What had once been a refuge from a provincial life of dinner parties and horse races was now a cramped and noisy bore. He looked back on his younger self, when he’d arrived with wide eyes and wider dreams, as childish—in the several years since, he’d not found a single soul that could satisfy his hunger. While other men (and some women) of his age and stature were seeking company in brothels and bars, Viktor had toured colleges and laboratories in search of mental stimulation. His peers—if they could be considered as such—gorged themselves on gossip while Viktor built towers of scientific articles in foreign languages he learned but would never get the chance to speak.
His own accent wavered the longer he stayed wrapped in the international, eclectic waters of the port city, stayed away from his parents’ lectures at him to stop dreaming and start acting. He knew why they did it, but really came to understand it with a few more years under his belt; they wanted him to continue their legacy rather than create one of his own. Perhaps they were right, too, for no matter how long Viktor lived in the city, he never once found the intellectual partner he yearned for.
It didn’t help that, year after year, the world around him remained grey and colorless in such stark contrast to his technicolored dreams.
So Viktor returned home, riding up the main drive of his family’s estate on a horse worth more than the average man’s yearly salary. He would send for his effects later—his restless nature meant that, once he’d made his mind up, he could not sit still a moment longer in his well-furnished and yet empty-feeling apartment.
Time stood still out here in the countryside. Trees grew taller and their leaves changed color—so he was told, as he could only distinguish the changes in tone—yet the world always looked the same as when he was a little boy. The wildflowers filled the air with the same sweet perfumes, the birds sang their songs until the cry of a fox silenced them, and the humidity clung to his skin beneath the riding suit that hugged his body in well-tailored fashion. Life had always been this, so vivid in all senses other than what he could see with open eyes.
It was a surprise to the staff when he walked in through the main doors, even more-so when he announced his intention to stay. They hurried into action freshening up his room as he went straight to his father’s study, greeting him and then asking after his mother to do the same. It didn’t take more than a day to hear of the new stable hand, one that his father saw promise in despite all of his employees whispering the opposite. ]
Talis. [ He tastes the name’s flavor, letting it sit on his tongue that was already falling back into old, accented habits. It rang a small bell in his mind, perhaps from reading it somewhere. ] I think it’s time to meet this new stable boy. Bring him to the library.
no subject
What had once been a refuge from a provincial life of dinner parties and horse races was now a cramped and noisy bore. He looked back on his younger self, when he’d arrived with wide eyes and wider dreams, as childish—in the several years since, he’d not found a single soul that could satisfy his hunger. While other men (and some women) of his age and stature were seeking company in brothels and bars, Viktor had toured colleges and laboratories in search of mental stimulation. His peers—if they could be considered as such—gorged themselves on gossip while Viktor built towers of scientific articles in foreign languages he learned but would never get the chance to speak.
His own accent wavered the longer he stayed wrapped in the international, eclectic waters of the port city, stayed away from his parents’ lectures at him to stop dreaming and start acting. He knew why they did it, but really came to understand it with a few more years under his belt; they wanted him to continue their legacy rather than create one of his own. Perhaps they were right, too, for no matter how long Viktor lived in the city, he never once found the intellectual partner he yearned for.
It didn’t help that, year after year, the world around him remained grey and colorless in such stark contrast to his technicolored dreams.
So Viktor returned home, riding up the main drive of his family’s estate on a horse worth more than the average man’s yearly salary. He would send for his effects later—his restless nature meant that, once he’d made his mind up, he could not sit still a moment longer in his well-furnished and yet empty-feeling apartment.
Time stood still out here in the countryside. Trees grew taller and their leaves changed color—so he was told, as he could only distinguish the changes in tone—yet the world always looked the same as when he was a little boy. The wildflowers filled the air with the same sweet perfumes, the birds sang their songs until the cry of a fox silenced them, and the humidity clung to his skin beneath the riding suit that hugged his body in well-tailored fashion. Life had always been this, so vivid in all senses other than what he could see with open eyes.
It was a surprise to the staff when he walked in through the main doors, even more-so when he announced his intention to stay. They hurried into action freshening up his room as he went straight to his father’s study, greeting him and then asking after his mother to do the same. It didn’t take more than a day to hear of the new stable hand, one that his father saw promise in despite all of his employees whispering the opposite. ]
Talis. [ He tastes the name’s flavor, letting it sit on his tongue that was already falling back into old, accented habits. It rang a small bell in his mind, perhaps from reading it somewhere. ] I think it’s time to meet this new stable boy. Bring him to the library.