Vanishing Blond {Open}

[Kyle Roberts]

Being as it was still early in the morning, the dining hall and kitchen that adjoined it were rather noticeably empty of the multitudes that usually populated them. The morning meal was still another hour or two away, and so there wouldn't be any humans entering to start preparing the food for it. That meant that, cavernous though the room was, he had ample time to finish covering the table and laying out the platters and utensils. It was lucky that most boogies tended to be too lazy to venture this far from the North Wing, and that most humans weren't allowed to dine at the tables. That meant that he only had to set for several dozen places.

Fortunately for him, he'd deemed himself well enough to be rid of the crutch just a few days ago. His broken limbs were still incredibly sore if he put very much weight on them for more than a few moments, and the other two were so stiff that it was uncomfortable to move them much, so he was left moving in an odd sort of double limp. But he did have the use of all of them, and one of his hands wasn't filled with a hunk of wood. Had he been forced to hobble about on that confounded contraption with all of the delicate china, then the task would have been made significantly more difficult.

Standing just within the small china cupboard near the back of the hall, he was carefully loading another group of the delicate plates into a little wicker basket made to carry them and the accompanying silverware. Though he usually made it a point to focus on his task so as not to fall below his mistress' standards, he wasn't all that surprised when he found his mind wandering to his little brother. Miss Naelona had confined him to her quarters two or three days ago and so he hadn't had much chance to even see him. And when he did see him, it wasn't a twenty year old man that he saw; it was the tiny little boy that he'd failed to protect all of those years ago. Granted he hadn't had much of a chance to, but that was beside the point. He didn't think there would ever ever be a day when the knowledge didn't haunt him.

Setting his jaw in a grimace as the last dish was placed into the basket, he'd just backed away and closed the door when Elric called out. The voice was immediately recognizable, though he'd never personally spoken with the older male. He and Elric were much alike in that they preferred to go about the tasks they were given and nothing more, all so that they could go back to what was called home until the time came for their duties to recommence. So far as he knew the other preferred to just live life without bothering in the troubles that others were constantly stirring up. Kyle had to respect that, if only a bit.

Respect or not, he know that an order from their mistress was not to be questioned. Without even hesitating to think about the matter he moved over to the table, setting the basket down a safe way from the edge. The task was still a ways from being completed, but someone else would take care of it when they arrived to fix breakfast. Turning towards the door he moved over to it with as much speed as he could risk. "Which room?" He didn't pause when he reached the door, trusting Elric to come along as he moved out and up the hallway.

[Elric Vlarintos]

Elric understood now why Naelona knew Kyle would be in the dining hall. He had briefly considered it odd since food would not be served for a little while yet. For a moment he had considered the possibility that Kyle ever found himself on kitchen duty, but now was not the time for such contemplations. Naelona had specifically said not to dally--likely she wanted this business taken care of before too many others were awake.

"She did not say which room," Elric answered quickly as he pushed himself across the floor and towards the exit of the room once again. "That likely means she'll meet us in the hallway." It was the logical conclusion, but that did not mean it was the correct one. He watched Kyle's pained fashion of walking and pondered if the young man was too proud to use crutches.

That being said, Elric perhaps did not need his so much anymore, unless he was traveling long distances. The amount of travel already managed this morning meant that working without them would have felt like an impossibility. "If you need to borrow my crutches, just let me know." Elric would be able to manage a little bit without them, and he certainly would if it would speed their pace down the hallway to the south wing.

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach from what he wasn't telling Kyle, but there was still the chance that he was wrong. Worrying Kyle needlessly would be much worse than just not sharing his suspicions. Naelona would tell him if she saw fit. That's what she sent Elric to fetch Kyle for, wasn't it?

He hastened his pace to the south wing to meet with Naelona.

[Kyle Roberts]

Didn't say which room... A frown found its way onto his face at that. It was rather unlike his mistress to not specify and exact time and place to meet her. That she would leave her instructions so vague as 'Meet me in the South Wing.' and 'Hurry' worried him. It meant that something was obviously up for her to not take the time to make certain that everything was in place. He nodded at the next statement, though he was a bit too lost in thought to pay any real attention. Maybe it had something to do with Kris? That could explain why the instructions were so hurried. But what would she want him in the South Wing for if that were the case? And for that matter, why had Elric been summoned as well?

The constant barrage of questions continued to plague him as they made their way through the palace. Each one brought up at least two more, none of which neared producing anything resembling an answer to any of the others. As it was, Kyle was barely aware of the throbbing in his leg, though the pain of putting so much continual pressure on it was steadily mounting.

That was why, when Elric's offer momentarily snapped him out of his mental questioning, he had to stop for a moment in the hall, his teeth clamping down against one another and his face twisting into a mask of pain. In seconds it was gone though, Kyle slowly exhaling the breath he'd been holding and continuing on once more, the pain forcibly shoved to the back of his mind. He glanced back at Elric, giving him that reassuring smile he'd spent his entire life perfecting, to the point that not even Sarah could tell it from the real thing at times. "I'll be fine, just stove up a bit. I'm sure you need them more than me anyway."

Turning back to the hallway before them, he made sure to hide his pain as well as was possible so as not to let on that he hadn't been entirely truthful before. Kyle. was indeed rather too prideful to use the crutches more than had been absolutely necessary, but he was also stubborn as a rock. He'd always been the strong one, the indomitable big brother that the others could hide behind when things got too hard. And dammit, he wasn't about to let anyone think different. It was just a good thing that the South Wing wasn't all that far away now, because his leg was really killing him.