what you need
Neron Launceleyn
the Hailstorm
Barman at the VlamVloed

Age: 29 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Ascended x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 23 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#1
NERON
show me how defenceless you really are
Takes place directly after {DROP} won't you come see about me?



Everything still stank of fire and smoke, and Neron's burns stung and demanded attention - not that they would receive any for the foreseeable future. Quite when he had managed to catch up with his brother after he had fled the Greatwood was beyond him; Loren had this thing where he was a hell of a lot fitter than Neron (at least in a physical sense). But catch up with him he had, and - not knowing where else to go and with Halo still a portal away - had led him here to the Manor.

He held the doors and ensured he could get Loren and his bundled cargo into the building without issue, the Warden not having spoken at all during their travel. He knew his twin, though, and Loren could be as much a danger to himself as to everyone else when he was volatile. Neron knew which he cared about more. "He was important to you," he ventured once they were inside, his words quiet and soft in the arched walkways.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
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#2
LOREN
The door swung shut behind them with a note of finality. Then again, everything seemed over in Loren’s mind. His arms burned, both from the fire and from the burden he carried. Somehow, he'd found the strength to carry it all the way back here, but he could feel it waning.

For just a moment, he stood in the entrance of the Manor. Neron's words, however, spurred the younger twin into motion. He staggered forward towards the stairs. "Why are you still here?" Unsurprisingly, his voice was raw and raspy from the smoke and from the screaming and from the crying.

But at least his eyes were dry now.

Still walking forward, he paused at the foot of the stairs. "You can go now." With that, he began making his excruciating way to the second floor, one step at a time.
But don’t be weary if it’s broken
Families are like that—
they’re split up and always torn.
Neron Launceleyn
the Hailstorm
Barman at the VlamVloed

Age: 29 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Ascended x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 23 - Luck: 14 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
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#3
NERON
show me how defenceless you really are
"You're my brother. I want to stay." Neron wondered, honestly, if those words had ever left his lips before today, and had it not been quite such a dire circumstance he might have even smiled about it. As it stood he allowed Loren to go past, following at a careful distance especially as he began to climb the stairs. The look of his twin did not fill him with confidence; anyone would be tired after a walk like the one he had just completed, but Neron was not so foolish as to take the task from Loren.

"Do you want me to go? Honestly?" he asked the back of his brother's head, absently rubbing at a smudge of soot on the back of his hand.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
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#4
LOREN
"Don't." The word fell from Loren's lips swiftly and sharply, but without any real animosity to it. "Don't pretend to care." He continued to ascend the stairs one painful step at a time, ignoring the protests from his body or the way he swayed precariously.

Although he was panting with exertion, he found the breath to continue speaking somewhere. "You may have everyone else fooled, or maybe you've actually changed, but I know you better than that. You're my brother too." Somehow, he reached the top, and he began to trudge down the hallway, focusing on just putting one foot in front of the other.

He still didn't look back at Neron. "It doesn't matter what I want." Unsurprisingly, the summoner's voice came out dully, devoid of grief, sorrow, pain, anger, anything really.

All his tears had been shed, and they'd washed the emotion out of him.
But don’t be weary if it’s broken
Families are like that—
they’re split up and always torn.
Neron Launceleyn
the Hailstorm
Barman at the VlamVloed

Age: 29 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Ascended x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 23 - Luck: 14 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
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Posts: 1,134 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#5
NERON
show me how defenceless you really are
Neron was his twin's ghost as he struggled his way to the top of the stairs and down the hallway, the Warden's expression difficult to read as he watched the journey progress step by painful step. "I hardly blame you for your suspicion or doubt," he murmured. "But none of this gets you anywhere closer to whatever you plan on doing next." And what that was, Neron could only guess.

But he could almost guarantee that Loren would find himself unconscious before he was able to do any of it by himself. "Of course it doesn't. It doesn't matter what any of us wants, Loren. But I would hear it all the same. If you think I am pretending at caring, at least do the wise thing and take advantage of it."
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
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#6
LOREN
Continuing to stagger forward, he gasped in a breath. "Whatever I plan to do next? After burying..." His voice trailed off. "Nothing. I have...nothing." There was still no emotion there, and his eyes were practically blank.

It was a few steps further down the hallway when Loren’s strength finally ran out. He had just enough warning to fall to his knees and gently lower Abasi's corpse to ground rather than fall over and drop it. The younger twin stared sightlessly ahead, unmoving from the spot where he'd basically collapsed.

He was silent for a long moment. "What do you want from me?" The question came out quietly.
But don’t be weary if it’s broken
Families are like that—
they’re split up and always torn.
Neron Launceleyn
the Hailstorm
Barman at the VlamVloed

Age: 29 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Ascended x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 23 - Luck: 14 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
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Posts: 1,134 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#7
NERON
show me how defenceless you really are
It was hardly a surprise for Loren's strength to finally give out, and Neron paused in the corridor as his twin found himself on his knees. "I was talking about the burial, actually. Whatever comes after that can wait," he said quietly, stepping around to kneel down on the other side of Abasi's body, his steel eyes trying to find Loren's.

What did he want from him? In the grand scheme, a number of things. Right now he would settle for the basics. "I want you to take care of yourself, so you have the strength to do the things you need to," he said. "I want you to tell me what your plans are for this man's funeral so I might offer my help. And while we're at it, I'd quite like to know his name and what he meant to you."
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
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Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#8
LOREN
As Neron moved to the other side of the body, Loren lifted his head briefly to gaze at his twin. However, it wasn’t long before the summoner dropped his head to Abasi’s corpse once again, the younger twin having neither the strength nor inclination to look at the Warden for long. "So there is something you're thinking of. After." It was less an accusation than an acknowledgement that Neron had plans.

"Need to? I don't need to do anything." There was a weary acceptance to the words, as exhaustion stole over his limbs and his mind. For a long while, Loren was silent, not answering the questions or responding at all, really. When he did speak, it was in that dull, unsettling, and defeated tone. "There are instructions in the mortuary. His name is...was...Abasi. He was..." His voice trailed off. "We were together."

What did he care if Neron knew any of that? It wouldn't change anything, now.
But don’t be weary if it’s broken
Families are like that—
they’re split up and always torn.
Neron Launceleyn
the Hailstorm
Barman at the VlamVloed

Age: 29 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Ascended x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 23 - Luck: 14 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
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Posts: 1,134 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#9
NERON
show me how defenceless you really are
Neron raised an eyebrow at Loren, wondering at what point any of this had come to a surprise to his twin. Then again, in the wake of such a recent loss, he could hardly blame him for forgetting. "When you approached me in Halo - back when you were very interested in having a relationship with me, I might add - I invited you there. I said there was a place for you," he murmured. It was merely a statement, not a demand, nor a suggestion.

There were more important things to deal with right now besides. Like Abasi, a man whose name he had only just learned, and whose burial instructions were in a mortuary that Neron had not known existed. "And where is the mortuary?" he asked, fully intending to retrieve said instructions.

We were together. Oh, but of course. The Neron of Northaven would have loved that little titbit of information. This one, however, merely nodded his head. "Then let us make sure he receives a proper burial. I'm sorry, that this happened."
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
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Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#10
LOREN
Loren stared blankly at Neron. "You also said that your invitation was contingent upon bringing back mageglass and securing it for the family. Well, I found some, but I failed to secure it." The words were soft, the summoner's expression impassive. "So where does that leave us?" He tilted his head almost imperceptibly.

"Nearby." He rattled off the directions in a dull monotone. "But the instructions are quite extensive. Far more than you have time for." There was no accusation there, just a statement of fact.

As his twin apologized, the younger Launceleyn roused somewhat. Lifting his chin, he stared at the Warden, verging on a glare. "Not your fault. Or your responsibility." Something dark and ugly lurked in Loren's eyes. When he next spoke, it was quieter, but somehow more dangerous. "I don't like being manipulated. Least of all by you."
But don’t be weary if it’s broken
Families are like that—
they’re split up and always torn.
Neron Launceleyn
the Hailstorm
Barman at the VlamVloed

Age: 29 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Ascended x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 23 - Luck: 14 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
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Posts: 1,134 | Total: 16,318
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#11
NERON
show me how defenceless you really are
Loren always had a way of slotting the very important details into blase moments, and Neron's eyebrows raised a fraction at that minor bombshell. (It wasn't minor, but in these circumstances, blah, blah...) Still, patience tested, the Warden did well to keep his composure, and he tilted his head to his brother right back. "The offer still stands," he said simply. "You may not have been able to secure it, but you found it. I've no doubt you could find it again." Loren was shrewd to a fault in that way.

Blinking as his twin determined that he would be too busy to help with any burial of the man between them, Neron almost allowed himself a smirk. "Bold of you to presume I cannot choose how to spend my time," he said quietly. "I'll retrieve them shortly."

And of all things it appeared an apology was what tipped Loren over the edge. Neron met his gaze squarely, though there was no glare in his steel blue eyes. Merely acceptance and perhaps a touch of curiosity. "Understandably so. And I was guilty of manipulating you for near enough your whole life. But that isn't the case now, whether you believe it or not."
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
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#12
LOREN
Loren continued to stare at Neron, nearly unblinking. There was an almost unnerving quality to the look on the younger twin's face. "I could find it again, yes. You still haven't told me what the offer is."

As the Warden insisted he would fetch the instructions, Loren simply shrugged. However, he stilled entirely when his brother insisted he was just being a good person. "This is manipulation of a kind." Despite the accusatory words, there was no real anger to the statement.

The summoner looked down again, staring at the corpse between them. "Your intentions might be pure, though I don't really believe that. Doesn't mean getting me here, alone, and offering me comfort you've never shown me before when I need it most isn't manipulative." Honestly, he didn't blame the Warden, as evidenced by his emotionless tone.
But don’t be weary if it’s broken
Families are like that—
they’re split up and always torn.
Neron Launceleyn
the Hailstorm
Barman at the VlamVloed

Age: 29 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Ascended x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 23 - Luck: 14 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,134 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#13
NERON
show me how defenceless you really are
Unnerving Loren might be, but Neron had grown up hand in hand with the younger Launceleyn until their magical talents had began (or failed) to show. And hey, Loren had caught up regardless of what anyone else thought. "Initially I thought you would make a fine ambassador in Halo. But on reflection I would rather you stayed close by where I can make sure you take care of yourself. You have a talent hardly any Launceleyn possesses. How does Grand Healer sound?" He raised an eyebrow, before dropping his gaze again to look upon Abasi.

"Oh, I have no doubt that it is very manipulative indeed, especially from an outsider's perspective. But that doesn't make it any less true. We can talk about how I have wronged you for so long once you are in more of a position to enjoy it, can we not? For now there is something more important to do." He glanced back to Loren. "We can't leave him on the floor here. Where were you planning to take him?"
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#14
LOREN
Suddenly, Loren could feel the exhaustion weighing on him. Slumping forward, he found himself staring directly down at the corpse. ”I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it my whole life.” The words carried a surprising amount of bitterness, though even that was almost lost underneath his tired tone.

At the offer to be a Grand Healer, however, he barked out a humorless laugh, the sound echoing oddly in the nearly empty Manor. "Some healer I am." However, he subsided, closing his eyes so he didn't have to deal with the way his world lay dead in front of him. "Fine." It came out in the barest of whispers.

He kept his eyes closed as Neron kept speaking. "I don't enjoy any of this." Finally, the younger twin opened his eyes and gestured down the hallway. "Our bedroom." Reaching forward, he tried to find the strength to lift the body once again. But his arms failed him, and he sat back, expression blank again.
But don’t be weary if it’s broken
Families are like that—
they’re split up and always torn.


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