mj and ice's excellent roleplay adventure

Will only hums in response as Kaz leaves, making sure his eyes never leave the page of his sketchbook. His ankles and back still throb, but the pain is distant and more uncomfortable than anything. His headache has all but diminished. Small mercies. Will bites his lip as he tilts his pen, getting the shading right on one particular leaf. With a flick of his finger, the vine inches towards will. He cups the tendril delicately, titling his head to the side to further study the foreign plant. It's fascinating, beautiful, so unique and different from the human flora he's used to.

Will spares a quick glance up to Kaz, but snaps his head back down instantly. He feels a warm feeling flood his chest. His face feels hot. He curses his mother for giving him her pale and easily flushed skin. With the back of his hand, he rubs his cheeks and nose, as if he could wipe the color away. For a moment, Will feels almost underdressed - but he's wearing nightclothes that aren't even his and sitting in a bed that isn't even his. The pen twists between his fingers. He tries to still his mind, tries to finish the drawing of the plant is resting in the palm of his and, but all that he can think of is Kaz. Damn it all, He groans internally, praying that the Snake will leave him alone to wallow in misery.

Will's about to object, but the unfortunate timing of his growling stomach gives him away. "That's fine," He says shortly, eyes baring hole into the page of his sketchbook. His fingers tighten around the pen. "You can't blame me for wanting to ignore you, bastard." His voice is half-whisper, half-hiss. From the venom dripping from his words, one could assume that he's the Snake, and not the other way around.

Will watches Kaz's movements intently, eyes like a hawk as he notes where Kaz stores the dagger. With a sigh, he closes his sketchbook and sets it on the nightstand next to his bag. The pen's set carefully atop of the notebook. He slides out of the bed, running his fingers through his long hair and nose wrinkling at the feeling of the cold floor beneath his feet. He reties the cinch around his waist and raises an eyebrow at Kaz. "Fine then, take me to breakfast."

Knowing that Kaz would most likely force him into more presentable clothes anyways, Will sighs. "Why not?" He eyes the Snake suspiciously, waiting for any indication of danger. The knife remains in his belt. There's no strange fae magic out for his neck. "Nothing too gaudy."

Will hums quietly and follows Kaz to the wardrobe. His makeshift vine ankle braces dig into his skin. However, his joints don't seem the ache anymore. He cards his fingers through the clothes, feeling the silken and expensive textures. They're nice. Eventually, Will settles on a white shirt with metallic green embroidering around the neck. It's flowey, one that won't irritate his back wounds. As for pants, he settles on black trousers and a white belt. "Any place I could change?" He asks.

Will nods, taking his things into the bathroom and closing the door behind him. It's not the one he bathed in the night before, this one much more personalized and lived in. There's clutter on the golden marbled counter, a few garments draped over a towel rack. Will keeps his eyes on the floor as he strips down, folding his clothes to set on a stool next to the vanity. The solid vine braces around his ankles snap as Will breaks them off. He redresses in the borrowed clothes, buttoning the tall-collared shirt up to halfway up his neck. The pants are surprisingly fitting, sitting comfortably on his hips with the shirt tucked into it. He checks his appearance in the mirror.

He doesn't look as horrendous as he expected.

There's a green ribbon curled on the vanity. Will uses it to tie his hair back into a small bun at the nape of his neck. A few pieces escape the tie, framing his face. The green embroidery on the shoulders and seam of the shirt certainly bring out his eyes. Sparing one last look at himself in the mirror, Will leaves the bathroom and enters the bedroom.

Will doesn't acknowledge the guard standing outside the door, but the question of how long he had been standing there tugs at Will's mind. Would he even care if his king slaughtered the man in his sheets in the dead of night? Will sighs. Probably not. Of all things, they'd probably throw their king a party. In the light of the morning, Will finally takes in the castle halls. They're gorgeous - open air windows leading into the forest, black and gold floorings and ceilings stretching thirty feet above him. With his eyes entranced on the architecture, Will accidentally runs into Kaz's back when the taller man had stopped.

Will says nothing and only follows Kaz to the table. The Snake takes his seat at the head of the table, overlooking the rest. Will takes the empty seat to his left, the first chair going down the row. The chair is comfortable, a little stiff but slowly fitting to his form. The plates and cutlery are still worth more than Will's entire house, but he doubts this is even the Fae's most expensive dining wear. He picks up a spoon to stare at it. It has to be real silver.

(are there other people in the hall or is it just them?)

Will quietly thanks the servants as they set down platter after platter in front of him. He narrows his eyes as he studies the food. He doesn't know what half of it is, nor if it'll somehow kill him. His eyes flick over to the Snake, watching him fill his plate with a dozen different foods. After hesitating for a few moments, Will reaches forward and picks up a teapot. From the smell of the steam, it's herbal. Lavender. He pours himself a glass and cradles the teacup near his nose. It smells like home.

(epic i just wasn't sure if there'd be other fae in the room giving will the side-eye alksdf;)

"Will it kill me?" The words practically tumble out of his mouth as Will picks up a spatula to poke at the quite pleasant looking dish of savory meats and eggs. He's still holding the soft gray teacup filled with lavender tea.

Will's nose wrinkles at Kaz's tone. "You're going to kill me eventually," he bites, slowly cutting himself a piece of the dish with the spatula. "Why not do it immediately? Get it over and done with." His eyes briefly flicker down to the knife in Kaz's belt as he serves himself. "Seems like the most logical thing to do." He sets his cup down, a little more forcefully than necessary, and grips a fork in his hand. The utensil hovers over the food. Almost hesitant to dig into it.

"Maybe I'm sick of this cycle," Will huffs, angling his eyes straight at his plate as to not meet Kazimir's. "Maybe I'm tired of being reincarnated and watch terrors unfold all by your hand. Tired of hurting all the time because I can't help but love the monster you are." He rubs his palm to his eye. "I'm so exhausted." He lets out a choking laugh, thought here's no humor behind it. "Why am I destined to die? Why is fate so cruel to me?"

Will grates his teeth together and finally musters the courage to shove a forkful of whatever savory dish he had selected. Honestly, the taste isn't bad but it's spoiled by Will's mindset and company. The Snake. The Fae King. Kazimir. Whatever other titles he'd been bestowed over his lifetime. The man who's going to kill him. Part of Will just wants the man to get it over with. To just strike him in the heart right then and there with the dagger in his belt. But that only leads to another cycle, another life cut short when he's too young. Has Will ever lived past thirty? He can't remember a time.

The only way to end the agonizing cycle is if Will succeeds in slaughtering the Snake. His knuckles go white as he clenches his fist. Maybe… Just maybe this time Will can break the cycle.

The silence falls upon them in tune with a weight in Will's stomach. He takes a deep breath. The weight is in his chest now. His back feels prickly. "I'm sorry," he mutters, just barely beneath his breath as he absently pokes at the food in front of him. There's a vice around his heart. "I didn't mean to lash out." His eyes sting.