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(ayyy 300 posts!)
"As in-" Will narrows his eyes as he chooses his words. "As in they possess non-human abilities. If you steep a certain leaf does it give you superhuman abilities? Or, upon eating, do they enhance your vision or hearing? What about plants with a mind of their own? Do they exist here?" Will realizes far too late that he asked too many questions than he wanted.
(ayy!)
Kaz inhaled, thinking. "Yes, there are plants like that, but I would not just experiment with them, if I were you." he said, looking over at the human beside him. "It is not safe. Some would kill you. As for plants with a mind of their own, yes, they exist, but I do not believe we have any in our gardens." he replied.
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Will glances over his shoulder back at the gardens. Frankly, death via plant sounds much more alluring than death via Snake. It would be a nice change in pace. "You should get some," He mutters. How fascinating would sentient plants be? Could he figure a way to communicate with them? "I bet I could befriend them." He can't help the smallest smile that pulls at his lips.
Kaz's own mouth pulled in a faint smiel at Will's comment, and he shook his head a little bit, considering that. "Perhaps. If it would make you happy, then I can see about getting one. Sentient plants must consent to being moved; it is a mostly unwritten law regarding them. If we are to acquire one, it would have to agree to come here." well, technically it did not have to. Kaz could technically force it here. But he had a feeling that if he did that, Will would be furious.
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"I could convince them, I'm sure." Will hums, eyes barely flicking over to Kaz. "Maybe I could be an olive branch of sorts. Get an entire colony of sentient plants in the gardens, perhaps." His mind wanders. He doubts the plants could be vicious. After all, they have no mouths to eat, no claws to maim… But there is the topic of constricting… Like a snake. "They'd make better company than whoever you invite to your parties anyways."
Kaz snorted faintly. "For you, perhaps." he replied, in response to Will's comment about parties. "My parties serve a purpose, my darling Martyr, though I would not expect you to understand that." he glanced over at Will with a slightly raised eyebrow, shakign his head for a moment. "But yes, perhaps you could convince a few to come here. An empty space would ahve to be prepared for them first, though. There is currently no space prepared."
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"Then get to work on it," Will retorts, really only half joking. While at first it was just a meager curiosity, now blossomed into something Will would sell his life to see. "If you want me to stay in this damned place you might as well get me some decent company." His faint smile widens ever so slightly.
He let out a faint, quiet laugh. "I see. I must bribe you with plants in this one, must I?" he glanced over at Will, eyebrows raising faintly. He loved getting to know Will again; he genuinely did. He enjoyed rediscovering all those little quirks. Some stayed constant and some did not, and no matter what he loved it.
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"The plant has to be sentient," Will reminds, a slight teasing glint in his eyes as he glances over to Kaz. "Don't mistake me for another one of your easy concubines. I have high standards, Kazimir." His eyes widen slightly… Was that the first time he had used the Snake's given name?
Kaz's eyes flickered at the use of his name. Had Will used it yet? He could not remember. Either way, it made his lips twitch into a faint smile. "I remember those standards well, William." he replied, eyes staying on the young man beside him as he led Will through the halls. "And I would never mistake you for an easy concubine, darling; easy has never been a word I associated with you."
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Will feels slightly warm at the use of both his given name and the pet name. Darling. The word sounds sultry sweet coming from the Snake. Had the affectionate nicknames always been apart of his lexicon? Knowing Kazimir, the answer was most likely. "I would hope not," He mutters, meeting Kaz's eyes. "What would we be without me making your life a little difficult every now and then?"
Kaz laughed a little, though it was more of an exhalation than a true laugh. "We would certainly be quite different." he remarked, thinking about it for a moment. "Though I believe I would still fall for you."
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Will's step slightly falters at the Snake's casual declaration. Now, he knows that in every life they're bound to entangle. Doomed to fall and to love and to die at each other's hand. But still… Those words, even after all these millenia, they still manage to cause Will's heart to stutter in his chest. Unable to really grasp words, Will hums and nods, feigning some sort of nonchalance.
Kaz went quiet when Will did not respond, continuing to lead the human through the halls, still taking long, winding, circuitous routes in order to keep Will from being able to create a good mental map of the place. Some of the hallways looked similar, as well, which would only add to that confusion.
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To Will, this hallway is identical to the last… and then the same as the one before that. They all house the same grandiose arches and architecture, most of them adorning windows that peer into the gardens. No matter how beautiful, Will can't help the irritation that prods at his mind. "Must you constantly wind me through these halls?" He asks, more of an exhausted sigh than anything. "Who knows how long I'm going to be here. Wouldn't it make it easier for everyone if you just - oh, I don't know - actually trusted me to roam?"
"Not yet." Kaz replied. "You do not have the identifiers that would mark you as a concubine, and many would not be kind to a human wandering the halls unaccompanied. I do it as much for your protection as for anything else." he glanced over at Will for a moment, then back down the hallway again.
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Will hates to admit that Kazimir's point is a valid one, so he doesn't admit it. At least not out loud. "Am I the first human to arrive here?" Will inquires, eyes wandering to the intricate ceiling carvings. It doesn't go unnoticed that the hallways feel nearly lifeless to Will. The only other being they encountered was the tailor earlier that morning. Where is everyone? Will lets his gaze linger on the window for a brief moment. Did Kazimir send them away?
"No, far from it. Most do not survive, though." he replied. "There are humans native to this realm, though, and they usually do alright for themselves." he glanced over at Will again, then back around the hallways, exhaling faintly.
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Will nods his head in acknowledgement, slightly irked by the fact that nearly every human that arrives in this palace winds up dead one way or another. How likely is it that he'll join those numbers? He blows a piece of hair out of his face. He lost the ribbon some time ago. "Do you kill them? Or do others?" He keeps his tone neutral as he speaks.
He thought about the question for a moment. "It depends. We do not take many from your realm." he said, gaze still on the hallways in front of them. "I do not generally have a hand in their death."
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"Not generally," Will repeats, but there's no heat in his voice. Just fascination. He narrows his eyes on the hallways that just seem to grow and grow and grow. It's no doubt one of Kaz's tricks to get him as lost as possible in the winding palace. "How far away is this library?"
"Not much farther." Kaz responded. And, as he had said, it was not much longer until they came to a set of double doors, made of a dark wood with fanciful, black hingework. He pushed them open, revealing a beautiful library. It was two stories, with rows of books and scrolls. There were tables, and softer chairs tucked back into corners, and the lighting was just bright enough to read by, but still soft. Tall windows let in streams of sunlight, too, with curtains pulled back to let in that light.
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As soon as the doors open, Will's eyes blow wide. Back in his village, the only sort of bookshop was old man Wheeler's cart, and he only restocked twice a year. Other than the library in the schoolhouse, Will resorted to speaking with the back-alley dealers for any sort of new reading material… "I'll never be bored again," Will mutters, accented with a soft laugh. "How many books do you have here?"
He shrugged faintly, keeping his eyes on Will rather than on the library he had seen countless times. "I do not know. Many." he let out an amused breath of laughter as he tried to contemplate how many books were in that library. "I am sure one of the librarians would know, but I am afraid that I do not."
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Will hums softly, already leaving Kaz's side to explore the vast room. He runs his fingers across the spines of books, taking in the titles all in various languages. Around half are in his own tongue, the others written in runes and scratches that Will couldn't even begin to understand. His eyes trail to the upper floor, spiral staircases connecting them. "Are they sorted by any system?" The tiny bookcart back home was quite literally a haphazard pile of miscellaneous tomes on wheels. Made for trying to find a certain subject quite difficult.
Kaz watched Will explore, a soft smile tugging at his mouth as he watched the young human wander. "Yes, they are. The shelves are labeled, if you look. The books themselves have small tags, or at least, the newer ones do. Many of the older ones do not." he shrugged faintly, running a hand through his hair.
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Will nods, finding himself drifting towards the staircase. After the quick climb (the steps not squeaking even the slightest), Will discovers the biology and horticulture section. A book he recognizes from his room back in the village pokes out to him. An Introduction To Plant Magic it reads engraved in gold on the dark green spine. He hid it under his bed, only daring to read it via candlelight in the middle of the night. "Could I take one?" He calls, leaning over the railing to look at Kaz.
Kaz looked up at him, and nodded slightly when Will called out. "You can take any that catch your interest." he called back, smiling a little bit as he wondered what book Will might take from the library.
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Nodding, Will goes back to the shelf. It seems the entire case is full of all sorts of guides and studies on plants and magic. He traces the spine of one book - Sentient Species - and its neighbor, by the same author: Flora of Fae. Many other titles catch his eye, but Will decides he needs to pace himself. He pulls the books from the shelves, tucking them against his chest as he makes his way down the staircase once more.
Kaz watched as Will came back down, a soft smile tugging at his features as he looked at the young man. "Is that all you are grabbing, for now?" he asked, raising his eyebrows faintly. "If so, we can head back to my chambers, where the servant who will accompany you will be waiting."
