Doom Upon All The World

Chapter 12: Pierre

The sound of snoring in the room is too loud for Pierre to even consider sleep. 

For years, he's shared a quarters with his elder sister, becoming accustomed to the volume at which the Antivan lady snores and breathes.  But, Maker!  Camille is like a mabari war hound that swallowed a small mouse and it's now blocking it's airway, causing a monstrous snorting-choking noise every few moments.  

He gets out of bed and throws his shirt on over his head.  It falls gently over his shoulders, caressing his torso in a deep blue silk.  His feet pad lightly on the floor as he treads out of the room.  "Couldn't sleep, Pierre?"  Bellamy's deep, Fereldan accent hangs in the air as he makes his way to the older man.  "Camille and Octavia have dragged Olive into a fight, thus I have an extra sister in my room tonight and she snores like the flies around a rotting corpse."  He elaborates.  Bellamy sits at a small table at the end of the main hall, his cousin across from him.  They're engaged in a game of chess and Torrance deftly prepares to make his next move. 

Bellamy chuckles at this, looking more like Commander Rutherford than Pierre had ever seen Anthony look.  Then again, Anthony has been away for sometime and he never really caught Pierre's eye to begin with.  Bellamy on the other hand with his broad and tautly muscled chest and arms, his blond curls and honey golden eyes, was a sight to be beholden.  Unfortunately, it is yet to be seen which way the young Rutherford swings.  Torrance makes his move, only a swap away from checking his cousin, looking to the elder boy expectantly.  He keeps his mouth shut as Pierre and Bellamy converse.  

It's not that he doesn't like Pierre, it's just that he finds the lad rather overbearing at times.  He's very... out there... about everything.  The gay thing doesn't bother him, never has.  Tavvy is his best friend, they grew up together.  If he had a problem with that at any point, any memory of it is gone now.  It's his thoughts that keep his mouth sealed shut.  

"You're awfully quiet, Torrance.  Is everything all right?"  Pierre asks, looking over him suspiciously.  He nods, trying to bring up words.  He'd been thinking of Olive only moments before he appeared and then he brought her up and even the mention of her sent him down a spiraling staircase of images he did not want in his head.  Not with her brother so close.  

He tries his best smile. "Quite.  I just remembered I have some reading to do.  Keiran wants it done by tomorrow and I'm a few chapters behind the others.  I forfet, cousin. You win.  Excuse me."  He walks off, leaving Pierre and Bellamy confused.  Bellamy's curiosity is quickly sated though, knowing all too well about his young cousin's disposition toward the youngest Montilyet. 

Pierre looks at Bellamy, asking for the reason for Torrance's sudden distancing.  The older of the Rutherford cousins only smiles and gestures to the board.  Pierre reluctantly takes the seat across from him as he resets the board.  "So the twins are at odds.  Camille and Olive, I mean."  Bellamy starts and watches Pierre closely as the Antivan calculates his move.  "The story is that Nicolynn confided in Olive about something.  Naturally, Olive told Camille which Nicolynn wouldn't have minded.  But then Camille told Octavia, and she told Anthony.  Now Anthony is back and Camille thinks for some reason that he's here to take her away from us."  Bellamy doesn't take his eyes from the board as his eyebrows furrow in confusion. 

"And you believe this as well?  Is Anthony back to take Nicolynn home with him?  I though he was here to mourn with his sister, to take her home to Val Royeaux."  Pierre swallows as he shrugs, knowing full well that the outcome is the same.  "Either way, we still lose a friend. Nicolynn for Adelaide, or vise versa.  Or in the worse case, possibly both of them at once."  He shakes his head as Bellamy moves his rook, taking Pierre's pawn from the board. 

"But what reason would Anthony have to take Nicolynn to Val Royeaux?   Not only would it take her away from her brother, but she'd be looked down on there.  I may have lived in the country, in Fereldan for most of my young life, but I know how the rest of Thedas feels about elves.  Val Royeaux is not a good place for her."  Bellamy rationalizes but it's not Pierre he has to convince of all this.