Not again

[praiseandglory]

When Porthos stepped into their tent and found himself in a strange, yet familiar hallway, he knew exactly where he was. On either side of the hallway were doors - to rooms, suites, and many more strange places beside. The noises of the camp were gone, but the smell remained, on him, of gunpowder and blood, soot and grime. His usually elegant clothes had seen better days, his now longer hair was tied back and mostly hidden under a kerchief that might have once been white. His pistol was empty and he needed to clean his sword - Treville's sword.

The battlefield was now miles and years away, for all that it was also, somehow, right on the other side of a door. And, in his current mood, that made his blood boil as surely as Spanish insults.

"Not again!" he yelled, and punched the nearest wall with a gloved hand. He winced at the pain, but there was a dent in the wall now, and that felt slightly better.

Comments

[praiseandglory]

"I'm not going to punch any more walls, Athos," Porthos replies with a frown, which clears almost immediately. "I like my hands unbroken." Eventually, one wall or another would win. Not that that's the reason. The real reason is that his anger has passed. If he is going to be stuck here, he might as well make the most of it, as he has just told his friend.

[armedagainstlove]

"As do I," Athos assures, given that he may have a whole group of men, but none that he trusts so much as d'Artagnan and Porthos. "If they're broken, I can't imagine who I would send out to put the fear of God into the Spaniards," he praises calmly, tipping the bottle forward. "Have another drink."

[praiseandglory]

God and Porthos are having a bit of a difficult time right now, but Porthos ignores the phrasing to focus on what Athos is saying. He grins at that, and then more broadly at the offer of more wine, offering his glass to be filled. "I don't reckon two broken hands would stop me."

[armedagainstlove]

"Perhaps once placed in protective wrapping, they would be even more dangerous than before," he deadpans, arching his brow. "Certainly more than other Musketeers in the regiment could ever do." After all, it's hardly like any of them can take Porthos down, even when he isn't trying. He can only imagine his abilities, even if damaged.

[praiseandglory]

"If you're saying I ought to get a second steel gauntlet, I'm not sure how practical that would be," Porthos replies with a quick grin.

[armedagainstlove]

"You could put in the request," Athos says, "I would be remiss if I did not put it through the proper channels, for anything that you might want." He's certain that it would likely be denied, but there's no harm in trying.

[praiseandglory]

"I'm all right with the one," Porthos assures him with a smile. Two of them would be a crowd, and it isn't as if he is in need of a second one. He had simply been joking.