Isaac set his jaw with an audible click, amber eyes boring a hole into the wall of the tavern as he wrestled his body still. The Frenzy was bad today; he could feel it clawing heedlessly at his chest begging to rip, rend, kill. A sharp breath - Isaac bowed his head over the bar, hand flexing around the handle of his mug of ale. He should have known, the moon was at its fullest tonight - and the shadows would be the strongest.
The Hunter forced his shaking hands to bring the mug to his lips. The ale wasn’t strong, but enough of it would take the edge off making the Frenzy a little more manageable. But like any supposedly “Blessed” Hunter of the Moon, the only true way to make the feeling go away was to Hunt.
“Buonasera, Hunter.” Isaac’s head and - regrettably - mouth, snapped towards the sound of that greeting.
Roderick, the origin of said greeting, flinched back. “Adia, Cacciatore!” The way the Crow said the words with such indignation made Isaac question if he had misunderstood those phrases in the past. “Do not scare me like that!”
Isaac scoffed, but forced himself to look away from the delicate features of the Crow and back at the mug in front of him. “Sorry.” His tone was dead, flat. The Frenzy reacted in such a unique way to Roderick’s presence, that the Hunter didn’t know if it was making things better or worse right now.
Isaac heard the man to his left click his tongue and murmur something in his native tongue that the Hunter didn’t understand. There was a longer pause before Roderick spoke again but this time in their shared tongue. “Drinking before the Hunt, Hunter?”
Worse. Absolutely, worse. Fleeting thoughts of blood splattered across an already two-toned face worked its way into his mind. Isaac raised the mug up to his face to try to wash down the imagery. He did not respond.
“Ah… It is the full moon tonight...” The Hunter refused to look in the Crow’s direction but he could tell the man was now leaning against the bar. “The Frenzy… it calls to you, doesn’t it?”
Isaac bit down on the mug's rim to center himself. A deep inhale and then he slowly lowered the mug. “Yes.” He barely managed to get the words to leave his throat instead of a growl.
“Mmm…” Roderick sounded… concerned? “Prehaps I could… help?”
The Hunter couldn’t resist, his eyes snapped over to meet the Crow’s. That beautiful face gave a small pitying smile and one of his hands was outstretched. Isaac stared at the hand, eyebrows knitting in confusion on his face. “Help?” he managed to bark out.
“A night like this, the shadows will be strong… Her light could protect you, soothe you. Let me give you a little of Her blessing so you may be calmer in the face of His corruption." That same hand inched a little forward.
Isaac frowned at the prophesied sounding speech, but he raised his eyes to meet the Crow’s. There was no deception there, just worry and the want to fix. Wordlessly, he reached out one of his hands and placed it in Roderick’s.
The Crow’s face lit up for a moment before he bowed his head, this time in prayer. A few murmured words in his native tongue as his hands performed the familiar motions that all those who followed Eros did: A rising sun motion from shoulder to shoulder before the light was grabbed from the peak of the skies and brought to his lips. What Isaac didn’t expect was the gentle brush of Roderick’s lips against his hand as he "transferred" the light onto him.
Isaac went rigid at the contact, but the Crow wasn’t moving away. His eyes were closed, reverent in the service of his Goddess. For a moment, the two of them just stood there locked in position. Until…
Warmth? A soothing warmth flowed into the Hunter, akin to the smooth alcohol sliding warmly down his throat. It quelled his aching chest, biting back against the endless hunger of the Frenzy and making it into something somewhat manageable.
Isaac was now rooted there in shock as Roderick pulled back, a dreamy sort of smile on his face as he met the hunter with half-lidded eyes. “Ah… there.” His face pulled up into a broader smile. “That should help.”
Amber eyes flickered between where their hands still touched and Roderick’s face for a moment before the Hunter quietly replied. “It did.”
“Fantastico, wonderful!” Roderick let go of his hand to clasp both of his own together in excitement. “Well… the last of Her rays are slowly fading from the sky, Hunter. I suppose it will be time shortly for you then, hmm?”
Isaac flexed the hand that the Crow had touched as he mindlessly nodded. Why on Earth would Eros have granted him any sort of blessing? Why help him when he sets out tonight to Agape’s bidding? Especially when he denied both of them every step of the way? “Yes.” He managed to say to the Crow, through his racing thoughts.
“Well… may your night be fruitful, Hunter.” Roderick had clasped both hands to his chest and offered a small bow. “I hope Her radiance guides you.”
The Hunter managed to meet the Crow’s eyes. “Me too.”
Day Two of #30dhs2k25: 894/100
Might have gonna a little overboard for today's #30dhs post... I just love these two too much I can't shut up about them...
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