bound for ill fate. The past Dimitri recalls isn't unforgivable to Yuri — not when Dimitri clearly strives for better.

But he'll save those thoughts for later. ]


Does that feel alright, the spell?
wolfish: (lean)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-13 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ The air between them is calm again, and Yuri finds it a relief. He's seen people in that state before, harried by thoughts or memories or some formless dread, but it's his first time being the only one near at hand to respond to it. On top of that, it's was Dimitri going through it.

He's seen Dimitri speaking with his ghosts, but this is something different. Dimitri always seemed fairly put-together before they'd been dragged into all of this, and he doubts the man wished to be seen in such a state.

Yet there's nothing for that now. ]


Good to hear it.

[ He replies, quiet and calm. Sasha's still asleep, and he has no intention of being the reason that changes. Besides, he suspects that it's better for Dimitri as well. ]
wolfish: (concern)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-16 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
What, because you're human?

[ Dimitri may be his king, but he's also a man who bleeds just like any other. He wouldn't be as concerned as he is with his safety if he wasn't very aware of the fact. No matter his colossal strength — a knife could still find his back. It's why Yuri fully intends to keep right on watching it.

And something like this, well. It isn't terribly surprising, considering Dimitri talks to his ghosts when he thinks he's quite alone. Sometimes when he isn't entirely alone, even. Yuri was under the impression he knew they were not truly there, but Dimitri has been different since they crossed paths on that bizarre vessel. ]


You may not want to think it, but I see you. Weaknesses and flaws just mean you're like the rest of us.

[ No one could relate to Dimitri if he was some infallible, perfect figure. Most likely, he wouldn't be able to properly relate to others were he that way, either. ]
wolfish: (distant)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-16 06:35 am (UTC)(link)
I've found... a perfect leader feels too distant to reach.

[ Yuri has led too. Rough as his life has been, he's been blessed with beauty and a sharp mind. He may have been poor, but he wasn't bereft of gifts others don't possess. It would be impossible to motivate his men if he didn't know their struggles and hadn't learned to identify strengths.

A king may indeed be a distant figure conceptually, but Dimitri's warmth and kindnesd inspire devotion. Those set him apart from others and make jaded men like Yuri actually believe he can do good. Dimitri doesn't see it, but it's true. ]


Don't apologize to me for being wounded. Most of us are, if you look closely enough. There's no shame in it, and as long as it's not an enemy seeing it, it's not all that dangerous.

[ Deliberately redirecting Dimitri's point. ]
wolfish: (mull)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-17 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Broken. Yuri had considered it, but someone who's broken has lost all spirit, in his opinion. Dimitri is still moving forward, still trying to get through this, and so Yuri thinks wounded fits better. Wounds can be mended with time and care. He wants to believe that Dimitri can heal as well, so he'll do whatever he can to help that to happen.

Dimitri's observation, however, gives him pause. Are his wounds apparent to Dimitri's eyes? He likes to think he largely manages to appear unscathed by what he's been through and what he does still yet, a few bruised aside. Ashe never seems convinced though, not in the way he aims for at least. ]


Maybe it seems that way because I rely so heavily on appearances.

[ He'll yield that, to make their positions more level in this moment. Yuri doesn't have Dimitri's strength, or the security or influence nobles around him enjoy. He has to look stronger than he is. Better than he is. ]
wolfish: (mull)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-18 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
I do try to get my beauty sleep in, but... In your case, I don't mind.

[ Yuri tosses the words out casually between them, but he doesn't mean it any less for that. Dimitri could use help. Could use support. He strikes Yuri as the sort of man reluctant to impose with anything more weighted than a day of guard duty. The vulnerability hasn't escaped him, either.

Letting the wrong person see the wrong thing is dangerous, so Yuri has always endeavored to present a strong front. He's but a small and pretty thing, unable to snap threats like twigs the way someone like Dimitri could. Keeping it together is necessary, but the troubles that weigh on him aren't quite the same as what burdens Dimitri.

They have enough in common that he can imagine though, as he shifts to settle more comfortably against the wall. ]


You say you've given up, but...what do you think you look like, exactly?

[ Dimitri could sorely use some self-care, but the way he speaks of himself suggests something else. Something more than simple want of care or maintenance. ]
wolfish: (concern)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-19 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ As Dimitri speaks, Yuri listens quietly, eyes fixed on the door he can no longer see in the dark. Although Dimitri wouldn't be able to see him any better than he can see the door, people can feel it when they're being watched. He doesn't want to make it harder for the man than it already is.

In truth, he didn't expect such a long answer. A detailed one at that. The portrait Dimitri paints of himself is incredibly grim and unforgiving. There's a degree to which he can agree there is some truth to his words, and there's a point at which he has objections, but he waits patiently until Dimitri has finished.

When he does, the weight of silence settles on his shoulders as he considers how to respond. Yuri knows full well he views himself in harsh terms, but he doesn't see himself as a beast. He can be a monster, he's a criminal after all, but that isn't all of what he is. Neither is it an all-encompassing description of Dimitri. ]


...Do you want to know what I see?

[ He thinks Dimitri does. Perhaps it's bafflement, perhaps it's morbid curiosity, but Yuri's fairly sure Dimitri has been wondering about his perception of him. ]
Edited 2024-08-19 01:33 (UTC)
wolfish: (distant)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-19 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Dimitri takes his time in replying, and Yuri doesn't hurry him. He waits with no apparent tension, only shifting his hand slightly so it doesn't cramp while his spell continues to gently circulate air in Dimitri's direction.

It's possible that the man would find out what he thinks either way, but he asks for it, and Yuri will oblige. Small as Dimitri's voice was just then, he considers his words before speaking, even more than he already does. ]


I think people are complicated, and you're no exception to that. You're fearsome in battle, but you're gentle and kind to children and animals. I saw you teaching kids how to defend themselves and fetching cats from trees in Garreg Mach, and those weren't performances. No one would have noticed or judged if you didn't spend an inordinate amount of time coaxing a cat closer to try and rescue it without uprooting a tree.

[ It's little things like this that had told Yuri that Dimitri was always well-meaning. It's little things that people do when they think they aren't being observed that speak to who they are. Those actions were no affect for others' benefit, they were simply Dimitri. He believed it then and he believes it still.

For a time he'd also thought Dimitri foolishly naive, taking his interest in the poor as the same sort of pitying, charitable tourism some nobles partake in to make themselves feel like good people. Yet Dimitri's interest in improving peoples' lives had been real and grounded in the practical acceptance of its challenges. Moreover, he'd been eager for Yuri's opinion.

He'll not forget that either. ]


I don't believe avenging those you've lost makes you a wicked man. Not more than any other, at least. The fact that you revile yourself for it tells me that it's against your nature to do the things you feel you must for that goal, actually. Why would you punish yourself like this otherwise? But people lie to themselves to get through that they have to. They tell themselves to do whatever it takes, even if it pains them. I see that in you.

[ It may be that he sees it as clearly as he does because he's the same, but he doesn't inject that into the conversation. Right now, it isn't important, he reasons. ]

I see a man in pain, who's put himself to a task for those who can't fight for themselves anymore. A task that doesn't exactly suit him as well as he wants to tell himself it does, and the weight of it keeps his wounds from healing. I don't see all of that adding up to a simple case of calling a man a monster. People are flawed and complicated... But I'd wager you'd still rescue cats from trees.

[ Sasha is here, after all. Even though he was terrified, he'd thought of the baby they'd been issued. ]
wolfish: (mull)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-20 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
And that's precisely why I say you're still a good man.

[ Dimitri doesn't rationalize the ugly things he does away. He doesn't claim they're some necessary evil and thus divorce himself of the emotional weight of them. Others would and they'd do so readily, because it was so much easier to excuse oneself than to live with the uncomfortable truth that nothing absolves the weight of lives lost.

Even if it's kill or be killed, those are still lives. There's a reason that Yuri would sooner ruin someone than kill them. Well, multiple reasons. A corrupt noble's wealth was more precious to them than anything, more often than not. Others in need could use that money. It's not as honest as killing, not really, but he finds his own justice in it.

Sometimes, however, he still takes lives. Their weight doesn't slide off of him any more easily than Dimitri, it seems to him. ]


And when that task is done, you can still come back. You can dust off those parts of yourself you've had to set aside. I still believe the others would help you bear the weight of it, if you'd let them... Strong as your Blaiddyd muscles are, the dead are heavy, and those still living loved them too, yeah?

[ Many of Yuri's people didn't have anyone else but other Abyssians and him. He can't forget or expect others to help him carry them to the future they'd fought for, but that's what Yuri's notebook is for. Dimitri doesn't remember it, but he'd renewed his hope that showing them that future truly is possible.

Why shouldn't Dimitri also have hope? ]
wolfish: (concern)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-21 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
I've got a different vantage point than you do. It's only natural that I can see things you can't.

[ Confined as the space is, Yuri'd have to be deaf to not hear the tears in Dimitri's voice. He debates with himself whether to give him a handkerchief, knowing that this will inevitably call attention to his awareness of it. Still, scrubbing at one's face can feel even worse. After some deliberation, he fishes the soft square of embriodered cloth out and presses it to Dimitri's hand.

It isn't so fine and fancy a thing as a noble might possess, made with the modest materials a commoner might readily access. Still, his mother had put love and care into it. Even now, it smells faintly of lilac and clean laundry, because Yuri takes care of anything his mother gives him. ]


Not a one of them hates you... And not a one of them wouldn't reach back if you reached for them.

[ Not even Felix, cantankerous as he could be. No one piped up that much or about anyone if they didn't care. He should know — Ashe nags after him relentlessly and hunts him down to save him from his own reckless schemes. Yuri has no doubt that if Dimitri got himself into trouble again, the lot of them would go running to help him.

It's happened before, after all. Dimitri remembers an entirely different war somehow, but his friends are the same people. They'd known him since they were children. Of course they would help him if he'd only let them. ]


Maybe you need to look at it from another angle. What if it was Sylvain who was determined he didn't deserve any of you and that he had to set things right all by himself, even if it killed him?

[ Yuri's sure he knows the answer. ]
wolfish: (concern)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-23 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ It isn't an easy conversation for Dimitri, and Yuri hardly blames him. He doesn't think he's ever seen the man cry, and he won't comment upon it, but he knows what's what's happening. How terribly heavy Dimitri's memories must be, that the thought that he may still be accepted or supported would bring him to tears.

Is it relief or dread, he wonders. Perhaps it's both. Perhaps it's something else entirely. Yuri couldn't say with any certainty, but he wishes that Dimitri didn't view himself in such grim terms. Some may say he has no room to talk, but Yuri doesn't mind being a hypocrite. ]


Would you call Sylvain a beast, if you knew he jumped at the chance to cull some spies I pointed out to him?

[ It's a question to which Yuri's certain he knows the answer. Dimitri's more unforgiving toward himself than anyone else, and Yuri can see it clearly now. Even in a dark closet, hearing the man suppress the sounds of his crying, he can see it as surely as if he were still illuminating the closet with his spell. ]

They'd help you just as readily as you'd help them... You just have to let them.
wolfish: (concern)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-08-26 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
Yet you haven't forgotten the weight of it. Does a true monster actually remember or care about those lives?

[ It's a question to which they both know the answer. Yuri asks it regardless, asks it because it needs to be asked. Dimitri needs to see himself with a clarity he currently lacks. Someone is only irredeemable if they revel in wronging others with no remorse. The people Dimitri has killed have been enemies, have posed a threat to him and his. He isn't the same as a ravening beast.

Dimitri can come back from the dark place he's in, Yuri is certain of it. He remembers his men telling him stories of how Dimitri commanded his forces to "save every last one of them" and how they did just that. It awed them. It inspired them. The heart behind that kind of order isn't one that has grown cold or cruel. ]


I don't tell you these things as platitudes. Setting up false expectations never ends well... But I know what I've seen and heard. And I know the difference between a monster who should be stopped and a man doing what he feels he must, who doesn't make excuses for the ugliness of it.

[ He knows it, because he's a criminal himself. But he has standards and it's a vital difference. ]

You don't have to go it alone, and you can come back. You don't have to take my word for it... Just ask, when we see them again.

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