![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Let's Pretend...
Leo strolled down the street, humming cheerfully to himself as he headed for the city pastures. It was a beautiful late spring evening; perfect for taking a long walk outside. Cya was still busy managing city things and he had nothing much to do most of the day (what with school being out of session) - and he was always up for doing her a favor. Plus, he hadn't actually met her new Kept, yet. He'd heard about him... despite Cya's best efforts, it seemed. He was being difficult; Luke owed her big time; stuff like that.
All of which just made him more curious. Stepping through the archway to the pasture area, he looked over towards the sheep flock. Cya said he'd be... aha. Tall, blonde, and from the set of his shoulders, resentful. That looked about right.
The walk from the entry arch was plenty long enough for the boy (he really should call him a man, probably) to notice him coming, so Leo was a bit surprised at how close he got before he was noticed. Cya's Kept frowned at him as they made eye contact, ignoring Leo's friendly smile and wave, and folded his arms as Leo closed the rest of the distance.
Well, it wasn't the first Kept Cya'd had who didn't want to be there, but it was the first in a while.
"Hey." Leo stayed friendly; no reason to make Cya's life worse by antagonizing her clearly cranky Kept. "Apollo, right?"
"Yeah?" Apollo eyed him, somewhere between what do you want and I can take you. Arrogant - no, cocky, really, like some of his Students were. No wonder Cya wasn't happy about it. And if it meant Luke owed her a favor...
Maybe a thought for later. "Leofric Lightning-Blade." He held out a hand. "Cya asked me to come get you."
"What if I don't want to?" Apollo pointedly crossed his arms over his chest.
Leo's eyebrows went up and his hand went back down. "That depends. Are you coming anyway?"
"Like hell. She can come get me herself."
"Cya's busy." Leo reminded himself that antagonizing the kid wouldn't help anything. "You'll have to settle for me right now. Come on."
"Why? It's not like you can make me." There was a world of arrogant resentment in that one line. It put Leo in mind of one particular student of his; one who'd been unmanageable until Leo finally challenged him to a fight. The kid had lost, spectacularly. Sometimes, that's what it took.
A thought occurred to Leo; one which he immediately dismissed, but which refused to go away.
He allowed the friendly smile to disappear in favor of a thoughtful expression, letting the boy (he was acting like a kid, whatever his age) wait for a response while he considered. Cya would be mad if he beat the crap out of her Kept... wouldn't she? Even if he was practically asking for it?
"What makes you think that?" Leo kept his tone pleasant, if not as friendly as before.
"Seriously?" Apollo laughed, looking down the extra inch of height at Leo. "I was cy'Luca; I can handle myself in a fight."
"Ah," Leo said mildly. "Of course. And let me guess; you're angry about being Kept because you don't need a Keeper; you can take care of yourself just fine."
"You saying I can't?" Apollo frowned, shifting into an aggressive stance.
"Not in so many words." Leo didn't bother changing his stance at all. "Okay then, let's change up the script a bit. I'm going to catch you and sell you into slavery. You can either come willingly on your own two feet..." Leo paused a fraction of a second, just long enough to casually put his hand on his sword hilt. "Or I can carry you."
"What the fuck." Unsurprisingly, Apollo's reaction was incredulity. "Is that supposed to scare me?"
"No." Leo grinned - an aggressive expression, dropping all pretense of friendliness. (Cya would forgive him, eventually.) "No, it's supposed to be an excuse to kick your ass."
All of which just made him more curious. Stepping through the archway to the pasture area, he looked over towards the sheep flock. Cya said he'd be... aha. Tall, blonde, and from the set of his shoulders, resentful. That looked about right.
The walk from the entry arch was plenty long enough for the boy (he really should call him a man, probably) to notice him coming, so Leo was a bit surprised at how close he got before he was noticed. Cya's Kept frowned at him as they made eye contact, ignoring Leo's friendly smile and wave, and folded his arms as Leo closed the rest of the distance.
Well, it wasn't the first Kept Cya'd had who didn't want to be there, but it was the first in a while.
"Hey." Leo stayed friendly; no reason to make Cya's life worse by antagonizing her clearly cranky Kept. "Apollo, right?"
"Yeah?" Apollo eyed him, somewhere between what do you want and I can take you. Arrogant - no, cocky, really, like some of his Students were. No wonder Cya wasn't happy about it. And if it meant Luke owed her a favor...
Maybe a thought for later. "Leofric Lightning-Blade." He held out a hand. "Cya asked me to come get you."
"What if I don't want to?" Apollo pointedly crossed his arms over his chest.
Leo's eyebrows went up and his hand went back down. "That depends. Are you coming anyway?"
"Like hell. She can come get me herself."
"Cya's busy." Leo reminded himself that antagonizing the kid wouldn't help anything. "You'll have to settle for me right now. Come on."
"Why? It's not like you can make me." There was a world of arrogant resentment in that one line. It put Leo in mind of one particular student of his; one who'd been unmanageable until Leo finally challenged him to a fight. The kid had lost, spectacularly. Sometimes, that's what it took.
A thought occurred to Leo; one which he immediately dismissed, but which refused to go away.
He allowed the friendly smile to disappear in favor of a thoughtful expression, letting the boy (he was acting like a kid, whatever his age) wait for a response while he considered. Cya would be mad if he beat the crap out of her Kept... wouldn't she? Even if he was practically asking for it?
"What makes you think that?" Leo kept his tone pleasant, if not as friendly as before.
"Seriously?" Apollo laughed, looking down the extra inch of height at Leo. "I was cy'Luca; I can handle myself in a fight."
"Ah," Leo said mildly. "Of course. And let me guess; you're angry about being Kept because you don't need a Keeper; you can take care of yourself just fine."
"You saying I can't?" Apollo frowned, shifting into an aggressive stance.
"Not in so many words." Leo didn't bother changing his stance at all. "Okay then, let's change up the script a bit. I'm going to catch you and sell you into slavery. You can either come willingly on your own two feet..." Leo paused a fraction of a second, just long enough to casually put his hand on his sword hilt. "Or I can carry you."
"What the fuck." Unsurprisingly, Apollo's reaction was incredulity. "Is that supposed to scare me?"
"No." Leo grinned - an aggressive expression, dropping all pretense of friendliness. (Cya would forgive him, eventually.) "No, it's supposed to be an excuse to kick your ass."