Squalo isn't used to life in the Varia yet. Not that he's had much of a chance - he's only been at the manor a few days now, and people are still scoffing and calling him kid, but he's pretty sure he can fix that as soon as he's maimed enough of them. They think Tyr is special kinds of crazy for bringing in a child. And he is a child at just past ten years old. But Tyr also gave him a sword and set him loose in the practice yard, and that quieted a good deal of the open protests.
He's at it again today, grabbed the blade that is too big for him still, and he has to make sure that he doesn't scrape it through the dirt with each swing he takes. Mercifully, and how he figured this was a good idea Squalo really doesn't know, Tyr also told him he'd set some targets up a little ways off in the woods. It's a very good thing, the boy thinks, because it's not like he doesn't realize he's the main attraction anywhere he goes. The whispers follow along, and the sidelong glances. He doesn't care about them much, but he damn well wants to practice in peace somewhere where he can figure things out for himself, without two dozen assassins staring at him.
So, the forest it is. True to his word (which seems to fit with Tyr) the targets are there. Simple and weathered but functional. And for a moment, the boy just takes in the silence of it all, compared to the noise in the manor. It's all quiet now, early in the morning. Nobody's really gonna need him, right? He was brought here to train under Tyr, but the man's made no move to do anything about it himself the last few days, so Squalo figures he probably won't now, either. To avoid having to run back anytime soon, he's charmed some food out of the kitchen staff, and he sets that, wrapped up, down by a tree, draws his sword and begins to practice. Repeat the moves he's seen so far until they're just right, every one. Then string them together into a sequence. Then a longer sequence. Then just changing it up as he goes along, forgetting the time, forgetting everything around him and the sweat forming on his face and trickling down his temples. Forgetting where he is and what brought him here, and just entirely lost to the world for a while.
Klaus went where Klaus wanted, when he wanted. His family was safe and secure in their coffins, hoarded away like his most precious treasures....
One day they would all be together again, one day it would be safe, they would not have to run and then he could bring them home. They could be a family, never mind that he had put them into an eternal sleep, family was family, they would all be together.
He heard the clang of the practice commencing and made his way toward it. Never a sound, ever silent unless he wanted to be differently he lounged against a nearby tree for several moments and just watched.
The child intrigued him.
When he stepped forward he began to clap with that first step, slow and deliberate.
"Impressive, for an untrained child." Klaus thought to have a bit of fun and it certainly had nothing to do with feeding on Squalo, he was a monster but he did not feed on children.
For all that Squalo realized, Klaus could have stepped on every old branch and dry leaf in his path and he likely wouldn't have noticed at all. The clapping, though. That snaps him out of it, blinking, for a moment, in the sunlight, as if slightly disoriented. He lowers his blade as he regards the man, trying to recall if he's seen him. But then, perhaps not. He's got no reason to assume he's not Varia if he's here, but he still holds himself with pride even in the face of one far more dangerous than himself.
By now his shirt is stained with sweat and his breath comes faster, but he doesn't light up like a child hoping for approval. This is the face of a boy who damn well knows he's impressive, still trying not to smirk and let it show.
Pride oozed out of this one's pores, Klaus could almost smell it. It was what sparked his interest more than anything, pride and defiance wrapped up in a young man who certainly had enough aggression to catch Klaus' attention.
"You aren't, you don't suppose Tyr is a bit too busy, I mean, he's kept you waiting all this time."
A step or two closer, he does not use compulsion nor any of his vampire tricks, not yet at least.
"Though, I suppose I have time on my hand, if you're truly interested in learning."
It was different, being here, it occurred to Squalo. Never had he met a real predator until he met Tyr. And now, he was in a place filled only with predators. The boy watched Klaus with growing curiosity, and resisted the urge to pace. The restless energy still showed, though, in the way he shifted his weight around, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Sure," he said, but the way he continued to watch the other intently betrayed his casual tone, "if you've got something to teach, I wanna learn." And he did. He'd been greedily absorbing every bit of knowledge he'd been able to find.
That restless energy was something Klaus appreciated, the kid wanted to live life, he wanted to fight. He had the spirit and natural skill for it, he would make a glorious vampire one day.
"That's a good lad but you can't tell any one, Tyr will get angry with me thinking I am out to still his little protege."
Which he was, but not yet, Klaus had all the time in the world after all.
Something in that sentence caught in Squalo's mind. If he was part of the Varia, how could he steal anything from Tyr? That didn't make any sense. Unless... well unless he wasn't, but then who was he, and what was he doing here? For a moment the boy just stood and observed, committing the man to memory, face and voice and posture. Then he smirked, mischievous and innocent at once.
"I don't even know your name, 's gonna be hard to tell on you like that."
He still wanted to learn, after all. There was so much he didn't know and couldn't do, what was the harm in starting with this guy?
"Klaus, no harm in telling you, you won't remember, not till I want you to." He could give the boy the skill, learn what he needed to and compel him to forget all but the lessons and to remember when to meet Klaus here again. He had a long time to mold this one, he was still too young for what Klaus would need from him.
"First you will need a real weapon." Klaus snapped his fingers and a woman came from the woods, she carried two beautifully crafted swords, Klaus himself picked one then she walked the other over and presented it to Squalo.
What did he mean, he wouldn't remember? Squalo gave him a hard questioning stare, about to ask outright when the woman emerged from the forest. It was like this guy had planned for it to happen like this. ...exactly like this.
He began to look at the man, the woman, and the sword with some suspicion - even though it was a beautifully crafted weapon. The best he'd ever seen, let alone held. Seeing it, his eyes widened like any child's might at Christmas, having recieved something they'd wished for for as long as they could recall. Taking it in hand, some of the wide-eyed wonder remained, but he wasn't going to be taken for some stupid brat that could be bought off with presents. Not even if the present was a beautiful sword.
"So are you trying to steal me? If I won't remember it doesn't matter even if you tell me, right?"
He had planned for it to go exactly like this, as impulsive as he could be Klaus could be equally calculating. He grinned at the way Squalo looked at the sword, the way he held it. He had no reason to buy him off as Klaus stanced his own body, versed it seemed in what he was doing.
"No, I do not intend to steal you, I intend to train you, make you stronger and when the time comes, you will be offered more power than you can imagine. What you do with your life in the meantime is not my concern. So long as you don't die."
Klaus raised both his eyebrows that grin slipped into a smirk.
"Unless you want to take back your acceptance of my offer."
"I'm not gonna make any promises I can't be sure I can keep. And I'm not gonna agree to something now that you might offer me when I'm older if I survive until then, that just sounds sketchy."
Squalo watched Klaus carefully, his eyes bright and sharp. He didn't want to say anything that would take this chance away from him, but he also wasn't going to be dishonest. He knew giving his word was not some trivial thing, knew that it was not something he could call takebacks on later.
It was that honesty, refusal to give his word if he could not keep it that impressed Klaus. In great measure as a matter of fact, he was used to forked tongues and he tired of them. This, was refreshing and he most certainly enjoyed it to his very core.
"You are young but smart..." Klaus beckoned the boy forward.
"Well then, let's see what you can do against flesh and blood instead of an innocent tree."
Squalo smiled, showing some teeth - still careful, like some of the learned restraint lingered in him. Like there was a sense of someone's disapproval that still hung over his head. But there was a spark in his eyes, the only warning as the boy lunged forward, driving the point of his sword toward his opponent's torso. No word, no warning.
A little restraint was okay, too much and it dulled the abilities. Of course, Klaus pivoted with a smooth motion not turning just angling his form out of the way. His own blade came up easily as if an extension of his arm.
It met Squalo's, a flick of his wrist twisted the blade to attempt and push the boy back and give him room to come in again.
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nestbox2014-01-11 01:35 am
potential. a child and a blade.
He's at it again today, grabbed the blade that is too big for him still, and he has to make sure that he doesn't scrape it through the dirt with each swing he takes. Mercifully, and how he figured this was a good idea Squalo really doesn't know, Tyr also told him he'd set some targets up a little ways off in the woods. It's a very good thing, the boy thinks, because it's not like he doesn't realize he's the main attraction anywhere he goes. The whispers follow along, and the sidelong glances. He doesn't care about them much, but he damn well wants to practice in peace somewhere where he can figure things out for himself, without two dozen assassins staring at him.
So, the forest it is. True to his word (which seems to fit with Tyr) the targets are there. Simple and weathered but functional. And for a moment, the boy just takes in the silence of it all, compared to the noise in the manor. It's all quiet now, early in the morning. Nobody's really gonna need him, right? He was brought here to train under Tyr, but the man's made no move to do anything about it himself the last few days, so Squalo figures he probably won't now, either. To avoid having to run back anytime soon, he's charmed some food out of the kitchen staff, and he sets that, wrapped up, down by a tree, draws his sword and begins to practice. Repeat the moves he's seen so far until they're just right, every one. Then string them together into a sequence. Then a longer sequence. Then just changing it up as he goes along, forgetting the time, forgetting everything around him and the sweat forming on his face and trickling down his temples. Forgetting where he is and what brought him here, and just entirely lost to the world for a while.
no subject
One day they would all be together again, one day it would be safe, they would not have to run and then he could bring them home. They could be a family, never mind that he had put them into an eternal sleep, family was family, they would all be together.
He heard the clang of the practice commencing and made his way toward it. Never a sound, ever silent unless he wanted to be differently he lounged against a nearby tree for several moments and just watched.
The child intrigued him.
When he stepped forward he began to clap with that first step, slow and deliberate.
"Impressive, for an untrained child." Klaus thought to have a bit of fun and it certainly had nothing to do with feeding on Squalo, he was a monster but he did not feed on children.
no subject
By now his shirt is stained with sweat and his breath comes faster, but he doesn't light up like a child hoping for approval. This is the face of a boy who damn well knows he's impressive, still trying not to smirk and let it show.
"Not gonna be 'untrained' much longer."
no subject
"You aren't, you don't suppose Tyr is a bit too busy, I mean, he's kept you waiting all this time."
A step or two closer, he does not use compulsion nor any of his vampire tricks, not yet at least.
"Though, I suppose I have time on my hand, if you're truly interested in learning."
no subject
"Sure," he said, but the way he continued to watch the other intently betrayed his casual tone, "if you've got something to teach, I wanna learn." And he did. He'd been greedily absorbing every bit of knowledge he'd been able to find.
no subject
"That's a good lad but you can't tell any one, Tyr will get angry with me thinking I am out to still his little protege."
Which he was, but not yet, Klaus had all the time in the world after all.
no subject
"I don't even know your name, 's gonna be hard to tell on you like that."
He still wanted to learn, after all. There was so much he didn't know and couldn't do, what was the harm in starting with this guy?
no subject
"First you will need a real weapon." Klaus snapped his fingers and a woman came from the woods, she carried two beautifully crafted swords, Klaus himself picked one then she walked the other over and presented it to Squalo.
no subject
He began to look at the man, the woman, and the sword with some suspicion - even though it was a beautifully crafted weapon. The best he'd ever seen, let alone held. Seeing it, his eyes widened like any child's might at Christmas, having recieved something they'd wished for for as long as they could recall. Taking it in hand, some of the wide-eyed wonder remained, but he wasn't going to be taken for some stupid brat that could be bought off with presents. Not even if the present was a beautiful sword.
"So are you trying to steal me? If I won't remember it doesn't matter even if you tell me, right?"
no subject
"No, I do not intend to steal you, I intend to train you, make you stronger and when the time comes, you will be offered more power than you can imagine. What you do with your life in the meantime is not my concern. So long as you don't die."
Klaus raised both his eyebrows that grin slipped into a smirk.
"Unless you want to take back your acceptance of my offer."
no subject
"I'm not gonna make any promises I can't be sure I can keep. And I'm not gonna agree to something now that you might offer me when I'm older if I survive until then, that just sounds sketchy."
Squalo watched Klaus carefully, his eyes bright and sharp. He didn't want to say anything that would take this chance away from him, but he also wasn't going to be dishonest. He knew giving his word was not some trivial thing, knew that it was not something he could call takebacks on later.
So he took a breath and copied Klaus' stance.
no subject
"You are young but smart..." Klaus beckoned the boy forward.
"Well then, let's see what you can do against flesh and blood instead of an innocent tree."
no subject
no subject
It met Squalo's, a flick of his wrist twisted the blade to attempt and push the boy back and give him room to come in again.
no subject
Another step back and sideways and he came back in, quick as a snake, aiming a slash at Klaus's arm.