Siffrin smiled knowingly, nodding. “Ah, yeah. Nap time. I get it.”

Glancing down at the rushing water, Siffrin shuffled over to the center of the tree, leaning against it, his hat pushing up as he leaned on it. “Well, technically you’re still winning. No one can reasonably assume you should be able to do chores now. I kind of like rainy days for that. Sure, they’re inconvenient, but also, it justifies all day naps. Because what else are you going to do?”

“...other than swim, I guess.” Siffrin pouted. “Maybe fish? Do you think we could fish in this? Probably not, right?”

Ingo laughed, “Spot on!” 

Though…he was a bit more cautious about bugs and small critters getting curious about him to really nap in the forest. It turned out that rainforests were not just wetter versions of coniferous forests. But Ingo still found plenty of ways to relax and entertain himself there.

Settling more comfortably on his branch, Ingo tried shucking a little mud off himself. It wasn’t working in the slightest. A very, very gross impression on a new person. 

“There are quite a lot of rainy days here, huh,” Ingo softly mused, before taking a considering look down at the rapids below. “...I think the fish are getting swept away too,” he decided after a moment. “And…well, I at least don’t have a net or a line or anything.”

“Sucks,” Siffrin decided, before patting his (many) hidden pockets and pulling out a long wire spool, a fish hook on the end of it. “Let’s try it anyway.”

Looking around, he snatched a leaf off the tree, hooking it onto the hook. “To disguise it,” Siffrin said, smiling coyly, “Fool the fishes into thinking it's harmless seaweed.” Before with a concentrated look, they tossed the hook and line into the water, holding the spool. 

He stared at the water, the line pulling taut. Because the rapidly rushing water had caught it. Siffrin sat, looking for all the world like he was waiting for a fish to bite, despite there being no way he could notice additional pressure against the line. 

Siffrin sniffed. Already feeling himself start to relax. “...I can unspool more line if you want to fish too,” he offered.

Ingo blinked. Looking at every part of the line, and the water below. The line almost at a 45 degree angle from how it immediately was pulled away, and Ingo guessed that the fact it was taut was the only indication the rapids hadn’t immediately torn the hook off. He wasn’t even sure why fishes would nibble at seaweed anyway. 

“I’m…okay,” Ingo said slowly, still just processing. He barely even flinched at the next crack of lightning and thunder that went through the sky. Well…at least there wouldn’t be any wyverns flying in this weather…

Leaning against the tree, Ingo watched Siffrin ‘fish’ for a bit…before the silence got to him. “Well, if you’re not from Esllesium, then where have you traveled from, Siffrin? If you’re not just the perpetually traveling type.”

“Nah, you got it first go,” Siffrin said, peacefully watching the string in the water, “Where’s Esllesium? Is that where you’re from?”

…huh? Look, Ingo was willing to attribute a lot of miscommunication to his accent, but…that was pretty far off. 

“Um,” Ingo said, more unsure this time, “The…capitol. That we’re near. That I mentioned? Um, and…I guess… I mean, yeah, I live there.”

“Oh! Neat.” Siffrin grinned earnestly at Ingo, before looking back to his string. “...you guess?” he asked, giving Ingo a little side-eye. “You’re not sure?”

Red started to overtake Ingo’s face as he stammered, “N-No! I mean, I’m sure, I do live there. And…” Flustered, Ingo looked away, fussing with his bangs. “I mean…I was born there too, but…I’m not really used to saying that I’m from Esllesium.”

There was another moment of fluster before he blurted out, “I grew up in Fennox Wry! Is…what I mean.”

“Ah,” Siffrin nodded, relaxing back into his fishing, “You travel too, then? Traveling is good. It's nice to see things.” Siffrin assumed. He wasn’t sure what the alternative was like. “Where’s Fennox Wry then? Far?”

While Ingo still looked embarrassed, he did laugh softly. “I really enjoy it, actually. Seeing new places, new people…other than getting out of things, it’s why I love coming out here. This forest is huge, and even if I tend to stay on the more known paths, it seems like there’s always new things to discover.”

Nodding, Ingo hummed in the affirmative. “Far. Few weeks travel north. I left about five years ago now and…haven’t been back.”

He let out a self-conscious laugh. “It feels like that should be plenty of time to get used to calling Esllesium home, but I still get caught up in it.”

“Yeah, the forest is pretty big,” Siffrin agreed, nodding knowingly. “You could walk it a while before seeing anyone again.”

A while. A. While. A while.

“...you sound a little homesick,” Siffrin observed. “A few weeks isn’t a long time. Maybe you could–OH! OH! DID I CATCH SOMETHING!? DID I–oh, no, my hook snapped.” Siffrin realized, watching the line go lax, the end of the line dancing on top of the water, “...probably hit a log, huh?”

…maybe he was a little homesick. Which just…made Ingo feel silly. He was Esllean, he was a prince of Eslley, blessed by Abatea herself, he had taken up arms with his comrades to wrest his home from tyranny and bring it into a new age! He’d done so much for Eslley, and there was so much it expected of him, and he did love it! He just…

…he just missed Fennox Wry too. He missed the biggest event of the year being the Khans’ Exposition. He missed the thing he was slacking off from just being combat practice, not…meetings about the future of his country. He just…

“Eep!” Ingo squeaked, startled by Siffrin’s sudden excitement, before he looked over, seeing the line lax. Letting out a breath before he chuckled softly. “Probably. Or the biggest fish in these waters, trying to give you a story no one would believe.” Smiling warmly, he offered, “Hey, since you’re going to Esllesium too, how about you let me buy you a new hook. And maybe some tea too? Least of a repayment I could give for you saving my life.”

(Tea? What was tea?)

“Sure,” Siffrin smiled, resignedly rolling up his wire spool before disappearing it beneath his cloak, putting it in one of his many, many pockets, “Though, don’t really feel like you owe me anything? Honestly I just moved on instinct, I didn’t even really register I was grabbing a person until after I had caught you. It was kind of a fluke, is what I mean.”

Siffrin looked back down in the water, letting his legs dangle a bit. Both he and Ingo were sopping wet, but Siffrin had a lot more round edges for the water to drip off of without hitting him, leaving him relatively dry beneath his clothes, beyond that moment when he had been onslaughted by the rain hanging upside down. 

His clothes were clean. Almost impossibly white still. But closer inspection would show off the clear signs of wear and tear. Frayed edges and hanging bits of string. Areas around his gloved hands that were thinner from years of brushing against things. Siffrin’s clothes were clearly both enchanted and very, very old. 

He, himself, was only sometimes aware of this. He was pretty sure someone had told him they were enchanted, once. He couldn’t remember who had told him. He was grateful for the clothes though. It made surviving weather like this a breeze.

“...heh,” Siffrin smiled, before smirking at Ingo, “Considering how bad this storm is? We make sitting through it look like a breeze.”

“Then you have some wonderful instincts,” Ingo praised with a grin, “And I’d still like to thank you. If nothing else, then to give my life some worth to myself. And to welcome you to the city in true Ingo style!” 

Maybe…it was a bit selfish to not, like…go into town, heralding Siffrin as a hero that had saved a prince. Ingo was pretty sure there should be some sort of reward for that. But at least for now, he was…enjoying just being Ingo, and hopefully he could treat his newfound friend without causing a whole clamor. Then they could do the whole thing. 

…Ingo was freezing. Eslley didn’t get nearly as cold as Fennox Wry, and it was a completely different kind of cold, so Ingo wasn’t decked out in his furs and layers. Just wool and wearing a simple overcoat was enough, but…getting dunked in a mudslide had kept him wet and clammy and he was cold. 

But, well, he wasn’t dead. 

Laughing a bit at the joke, Ingo shot back, “We’re having just a gale of a time, aren’t we?”

“Heheheheh~” Siffrin laughed, lighting up again, “Yeah, I guess we lucked out getting good company for this. Our chemistry is electric.”

Giggling, Siffrin suddenly paused. Listening as the rain, which had been roaring a second ago, notably started lightening. The hammering water now easing into a steady pitter-patter. “Think we’re past the worst of it?”

Ingo snickered more before pausing, looking up at Siffrin’s indication. “Oh, maybe? Or at least past this round of the worst of it, that we could be rescued from. Or rescue ourselves.”

He then looked down, regarding the…unchanged new river. “Perhaps the former. Unless we really want to try out that swimming idea of yours.”

Siffrin followed his gaze down to the river…before sticking out his tongue. “Blegh.” He smiled over at Ingo. “How good do you think your ‘tree napping’ game is? Bet I keep from rolling out longer than you do.”

There were plenty of reasons that was a bad idea. Ingo’s previous concerns about rainforest creatures, for one. And for the current circumstances, a fall into the water from sleep was…concerningly lethal, along with the fact that Ingo was a damp, freezing Ingo-cicle, and that if they heard rescue coming, it’d be better to be awake to hail them down…

But Ingo was a young man with a competitive spirit honed in the Fennoxi arenas, and so he smiled brightly. “You’re on! I’ve yet to find any tree that can’t be a perfect bed.” Winking coyly, Ingo upped the ante. “Winner treats dinner in the city?”

Siffrin double checked his money pocket–yep, still just one silver coin in there–and still had the gall to smile confidently. “You’re on!”

Siffrin shuffled into a sort of leaning position on their branch, crossing his ankles over each other but letting his legs hang on either side of the branch, sort of locking themselves into place. He wrapped his arms around his stomach beneath the cloak, idly fingering the handle of his knife in its sheath. He dipped his hat forward, covering his eyes. 

He blinked once. Twice. Sleepy… 

“...hey,” he said, gazing sleepily into the darkness of his hat, “...if someone comes? Don’t leave without me. Okay?”

“...or maybe like,” Siffrin closed his eyes, “Leave a note? Pointing the way to the city? I’d appreciate it.”

Ingo shuffled a bit, finding a spot where he could sort of lean on his side in the air, resting his arms over a slightly higher branch and using them as a pillow. A slightly unconventional pose, but Inigo had found that it was one of the best for not falling backwards if he was startled. Or to have things fall on his face. 

However, as he settled down--goddess he was cold…--Ingo suddenly whipped his head around, looking at Siffrin in pure shock. But his voice was steady as he promised, “I’m not going anywhere without you, Siffrin. On Abatea’s name.”

(Who’s Abatea?)

Siffrin considered asking…eh. Maybe after his nap.

Naps made everything better.

-

Leana had, at first, been a bit worried about trying to roll the sleeping body out of the tree. If the hatted person actually was sleeping, as her little brother kept insisting. There was deep sleeping, sure, but this was sleeping like the dead. Were they just…in a coma?? Were they deaf? Were they faking? How could they not have woken up yet, as Leana called up to her poor retainer, who she had sent up to help her brother fetch the person down from the tree, “Do be careful. If you fall, the river’s going to be freezing.”

She paused, before adding in, “I suppose don’t drop them either. Or maybe do? Maybe that would wake them up.”

On the branch, Siffrin snoozed.

“Honestly, Ingo, you went out into a flood?” Leana said, giving her brother a wary, disapproving look, “Was there not a corner in the library that would be suitable to laze about in? It had to be a dangerous storm?”

Jeremiah…was about 90% sure Ingo was telling the truth and the person in the tree, Siffrin, was asleep. 85%. They were clearly breathing. Just not…waking up. And while he had seen how stubborn Ingo and Eimdall could get in their bets, this was a whole level beyond. 

“Could we just…pick him up and put him on Minuet?” Ingo asked, having gone through the whole range of emotions from terrified to embarrassed to petulant to worried in just a handful minutes. 

Jeremiah grunted disapprovingly. “We were betting on Minuet only flying three people, not four.” Nevermind that that’s what they were likely going to end up doing. Thankfully Siffrin looked pretty light. 

Chattering softly, Minuet adjusted herself in the boughs she’d managed to land in, spreading her wings to make it easier for them to carry Siffrin on. Ingo beamed, reaching out to pat whatever he could of her. “Thank you, love~”

Though Ingo could only pout over at his sister. “It wasn’t storming when I went out! It was a lovely day, really, how was I to know the whole sky was going to break open!”

Leana gave Ingo an increasingly dry look. “Geez. The weather? I wonder. I wonder how you could have known the weather. Today. Is there anything they announce every morning? During the breakfast hall? Reading to the family from the local post? Jeremiah, jog my memory, is there anything, every morning, they mention in the post, that is recited, every morning, to the family during breakfast?”

Siffrin sniffled lightly, snoring as they were picked up. Their hat clung to their head. 

Ingo looked away, face flushing in embarrassment. 

Jeremiah looked him dead on--presumably. Ingo was used to it by now, but he was never fully sure where Jeremiah was looking--and said, “They said it was going to rain today.”

As Siffrin was gently placed on Minuet’s back, Jeremiah helping Ingo on next, Ingo just turned even more red. “Most days they say it’ll rain! And it usually doesn’t mean the whole forest floods!”

“Regardless, what benefit was there in being in the forest when it was going to rain at all? Are you aiming to get sick? Well, congrats, you’ve likely accomplished it,” Leana said, sighing as she climbed up Minuet’s back, sitting in the spot that would be directly behind Jeremiah, who would hold the reins. She glanced back at where the person laid out behind her was. That was a point. Maybe they were sick? “You are responsible for making sure he doesn’t fall off Minuet’s back, to be clear. I won’t say we won’t go back for him, but I don’t need to explain the odds we’d find someone alive if he falls off mid flight.”

Siffrin snuffled and snored.

(That was nice of her.)

(To come back for someone that was likely dead, he meant.)

Sleepy sniffle.

(...there were too many people here.)

(Siffrin wasn’t ready to Person yet. It was too scary.)

Snore.

A shiver went through Ingo’s body. As usual, Leana was probably right. 

“Crystal clear,” Ingo sighed quietly, putting a hand around Siffrin’s shoulder to keep him from being jostled as Minuet flew. Not that Jeremiah was an unskilled rider, Minuet’s back was one of the safest places Ingo could ever remember being, but…still. It was a courtesy. 

As Jeremiah announced their take-off, conferring with Minuet, there was quiet. As a necessity, honestly, as it’d be difficult to hear as the wind rushed past their ears. But as soon as they leveled out, Ingo stared at his sister’s back, the guilt in his chest more crushing than the numbing pinpricks over his body. 

“...Ana?” he spoke up tentatively. “...I’m sorry.”

“...” Leana sighed, looking over her shoulder at him, “I don’t need you to be sorry. I need you to take care of yourself. If not for your family’s sake, then for the country's sake. You do understand how important you are, right? Just because you are not the heir does not mean you don’t have an incredibly valuable role to play for the future of our people. Eslley needs you, just as much as it needs me.”

Looking forward again, she said, “Don’t presume you are expendable, Ingo. You’re really not. We are all counting on you.”

Snuffle… (That sounds like a lot. Even just her tone made Siffrin tired. No wonder Ingo needed a nap.)

It wasn’t like he had a death wish. Ingo very much wanted to keep living, thanks. He just…

…it felt even sillier than the other stuff, because Ingo was no longer a young child, and neither was Leana. …but he missed her too, sometimes. Their relationship when they were kids. Sure, she was quite a bit older than him, and that had always colored their relationship, but…he missed when she had actually humored him in their spars, instead of just pointing out all the mistakes he’d made. These days he took it upon himself to be the one to remind her she was still just a person and that what was toil worth if she never had any fun, but…

Maybe he was just feeling down. But it felt like more and more these days, his points were falling on deaf ears. 

“You have a brain, Ingo. You could stand to use it more,” Jeremiah said simply and…

…maybe it was just being cold and tired. But Ingo just kept quiet, holding onto Siffrin as his eyes burned.

(Well, that’s a bit–) “Rude,” Siffrin muttered (oh, whoops)... “Snore.”

“Did you say something, Ingo?” Leana called back, the wind starting to drown them out.

Ingo startled, a weird sound getting caught in his chest as a few tears were loosed from his eyes. He gave Siffrin an incredulous look before clearing his throat. “N-No, sorry! Just had something caught in my throat. …sorry.”

…Ingo pouted at Siffrin before looking away with a small sniffle, wiping his eyes with his free arm. 

Siffrin considered maybe just muttering a few more words to make it sound like sleeptalking nonsense… but Ingo had ‘crying voice’ and that made Siffrin feel anxious and sad. He’d like Ingo to stop crying. That’d be ideal. Um…

So he peeked up from his hat, caught Ingo’s eyes–yep, definitely crying, that felt worse–staring at him wide eyed… before sticking his tongue out at him. 

“Blep,” he said. Really putting as much ‘cute’ in his expression as he could. Which he was very aware could be a lot.

Ingo was startled again into looking at Siffrin, before he huffed a silent laugh. Wet eyes crinkling a bit as he gave Siffrin a thankful grin, mouthing, ‘Thanks’, squeezing his shoulder gently too. 

It was always so embarrassing when he started crying, and once he got started it was a trial to stop, and it was even more embarrassing when he was caught and people tried to cheer him up to stop, but…Ingo did appreciate it. Just made him want to double down on his gratitude later.

Was that better? Ingo was no longer crying and seemed to be happy. That was job done, Siffrin guessed. 

…he went back to pretending to be asleep. Partly because maybe by this point he actually could fall back asleep and nap on the way to…wherever they were going. What had Ingo said it was called? Eslley?

Sure. He’d nap on the way to Eslley. Which was the BEST form of travel he had ever heard of. He was actually so excited for it. Napping while getting somewhere?! Revolutionary. He hoped he wasn’t too excited to sleep. 

Time would tell.

-

Ingo had said that it was about an hour’s walk from Esllesium to where he had been in the forest, but atop an experienced wyvern, even carrying four people, it took them a little over half an hour to reach the Palacio Dianthe. It was a sight that warmed Ingo’s heart, honestly, and not just because he was craving anything warm. Five years ago, the Palacio and surrounding town were little more than scorched rubble, with pockets of humanity hidden away to preserve themselves. What Minuet flew over today was…a city. Homes and businesses and places of leisure and monument were bustling with the sounds of life, and the Palacio standing grand among them all. 

It was proof of the future that they had once thought impossible. Still, that future was still life, and not some…golden ideal. 

By the time Minuet touched down, Ingo was uncontrollably shivering, and between that, the mud caked all over him, and his tear-stained face, he knew he looked revolting…

Jeremiah only sighed in his head as he helped everyone dismount Minuet. Ingo often disappeared off somewhere, schmoozing in town or off exploring the surrounding countryside. He’d done it in their militia too, though while most people griped…Jeremiah had always noticed that any imperative work Ingo had needed to do was always done before people noticed they were missing a prince. And that oftentimes, little things people had let go by the wayside--a needed refill of leather cream, fresh flowers for their medical tents, little treats in the larder--had just…appeared. All within the clockwork schedule of Ingo. 

The thing was, Ingo was infuriatingly casual and silly, but he wasn’t a bad prince. He cared deeply for people’s hearts and was a true friend, not to mention an excellent fighter. He just…went about it in a roundabout, bafflingly indirect way, all while painting himself out to be a fool. Jeremiah couldn’t understand it, but he found himself caring for the youngest prince regardless. 

Not out of duty but…as a friend. 

Seeing the signs of tears on Ingo’s face as they landed, Jeremiah clasped Ingo’s shoulder, hoping to convey all of that, giving him a small nod. 

Ingo just gave Jeremiah a weary smile. …he looked horrible, didn’t he.

…

(...?)

Okay, yes, Siffrin had fallen asleep again. And it was only the dreary fog of Long Naps that caused Siffrin to forget that he had been faking being really asleep to avoid the dreaded ‘oh god suddenly a lot of people’ that he was grappling with. In the fog of sleepiness, all he knew was ‘oh, people?’ as he blinked awake, body jostled as Minuet landed. 

(...warm.)

(...OH, BODY!)

Siffrin jolted, a shock of alarm running through him, just surprised to realize he was leaning against someone who was moving oh that was a very strange sensation. Siffrin shot forward a bit, having only barely opened his eyes, and ran FACE FIRST into a DIFFERENT BODY’S BACK.

Warm. Very alarming what the fuck “Ah! Excuse me, pardon me!” Siffrin shouted, scrambling away from his ping-pong position between the two bodies, realizing with sudden revelation that they were on top of an even bigger body (very very weird) as they scrambled down the side of the bird, stepping back from it with several hurried steps as they tried to recall what on earth had led to them being literally surrounded, like, 3 out of 4 sides!! By living, actual bodies!! 

Very weird!!!

….oh wait he knew that guy. “Morning.” Siffrin greeted Ingo, still clearly a little freaked out.

Jeremiah immediately readied himself, though he didn’t draw a weapon. Ingo’s judgment could be…faultily forgiving, but Jeremiah wasn’t about to attack a guest of the royal family over a bit of franticness. Still, he kept by Leana’s side, ready to intervene.

Ingo, on the other hand, had tried to both reach out towards Siffrin while also giving him space, trying to reassure on all accounts, and…that sort of just left him standing where he was. But as Siffrin started to gather himself at least somewhat, Ingo offered up a warm smile. “Good morning, Siffrin, I’m sorry to startle you. We’ve made it to Esllesium, and, um…”

So far Siffrin hadn’t recognized…er, any places Ingo had mentioned, which was a little odd, but it did make it a little easier to say, “This is the Palacio Dianthe…my home. Are you okay? You seemed pretty out on the ride over.”

“Indeed, you were near coma-like.” Leana frowned, dismounting the ride as well, though she stayed near Jeremiah as she peered in concern at Ingo’s new…friend? “Are you well? We will have you escorted to a cleric.”

“No, that’s alright,” Siffrin said automatically, forcing himself to relax inch by inch as he looked around, curious about where Esllesium actually was then… before giving a high pitch little whistle. “Oooooh… neat. I made it.”

(...now what?)

Food! 

Siffrin suddenly looked starry-eyed over at Ingo, as they demanded, “Did I win!? Dinner time?!”

Ingo raised a curious eyebrow. Made it? Was…Siffrin just talking about the trip in general or…had they business at the Palacio and just didn’t know what it was called? Curious… Though Ingo sputtered a bit, both from Siffrin’s claim and that amazed, starry look directed in its full force at him. “I-I mean, I didn’t fall out of the tree--”

“You just about did,” Jeremiah cut in. “Minuet had to steady you with her tail.”

Ingo turned red, giving Jeremiah an embarrassed look before he sighed, pulling himself together. As much as he could, shaking and muddy. “Well, interference aside, I’d be happy to treat you to dinner, Siffrin. Along with the other things, it really is the least I can--”

There was a quiet drone that was slowly getting louder. The sound of soft, but still audible footsteps appearing after a moment, before the drone became distinguishable as, “oooooooohhH, INGOOOOOO!!”

An elegant middle-aged woman with long pink hair twisted into intricate braids came running out of the arcade, heading straight towards Ingo. And while she had given plenty of warning to her speed and direction, Ingo still looked wholly surprised as his mother scooped him up into a hug, cupping his face and turning him this way and that. “I-Ingo! We were so worried about you! No one could find you and there was such an awful storm out and, oh darling, you’re shaking! And cold as ice! Dear, let’s get you inside…”

Ingo sighed, and let himself be fussed over. “I’m alright, mom.” With a winning smile, he nodded over towards both Siffrin, and Leana and Jeremiah. “I had some dashing figures come to my rescue, no need to worry.”

With a shaky sigh Tiana--without fully parting from Ingo--looked over her daughter and her retainer, cupping Leana’s cheek proudly and leaning up to kiss her forehead before regarding Siffrin with a type of warm kindness that felt just like being tucked into bed with a wool-stuffed quilt. 

“Thank you for looking after Ingo, we’re truly in your debt. You must be freezing too, would you like to come in, um…”

“Siffrin,” Ingo introduced.

Nodding, Tiana smiled. “Dear Siffrin.”

Leana sighed, shaking her head as she crossed her arms, still a tad bit too frustrated that Ingo had put himself in danger in the first place to be as amused by his good humor as she sometimes could be. Still, she leaned down warmly to meet her mother’s kiss, whispering to her, “He’s fine, mama, he wasn’t injured,” before allowing her to move on in her attentions. Giving Ingo another scolding look over their mother’s head.

(Aw. All of that was cute.)

Siffrin watched, just enjoying the nice scene playing out, before being slightly startled when one of the characters turned to look at him, putting him firmly back in the world. Jarring. “You’re welcome,” Siffrin said, because that was what you said when someone thanked you. Tipping his hat forward and blushing a little, a bit embarrassed at the warmth coming from the stranger. “And no, I’m not cold.”

He wasn’t. His clothes were very effective. He had dried during his many naps. Today had been a great day, nap-count wise.

He was hungry though, and he was already starting to pout a bit as he realized dinner was going to be delayed for people not wearing magical clothes to keep them cozy. Ingo should really get his own giant cloak and massive hat. The boots too. Though the boots weren’t magical. They were just well made. 

Ah well. Siffrin could wait–oh! He had mushrooms! Snacktime~

Siffrin–without being prompted, just sticking close to the literal only person he knew–went to quietly follow Ingo as he pulled out the mushroom heads, drooling a bit, before startling. There was already a bite in. He had… oh, right. “What do you think the odds are these are poisoned?” he asked Ingo’s family, showing them.

Leana raised an eyebrow. “...I really do think you should see a cleric.”

“Much better prepared for the weather than I,” Ingo chuckled, just letting his sister’s scolding ire roll off of him (for now, anyway). 

Sighing softly, Exalted Tiana Dianthe led the group back into the Palacio’s arcade, heading into the building itself. Jeremiah only paused a moment, consulting--and praising--Minuet before the great wyvern took off once more, likely heading to her roost. He soon caught up, taking his spot by Leana, just in time to see another quirk of their guest.

A little sheepishly, Ingo offered a tentative grin to Siffrin. “You do seem a little out of sorts. I promise, the clerics here are second to none--Aunt Izzy and Marissa wouldn’t have it any other way. We could arrange for you to have a snack before dinner properly starts, if you’re hungry?”

“I will happily accept a snack, please, thank you,” Siffrin said eagerly, idly hoping if he breezed by the talk of clerics he might avoid the fuss. He wasn’t afraid of clerics or anything like that. It just wasn’t necessary. He didn’t like being a bother. 

He would also like to eat these mushrooms, but he was getting the sense he might get more odd looks if he ate the maybe poisonous mushrooms. As much as he wanted to eat, he’d like to not get any more ‘fussy’ attention, so reluctantly he put the mushrooms away again. Tragic. Food right there, yet due to tricky social issues, so far away. 

Leana frowned, warily looking down at the young person walking with her brother. “...so, Siffrin, yes? My brother has been insistent that you are, in fact, his hero of the day. That you quite literally may have saved his life.”

“Nah, probably not.” Siffrin shrugged.

“...” Leana waited for further explanation, and took a second to realize none was about to be offered. “Well, while humility is a gentle sign of character, we still owe you a thanks. Ingo is one of our best and brightest…except for when he isn’t. And it’s a relief to have had someone around to save him from one of his sillier impulses,” Leana said, shooting Ingo another scolding look, before smiling lightly at Siffrin, “That said, I am curious what you were doing in the woods during such difficult weather. As a forager, I’d imagine you would know better.”

“Oh.” Siffrin smiled lightly up at her. Tall. “I wouldn’t.”

…again, Leana made the mistake of waiting. Like more would be offered. Nothing was.

Ingo made eye contact with his mom, the two of them on the same page as they nodded. It wasn’t exactly a Hero’s Feast; as good as things had gotten in the past five years, Eslley had to be strategic about any grand gestures it may put on, but attending to a guest’s basic requests? Easy. 

And while the wheels were in motion to get Siffrin situated, Ingo knew he really should split off to his room to get on that bath, but…well, as Leana decided to engage Siffrin, Ingo was…curious. And figured staying with the group a little longer couldn’t hurt. 

He rolled his eyes fondly at his sister’s ribbing, before twirling a piece of his hair sheepishly at Siffrin’s cryptic answers. “Siffrin told me before he was just hiking through the forest. And…” Ingo laughed sheepishly, “Well, while you didn’t say as much, I did get the impression that this has only been a short leg of a much longer journey. So there’s not much option in picking and choosing around the weather, isn’t there?”

“I see,” Leana said, crossing her hands over her waist, peering quizzically down at Siffrin, “Have we become a detour then, Siffrin? I do thank you if you’ve set to see Ingo to safely, but we won’t keep you if you were on a timeline.”

“Oh. No,” Siffrin said, smiling lightly. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

Another waiting beat. Leana was going to go mad, she realized, waiting for Siffrin to start filling in the normal spaces in conversation. They just didn’t seem to notice when a bout of silence was an invitation to continue, just smiling absentmindedly at them. “...I see. Are you staying nearby?”

At that, Siffrin now seemed more uncertain. Looking away as he said, “I’m between places right now.”

“...do you need to bathe?” Leana suddenly guessed. Siffrin didn’t smell, but, only able to see his face, Leana suddenly realized those weren’t freckles as she offered, “While Ingo goes to bathe in his private quarters–”

(Heh. Funny.)

“--you are more than welcome to use the community bathhouse. At this time of day, you could even expect to be able to enjoy it in relative solitude.”

(Heheh, what??) “What do you mean?” Siffrin asked, smile tinged in confusion, “What…aren’t all baths private?”

“Um, not the community one, no,” Leana said.

(?????)

Ingo glanced over, giving Siffrin a newly considering look. …they’d never heard of Eslley or Fennox Wry, didn’t know where’d they’d been or where he was going, had…no plan of what to do… Even the most wanderlusty of wanderers Ingo had met had at least some sort of plan…

“Uh…Siffrin?” Ingo said tentatively. “Are? You okay? I don’t mean to be rude but…you seem a bit confused about…” Ingo searched for an appropriate term before settling for, “...everything.”

(Ah. Noticed already, huh? Siffrin was getting worse at this.)

Siffrin smiled lightly at him. “It’s been a long day.”

Another beat. Only, this time, Leana noticed Siffrin look notably uncomfortable as the beat of silence went by, like they were aware this time, yes, they were supposed to supply more information, and no, they didn’t plan to. “...well, I suppose we have time to work all this out. I do hope you’ll understand, though, that until we can get a better idea of who you are and why you might have been in a position to save my brother, you will be escorted while you are among the Exalted’s personal spaces. Jeremiah? Can you or a trusted person you’d task please escort Siffrin for now?”

“It’s done, Blessed,” Jeremiah nodded, crossing a hand over to the opposite side of his chest. It was still prescient in their minds that danger could be present even at home, but…admittedly, the chances of an incident were far lower, so Jeremiah didn’t mind leaving Leana without a guard while she was in the halls of her home. Not even to mention that she was incredibly capable herself. 

Nodding to Siffrin, he instructed, “If you would follow me to a place to rest.”

A little…worried, and a little disappointed, Ingo gave Siffrin a small wave. “Well, I’ve left you in suspense of what I actually look like for too long so…I’ll see you later?”

(Oh? Ingo was going to be leaving huh?)

(...) “It’s a community bath want to do the community bath instead?” Siffrin hurried out, smiling brightly. Before his smile relaxed, shrugging a bit. “I’ve never done one before, it’s kind of neat. But I think I lose the point if there’s no one else there.”

(Jeremiah did not feel like a real person yet. And Siffrin was deeply wary of being on his own again after having just found someone.)

Tiana hid a giggle-prone smile behind a hand. Oh Ingo, her son had found a friend did he? It was one of his best skills, in her opinion. 

Pausing, Ingo looked back in surprise. Considering the size of community baths for, yanno, the community, they tended not to get as hot as he was dreaming, and Ingo…kind of wanted to…

He returned a brilliant grin back at Siffrin. “You make an excellent point, and a bath’s a bath, right?” Walking over, he threw his arms around Siffrin and Jeremiah’s shoulders, starting to shepard the way towards the community baths. “With three, we’ve even got the start of a party, haven’t we?”

“I’m guarding you, I’m not bathing,” Jeremiah said, no room for argument. 

But that was what Jeremiah said--er, in sentiment, not literally, that’d be weirdly too specific--the last time Ingo wanted company trying to go out and flirt at bars, and they both knew how that went.

(Oh, sudden arm.) A jolt went through Siffrin’s body, and a little immediately overwhelmed, they ducked out from Ingo’s shoulder wrap, scurrying a few steps back… before saying brightly, “I’m really excited, race you there?”

“Do you…know where you are going?” Leana asked.

Siffrin looked up and down the hallway they were in–eh, 50/50 shot–before smiling and pointing right. “?”

Shit.

Ingo hid his internal wince, just looking amused as Jeremiah next stepped away from his arm’s hold. Embarrassing…

Though it seemed Siffrin was playing it off too, and Ingo just snorted before pointing the other direction. “Close,” he winked, before starting to lead the way again. 

Siffrin scurried alongside the two taller men–okay, they hadn’t mentioned it before, but was everyone here giants??--as they looked around the hallway. At first he didn’t think much of the massive statues or vases twice the size of himself, mostly just not paying attention to them. But as they kept going, well, they just became more majestic… and also, the more he looked at them, the more obviously damaged they almost all were? 

The closer he looked at the statues, the more he noticed that the cracks and missing hands weren’t an aesthetic choice, but looked like rough edges where maybe the statues had been tipped over? Which was a baffling idea, these statues looked heavy. How would so many of them be tipped over? Did they just like tipping statues here?

And some of the vases looked repaired. Unless the little golden etchings were an aesthetic choice? He didn’t think so, though, he was pretty sure Odile had said the golden cracks were always fixing accidents–????

(!!???)

(...)

…what was he thinking about? Right. The vases. “You guys are kind of rough on your artwork, huh?” they noticed, looking around.

Ingo, having been fretting and beating himself up in the silence, perked as Siffrin started speaking, excited to have an engaging subject to talk about! Though, what that subject was…

“Ah, yeah…” Ingo trailed off for a moment, following Siffrin’s gaze to the hallway art. “Well, most of these are what we managed to recover and repair once we won back Eslley. There…wasn’t a lot that was still intact.”

Looking over at a vase that had gold no matter where you viewed it, Ingo smiled softly. “I like to think these still have their own charm, though. O-of course still masterpieces from what’s left, but…made even more special by the signs that they survived. A refusal to turn to dust, if you will.”

(...won back Eslley? Like, the whole place? How did that work?)

“Yeah, they’re nice,” Siffrin agreed, glancing over his shoulder at the direction they were leaving the ladies behind, long gone now. “So…who were they? I’m guessing family, but which one’s your mom, the scary one or the kissy one?”

Ingo snorted--he…had a feeling Siffrin wasn’t just trying to be flattering to his mom, but he’d roll with it that way anyway--before shaking his head a little. “Leana’s not so scary, just a bit of a stick in the mud until you can get her to lighten up a little. She’s my older sister, and the ‘kissy’ one is Tiana, my mother. Though…”

Ingo scratched his cheek, looking sheepish. “I guess it might be obvious by this point that you’re not from Eslley, but…kisses aren’t a greeting thing where you’re from?”

Siffrin laughed, totally in on the joke…before he gawked when Ingo didn’t finish with a punchline. “What? Really?? You all kiss as a greeting?”

Siffrin’s brow furrowed, a small grimace on his face as he imagined kissing that regularly. “Isn’t that a bit…overwhelming? Or is it rare enough that it’s not too much?”

“I mean…I don’t think so?” Ingo said, having never really thought that much about it. “It’s not with every greeting but…isn’t it nice?”

“There are many moments in life where having someone’s mouth that close to you is undesirable,” Jeremiah chimed in, prompting a sigh from Ingo.

“Yeah, yeah, tall, dark, and mysterious, a life without physical contact is the best one, you weirdo.” Ingo rolled his eyes before opening a door, already an increase of heat and humidity palpable. “Alright, Siffrin? Bathing nude is pretty normal, but there are towels in every privacy stall that you can grab if you’d like one for the bath. Just put your clothes in one of the cubbies, and all the soaps and such are out with the bath itself.”

(No it’s not.)

(People need touch.)

Being naked around people though was a bit awkward. This place was strange. Kissing all the time, public–stars, it really was just a giant bath, what the heck–baths where people were really going in naked– THERE! RIGHT OVER THERE! THAT OLD COUPLE WAS NAKED, WHAT!?

Siffrin gawked at the couple for a moment, who blissfully hadn’t noticed their gaze before they managed to pull themselves together, ducking their hat and nodding as they hurried over to grab a towel. 

…was there a chance someone was going to take their clothes? 

…… Siffrin came back with a towel around his waist, holding his folded clothes. Not explaining himself, he placed the clothes next to the bath, where he could see them easiest, before dipping his toes into the bath…and a wonderful feeling of warmth rose every hair on his otherwise extremely pale, lithe body as he stepped back, decided you only lived once, and jumped in.

HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT “Gasp!” Siffrin gasped, popping his head out of the water, absolutely ecstatic despite being red all over his body, “It’s hot!”

Taking his own instructions, Ingo gave Jeremiah a little nod before going into a privacy stall. His smile dropping as soon as the door closed, and…just for a moment, he closed his eyes, pressing his head against the wall. Even knowing he was so close to easing the sharp prickles in his body. 

…you’re okay, Ingo. All’s well that ends well, right? Maybe you…made some foolish mistakes, but at least it worked out. Big sister won’t always be there to get your ass out of trouble, but she was this time. You’re just fine. Chin up, dear, big smile. You’re on stage.

Shucking off his now dirt-stiff clothes, really peeling them off his body more than anything, Inigo just dumped them in a laundry basket, figuring he could just wear a robe out and get clothes later--if Jeremiah didn’t beat him to it, asking for someone to bring clothes down. The…red mottling over his skin didn’t look great, but--

Ingo peeked his head out quickly, just…stunned for a moment before he gave the other people in the bath a sheepish grin. Silently apologizing with a nod before heading over to the bath and Siffrin. “It still is a bath, and not a pool, though I can’t say I haven’t thought about doing that once or twice before.”

His face freezing in a sort of wince, Ingo forced himself into the excruciatingly hot water. Just go just go just go just go it’ll be good in a sec just go!

Siffrin was in heaven. The universe guides, and it did a bangup job this time! The ‘public’ part was still weird, but a hot bath with this much space to spread his limbs? Wooooooow. 

It was pretty shallow though, really shouldn’t have jumped in, it wasn’t jumping height. But, still, they had managed to catch themselves on the knees, and now were walking around with their hands, floating as they lightly pawed at the floor, steering themselves happily around. Just their nose tipped above the water, hair floating around their face, they peered at Ingo as he came in.

“...you good?” Siffrin asked, watching the agony on his face as Ingo seemed to wait to adjust. 

“Mhmm!” Ingo said, voice an octave higher and his expression not budging at all. Not much more convincingly, he reassured, “Just. Great!”

“...hey, hey, Ingo,” Siffrin smirked, “Chill out a bit.”

Ingo’s expression strained just a little more. “I think that’s exactly my problem in the first place.” Owowowowowowow OKAY, WATER. You could stop hurting at any time now!!

Siffrin watched curiously. Sniffing slightly above the water. Smelled watery. 

“...oh,” Siffrin realized, “Were you too cold before?”

“Ah, just a smidge,” Ingo said lightly, figuring he was to a point he could just breathe through it. Hopefully. “There’s a reason people wear raincoats and swimsuits and such in water, especially this late in fall. I’m good! Just.”

“Have. To warm. Up.”

“Raincoats, really?” Siffrin asked, considering that. He wouldn’t wear his cloak into water, not if he could help it, but maybe his cloak didn’t count as a ‘rain coat’. He couldn’t quite imagine it, though an image of robes in a sauna came to mind. “Do you want an extra towel? You can have mine since I’m in the water now.”

Inigo laughed softly, pulling up his own towel more securely around his chest. “That’s kind of you, but I don’t think that’ll make much difference. Just…have to wait for my body to warm up!”

Sighing a little, he gave Siffrin an amusedly commiserating look. “She usually is, but I’m afraid the chances of my sister being right, and me getting sick are preeeeetty favorable for her. I mean…” Looking more guilty, Ingo flexed his fingers under the water, trying to encourage blood flow. “...everyone was right. I should’ve been more careful not to get caught out in a storm.”

“Oh, yeah,” Siffrin said. He remembered their scoldings on the wyvern. That had been– “Rude. They were all kinda rude about it. Taking a walk during bad weather isn’t that stupid, they’re just blowing it out of proportion cause it got bad. I think.”

Ingo’s eyes widened as he looked at Siffrin in surprise for a moment. Though soon after he was unable to keep eye contact and started fussing with his bangs. “I-I mean, they were worried. Ana’s my sister, she’s supposed to be worried about me, and it’s not like I inspire much faith for them to not assume I’d do something foolish.”

He shrugged a little, looking down. “I just…wasn’t paying attention to the weather report, when I should have, and…I’m not really supposed to go into the forest alone anyway. It was just a bunch of careless decisions that compounded so…I get being annoyed with that.”

(The ‘hard on themselves’ kind, huh? Yeah, Siffrin could relate.)

“Well, if it’s a lesson, then you already learned it, right?” Siffrin asked, shrugging a bit, “So now that you know, there’s no real need to agonize over it. Don’t be sad. It’s over now.”

A lesson that he probably should’ve learned several times over by now. In some ways, Ingo thought it was actually a little comforting to people. With all the changes in the world, at least he was consistent. Ha. 

Ingo huffed a soft laugh and gave Siffrin a warm look. “Thank you for cheering for me, but I’m not sad--I’m alright. Just feeling a little melodramatic, dreading the possibly upcoming sniffles. Won’t be fun, that one.”

“Especially if it puts me out getting you that tea,” Ingo winked. “Though, I do want to ask, does it still count as me getting you dinner if I’m not actually paying for it? Guest meals here are already complementary, soooo…”

(Ah. Right. Maybe he should ask this time.)

“So long as I’m not paying for it,” Siffrin grinned, before reaching out for one of the soaps, going to sit on the long stairs that seemed to surround the inner lining of the whole pool. He was too short to sit properly on the main part. “Hey, so, what’s tea? Is it food?”

Ah…okay. So he could feel his toes again, so that was a good sign. Just a little longer, then he’d start getting clean t--

O.O

Ingo just stared at Siffrin for a moment, and he could practically sense that Jeremiah was staring too, mask and duty be damned. Yes, yes, it was heavily established that Siffrin wasn’t from around here, but…there were places without tea?

(Abatea, please, whatever country he’d be sent to, please let it still have tea.)

“Ah…well, um…” Ingo stammered for a moment. “Do…you know about any kind of hot drink?”

“Sure,” Siffrin said. Nodding.

They stared at them for a beat…before realizing, oh, they wanted examples. 

“Hot chocolate and…” Siffrin’s voice trailed off, looking away… it was on the tip of his tongue… it… was really healthy. Really healthy. His country’s specialty. It glowed. You squeezed them out hot from star–????

“…I had hot beer once too.” Siffrin decided. “Nothing else comes to mind.”

“Hmmm,” Ingo pondered, scooting over to grab some soap. “You know, I’ve never heard of people drinking hot beer, but I don’t know why. Cider can be hot, so why not other alcoholic drinks?”

Focus.

Shaking himself, Ingo explained, “Okay, well, tea is another hot drink. You steep…well, kinds of plants, I guess, to flavor hot water, and you can add sugar or honey or milk to it too. I tend to prefer sweeter teas, but you can get pleasantly bitter or complex flavors too.”

“Coffee’s a hot drink too,” Jeremiah chimed in. “Made from steeping hot water through ground coffee beans. Usually a morning drink since it has caffeine.”

“Oh, good addition,” Ingo praised, nodding to his friend before giving Siffrin a sheepish look. “A lot of people like to make a sort of debate between coffee and tea, but they’re both good. …though I personally like tea more.”

Siffrin lit up, “I’ve had coffee!” He had forgotten that one. He and Miradelle had been largely forbidden from drinking coffee because they both got too hyp…???

…yeah, Siffrin was pretty sure he had coffee before? Bitter, hyper drink, he knew that one. “But, if you like tea more, guess I’m in for a treat? Though, I do kind of want something more solid than a drink. I’m feeling pretty peckish.”

Looking around the bathhouse–this place was also decked out with beautiful paintings on the wall, the architecture busy and elaborate–Siffrin asked, “Hey, so…not to be mean about it either way, but are you a big deal? Because your sister put a guard on us, and even if you didn’t seem to live inside an art museum, just having a guard you can order to follow someone seems pretty… big deal-y.”

“Oh? Wonderful, then! I hope you’ll enjoy tea, but most places that have it also have coffee, if it doesn’t end up suiting you.” Ingo smiled brightly as he worked on lathering the mud off his skin, before looking a little apologetic. “Yeah, sorry. You’re likely getting set up something in the study Leana mentioned, but, ah, after a few incidents, food isn’t allowed in the baths anymore.”

It had been a very…sticky few days.

Ingo…look, he wasn’t exactly expecting Siffrin to silently pick up on all the cues, but… Jeremiah, please, he could feel the Stare of Judgment. 

“...ah, yeah, I…um.” Ducking his head a little, Ingo tried to impress his sincerity. “I didn’t really mean to, like…hide it on purpose. It just sort of…happened, while we were talking. But, um…yes. I’m Ingo Dianthe, prince of Eslley, chosen of Abatea.”

Fussing with his bangs, Ingo looked a bit embarrassed to say it, before he half-heartedly gestured to his right eye and tried not to look away and defeat the purpose of gesturing to it. His Deity Mark. 

“Ah,” Siffrin said, lightly playing with the soap bar he had, squeezing it in the water until it slipped out, where he then grabbed it with his other hand, squeezed, soap passing through water, grab, “That sounds like a pretty big deal.”

Siffrin’s gaze followed where Ingo gestured, taking in the little white strips in Ingo’s eye, which Siffrin assumed was the part Ingo was trying to point out…and with no idea what he was supposed to take away from that, he smirked at Ingo, “So, you did the whole ‘runaway prince’ thing, huh? Isn’t that a bit of a trope? Who are you, Jasmin from 1001 Nights?”

Considering Siffrin didn’t even really know the country he was in, Ingo…well, honestly, he wasn’t really sure what he was expecting. But Siffrin’s easy acceptance--and lack of anger at being…lied by omission’ed to--let relief uncurl in Ingo’s chest, flowing out of him as a soft laugh. “Hey, I wasn’t running away! I was always going to come back, just wanted an outing.” 

“Though, uh…” Ingo laughed sheepishly. “I…don’t know that reference.”

Siffrin laughed a bit, before dunking his head in the water.

When he came back up, he reached for shampoo, pumping the container into his hand and lathering it into his hair, suds forming at his scalp as he explained, “It’s a play. I can’t remember from where. A royal vizier unfairly blamed by his kingdom for all its problems tries to fix things despite the palace Sultan being a total idiot, its princess, Jasmin…also being kinda an idiot, honestly, but in a teenager sorta way, and this blinding jerk named Aladdin who uses magic to manipulate everyone and try to take over the kingdom by marrying Jasmin.”

Siffrin smiled brightly, “It’s really funny. And it’s a musical, which is fun. But yeah, I think it’s actually called ‘Twisted’, it’s from this 1001 Nights series, where they take a bunch of stories and tell them all in three different ways. I’ve only seen Twisted from that trilogy though. I’ve seen a few from that series, Ophelia is pretty funny too.”

“Oh? Wow…” Ingo laughed softly. “I wonder if we’ll be able to find any of the 1001 Nights series now. Eimdall would go bonkers for thorough, varied stories like that…though I doubt he even needs more fodder.”

Reaching for the shampoo next, Ingo was a bit more methodical in lathering his hair up than Siffrin, parting the two colors of his hair evenly. Ah…he didn’t mind, since Ingo was just happy to get the dirt off himself, but that was one thing about going to the community bath on a whim. All his flower oils were in his room. Aw well. 

“Do you enjoy theater, Siffrin?” Ingo asked. 

“Mmhm. I like to see the local theater wherever I end up.” Siffrin easily admitted, fingering the shampoo through his hair some more, before falling backwards into the water. Splashing into it and just laying submerged under the water a bit. Enjoying the heat.

One… two… three..

Siffrin sat up, took a breath, before dumping his head forward next, roughly running his hands through his hair, pulling at it in clumps to get the soap out, before flinging his head back, gasping a bit as he let himself rest a moment, hair clumped around his shoulders and over his face…before he pouted, reaching up to touch his eyepatch. 

Shoot, he had forgotten to take it off. It was water resistant, but not water proof. 

Pulling off the patch, Siffrin’s dead, milky-white eye looked at nothing as he palmed the water out of his eye a bit, three short, thick claw marks scarring his eyelids as he sat the patch aside to let it dry, before looking to Ingo, “Do you have any leave in conditioner I can borrow? Not that I plan to give back anything I put in my hair, really.” Siffrin smirked, shrugging.

“A true man of culture, then,” Ingo grinned, “And a like mind. I can never resist a good party going on, even just to see what’s happening. Seeing how people like to celebrate, seeing plays or music performances or-dances, it’s just…wonderful, right?”

Under his mask, Jeremiah rolled his eyes a little. A nice sentiment, sure, and not a wholly untrue one, but since he’d known Prince Ingo, he rarely just ‘saw what happened’. Among more cultured celebrations, Ingo was prone to tasting what accoutrement, particularly of the fermented and distilled variety, people liked to celebrate with. And thus was prone to embarrassing himself, and making one of their ranks go fetch an inebriated prince before he got himself mugged. Again. 

A little amused with Siffrin’s direct way to wash the shampoo out, Ingo took one of the small buckets and started rinsing, though he gave Siffrin a sheepish look. “Ah, forgot the eyepatch? Some clothing pieces just become such a part of you it’s hard to remember they’re there, huh?” Snickering a little, he shot Jeremiah a look, before stage whispering to Siffrin. “Before you ask, I know for a fact he sleeps with the mask on. I bet the tan lines are brutal.”

Jeremiah flipped Ingo off, which Ingo happily returned. 

Humming lightly, Ingo leaned over to look through the bottles in the bath alcove shelf, before handing one over to Siffrin. “Doubt anyone would want that back. This do it for you?”

Siffrin looked the bottle over before nodding, though he set it aside for now. He’d put that in when he was ready to get out of the water. 

“...” He looked over to Jeremiah. Ah. That was why he gave off such strong ‘not real’ vibes. “You’re wearing a mask.” Siffrin noticed. 

Ingo just blinked at Siffrin for a moment, while…well, Jeremiah stared. Presumably. 

“...”

“Yes,” Jeremiah said.

Siffrin stared at the mask. The mask stared back. Neither Siffrin nor the mask’s expression shifted…

…before Siffrin looked back at Ingo, “So, you’re the festive type, then? I like parties too, sometimes. It’s nice to be around people who are having a good time.”

Ingo jolted, surprised to just…go back to the conversation before like nothing happened, and he glanced between Siffrin and Jeremiah warily. He knew Jeremiah had his whole thing about ‘melting into the shadows’ and ‘becoming the night’ or whatever, but…well, Ingo often thought he had the same issue as his sister really; that they needed to be reminded they were human. It was hard to really engage Jeremiah in conversations, but Ingo still worried about people just…dismissing him. Buying into the mask and treating Jeremiah like he was just a statue. 

But Ingo had often felt the sting of pushing too hard, so…

“Right,” Ingo smiled, working some wash-out conditioner into his hair in the same methodical way he did the shampoo. “The energy is just infectious, you know? And, sure, work is important, but leisure and celebration is what it’s all for in the end. You’re just toiling for toil’s sake if there’s nothing it’s for.”

Siffrin laughed a bit at that, leaning back against the stairs and kicking his legs gently in the water, “I’ve been told before that working hard can make all the fun stuff after feel worth it too. That if you were just doing what you wanted all the time it wouldn’t feel good anymore, and that the work gave the fun context. To be honest, I think she was just a workaholic who didn’t want to say she liked work better than play.”

“So, what do you do for work then? What’s your job?” Siffrin asked Ingo.

“It’s an honest perspective,” Ingo laughed. “I think I know a few people who’d be quick to agree.”

As his laugh calmed though, a slightly uncomfortable, embarrassed tinge colored Ingo’s face, and while he did need to wash his hair out, there was something about how he moved that made it seem more like an excuse to look away. “In practice? Mostly sitting in on meetings. When we were still rebuilding the city I helped with a lot of construction, but it’s gotten to the point where everything that needs to be built is either personal or business projects, so… I’m mostly just here to look pretty.”

Ingo looked over to give Siffrin a wink. “Which I think I do pretty well.”

Siffrin, who was a big believer in leaning into the bit, looked away bashfully while fluttering his eyelashes, “Prince charming~”

Then he fell backwards, dunking his head one more time, sitting up, pawing out the water in his hair… before sighing. “I’m overheating. Gonna get out.”

Fastening his towel around his waist securely, Siffrin scurried out, falling flat onto his back and stretching out on the cooling tile. His body was bright red, like a lobster, and steam was coming off his skin in ripples. 

They closed their eyes, enjoying the feeling of being clean and cooling down after being delightfully warm. They could fall asleep like this, easily. Mmmm…conditioner.

Sitting up reluctantly, Siffrin grabbed the conditioner and started to lather it into his hair. “You hair isn’t dyed.” He observed Ingo.

Don’t blush don’t blush don’t blush don’t - Damn it. 

Even with a red face, though, Ingo laughed brightly. “That’s the goal, anyway.”

Huffing a quiet laugh just to himself at how very clearly Siffrin’s body showed off his overheating, Ingo finished washing out his hair and just relaxed back in the water, happy to be warm and clean. Though he did send Siffrin a sheepish look at their observation. 

“It’s not. It’s a bit odd, I know,” Ingo laughed self-consciously, lightly brushing though some of his hair with his fingers. “Between it and my eyes, it’s like my coloring could never decide on what to do, right?”

“I think it’s neat.” Siffrin said, gesturing to himself as he smiled lightly, “The universe gave you all the different colors to balance out the sterile white room I apparently absorbed all the paint from. I think the best comment I ever got was that I look like if someone never finished a coloring book…”

Siffrin looked down at his lobster red body. “Well, not right now, but you saw me earlier. Right now I’m a newspaper.”

A small (genuine) smile crept up on Ingo’s face. “...I think that’s one of the most beautiful ways anyone’s ever described it. Though some art is monochrome by design. Not unfinished, but purposeful, exploring the bounds of contrast. It does cut you a striking figure.”

It took Ingo a moment, before he snorted. “Black, white, and read all over?”

“Hahaha~” Siffrin laughed, grinning with delight. “It’s nice to be around a man of culture. We are the best at culture. Culture wishes.”

…stars, Siffrin was just sitting there in literally nothing but a towel. He had just been reminded how very near naked he was by feeling a chill on his thighs. Feeling a little bashful now, they went to collect their clothes, standing up, “Gonna go get dressed.” they said, before scurrying off.

Ingo gave Siffrin a weak wave before just relaxing back in the water again. …was he avoiding having to get out, knowing it would be just as uncomfortably cold as it had been painfully hot getting in? Maaaaaybe. 

Tipping his head back, he gave Jeremiah a plaintive look, speaking softly. “...I really don’t think he’s a threat. It was just coincidence.”

Jeremiah was quiet for a moment, and Ingo wasn’t sure he was going to respond until the retainer answered, “I know you think that.”

…ouch. 

Sighing, Ingo dragged himself out of the bath with a groan, heading over to the privacy stalls once more to dry off and dress himself. And, heh~ Looked like Jeremiah hadn’t covertly pulled someone aside to go rooting through Ingo’s room after all~

Siffrin, feeling themselves again, came out decked in his gear again. He wasn’t worried about putting dirty clothes back on, because it hadn’t occurred to him that anything else would possibly happen as he walked out, looking around. 

No Ingo. Just the not real person. 

(...come on, make an effort.)

Sighing, Siffrin went over to Jeremiah, staring at him. Giving him a mildly uncomfortable smile. 

“...” Siffrin looked away, “Crazy weather, huh?”

“...”

Jeremiah could practically see his mother’s unamused gaze. 

“To be in, I’m sure,” he responded. “Not unseasonal for the area, however. If you’re going to be staying in Eslley, it’d be wise to make some precautions for flash storms.”

“...”

“A study’s been prepared for you, along with the aforementioned snacks. Ingo will likely part ways regardless, unless he wants to wander the castle undressed.”

Siffrin felt his stomach tighten in anxiety. 

“Oh, does he need clothes?” Siffrin asked, smiling easily, “Maybe we should go grab him some? I’m pretty fast, if you tell me where his room is I can make a run.”

“You are not permitted into the residential wing,” Jeremiah stated, not unkindly but with no room for argument. Honestly, he wasn’t even allowed in the residential wing, not unless a Dianthe specifically requested his presence. The privacy of the royal family was valued highly. 

“Sucks.” Siffrin said, looking around warily for Ingo, unsure how much longer he could delay…stars. “...do you want to hear a joke?”

“No.”

(...even without all his usual things in his room, Ingo was taking his sweet time getting ready. You couldn’t rush something that handsome! And dashing!)

“Ouch.” Siffrin’s face scrunched up…before he smirked, “Said the man who walked into a bar.”

Pause… when that didn’t get a chuckle, he continued, “The bartender asked if he hit something on the way in, and the man said ‘I’m not hurt, I just saw the prices’.”

Another pause… Siffrin tried, “And the barkeep said, well, at least that proves these are knock out prices.”

(Oof. That last one was a stinker. Quick, do something cute.)

“Blep.” Siffrin said, sticking out the tip of his tongue.

There was no visible chance on Jeremiah’s face. Because he was wearing a mask. (In truth his eyes had scrunched a little in a grimace. Those were horrible.)

“...”

“You’ll find a better audience with Prince Ingo.” If Ingo didn’t spend the next hour preening.

Siffrin smiled. Perfect. 

“...” Siffrin’s smile faltered, looking away awkwardly. Siffrin didn’t like uncomfortable silences. He thrived with them, sure, but he didn’t like them. He thrived in most annoying situations, but he didn’t like standing in them any more than anyone else did. It was just the only way he could function, sometimes.

They preferred being around talkative people they could react too, or listen to, or just… exist. Around. The more talkative, the better. Ingo was great for that, so far. This guy? They were going to drown in the silence, and Jeremiah was clearly better at suffering in that discomfort than they were, as they said, “So, working hard, or hardly working?”

“...”

Okay, this time Jeremiah wasn’t going to let the disapproving mental spector of his mom peer-pressure him into small talk. Fuck that. 

“Come to the study. Ingo can catch up with you later.” 

Jeremiah turned to leave, not about to leave Siffrin there, since he was tasked with keeping an eye on the odd guest, but clearly showing that action was happening. 

…stars.

Pouting, Siffrin followed Jeremiah, taking a deep breath in…then out… a hand on his chest as he focused on his breathing as they left the pool area. Siffrin looking around warily as they headed out in the hall.

…he was officially Lost.

…..that was fine. Ingo was going to catch up with them later and then they’d officially Know Where They Were again. Names of places and rooms and basic rules of spacial awareness slipped through Siffrin’s mind like water, he had long learned not to count on any of it. But people? People stuck. He might not know where he was most of the time, but it was easy to feel secure when he knew who he was with.

(...but give it enough time, and people slipped through like water too.)

(It took longer. But it happened.)

Okay. Siffrin was adrift. Time to make Jeremiah an orbit.

Scurrying to Jeremiah’s side, Siffrin studied him some more. Hair blushing pink, eyes hidden behind the mask… “Why the mask?”

The particular study Jeremiah had gotten notice about wasn’t too far. Depending on how scheduling was arranged, Jeremiah might be accompanying Siffrin until dinner, and he could pretty much guess Ingo would either insist on having dinner with his new friend as per the ‘bet’ they’d talked about, or would muscle his way into inviting Siffrin to the Dianthe’s table, which…well. Jeremiah wouldn’t envy Siffrin if that happened. 

The Dianthes were upstanding people, as a collective. Jeremiah didn’t care much that they had been chosen by Abatea, but he could admit that when they needed direction and a leader, Cordovan and Leana had stepped up. Still, the whole family together was a sort of daunting chaos that Jeremiah would never willingly insert himself into. 

But. What actually mattered. He’d likely be relieved of watching Siffrin at dinner, so if there was nothing Leana needed from him? Then he would go check on Minuet. She deserved a fine meal after her work today. 

“It helps me focus,” Jeremiah answered, relieved Siffrin had stopped trying to tell jokes. “If no one can intuit my actions from my expressions, then I can act with greater advantage.”

“...also no one is entitled to know what I look like.”

“Oh,” Siffrin said, his little legs needing to walk briskly to keep up with Jeremiah’s steady pace, hat bouncing along with his stride, “...don’t you just look like the mask?”

“To you, yes.”

Behind the mask, Jeremiah glanced over to Siffrin…mostly getting a view of hat. Slowing his pace just slightly, he asked, “Are you a mage?”

(I wish.) “No,” Siffrin said, adjusting the hat a bit, “Someone told me I’m a rogue, once. I walk ahead to look for traps. What are you?”

Jeremiah had just been making a stereotypical guess based on the hat and cloak, but…huh. Seemed a little difficult to be exceptionally perceptive without the use of one eye, but perhaps that literal blind spot had made Siffrin more aware of things other people would take for granted. “I’m Princess Leana’s retainer. A sort of bodyguard, essentially.”

“You walk ahead of what?”

(I walk ahead of my family to check for–???)

(??)

(...)

“Just anyone who’s worried about traps.” Siffrin shrugged, ducking his head beneath his hat, “It’s a good thing to do for people. Pretty low stress too. There’s not a lot of traps generally in the world. Pretty niche.”

Tipping his hat back to look up at Jeremiah, he smirked, at ease as he said, “Do you get much action as a bodyguard? I don’t see many hidden switches or panels in the average tree, but maybe you see nefarious people everywhere?”

“Mercenary work, essentially, then,” Jeremiah summed up. A pretty…well, normal profession, to be honest, even if specializing in traps was a little eye-catching. Mercenaries could be all types, so it wasn’t an instant clear, but it was a little more credible than ‘wanderer’ or ‘person hiking through the woods’. 

It did beg to question why Siffrin wasn’t asking for payment beyond a meal for saving Ingo, or even considering that to be something to be acknowledged at all. Ingo was the type to offer more than what a mercenary would bargain for in a contract, but…still. Suspicious. 

“As of recently, thankfully no. Though it’s still my job to watch out for ‘nefarious people’ in average places. I would rather be labeled paranoid than allow harm to come to Leana.”

“Who’s Leana?” Siffrin asked, though their attention was a little distracted. They didn’t have a great sense of smell, but warm food tended to be the exception to that little hangup, Siffrin sniffing a little as he looked around hopefully. Please let that be coming from the study they were heading to. “And I get it, it’s my job to be paranoid too. That’s my least favorite part of it, to be honest.”

Well, no, getting it wrong was his least favorite part. Getting hurt also wasn’t ideal. Being anxious and afraid also sucked, if he was being honest. Being the traps/key guy was honestly pretty miserable. But he liked being useful.

…it wasn’t that Jeremiah couldn’t understand. Being paranoid professionally, he’d found, tended to mean being paranoid personally. It wasn’t something that ended with the job. But Jeremiah didn’t mind it. Like with his duty to Leana, he preferred it to being hurt. 

He side-eyed Siffrin, even as he slowed to open the study door. “Leana is Ingo’s older sister, and the current heir of the Eslley throne. You met her.”

“Do you have short-term amnesia, Siffrin?”

“It’s been a really busy day,” Siffrin said, though upon reminding, blue-hair and a stern, worried look came to mind, “How long have you been a bodyguard? Wait, is the mask part of your uniform? I know you explained why you wear the mask, but are those reasons why body guards are ‘assigned’ masks, maybe?”

“Hm.” Jeremiah grunted, obviously disbelieving. 

“It’s not a uniform. Officially I’ve been Princess Leana’s retainer for four years, though we fought in the revolution together for five before that.”

The study was a rather cozy room, honestly. Similar decor to the rest of the Palacio, but with personal touches. There was even a bed made up, inset into the floor, and a sitting area with comfortable-looking chaises and cushions. The table in the center of the sitting area was set up with a modest spread of food; smashed, fried slices of plantains, a bowl of whitefish ceviche, dates stuffed with nuts and some creamy-looking concoction, and a small stack of flatbreads, evidently to eat everything with as there were no utensils put out. There was also a wide bowl of water with flower petals floating peacefully in it, and a tightly rolled damp towel on its own small plate. 

Slightly to the side of the food was a pitcher with ice water and slices of lemon so amazingly yellow they nearly looked fake, along with a thermos pot, and four cylindrical cups placed upside down next to the drinks. 

Jeremiah waited a moment for Siffrin to get into the room before asking, “Is there anything else you’d like to request?”

Siffrin was going to literally drown in their drool.

“No! Thank you!” Siffrin said brightly, practically running to the center table, ignoring the available chairs as he pulled towards himself the plates, giving it all a wide eyed, starry look before his cloak was pushed back to let his hands dart out. Shoving one thing in his mouth after another, padding his cheeks, as he ate as quickly as he could.

Not that he wasn’t tasting it. Oh, he was tasting it all just fine~ 

“MMMMM~~~~” Siffrin, eyes wide with joy– his eyepatch was still drying in his pocket– looked over to Jeremiah, crumb on his cheeks as he said through a full mouth, “W’nt ‘ny?”

…Jeremiah supposed Siffrin had been talking about food since they touched down. 

“No thank you,” he declined. “So you know, dinner should be served in about two hours, and I am fine to wait for that.”

God there was going to be more????

Siffrin hoped he exploded in food. He wanted to be rolled out the door, ideally. He would not be, his damn stomach was not as big as his eyes, the traitorous blinding bastard, and at some point it would force him to stop. But dammit, everything in Siffrin wanted to grow fat and hibernate. That was the dream. 

Which was largely why, as he moved quickly to eat everything available on the table as quickly as possible, he got a watery-eyed, dismayed look as he reached out and realized… no…

…he had eaten everything already?

Sniff.

It was kind of impressive, in a certain morbidly fascinating way. Jeremiah had seen what some of the other guards and knights could put away, especially on bulking days, but most were about twice Siffrin’s size. Jeremiah just hoped Siffrin wasn’t about to vomit it all up. 

Well. If he wasn’t going to ask for anything…

Jeremiah stood next to the door, silently watching.

Siffrin sniffled, laying his head on the table, staring at the crumbs leftover on the plates and wondering how important his dignity really was for him. Did it… matter… if Jeremiah watched him lick all these plates clean? Hmmm…

Lifting his head, he looked at the water with little flowers in it. “Is this food?” He asked, squinting at it suspiciously.

“No. It, and the towel next to it, are for washing your hands and face…before and after a meal,” Jeremiah explained. “Esllean custom.”

“...”

“You aren’t from Mypros, are you?”

Technically they were at peace with the country now, under its new ruler, and Jeremiah had fought alongside plenty of Myprosians during the revolution, but…it was still a loaded question. Of the people who would pose the greatest threat to Ingo, and Eslley as a whole, it was those who had benefited most from the Myprosian occupation. 

“No,” Siffrin knew, before asking, “Where are you from? Here? Ingo said he used to live somewhere else, but came back here a few years ago after winning this place back. Same for you?”

“No. I’ve been in Eslley my whole life.” Technically, that was true. Osyren hadn’t had its own sovereignty for centuries, or at least that’s what history said, and so the peninsula was a part of Eslley. And it hadn’t been terrorized quite so much as the rest of the country, so…that’s where he’d spent the latter bit of his childhood. Watching the fires burn from afar. 

“Hmm.” Siffrin said, stilling looking over the flowered water, before curiously dipping his hands in, washing them a bit before grabbing the towel and patting his face, smiling lightly. That was nice. He bet Odile would like the quiet dignity of–???

(?)

“Do you like it?” Siffrin asked, looking back to Jeremiah, “Do you ever think about moving?”

Did he think about…

(It was a frankly insulting take, to think that Jeremiah just put up with Ingo because he was a Dianthe, because he was Leana’s brother. Jeremiah had little pride as a warrior, as a ‘freedom fighter’, as an Esllean, really…but when he thought of what his life may have looked like without Ingo’s interference…there was some guilt there.)

“Sometimes,” Jeremiah said, pausing long enough that it might’ve implied that was all he was going to say on the matter. “There is a wyvern nesting ground in Eslley, and I’ve considered relocating there with Minuet. However, it’s not a space for humans. I’m happy with my duty here.”

The wyvern came in clear, and Siffrin smiled lightly, “Wyverns are nice. Sweeter than horses…not in a weird way, I mean they’re pretty even-tempered, right? I’ve heard they’re really smart.”

Jeremiah gave Siffrin a considering look. “Incredibly smart. In terms of intelligence, I’d rate Minuet above most people in Esllesium. Each wyvern is an individual, though, and they’re smart enough to use their temper wisely if they’re not paid the proper respect.”

Siffrin was sure that was true. But he only remembered knowing one wyvern, who was partnered–and the man was insisting that was the word they use, not trained or owned–and was incredibly gentle. Nosing Bonnie with their snout while Bonnie gasped and gushed at what they considered a real life dragon, while Odile was soothed constantly by the wyverns consistent intelligence, since she knew she was going to be inconsolable once they were in the air–!!!!!

Siffrin winced. “I have a headache.”

Jeremiah frowned. While his face didn’t move, somehow the draw of his lips read as even more of a frown than usual. “You really should see a cleric.”

“You may be dehydrated from the heat of the bath. The two pitchers are filled with preserved lemon water and black tea, respectively. Otherwise…” Jeremiah paused. “Would you like pain relievers?”

“No, that’s alright.” Siffrin said, deciding he’d let the headache ease on its own as he peered at the pitches. The lemon water was obvious, so the other one…

Pouring it into a cup, Siffrin sniffed the ‘black tea’, sipped it…and his face scrunched up. Carefully putting it down, Siffrin continued to look suspiciously at the black tea as he moved onto the lemon water, gulping it down even as he continued to glare daggers into the ‘tea’.

Yeah, that was a weird taste. Not a fan.

Jeremiah wasn’t so bad, even with the mask. Siffrin was getting used to him, and if no one else was wearing the same mask, maybe, as Jeremiah put it, that could just be ‘how he looked’ to him. Jeremiah could be a main character…maybe. The mask was really not helping, but Siffrin could try.

Plus, it wasn’t like Ingo was fading immediately. Siffrin could still picture him. And…Ingo probably still remembered Siffrin was there. It was never immediate. It took time… Ingo definitely remembered Siffrin was around, waiting to have dinner with him. Absolutely. It was impossible for Ingo to have forgotten already.

“...so, Ingo’s really taking his time, huh?” Siffrin smiled, leaning one arm against the table and resting his chin on it, “Makes a person feel a little abandoned.”

…

…heh. Looked like Ingo would have a trial inviting Siffrin to tea after all. If not just for the company. 

“It’s to be expected,” Jeremiah said simply. And it wasn’t just because Ingo was a prince. He had always been, Jeremiah supposed, but hearing the teasing from Eimdall and Brathy about their days in Fennox Wry, and experiencing it during their time together in the militia, it was just…how Ingo was. As an acquaintance of theirs once put it, Ingo was sure to attract a different crowd than his usual skirt-chasing targets considering he spent more time in bathrooms than women and smelled more delicate than many too. It had been aggravating at times to have days coated in dirt and sweat and viscera, and then to still notice a hint of roses on Ingo. 

Jeremiah didn’t really care that much anymore, but everyone had learned to schedule out things quite a bit after Ingo’s bathtimes. 

Siffrin would learn…if he was going to hang around. 

Looking over the rogue, Jeremiah asked, “...what are your intentions with Prince Ingo?”

“Mooch dinner off of him,” Siffrin said, smirking a bit. There was a way he smirked sometimes, that was almost animalistic. How nefarious it was could really only be determined by context though. The kind of self-assured, pleased look of a cat that had either found the perfect sunny spot, or was about to garner for itself a ton of attention once this glass was pushed off a shelf…

…or it had just figured out the exact leap it’d need to do to pull a bird out of the sky and tear its pretty little bird heart out.

Context. It all still looked like that smug little smirk.

Jeremiah considered Siffrin for another few quiet moments. Considering how lost Siffrin seemed to be, that…really could just be the truth, coupled with how food-motivated they seemed. That wasn’t something that required Ingo, as Goddess Abatea’s creed declared that the faithful should give aid to those that seek it…but Siffrin likely didn’t know that. 

So it could just be that. And…honestly, every time Jeremiah got involved with Ingo’s love life he Really. Did. Not. Want. To. But…

Sigh. 

“Ingo’s marriage considerations are in planning, so whatever your companionship desires are…consider that.”

Siffrin gave Jeremiah a baffled look. “What?”

Then after a pause, he just looked more confused, “What!?”

The mask lay unmoving, though the way Jeremiah crossed his arms was telling that some expression was happening. “If you were hoping to woo him, or were taken in by his atrocious flirting, nothing can come of it. He’s getting married.”

“...??” Siffrin squinted at Jeremiah, “Flirting with who? You? I didn’t notice him flirting with you. Wait,” Siffrin suddenly looked a little more uncomfortable, “...have I forgotten someone? There was his mom, his sister, you…”

He squinted, “Not the bird, right? No, that’d be weird, I’m gonna assume no.”

Wyverns were smart, but not flirting smart, certainly.

…right?! Right, wyvern rider who insisted on being called ‘partner’. RIGHT!?

Siffrin sat there, looking absolutely scandalized. 

…ah, probably not, then. 

“If you’ve been spared his flirting, then consider yourself lucky,” Jeremiah sighed, not even wanting to touch on whatever bird Ingo and Siffrin might’ve seen out in the forest that stuck in Siffrin’s mind. “Ingo tends to give his heart freely, and there are many who take advantage of that. It’s fortunate for you that you don’t seem to be one of them.”

(...)

(What does that mean?)

(If Ingo liked just about anyone, why would Siffrin be the exception?)

A small nugget of doubt placed in Siffrin’s mind, they looked away uncomfortably, nodding, “Sure. I’m not really looking to take advantage of anyone. So you don’t really need to worry about that.”

Siffrin looked around the study, particularly at the bed set up in the corner. “Hey, am I sleeping here?” they asked, pointing to the bed, “Or is this just a standard thing set up in these rooms?”

Jeremiah would, regardless. It was his job. 

“Standard, though if you need accommodations we can set some up for you. How l--”

“Ah! Right room!” Ingo cheered himself on, bursting into the study without reservation. In fresh clothes--and indeed smelling fresh and flowery, his hair immaculately tousled in a put together but roguish sort of way, Ingo beamed brightly at Siffrin. “Sorry if I was a while, just had a few things to take care of. How are you finding things?”

Siffrin startled, before smiling lazily, “You missed all the snacks. But don’t worry, I still have plenty of room for that dinner you owe me.”

And all of Siffrin’s concerns that Ingo had already forgotten he existed–which he had known was irrational, it didn’t happen that quickly–eased as he smirked, pointing at the water with flowers in it as he proudly said, “I tasted tea for the first time! Jeremiah showed me.”

“I think I can live with that, though I am looking forward to dinner.” Winking, he grinned wider. “I have to live up to my words, after all.”

Some of Ingo’s confidence waned however. Initially, he was really excited by Siffrin trying tea, and he would’ve looked between them and Jeremiah excitedly! …if…not for what Siffrin pointed to. And if it had been Eimdall, maybe Ingo would’ve assumed his cousin had played a prank on Siffrin, but Jeremiah scheduled his yearly laughs months in advance, so…

“The… Uh,” Ingo tilted his head a little, “That basin isn’t tea, while it does have flowers in it.”

“Ah, that explains the lack of flavor,” Siffrin snickered, “I did think it tasted a little washed out.”

“...okay, but no, really I tried this one and it’s a…little much.” Siffrin admitted, pointing warily to the black tea, “This is what you prefer over coffee? The taste was…unique.”

“...oh, and congratulations on your marriage?” Siffrin asked, looking a little confused, “I think?”

Ingo snickered a little before pouring himself a cup of the black tea, holding it steady even as he flopped onto one of the chaises. Taking a sip, Ingo let out a sharp, “Oo!” before nodding. “This one’s a bit strong, but…yes? Though teas come in all sorts of flavors, and the ones I prefer are sweeter and mellower. I suppose it is a bit of a strange taste if you’ve never had it before.” 

“Trust me,” Ingo grinned, “I’ll introduce you to a tea that’ll blow your socks off. You’ll be a believer before you know it.”

Again, Ingo swung from playful and confident to the other end of the spectrum as he froze. Just…stuck for a moment before he grinned tentatively at Jeremiah, a question in his gaze. “Ah, did…news come in while I was out today?”

Jeremiah shook his head. “Merely the concept of marriage, Blessed.”

Ingo sighed softly, before giving Siffrin a smile. “I’ll still thank you for it, but I’m not engaged yet. Our foreign diplomacy is still scoping out the field, if you catch my drift.”

“Oh, yeah, haha.” Siffrin smiled blankly, “...I don’t actually. Are you not picking who you’re engaged to? I’m not saying I’m a relationship expert, but isn’t there a…dating part?”

“...oh!” Siffrin eyes widened, “Wait, are arranged marriages for royals a real life thing? I kind of assumed that was just a storybook thing.”

“Really?” Ingo asked lightly. What a place to be from, where the concept of an arranged marriage was mere fantasy… “But…well, yeah, I’m having an arranged marriage.”

Shrugging a little, Ingo looked forward, speaking with his usual flounce and levity, but something almost…rehearsed about his words. “Eslley is still in recovery, for how much progress we’ve made in the past four years, and what we need is long-term stability. So to ensure that, I’m going to have a political marriage. Eventually. When we find suitable candidates that are interested.”

“I mean,” some of that rehearsal wore off as Ingo glanced at Siffrin, shrugging again, “my sister and my cousins too will have political marriages, since that’s just the state of things right now, but apparently it’s easier to propose a union sending someone, rather than finding royalty or a noble that would come here.”

…and Eslley needed stability sooner than later so…Ingo was first up to the plate.

(Oh you gotta be kidding me–) “You’re going to move then?” Siffrin asked brightly, his smile an almost perfect ^U^, “That’s exciting. If you don’t know where you’re moving yet, do you have a preference?”

Great, Siffrin knew all of 1 person plus mask guy and his bird, and the 1(!!!) guy was moving out of the country? Uuuuuuugh, today was a rollercoaster–?? Today was a…a…um… something that went up and down really fast. Yeah. 

Not moving at all. That would be extremely ideal. 

“Well,” Ingo chuckled, “I know it’s certainly not going to be anyone from Fennox Wry or Mypros, and I don’t really know anything about anywhere else in the world so…it’ll be a surprise! And an adventure.”

Mypros, why did that sound familiar… Siffrin glanced over at Jeremiah. Wasn’t that where Jeremiah had asked if he was from? “Why, what’s wrong with Mypros? Bad weather?”

Ingo let out a soft, nervous giggle. “W-well, nothing’s wrong with Mypros,” he ignored Jeremiah’s soft, derisive snort at that, “Just, um… Well Ülim Finch is already married. I suppose they could make some sort of law about multiple spouses but that would, er…be bad optics for the kind of stability my marriage is supposed to bring about.”

“Is this Finch person the sort of person you’d want to marry?” Siffrin asked, genuinely curious. “I understand the idea of a political marriage, I guess. To make countries closer, right? But I imagine it still only really works if you like the person you marry. If not, you’d just be a person living in someone else's house, right? Essentially?”

Laughing a little, Ingo shook his head. “No offense to Finch, but, no--they’re like my dad’s age.” Which…well, wasn’t the worst thing. And Finch had been kind during the time they had known each other. Kind of…intimidatingly intelligent and thoughtful, which, again, weren’t things that were off-putting to Ingo, but still. It wasn’t really about Finch, though--the objections about a Dianthe marrying into the Myprosian monarchy would be…concerning. And not the kind of trouble they could really afford. 

Ingo’s marriage was meant to help. Otherwise…

Something insecure and frightened briefly shifted behind Ingo’s eyes before he shrugged. “I suppose so? But even if you don’t like your arranged spouse, it’s still a really bad look politically to harm their home nation, and that’s the sort of thing that’ll get you tariffs and hostility from other nations, since that’s basically showing you don’t respect other countries. It’s not worth the risk, to most.”

…that did nothing to assure any sort of promise of treatment of the spouse though.

Siffrin frowned at that, tilting their head a bit. That just sort of made a spouse sound like a…well, a political bargaining chip, maybe. Siffrin supposed he had imagined a political marriage, if he had to imagine it at all, as an exchange of… ideas, maybe? A merge of cultures? Not just a literal, breathing body kept to promise their country would be treated well.

Like, in that case, wouldn’t a particularly beloved family pet, or…Siffrin didn’t know. A nice art piece? Work as an equivalent? Something beloved but not necessarily sentient?

But, then, Siffrin was basing all of that on literally just thinking about it in the last few minutes. What did they know? It kinda sounded like a raw deal for Ingo, but Ingo wouldn’t do it if he didn’t want to, Siffrin assumed, so…Siffrin didn’t want to be rude by pointing out how kinda shitty that sounded. He probably just didn’t entirely understand the nuance of it all.

“So that’s what your sister meant by saying you were important.” Siffrin observed, “It’s kind of neat that your job is to get married. That’s pretty unique.”

…

“Hah, well she means it for more than just that, but yeah,” Ingo laughed, the sound natural. (Only because he’d practiced it so much.) “I guess it is! Not a ton of people can claim the same. I always did say I’m more of a lover than a fighter, so this is a chance to put my money where my mouth is.”

There was a soft knock on the door before a woman poked her head in, gracefully touching her hand across her torso to her heart. “Blessed? Will you and your guest be taking dinner separately from the rest of the family?”

Ingo’s grin immediately brightened a few notches. “If you’d join us as well, Lujan~ I’m sure Siffrin would be delighted to make the acquaintance of such a vision as yourself.”

“Thank you, Prince Ingo,” Lujan said without blinking. “Your meal will be set in the Eventide Dining Room at 7.” And touching her heart again, she left without aplomb.

More casually, Ingo gave Siffrin a cheery look. “You’re in for a treat, Eventide has a great view during the evening.”

Siffrin’s eyes had widened in wonder. 

Dinner soon. 

Soon, soon, soon, more food please.

Siffrin licked their lips, swallowing down the drool a bit as they smiled, “You can always sell me on a good view.”

-

Sometimes, a month goes by, and things are just…okay. 

Good, even. 

Winter was always difficult to get much of anything done, but that included mischief. Just like last winter, there was a calm that came over everything once the snow started to build, a more deliberateness to everyone’s actions that weren’t interlaced with any sort of surprising drama or sabotage, self or otherwise. 

That is to say, for one month, everyone picked small goals and those goals worked out.

-

Kaito was his usual busy/not busy self, where he technically had not much on his calender that he had to do… but he was constantly running around, checking in and trying to manage the little community of family members, friends, and traumatized children he kept stumbling over. He kept an eye on Tsumugi, going to visit her a few times and talking to Kimiko frequently to ensure her mother wasn’t acting oddly to her. But whatever had happened there–heh, like he didn’t know–it had seemed to all calm down in the last month, Tsumugi seeming more and more put together, even if she still looked distant and worried sometimes at the meetings she went to Kokichi with.

(Danganronpa, as a whole, had gone internationally silent. According to ambassadors and letters out of the country, everything was fine. Fine in the way that, no, there wasn’t anything to talk about. For a whole month, so far! Everything was fine! What, rumors about whole cities being on fire? Hahah…no.)

Kaito was also keeping an eye on the respective teens: Doppio was thriving, thankfully, as far as Kaito could see. Arven, Kaito was almost certain, was getting closer and closer to a very nice family from a friend of his, and while Arven seemed a little oblivious to it, Kaito was almost certain the family was looking into Arven’s foster situation. Josie hadn’t come back to him for more talks, and, well, maybe that in itself was a good thing.

Kokichi, with the exception of one ugly cold that had knocked his poor husband into bed for a few days, was doing well. Shuichi was back in school. Maki had taken a trip ice fishing with her girlfriend and with Tim during one ambitious long weekend. 

Miyako was in cuuuuute neeeeew fuzzy coats and bit ol’ baby boots and was CRAWLING AHHHHHH a fact that had her family both gushing and cheering and also endlessly playing interference as Miyako, now with the world in her little crawling baby reach, was determined to hunt out new and exciting things to put into her mouth, babbling away the whole time.

And Kaito, after several therapy sessions with Miss Crystal and one private discussion with Dr. Mariah during a break in family therapy, had finally admitted to his family he wanted to try sitting in on a nursing class at the university. Just to… do it, he guessed. And after sitting in a few times, Kaito had signed up for the class and was quietly going to that. It was a little intimidating, doing something he hadn’t been specifically groomed for, but…that was also kind of what made it exciting. Just something he had really, truly himself chosen to do. For no other reason than he wanted to.

He had even met someone cool in the class! Another pink-haired friend!! 

And for a month, that was Kaito’s orbit…

Mike had taken Ava’s advice, and lo and behold she really did have insight into Usott’s social services. Within a week another counselor had joined the two meeting with him and his mom, and it was only a handful of days after that that they had been presented with options to immediately set up meetings for. Really, Mike didn’t care that much outside of his original stipulations but…he guessed Bess was okay. He’d never met a Rutarian before, and seeing her pick things up with her weird wing-arms was disturbing in the coolest way. 

It was kind of annoying having someone insist that he not just bring food into his room for meals, and wanting to know where he was going when he went out and when he’d be back, and asking how it went when he returned, and Mike had an awful suspicion they were considering enrolling him back in school, but…well. He wasn’t going to preempt that fight just yet. He was busy enough trying to work out radio waves. 

(And, like…hanging out with Tim and Cali, Kimiko, and Bianca, he guessed.)

-

Cold aside, Kokichi had been busy. More and more he’d been bringing Miyako with him to work in the morning, to the point he and Nadya had set up a safe play pen for her that, more often than not, Kokichi just sat in with his daughter while he read things over. During breaks he and his assistant would giggle to each other and lock the door, Nadya showing off simple, but dazzling spells to Kokichi and Miyako, and Kokichi had been starting to learn some sleight of hand that, to an untrained eye or just for a moment, could look like magic. 

For actual work, there was the usual agricultural rotation, along with tying up the business with the university explosion, but more interestingly, and which Kokichi had been excited to ramble on to his husbands about, was that they had been reached out to by the Principality of Eslley, for a request for recognition. Dicea had given it, but Kokichi was over the moon to get more information about a faraway nation he’d never heard about before. 

And just like his days, Kokichi’s nights were busy as well, checking up on Cathan and Creature, and theorizing with Alter Ego and Temp. 

-

Lupin was perfect, thank you very much! The class he’d been taking with Kaiden was just the sort of refresher he needed (and got him out of dinners with his parents far more reliably than most things), he and Aster were back in school (and Aster had even made a new friend, someone new to the nursing program, and…well, Lupin wouldn’t lie that it did help knowing there was someone who’d watch her back in the free classrooms the medical courses had taken over while their building was repaired), and his follow-up medical appointments proved him to be in the best health (though it was looking more and more clear that any hearing he’d regain would most likely be minimal). 

Everything was great.

-

Addason was also crawling these days, and Temp and Kokichi had both found themselves with sudden eager and enthusiastic babysitters in Amber and Stacy, who together had decided that part of Stacy’s master degree project would be taking all the different fabric techniques she had been collecting from different countries and making bad-ass baby outfits. This was mostly because baby clothes didn’t require a ton of fabric to complete, which made the best use of the limited resources Stacy had. But also because they had easy access to two extremely adorable babies, who they could model the clothing around. 

Temp thought it was a bit silly, but appreciated his friends enthusiastic new way of remaining in his parent-busy life. They were good friends. 

They were Kaito’s, like, favorite people right now, because AWWWW LOOK! LOOK!! AT THE ADORABLE AND REGIONALLY POPULAR OUTFITS!! AWWW!!!!

-

Yuta was still pursuing Dimitri, who still hadn’t noticed, the bastard.

-

The Luminary party, due to the snow, was still in Miu’s city, and had settled in a bit. Shin found himself spending a truly obscene amount of time with Miu–only ‘obscene’ because Miu insisted on it–while the Royal Assassin and Detective seemed entirely content to be tourists in the city, treating the Luminary party like posers who had followed them on their vacation rather then hosting their literal new king. 

And it wasn’t like they were being idle, stuck in the city. Because of Deere’s initiativeness, and a guard with her detective son, important news had gotten to Luminary…

-

News that had come just in time for Luminary, who had just gotten notice from Danganronpa that due to ‘unforeseen economic dips’ that trade negotiations would need to be reworked to have Luminary’s military ‘temporarily’ reassigned to different Danganronpa bases to be utilized as Danganronpa saw fit in ‘maintaining’ public relations. 

Kaede had known how to read between the lines, and that Danganronpa was doing what it always did with them: recruiting from their population cheap labor and protection, focusing on the military recruits now that Luminary had no indentured servants to ‘donate’ instead. Which she knew was the exact scenario that indentured trade had been setup to avoid. But if they didn’t donate some people, Danganronpa was planning to cut off food trades that Luminary needed…

And just as Kaede had been staring at the ceiling, wondering if the proposal of sending criminal prisoners to Danganronpa instead would incentivize her country to put even more people in jail, and because of course it would, wondering if she could live with that particular legacy, she had gotten a phone call from from Shin that had basically informed Kaede that what was happening in Danganronpa was more than merely a recession. 

And that Kaede could just…

…wait.

And this situation might just solve itself…

-

Things were good for Josie. Rivalries in the Chess Club were heating up as people got better at the game, he’d managed to make a case for himself to be able to participate in the couple-dancing workshops the various dance clubs had started putting on in preparation for the Crystal Ball, Hugo was more willing to hang out indoors now that snow was starting to hang around, and Mercy had loved hearing about each and every thing… Even going on sexy adventures with Amaina at night just made the days even better. 

And one day, Josie got a letter in the mail. Something he…honestly hadn’t expected when he sent his own out. And for a little while he’d just…freaked out, tried to forget about it the way Josie dealt with all his problems. But he had been the one to send Mick a letter in the first place and eventually Josie had pulled himself together, and wrote back.

Then Mick wrote back again. 

The letters were by no means deep or particularly insightful, but…Josie still felt like they meant the world. And after a few back and forths, they discussed meeting face to face. Mick’s job sounded pretty demanding, so initially Josie played with the idea of taking a last vacation before the end of the year, but his mothers (and therapist) had quickly shut down the idea of Josie going off into the world on his own to meet his brother. So with a bit more planning, it was decided that Mick would come to Usott, and they could meet in some otherwise neutral place and…

Josie took a deep breath. Let warmth fill him to his fingertips…and let it out. And headed to the hotel Mick said he was staying in. 

Mick was sitting in the hotel lobby. 

He was chewing on a toothpick, not drinking. He didn’t have a drinking problem, none of his issues had ever been connected to drinking, but he didn’t want to be dulled or dazed for this, mostly for respect reasons. 

He did have a smoking problem, and he’d be smoking right now if it wouldn’t get him kicked out of the lobby and out into the snow. Thus the toothpick, which at least gave his mouth something to do, rolling it around on his tongue as he glared at the far wall. Thumb tracing the glass of water that he hadn’t so much as taken a sip of yet.

Mick’s mind was… empty. 

It had been empty for a long time now. Partly because this was a Josie situation, but partly because this was how Mick had started handling a lot of situations, after years of anger management therapy. 

Most of his anger could be traced back to expectation. And unlike Kaito, unfortunately, because of the ways Mick’s anger manifested, it wasn’t really alright for Mick to get angry. In a real way, he wasn’t allowed. His anger so disruptive and violent that therapy had had to focus on dulling the source of that anger, rather than managing the symptoms of it.

Maybe training himself to empty of expectations was a cruel way to help someone. Sure, there was an argument for that. But when you had someone who had grown up expressing their anger with constant, damn near casual murder attempts to a small child? 

Well. Priorities. 

So Mick was keeping his head empty. Ready to just…be here. And be whatever this was. 

(...with admittedly a few… secret expectations. Of how this was going to go.)

(But not dwelling on them.)

(Dwelling was the big part of it.)

Josie stared at the hotel sign, light, lazy snowflakes nestling into his scarf. He wasn’t…sure what he was expecting. In their letters, he’d learned that Mick was in the logging industry, he enjoyed the work, was doing well. Had gone through a shitton of therapy, which Josie had mentioned for his end too and…it had actually felt like a moment of levity between them. 

But still, seeing Micklaighn…

Ah, fuck it. Gotta try, and it was cold out. Josie had forgone a hat to avoid hat hair aaand he was mildly regretting it now, his poor, poor ears. 

One more breath, and Josie pulled a friendly smile on his face, walking into the lobby. He did his best to stomp and brush off any chunks of snow into the grated trough by the door before--

Well. There was no looking around in confusion, and no even pretending it. That color was unmistakable. 

…Mick looked…both bigger and smaller than Josie remembered. 

Heading over to Micklaighn with a grin, Josie bit back the impulse to make some dumb, flirty joke, and instead just gestured to the seat across from him. “This spot taken?”

Mick chewed on his toothpick, almost hesitating for a second. Briefly, genuinely not recognizing this person, turning him away and saying he was waiting on someone, because there was no way this man was…

…but he was.

It had been a long time. Little Josie had grown up.

Wordlessly, Mick nodded. His slightly flattened nose–the same accident that had given him the scar across his face having broken his nose into a different shape–whistling slightly as he took a deep breath in, cracking the toothpick between his front teeth. Taking it out, he put it on the pile of broken toothpicks he was collecting on a napkin, grabbing a fresh one from a small box they had come in and putting it right back in where its broken predecessor had been sitting.

“...” Mick had no idea what to say. “Snow trouble you any?”

Josie noticed that brief second before recognition and…he still didn’t know. And that wasn’t exactly a yes, but Josie wasn’t scared of Mick losing it on him for just…existing. Doing something without being explicitly told to. 

So Josie snorted softly as he flopped down on the chair across from…the man his older brother had become. “Nah, it’s all good. We still have a few sweet weeks of freedom before Big Snow comes knockin’. Did see some kids in a snowball fight when I passed the elementary school, so some people are still appreciating this level, though.”

Josie stuck his thumb into the glove of the opposite hand, making a little space, though he didn’t move to take his gloves off. 

“...is it weird being back in Usott?”

“Mmm,” Mick hummed, warily glancing at the windows, “Not sure. Took a carriage ride here and haven’t really left this hotel since I got here yesterday…guess it’s odd seeing the streets again. Glance out the carriage window and realize, oh, used to take this way to school…”

“...it was a long time ago,” Mick said stiffly, looking away, “Usott’s not much to me, anymore.”

Other than where his brother lived. 

Their parents somewhere among this chaos, too, presumably. 

Mick wasn’t planning to see them.

Mick, even after talking to the case workers and his therapist–luckily he had still been seeing him, since the caseworkers would have refused to okay him seeing Josie if he hadn’t had some recent psychological paperwork ensuring professionals didn’t think he’d immediately try to kill the boy–and even after talking to Josie’s parents about what he sure as shit wasn’t allowed to say to their son, still didn’t… really know what he should say.

He wanted to apologize. But that wasn’t what this was about. Maybe later, when the main thing was done, if Josie even stuck around to hear it. 

Mick just wished he knew how to jumpstart what he really thought this was about.

Josie nodded a little, getting that…and also just feeling…weirdly out of his depth. Usually Josie thrived in uncomfortable social situations, coming out either with a full party going, or making it even more uncomfortable for everyone except himself. What did he have to lose, so he always went full in!

…but this wasn’t exactly uncomfortable. Just…

“Best perspective then to make it something new, then, right?” Josie cheerily goaded. “You wanna blow this joint? I’ve got a friend with a quality standard for pastries, so she’s got me scoping out the best places in town--you drink coffee?” Josie playfully winked and stage-whispered, “If hot chocolate’s more your thing, I will absolutely play scapegoat and get the most whimsical thing to trade ya after ordering.”

“...” Mick gave Josie a blank, mutely…confused look. 

Pastries?

…was Josie trying to take Mick somewhere?

Maybe that’s what was happening? This place was pretty public. That had been the point. But, well, Josie was tall and strong, broad shoulders with a neckline that suggested at least a decent amount of youthful muscle. Josie wouldn’t be crazy to feel reasonably confident. 

And, well… It's not like Mick expected anything from this on his end. He didn’t expect any satisfaction from this. He didn’t expect closure. Hells, he didn’t expect to walk away from it, not with any real seriousness. Not because he expected anything to happen from Josie to keep him from walking, but just…because his expectations were low in general.

If he didn’t expect anything, he’d be better at letting Josie get whatever he wanted from this.

So, sure, Josie wanted to take him somewhere?

“...sure,” Mick said, sighing as he stood up, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair and throwing it on, “Lead the way, then,”

Okay…okay? Well…yeah, Josie wasn’t expecting to get throttled or anything and, er, that actually might be in his future when he discussed how this had gone with his friends because it was so painfully, idiotically Josie to tease and goad the guy that had tried to kill him his whole young childhood…

…but Mick wasn’t that guy anymore. So…

Okay. 

“Cool~” Josie hummed, adjusting his scarf a little before, indeed, leading the way. Back out into the snow, he took a breath of that freezing air--bracing~--and led a casual pace to the first good cafe that came to mind. That was reasonably close and open today and had opened since he’d been adopted so it’d be a new experience for Mick. 

…

“So, logging?” Josie asked after a moment, filling the quiet. “How’d that all start? Just right place right time, or you get some grand plan goin’ step by step?”

Mick sniffed again. That whistling sound hissing through the air as he did, looking around as he followed Josie. His movement across the snow certain and without effort, unconcerned with the elements even as his face reddened in the chill. 

“Got my ass kicked by them in a pub one night when they were in the city, and were sitting on what my dumbass was pretty certain was ‘my’ table.” Another whistle sniff. “Went over, tried to throw my weight around even though I didn’t have any weight to throw, not in comparison to a group that did hard labor for a living. They knocked my ass out.”

Another whistle sniff. “Woke up later that night, sat between them at their damn table. Tried to fight them again, and this time they didn’t have to knock me out, I just gave up when I realized I was beat. They thought my angry-ass was funny, so they wouldn’t let me storm off. Got to talking about their work.”

“...they made an impression, as you can probably tell,” Mick shrugged, “I liked being around people who could handle me. The way they talked about their work sounded peaceful. People would ask me what I planned to do when probation was up and I just started answering one day I’d go into lumber, them on my mind and just to have an answer, and it stuck.”

“No real plan other than to keep working until I can’t no more.” Mick paused, before correcting, “Anymore. Sorry, I don’t really… talk to most people anymore. Outside of them, much. Other lumberers.”

Josie smiled softly, only turned slightly towards Mick as they walked. Josie really didn’t need to watch where they were walking very closely but…he didn’t know. He just had a feeling Mick would be a little more comfortable talking if Josie wasn’t, like…hanging on his every word. 

…that story fit a lot with a trajectory of a healthier version of his brother. 

“Sounds a little like what happened to a friend of mine,” Josie laughed softly, “Surprisingly, bar fights seem to be a good place to make friends. That’s cool, though. Finding something, or some people, really, that resonate with you like that and make ya think--it’s one of those special life things.”

Grinning, Josie side-eyed Mick. “If I look like a Grammar Slammer to you, I really need to double-think my look. Though, uh…” Looking a little sheepish for the first time in front of Micklaighn, Josie pulled up the back of his scarf. “...I do really… Thanks, I mean. For talking to me. I can’t really assume this’d be your first choice to spend a Friday. Or…any of this weekend.”

Mick suspected that the kind of person who made friends in bar fights was also the sort of person who got into bar fights. Fights took participation, especially in Dicea. Most people just walked away from real conflict, and everyone else would let them. That was just how Dicea worked, to the point where Mick couldn’t really conceptualize that it was a ‘Dicea’ thing and not just… how things worked. 

So if you got into a real fight? You at least knew the other person was the type of person who also wanted to be in a real fight. And it was nice, talking to people you had things in common with.

…thanks?

Mick gave Josie a more wary look. Really looking at him this time. Okay, yes, Josie was tall now. Grown. A man’s neck, man’s hands, man’s feet. All the little signs that Josie, the little boy, had grown up. Was someone, now, who’d know how to handle his…well.

Childhood nightmare. 

…but now Mick was noticing other things. Worrisome things. A boy’s smile, eager to please. A boy’s eyes, flitting and nervous. A boy’s posture, unaware or unwilling to show off its more intimidating features. 

…ah geez.

“You’re thanking me?” Mick asked, slowing down on the sidewalk. Coming to a stop as he gave Josie a wary, almost stern look. “...I can’t accept a thanks from you.”

“Hm?” Josie stopped soon after, at first giving Mick a mildly confused look, just from him stopping on the sidewalk, before…ah. His stomach tightening.

“Damn, too bad,” Josie sighed. “My poor little thanks will have to flitter off into the grey yonder all by its lonesome, weeks too late to migrate to warmer shores with the snowbirds.”

Shrugging a little, Josie smiled weakly. “You’re taking time off work, made plans to get over here, probably went through even more pestering than I did talking to folks…I can still thank you for the effort. I wrote you before, I wasn’t gonna be heartbroken if you just told me to fuck off. You didn’t. So we’re here.”

“Right, I did do all of that,” Mick frowned, crossing his arms, “I still can’t accept thanks for it. I’m here because–”

Mick felt a small bit of annoyance run through him, and he took a deep, whistling breath. Expectations. Control your expectations. What’s the world doing? What are the people around you doing? Adapt to what’s happening around you, not what you’ve decided should happen.

“...what am I doing here, Josie?” Mick asked, “I came all this way because you asked me to come. Why?”

Slowly, even the small grin Josie had faded. A bit of realization just turning into…fatigue. Anything not turned outward to disguise hurt. Josie paused for a second before chuckling hollowly. “...well now I kinda feel like an asshole if the only reason you’re talking to me is ‘cause I asked you to.”

…don’t blow this up. You Ruin everything you touch but…don’t ruin this yourself before it gets Ruined. 

Josie nudged some packed snow with his boot. “...the first time I wrote to you, I said that, if it was something you were inclined towards at all? I’d like to get to know you. So…I still want that. And…”

It felt vomit-inducing, saying that he wanted anything in front of Micklaighn. Want, want, want. Little Spoiled Josie got everything he ever wanted. Ugh…maybe drinks was a bad idea. 

“Maybe it’s a bad idea to even try? I dunno…” Josie idly watched some people walking along the opposite sidewalk. He wondered where they were heading. “...we haven’t really talked about, like…our childhood? I dunno if it’d be any easier in person, but I sure never tried through writing.”

“What other reason could I have?” Mick asked, the lines on his face deepening, watching Josie’s eyeline, following it to the opposite walking people. “...nah, that’s the wrong way to word it…”

Mick wanted to keep going towards the cafe. Mostly, he didn’t want to have this tough conversation in the middle of an active sidewalk in the cold. But he’d wait. He’d wait to see what Josie wanted, when all was said and done. No expectations. He just… needed to make sure they both knew what this was.

Cause Mick couldn’t pretend this was two siblings, catching up. 

It’d have hurt to even try.

“...Josie, I gave up a right to a relationship with you right around the time I first tried to murder you,” Mick said, “I gave up the right to ask you what you’re doing with your life. What kind of person you grew up to be. What your days are looking like. That’s not something I get to want from you. My only right to talk to you is if you want to talk. So, yes, I’m here because you asked me to come. Did you really ask me to come just to catch up?”

…yeah.

But it didn’t feel fair that that was the case. Mick was 17 the last time he tried to kill Josie. When Josie was 17 he’d gotten taken into the Guardforces’ office for organizing a group of students to go streaking, and…that was something that was only going to follow him in life as a funny story he would choose to tell. If Mick had lost the right to…have anything to do with Josie the first time he tried to kill him? Then Mick had probably lost that at 8 or 9 and…that didn’t seem right. 

Kids did dumb, sometimes horrific shit. It wasn’t fair that they’d permanently lose something for it. 

Sometimes the world just wasn’t fair, and the Dicean spirit of making it fair just didn’t work. 

Josie’s shoulders slumped a bit. 

“...well, and talking about that other stuff,” Josie conceded. Looking around for a moment before taking in a soft breath. “...if I told you anyway, would that…be anything other than just something to placidly take in?”

“...” Mick ran a hand through his hair, brushing it back. He felt a woodchip dislodge and flick off, which was embarrassing, since Mick had thought he had cleaned his hair out pretty well for this meeting. 

“I’m not going to stop you talking about whatever you want to talk about,” Mick decided, walking over to Josie, a wordless explanation that he planned to follow him to… wherever, by this point, “I just can’t accept a thanks. Not without comment. It’s an uneasy feeling, being thanked by someone you hurt. Like I’ve done some new, different thing wrong. Tricked you, in some way.”

Josie started walking again, taking the cue, though he couldn’t help snorting. “Believe me, you haven’t. I…”

The hate was part of it. 

Pausing, Josie sighed before shooting Mick a serious look. “...I know what you just said, but I’m still gonna ask. If I talk about distressing shit…like, are you okay with that?”

“Do you mean am I going to try to kill you for it?” Mick asked, before glancing at Josie… and frowning at his expression, “...no, guess you didn’t mean it like that…”

“...look, my whole speech about not being allowed to want things aside?” Mick said, refocusing his gaze forward, “I am here because I do want something. I want…”

(For things to be better between us? No, not allowed.)

(To be square with you, even the ledger a bit? No, not allowed.)

“...I want to say I did right by you at least once,” Mick shrugged, eyes tired, “By the end of it all. So, yeah, I’m okay with that. Dealing with some distress to let you have your say is doing right by you, at least a little.”

Josie gave Mick a dry look, before… Goddess. Maybe it was just, yet again, Josie unable to look outside himself, but…what a weird mirror. Not allowed to want things, huh. 

He felt something clench in his chest, hearing something he’d never expect from Micklaighn. And…Josie found that he wanted to give Mick the chance to do right by him too. 

“...yeah, alright,” Josie huffed, before grinning warily. “I think you can definitely handle a little discomfort but…I am serious. Anything I get into starts being like, intrusive thought for the next few years kind of not-okay? Just stop me.”

Josie took a breath. …man, why’d he have to choose a cafe, this was horrible cafe talk. Cafe talk was good for brainstorming what colors you want to paint your bedroom, not the deep trenches of mental health. 

“...you haven’t tricked me into just…forgiving everything you did to me,” Josie started, his voice low. “A little while before I reached out to you? I was having nightmares about that shit almost every night. And that happens to me…I dunno. Maybe once a year or something.”

Nightmares weren’t exactly more than a boo-hoo but…Josie was getting to that. 

Seeing the cafe come up, Josie nodded a little, subtly indicating it was their destination. “...the friend I mentioned before, about the pastries…we met in kind of a weird way. She’s a real do-gooder, the kind of pure heart you wouldn’t trust on principle because no one could actually be that nice, right? But she is, and she was doin’ her thing, visiting folks in the hospital.”

“Which I was one of, ‘cause I tried to kill myself.”

“...” Mick scowled, shoving his hands into his pockets, “The hells did you do something like that for?”

Josie smirked emptily at the snow. “Cause you and the old man fucked me up so bad that every so often I think everyone around me would be better off if I kicked the bucket. That and shitty brain chemistry that the wrong meds really don’t help with.”

“So I get into those shitty, self-pitying, self-aggrandizing moods, and it’s fucked for everyone I love, then I get to go through the process every damn time of just…” Josie’s voice, the aggression in it, trailed off. The words hard to say, but…they always were. “...remembering it wasn’t my fault. That it was yours and his and hers.”

“...but I can still blame you for trying to kill me while still, like…treating you as a person. One that I get nothing out of treating like you’re still a dumbass teenager. Doing that makes everything worse, actually.”

“...” Mick grit his teeth, looking down at the sidewalk, “...I don’t know what to say to that. All I can think of are the wrong things to say. I don’t know what the right thing to say to someone you terrorized is. Believe it or not, all the therapy and caseworking and all of that… they don’t prep you for this moment. They tell you a thousand times this moment isn’t going to happen. Maybe not explicitly, but…shit, I feel unprepared.”

“...what helps you remember that it’s not your fault?” Mick asked, frowning, “I don’t want to say anything that makes that harder to get through your skull, since you seemed to have inherited the thick-headed curse all the Etrigs got.”

“A failing of the system we’ve discovered, then. Well, I know what I’m gonna bring up in therapy later; maybe I’ll start a campaign or something.” Josie smirked a bit, before his voice and expression softened. “I really couldn’t tell you if there is a right thing to say, or…even what I’d want to hear from you. Maybe the wrong things anyway, just because it’s shit that you’ve thought of, but, hey, I’ve never been accused of being wise.”

Going into the cafe right now was really awful timing, but Josie would feel weirder just standing in front of it, so…he opened the door. 

Laughing quietly, Josie smiled sincerely. “Honestly? Being around friends and family. Hearing them say obvious shit like ‘my life wouldn’t be better if you died’. Even if it’s stuff that shouldn’t need to be said, just hearing it makes…it makes it more real. Tangible enough to get through this dense skull.”

Mick stepped into the cafe, looking around. There was a light, almost festive atmosphere. There were plenty of people inside, the cafe buzzing with voices and laughter, while the air filled heavily with the scent of coffee, cinnamon, and hazelnut. There was a family with young kids in the corner, the kids giggling over something or other, while a couple nearby glanced at them before returning to their whispered conversations.

Mick shifted uncomfortably, heading to the line. Hands still in his pockets as he considered both what Josie said, and the atmosphere.

“...this was some real terrible timing,” Mick muttered to him.

“One of my worst,” Josie agreed, just taking in the discomfort and thriving in it. “Seriously, though, do you drink coffee? I’m happy to treat you, unless I’m not allowed to do that without invoking cheating calls too.”

“...more into gray earl tea,” Mick admitted, something uncomfortable in his expression.

It was their father’s favorite drink. Mick had no idea if Josie would know that. It just felt like an uncomfortable reminder of their lineage to Mick, in that moment, though Josie might think nothing of it. 

“And you can treat me if you want to, but aren’t you still in school?” Mick asked, frowning, “So, really, with what money? Your allowance? I have a job, makes sense for me to buy it.”

“Mellow type then, eh?” Josie grinned, feeling…probably more excited than he had a right to to learn something personal from Mick. “One of my little kouhai swears by it, I get it. Just never comes to mind to me first if I’m out in the snow, need a little pep from something to make sure I make it back home.”

The words were out of Josie’s mouth before he could really think about it, and then it was like a dozen alarm bells went off in his head. Like every type of warning and hazard sign in the world was suddenly slapped on his brain, all declaring YOU FUCKED UP. 

His eyes widening a little, Josie barreled on. “I mean yeeeeeeeeah, but you’re visiting! And I can use my allowance for whatever, and a lot of it gets spent on cafes, you wouldn’t believe.”

Mick frowned at that reaction, staring at Josie a bit…before wordlessly nodding. Staying quiet as they headed to the front of the line. 

Josie took care of ordering, and Mick watched him. Yeah, there was a lot of the boy still there. Josie had been a peacekeeper and a people pleaser, back when he was little, though Mick hadn’t recognized that for what it was back then. Was one of those realizations he had had after a decade of reflecting on it all, but yeah. Josie’s more annoying tendencies as a kid, the things that had driven Mick up the wall, the smiling and joking and never taking anything seriously…a lot of that had been an attempt to cut off Mick’s anger before it could get deadly again. 

At least, that’s how Mick saw it now. And like Josie had said on the sidewalk, seemed like the coping mechanisms Mick had beaten into his brother had followed him into adulthood. Including being the smiling, pleasant, laughing child that hoped, well, maybe this time the good mood really would be infectious. 

Mick looked away when Josie leaned in and winked at the cashier. 

He hoped Josie was happy. That he liked being a walking show of a person. Mick couldn’t imagine what it did to a person, to put on that sort of display and not enjoy it. It looked exhausting. Like you were cutting pieces of yourself and just handing it to people.

If Josie didn’t like it, that was just another thing Mick needed to take responsibility for. “Are you gonna freeze if we drink these outside?” Mick asked, looking around the cafe, before glancing up, “Guess we could see if the upstairs has less people…”

It always came and went in waves, the guilt. But one came over Josie now just…wondering what Mick would take away, knowing or figuring out that his little brother was an infamous, untrustworthy slut. And…the thought of Mick being disappointed or disgusted wasn’t…great-feeling, like it was for most people. 

(It hadn’t occurred to Josie yet that Mick, as they were right now, was the first person…in a long time, and maybe since their childhoods, that Josie genuinely wanted to impress.)

Getting their drinks, Josie handed Mick’s his with a small flourish before laughing sheepishly. “You can call me a weirdo for it, but I kinda like this kind of weather? Feels nice to be out on a walk in the snow with a warm drink.”

Honestly, they were breaking every rule. Not staying in a safe, neutral space, where no doubt Josie had told his parents he was going to be. Now just out and about in the world. Mick hadn’t expected to even see any other part of the city other than the hotel. Hadn’t wanted to.

But, well, walking was a little soothing, he guessed. It at least got them out of this cafe, as he nodded, the two heading out.

Sipping at his tea, steam rising from the sippy hole of the cup, Mick kept silent for a bit. Wanting to give Josie a chance to decide what they talked about next, though his reaction to the snow comment was idly spinning in Mick’s mind.

It wasn’t just something to say, Josie really did like walking in the snow. And for a moment he just let it be that, finding beauty in the scattered light and lazy flakes drifting in the air while a hot drink warmed his hands and sent steam up his nose. 

“...you remember Dimitri?” Josie said after a moment. “One of my friends. Some new guy in town our age’s got his eye on ‘im, and it’s watching a dramadie in real time with how much Dima’s just totally oblivious. Guy joined a LARP group and everything, he’s got tenacity, I’ll give him that.”

“...” Mick sipped his tea, “...what’d he look like? Only remembered your friends based on hair color, really.”

Josie snorted softly. He hadn’t learned any of Mick’s friends’ names either. “Blond, but the guy. Dude’s a freaking giant now--he’s the one that kept breaking stuff on accident. Seriously, between him and our friend Dedan, they make me look petite.”

Mick nodded, saying immediately, “The crybaby one,” before pausing, “...sorry. It’s good to know some of your friends have stuck with you.”

Josie snickered, a mischievous glimmer twinkling in his eyes. “I thought that’s what you called Hugo, though thaaaat’s something I’m taking to the grave. Never said that in this conversation.”

Calming a bit, Josie nodded, the peace of gratitude relaxing him. “I feel lucky. I’ve been a huge asshole to them plenty of times but we’re still all here. Just have to make the good outweigh and out-frequent the bad.”

“...” Mick took another sip of his tea, brows furrowed over his eyes. “You make yourself sound like a negotiation on their part.” 

Josie glanced over at Mick, caught genuinely off-guard by surprise for a moment before he shrugged with a fond smile. “Negotiation of love. Like how relationships are. I make mistakes, I do cool shit, just like everyone, so it’s all in the trade of good and bad. Just what I mean.”

“...I just meant it didn’t sound like you were being fair to yourself…” Mick looked away, huffing, “You do know you never stood a chance, right? That there wasn’t anything you could have done?”

Josie’s smile faded a bit as he took a sip of coffee. “...actionably, yeah. Bullshit, unpredictable magic doesn’t really make up the difference of the power gap between a little kid and an older teen, or adults. And it’s an unfair expectation of…like, agency and bravery to say I could’ve gone to CPS myself.”

Josie glanced down, something hard in his expression for a moment. “...I keep telling myself it’s such a dumb thing to ask, since I…well, I assumed I know. But…with you actually here…”

If Josie hadn’t been feeling like a little kid at any point of this, he was feeling points of it now. “...why’d you keep trying to kill me?”

“There wasn’t anything you could’ve done with Matthieu. But there was with me.” Josie shrugged a little, looking out at the snow. “I always assumed it was just wanting control over the one thing you could.”

Mick sighed, taking another sip of his tea. 

At the risk of trying to control the world around him…this was what he had expected to talk about. Why he had come. Though he hated to see the reluctance Josie had in asking. What the hell was his therapist doing, if Josie didn’t feel like he was owed this. 

Because he was. Mick wouldn’t hear otherwise.

“...what I thought the answer to that was changed a few times for me, the more I thought back on it all. Maybe it’d surprise you to hear how impulsive it was. That when it was happening, I didn’t know why I was doing it,” Mick said, “But me not knowing doesn’t mean I didn’t have a reason. Just took me a long time to figure out what it was.”

Another sip. “...I wanted our father to have to kill me. And I wanted it to haunt him.”

“It’s a pitiful explanation, but there it is,” Mick shrugged, staring dryly at nothing, “I wanted him to be in a position where I ripped apart his golden, promised child in front of everyone, and made him dirty himself killing me in turn. I wanted him to come out of this with no legacy, a ruined reputation, and no children. I wanted to be the worst thing that ever happened to him. And I wanted it to be horrifying. Something he’d never recover from.”

“...but you just kept living,” Mick said, “I was bad at killing you. As much as I wanted my big, gorey, terrible moment where I ruined our family’s life? I think a big part of me wanted to have it without the ‘watching you die’ part. I wasn’t trying to get away with it. I just didn’t want to watch it. Because I was a coward, at the end of it all. Too scared to look at the results of it in the eye. I wanted to create horror without being affected by it.”

It wasn’t completely surprising. Mick had been brilliant in Josie’s eyes, never getting the credit he was owed because of the bullshit system they’d been born into…but the image of the mastermind monster had faded as Josie grew up, able to recall with more perspective and see that his brother had just been…a teen. Smart, sure, but fallible and cocky and, yeah, impulsive in the way that kids just were. 

It had felt to Josie that he’d always been planning around everything when they were growing up, but then he had learned what hypervigilance was. But in the same way, yeah, it wasn’t surprising to Josie to learn that Mick had only really begun picking apart the nightmare of their childhoods after the fact. 

The conclusion Mick had come to was more surprising. 

…but not a foreign way of thinking. 

Josie had spent their childhoods hoping to gods he only scorned if he felt like believing in them that Matthieu would forget he existed for just a little longer every day. Mick had wanted recognition and a spot burned into their father’s brain that would never go away. 

Josie had been a means to an end. One that Mick could never really commit to when reality was right in front of him. 

“You did end up running away for a lot of them,” Josie chuckled softly. 

Then he sighed, closing his eyes in a wince as he ran a hand through his hair. Guilt ripping red-hot through him. “...fuck, we really are related, huh.”

“I won’t say it’s forgivable that I even tried, but you don’t fail to kill a child several times because your heart is fully in it,” Mick frowned, looking almost a little embarrassed, his stony features twisting slightly as he looked away, “Though don’t mistake me, I did it every time fully expecting you to die. I just didn’t want to be there to follow through. A cowardly murder attempt, but still an attempt.”

“And if by ‘related’ you potentially mean we inherited the sort of cowardly narcissism that comes from a family that has always experienced power by explicitly being given the upper hand…well, I know it’s true for me, but you?” Mick looked over to Josie, “...don’t know you well enough to say one way or another. You grew up to be a person that I never met until today. I can only guess that you’re being too hard on yourself if you’re lumping yourself into a category with me. Most people aren’t as bad as the persistent child murderer, as a general rule.”

“Call me an apologist, but I don’t think that should follow someone for life,” Josie muttered. “I can still hold it against you for the damage you did to me, but like…calling yourself an attempted child murderer is just sad at this point.”

Ow.

Ow. 

His back was hurting. That was never a good sign. 

There was a drawn tautness in Josie’s shoulders, going down his spine, and…maybe it was something Mick would recognize, maybe not. Most of the time when Josie was ‘fessing up’ to his misdeeds, or even just trying to cover for Mick, he’d grinned it off. Looking just sheepish enough to not get yelled at about not understanding what he did was ‘bad’, but certainly giving off a lighthearted air of ‘oopsie, my bad~’.

But sometimes. Rarely. When Mick had done something that would really draw their father’s ire, or Josie had made his own mistakes that were so bad even laughing it off wasn’t something he could do, Josie would just…freeze. Go stiff. His eyes widening as words would just blurt out of him like--

“I use people by having sex with them and then immediately breaking things off to make them hate me and hate myself even more.”

Mick didn’t say anything to that, for a bit.

They walked some more, Mick sipping his tea as he waited for the rigidness to leave Josie’s back. He did remember that, a bit, though he didn’t entirely understand then or now why Josie would seem to randomly tense up before blurting something out with the intention of–as far as Mick had ever guessed–annoying people. Josie had always been like that, for various situations. Suddenly loud. Suddenly impulsive. Suddenly baffling.

But Mick was better at navigating his own emotions, these days. And that made him better at handling other people’s emotions, he had found.

Most things needed a moment to breathe in the air.

“...this is what I meant earlier, when I said it sounded like you weren’t being fair to yourself,” Mick said, sipping his tea again, “Why do you hate yourself at all?”

Josie didn’t get how that wasn’t being too fair to himself. Sure, he had a sad-ass reason for it, but that didn’t make what he did to people any better, didn’t just suddenly make the hurt feelings and ruined relationships and horrible memories any more bearable for the people he inflicted them upon. He just…used people for his own ends. Even if those ends were more pathetic than self-aggrandizing. Or…just in a different way than a lot of people would assume. 

…

…why did he tell Mick at all? Josie barely even touched on it with his moms. He really didn’t want to drag his brother out of his life to play therapist. 

Frowning, more annoyed with himself than anything (trying to push down the mounting panic), Josie opened his mouth to answer Mick with…whatever bullshit that was going to come out of his mouth, when a sudden stab went through his back, and Josie suddenly snapped his mouth closed. 

Eyes widening with some of the panic that was bleeding out, he made some…weird, pitchy hums before giving Mick a ‘one second’ gesture and quickly looked around. Only for a second, though, before he gave up and shoved his coffee cup in the snow, making a natural cupholder, and then he took off. Calling quickly behind him, “Sorry, sorry, I’ll be back in a second!”

Ruin didn’t always work by proximity. But if you were going to bet on any sort of prediction, that was a safe one to go in on, and there was no fucking way Josie was going to let it trigger on Mick.

Mick sipped at his tea. 

…Josie hadn’t been training at all, it seemed. 

Mick wondered how the bit of ruin would manifest. He wondered about it for about 5 seconds, before he expelled the concern from his mind. Expectations. That was his folly. Once he thought something should happen in a certain way, he got frustrated and angry when reality went a different direction with it. It was better to keep a routine that you could manage, while always being ready to deal with the way the days could randomly change on you.

Sipping his tea again, Mick considered some of the things Josie had said already.

He slept with people to upset them, and give him more self-hatred fuel. He thought negotiations with relationships was the normal back and forth. The fact that he was mostly right about that one didn’t really change the issue of how he framed it when he spoke about it though, which was that those trade-offs were to justify Josie’s place in the relationship. He thought Mick was holding himself to unfair standards for still defining himself by what he did to Josie, and talked like Mick was entitled to Josie’s friendly nature. But he seemed baffled that Mick himself would give Josie the time of day.

And Josie was 19, and still not trained in how to manage his Ruin.

No matter how Mick looked at it, Josie wasn’t doing well. But then, perhaps it was just the stress of seeing Mick around. Maybe all of this just seemed more obvious and outrageous because Josie was in a stressful situation. That was certainly possible.

…Mick had no idea what to do. He had come here thinking Josie was finally ready to tell him off. Instead, his brother seemed to want a real relationship with him, and didn’t seem to think he deserved one. Which was the most baffling, backwards way this could have gone, in Mick’s mind.

What was the right thing for Mick to do, right now? What was doing right by Josie meant to look like, in this situation?

Okay, okay, okay? Okay, Josie, look, it doesn’t have to be that bad! Just, OOPSIE! Haha, just a little bit of bad luck, doesn’t have to be that bad. Just find someone someone don’t target people that’s super shitty but it still has to be someone and it’s not even up to you to pick, really, it’ll just ow ow o w OW

The nice thing about winter was that usually Josie was wearing enough layers and longer clothes that you couldn’t see the glow of Ruin at all. 

Josie shuddered at the…gross feeling. Held his breath. Looked around…

…well, that wasn’t too bad. 

Josie picked up the handful of copper pieces that had scattered into the snow and looked around for a bit, hoping, without much actual hope, that the person was still around…but all he found was an impression in a snow pile. The proper owner of the copper likely having just dusted themself off and gotten on with their day after the weird bit of bad luck. 

…pff. Mick shouldn’t have been concerned about how Josie got his money at all. This covered the drinks with some padding. 

Lightly jogging back, Josie gave Mick a sheepish wave, before picking his coffee back up. “...sorry about that. What were we talking about?”

…he…might want to use an ice pack when he got home. Ow.

“...” Ugh, Mick had no right to ask… this was not what he was here for. Josie was barely even his brother, by this point, in any respect other than blood. Mick had lost the right to worry about Josie, let alone scold him– “Why the hells is that still happening to you?” Mick asked, scowling a bit, “Father used to say you’d have control over that by the time you were 16.”

Josie scoffed quietly, flicking snow off the bottom of his cup. “He said a lot of bullshit.” Nevermind that Matthieu was…really the only information Josie ever had about Ruin, though he had learned more about Deity Marks in general. But in Josie’s memory, he remembered their father’s mark activating…constantly. Waving away any little inconvenience that Matthieu could ever have, completely disregarding what that meant for others, and that wasn’t even going into the times he’d used it on purpose…

Josie didn’t regret using his on purpose to save Kaito’s life…but it had been something he’d had to purposefully calm down from once he could actually process it. The fact that, most of the time, Josie could stop Ruin from activating was…amazing, just in its impossibility. Even if Mercy had been equal parts worried about him when she’d said that. 

He supposed practice made perfect, though. 

“Besides,” Josie grinned, the facade sliding back into place, “if I’m striving to be the worst Deity Mark user in existence, I’ve gotta do better than just being three years behind.”

“You’re gonna end up hurting yourself,” Mick said, before scoffing as he sipped at his tea, feeling a headache coming on. Josie never did take anything seriously enough… “If it’s alright for me to move on from a good handful of murder attempts, shouldn’t it be okay to dribble around a sprinkle of bad luck? If you don’t let it build up like that, it doesn’t kill anyone.”

Maybe it had been from desiring the mark when he couldn’t have it, but Mick didn’t actually see the issues in how the Ruin mark was meant to be used. He had just agonized at how often it had seemed to disproportionately affect him growing up with Josie. 

But years of therapy had shown Mick that most of the big things that he had resented Josie’s Ruin for just… couldn’t have possibly been because of Ruin, based on how the magic worked. Ruin didn’t turn their father into a self-centered prick, he had already been like that. Ruin hadn’t killed Mick’s mother, regardless of how Mick might have thought Josie’s birth and her death were connected. He hadn’t been alive, even if her death had led to his life.

And even in a world where luck was literal divine providence…coincidence still happened. As did falls.

Sometimes shitty things just happened.

Josie chuckled lightly, very aware of the absurdity of Mick telling him it was fine to use Ruin. “Look, look, I don’t make myself a death and despair balloon, alright? Unfortunate things happen and it’s all part of the cosmic shake-up--losing some cash or getting splashed by a carriage or dropping a glass isn’t that bad, I know.”

It…still didn’t feel great to know that he very literally was the cause of someone’s misfortune, but…well, like he talked with Mercy about--just…ambiantly? Josie had no way of knowing what sort of bad luck was because of him and what was just shit that happened. And attributing all the suffering in the world to himself was just…incredibly, incredibly stupid. Really, Josie just held Ruin back when he could feel it start to activate, trying to just…do what he could to make the fallout as gentle as possible. 

…man, his back really did hurt. 

“...” Josie side-eyed Mick. “...you think I’m a freak if I laid down in the snow right now?”

Mick sipped his cup, staring dryly back at Josie. “I’m literally here to apologize for ruining your life. Do whatever you want.”

“Sure, sure,” Josie chuckled, veering over to what was usually a rest area. He supposed it still was, even with the snow. Double-checking to make sure he wasn’t about to flop back on a low plant bed or something, Josie hiked up the back of his jacket and shirt and laid down on the snow, eyes squinting a little at the combination shock and relief. “Just warnin’ ya for potential social embarrassment, I guess. Can’t blame ya for not knowing that’s just a given with me.”

“Could you cool down on trash-talking yourself for at least three minutes in a row?” Mick asked, leaning against what he suspected was actually a stone half-wall covered in snow, undisturbed by the cold of it as he looked down at Josie in concern, “It’s like every other sentence 19-year-old me crawls out of your mouth just to flip me the finger and laugh.”

Behind him, there was a little panting, and Mick looked over his shoulder to watch a man jog past him, not bundled up enough for the cold and strong in that ‘careful body sculpting’ way people who didn’t work for a living were. He was notable mostly because his entire back and side was covered in snow, which he seemed determined to ignore the obvious evidence of his fall as he jogged past Mick, avoiding eye contact. 

The man didn’t notice Josie in the snow and Mick didn’t draw attention to it, just watching him go before looking back down to him. “There. Scandal done.”

…he was, wasn’t he? Damn. On regular days Josie tended to get some laughs even from the people that hated hearing him do that but…well, he wasn’t that unself-aware. The more nervous Josie was about something, the worse he talked down to himself. It was an embarrassing giveaway, honestly…

“Evocative imagery,” Josie praised, shifting a little on the snow with a sigh. The real good stuff. 

Josie glanced up, hearing the panting too, but he wasn’t exactly at the right angle to see what was going on, so… “Ah, breathe easy then. Navigated without a hitch, I’d say.”

“...” Josie glanced away, tapping on his cup. “...hey, I’m…sorry. I know you’re gonna say that this just goes however I want it to go, but I kinda feel like I’ve fucked a lot up and I really didn’t want to, like, make you play therapist with me. I just wanted to talk.”

“...alright,” Mick said, placing his tea into the snow mound he was leaning on, before looking down at Josie, “What do you want to talk about? Really? We’ll talk.”

Josie was quiet for a moment, pressing his heels into the snow. “...did you hear anything about how apparently all of Usott passed out at the same time, a little while back?”

“No,” Mick said honestly, patting his pockets, looking for his little box of toothpicks before pulling one out, starting to chew on it, “...happen to you? You alright?”

“I mean, I was here, so, yeah, it happened to me. And I’m fine.” Josie tapped his cup more. “Overview is one night everyone fell asleep. Wouldn’t be shocking, if it hadn’t been literally everyone. I think people only really started figuring out something happened at all because all the night owls and people on graveyard shifts were asleep too.”

“There’s apparently some psychological phenomena that makes this happen so it’s nothing special, but…people have been talking about how they had weird dreams that night too.”

Tap-tap-tap. “...I told you that I’d been having nightmares about the shit you did to me. Like I do every so often. I think I had a dream about you on that night too.”

Josie looked up into the sky. Almost like an imprematura that an artist had decided to leave bare in a final painting, something raw and textured and sincere… “...I remember…a type of dragon, I think. Three-heads, wings like torn ribbons in the breeze… You’d think a dragon would just incinerate you or eat you whole or something, but I remember being…crushed. Slow, deliberate…sloppy, for actually getting a kill. You’ve been the monster under my bed for so damn long…”

Josie’s expression tightened a bit. “...I remember seeing you in that dream and missing you.”

Chew, chew…crunch.

Mick spat out the two ends of the toothpick, reached for another toothpick… “Do you mind if I smoke?”

“Nah.”

Mick pulled out a half-mangled pack, pulling out a crooked cigarette and a light. Lighting up, he went to Josie’s side, before with a small grunt, laying down in the snow next to him. Taking a long drag of his smoke before letting it rest in his hand against his chest. 

He held the smoke for a moment, before lightly blowing it out towards the sky.

“...Josie, I literally cannot fathom what there was about me to miss?” Mick said, tiredly looking at the gray clouds, “Don’t tell me there were ‘moments’. I know there weren’t. I never tried to be a brother to you. If you weren’t scared? All I remember from you is a keen, endless sense of desperation. Like you were a rubber band I kept stretching and stretching and stretching, waiting for the bang of watching you rip…what part of me are you reaching for? I gave you nothing.”

Mick was right, ultimately. All the things that Josie would’ve remembered as moments really…weren’t. The absence of being overtly threatened didn’t make something nice. They had no basis of a good relationship. The time Matthieu had stomped on Josie’s back, demanding that he activate Ruin to get him off, and nothing happening until Josie was coughing up blood…and Mick had sat with him after their father had stormed off until Josie could get up again? Not a moment. 

The time Josie had snuck into Matthieu’s office to glue down everything he could find, and Mick had stood casually by the door ‘not’ playing lookout? Not a moment. 

(...the time one of his friends had suggested going a bit further with their torment of Josie, and Mick had just looked disgusted and told them it was a waste of time? Not a moment…but still something Josie was grateful for.)

There shouldn’t be a damn thing about Mick that Josie missed. And yet?

“...outside of dream logic, I don’t…really know it was you I missed. I know that part of me wanting to reach out was to, like…shine a candle under the bed to show that the monster is just some missing socks. So the fucking…image of you in my mind isn’t just in stasis from one of the worst parts of our lives.”

“...the other part… I don’t know if it was ‘missing’ at all, actually. I guess I wanted to see the person you became and see for myself if… I don’t know.” Josie blew out some air, the fog heavy but still distinct from Mick’s smoke. “...I know I don’t have any reason or…right, really, to know who you are now.”

There was that small burning sound, the twisted cigarette slowly burning to ash in Mick’s grip as he held it for a while, unconcerned by the ash falling against his fingers and knuckles. 

He took a deep, whistling breath, before scoffing, “Who has more of a right than you?”

“I don’t think you comprehend how much of me is defined by what I did to you,” Mick said, glaring with heavy lids at the sky, “And that would be true regardless of how I felt about it. Those were my formative years. The years I was growing up to be the foundation of, just…whoever I was going to end up, at any point in my life. Those teenage years will always be the foundation. What you find when you dig and dig and dig and finally hit the bedrock is the boy who spent his day daydreaming about strangling infants to get a reaction out of his parents. That will always be how I started. If I ignored that and decided it didn’t matter? That’d still be my foundation, and even that choice would define everything I do from now on. It will always, at its root, come back to that.”

“Which is how I know it's the same for you,” Mick said, now taking another breath of his cigarette, needing the comfort, “Maybe a few decades from now it’ll take more digging, or maybe people won’t know what they’re looking for, but everything you do from now on? Will always find a link back to me. And what I did. Our lives always entwined by that foundation. Neither of us can escape that.”

“Me saying I have no right to you maybe even isn’t accurate. But waking up every day reminding myself of that helps me get through the day in a way where I can at least say I’m trying to be better. Moving on from you only gaining meaning because of what happened. It's only a good thing because it makes me better,” Mick said, before glaring at Josie, “But when you say it? It’s a different context. Different meaning. Josie, you can’t escape the foundation that between us, you were a victim in this. Saying you have no right to me doesn’t mean the same thing from the victim as it does the attacker. It doesn’t make you better. It doesn’t make anything better.”

“...ugh, not that I really have ‘the right’ to tell you how you’re supposed to feel about this shit,” Mick grumbled, flicking some ash into the snow before taking another long puff, “...also, what do you mean, ‘one of the’ worst part of our lives? There can’t possibly be a contender. There sure isn’t for me.”

…everyone always had a choice of what to make their future. But people couldn’t escape their pasts any more than a flower could dislodge itself from its roots. 

Josie could grumble all he wanted about Mick doing the thing people always did when they made the unforgivable sin of fucking up, and blaming themselves for it for the rest of their lives, regardless of whatever they did with their lives. …but neither of them could just pretend that nothing had happened. Not really. 

Josie couldn’t set a foot in the sewers. 

A stubborn fool he was, though, Josie still grumbled, “...think what you build on that foundation ends up being more important, in the long run. We’re not carrots, what ends up blooming is more interesting than the root.”

Hearing Mick say that moving on from Josie made him better was…exactly what Josie had worried about in reaching out to Mick in the first place. If dwelling on his brother wasn’t going to be the thing that made Josie better then…why would he choose to make things worse for the both of them?

He sighed a bit. 

Before giving Mick a side-eye for a moment. 

“...I thought I was so fucking smart, setting up the suicide attempt that put me in the hospital. It wasn’t the only time I tried, you know? Just the one that got the furthest.” Josie glared tiredly up at the sky. “...waking up, and seeing my moms cry? Watching as they and my friends realized how disappointed I was to wake up?”

“That was worse than anything you ever did to me.”

“Oh…”

The two laid there for a moment, that depressing note hanging above them. Mick took a smoke of his cigarette. Then, on a whim, he took another, and another, before holding it in his mouth a bit. Glaring at the sky.

And instead of blowing out, he opened his mouth, and the smoke came out in a little ring, before Mick adjusted his jaw, and another little smoke ring came out, floating out towards the large one. Just watching the rings go for a moment. 

“...worse than the time I picked you up and threw you in that drying tar pit and left you there?” Mick asked, almost idly.

Cool… Josie never really had an inclination to pick up smoking, other than taking a hit of a joint at some parties here and there, but smoke tricks really were neat. Ephemeral beauty. 

“You met Kana, right?” Josie asked in response. “Could you even begin to imagine her crying?”

“Never been inclined to try,” Mick said, closing his eyes, “...so you love your family, then?”

“Yeah,” Josie said quietly. 

“...you know, there’s all sorts of stuff you could point to our childhoods and know, like, immediately that it was fucked up,” Josie continued in the same tone. “...there’s a lot more that I never even realized until I’d mention something off hand and people’d look at me like I was crazy.”

“Took me like a year and a half of constantly being on edge before I realized that married people not constantly yelling at each other was, like…normal. And not just a different type of manipulation tactic.”

“Yeah?” Mick said, rubbing his temple a bit, some of the ash flicking into his hairline, “What else about them. All I know about your family is they hate my guts. So, they’ve at least got that going for them. Tell me more.”

Josie snorted softly. “Mamà’s an illustrator. She makes flipbooks, though she’s been working with a producer recently to make an ‘animation’. A lot of her work is self-published--she used to be a model, so when she started releasing her drawings people got really excited to pick up her work. But she’s most interested in, like…naturalistic, little moments. The grace of each movement in someone’s hand as they flick away water, and how the droplets disperse, that kind of stuff.” Josie laughed quietly. “So it’s kind of niche work. But she loves it.”

“Mom’s more pragmatic,” Josie grinned, “And while that’s not hard to be, it’s like she’s swung fully the opposite way. Passion doesn’t balance the books or put food on the table every day; Mom’s the type to keep track of that stuff, and keep other people on track of it too so the more whimsical stuff can even happen. I’m really excited, actually, to see the kind of shit she’s gonna do to promote Mamà’s movie--Mom’s brilliant at advertising.”

“They sound like an ambitious couple,” Mick said, putting one arm behind his head to brace it against the chill of the snow, “And they were good to you? No weird little tests to prove your worth, day to day? No endurance training, or pain management conditionings? Dare I say it, were they nice?”

Josie snorted a laugh, even as he could feel phantom pain through the snow chilling his back. “Sounds absurd, right? I even started believing it after a while.”

Josie smoothed one thumb over the other as he stared at the sky. “When I ask to stay home from school they just…let me? Course we go to a healer, or talk about what to do if I’m in a low, but I don’t have to…prove anything. In the den, we sometimes push the couches together and fill the middle with cushions and blankets and make it this big nest, and…sometimes I just hang out in there while Mamà’s painting and we just…spend time together. And sometimes we’ll talk if I’ve got something in my mind, but we can just…be.”

“...I had a really bad episode a few months ago? My moms came out into a storm to find me, and Mom threatened to sue the fucking prince before they took me back home and it was just…fine. Consequences of my damn actions, sure, but…it was okay.”

“Sounds like a real story,” Mick said, mildly curious what on earth a prince had to do with any of that, but not wanting to get sidetracked by asking. “...so here’s what I don’t get. You finally get away from us. You’re finally around people who actually care about you. Things are finally good… and you miss me? I’m the one you think about fondly?”

“Josie… I know there probably isn’t a rational reason to offer, but…” Mick huffed, “Why?”

“Not fondly,” Josie corrected. “Like…I know what I’ve said, but there’s nothing in me that wants to go back to how things were before. It fucking sucked, and I’ve gotten enough self-respect to never want that again.”

It wasn’t fondness or longing for once was. It was… 

“...I think I was just…pissed off at not having a chance for anything to be different,” Josie mused after a moment, that still not feeling like quite the right words, but maybe getting closer. “Nothing could’ve been different, how we were as kids. But we’re not anymore. And…I could have a chance to even just glimpse at something different if I just…chose to talk to you. So I took it.”

And he supposed he was getting what he wanted. Josie couldn’t imagine something like this ever happening when they were kids.

“Yeah, you were saying something about looking at the monster under the bed and hoping to see socks, or some other metaphor,” Mick said, the distant sound of children in the air. Sounded like they were traveling in a group somewhere, maybe some sort of club trip. “...well? Am I socks? I’m certainly not trying to be a monster, but that’s ultimately not up to me.”

“I think you’re socks, but we’ll see if a fairy whines at me tonight,” Josie hummed cryptically. “But…I think I can safely say you’re not a monster, so we can celebrate your intentions coming through.”

Josie wrestled with his words for a moment before making a decision. “...if you wanted it explicit, I think you have done right by me so…nice big checkmark next to that for you too.”

“Doesn’t feel like I did much,” Mick admitted, “...I’ve been wanting to apologize since I got here. But there’s a lot to apologize for. I wouldn’t know how to start. The plan was to wait for you to show me what you were still most pissed about, and start there. But so far the only person you seem to still be mad at is yourself.”

“...sorry about that, I suppose,” Mick said, the apology feeling lackluster and hollow, though it was sincere. “That’s probably my fault. Got into your head that you’re worthless.” 

Josie’s eyes widened a little. It was probably what everyone was expecting, if only in the ‘he better apologize’ sort of way, but…it didn’t occur to Josie at all that Mick would apologize to him. And that sort of…stalled his brain for a bit. 

He tapped his cup a little. “...people keep getting frustrated with me when I say I’m not angry at you,” Josie admitted. “But I’m really…not. I’m pissed at our parents, I’m pissed at gods and the concept of gods and fate and all that nonsense, and, yeah, I’m pissed with myself. But as much as I blame you for helping make my life a nightmare…I’m not mad about it.”

“My brain’s just broken that way, I guess. My friends get pissed I don’t get mad at them either.”

“...maybe you’re just not ready for it,” Mick said, though he frowned as he said it, not entirely sure where he was going with it. “Maybe the anger will come later.”

“I still get angry,” Mick admitted, “About all sorts of things. Sometimes nothing at all. Sometimes I just feel it start to build during quiet moments, this…offense. At the world. Our family. The people around us. Even you, sometimes. Though never for good enough reasons.”

“A lot of times I’m just angry at myself,” Mick said, “But I’m not sure the anger would come at all if I didn’t already have this layer of pride to fuel it with. I think maybe one leads to the other. I don’t know if you can get angry without pride…and considering you’re actively going around pissing people off to feel worse about yourself? Maybe you just don’t have enough pride yet, to feel the anger.”

“So maybe that’s a ‘someday’ thing,” Mick said, “I can wait for it.”

So much of what Josie remembered about his brother was anger. And Josie had always thought it was justified, if later realizing the anger towards him was misplaced. Any time Josie could remember being angry as a kid was just…being pissed about how he had never chosen to be born. How his existence wasn’t his fault. He supposed that wasn’t the greatest basis for other types of anger. 

Josie sighed softly. “We’ll see how another decade does. Though I’m a little worried about everyone thinking I’m sick if I suddenly start taking myself seriously. Maybe I’ll just settle for being less of a masochist.”

“Maybe so…”

Mick sighed, sitting up, looking back down at Josie. “...I’m gonna hold off apologizing. I’m gonna wait until you want an apology. It feels shitty, to offer one right now when it seems to be the last thing on your mind. Feels like I’m robbing you in the future the chance to demand it from me.”

“Or you can demand it now,” Mick shrugged, “I just don't want to force it on you.”

…aw. The snow was actually starting to numb his back now, it was getting nice… But that was probably a good sign to actually start making progress on the whole ‘don’t be a masochist’ thing. Sitting up, Josie brushed snow off himself. The Mark of Ruin stark on his lower back, glimmering slightly with reds and blacks. 

“Well, I’d like an apology for trying to kill me, I’ll definitely take that now,” Josie half-grinned at Mick, “Though I reserve the right to ask for another once my anger balls finally drop.”

Mick smiled lightly at that… before he sighed, looking away a moment. Collecting himself as he put out his cigarette into the snow, pocketing the bud.

This part Mick had thought about a lot. For years. What he’d say as an apology. For…for everything, sure, but especially for trying to kill Josie. Too many times. More than once. Once. 

He had made a thousand speeches in his head. Some trying to explain himself. Trying to explain his mentality. Some angry. Some insisting it wasn’t fair, blaming everyone and everything around him. Angry, self indulgent daydreams. Others filling him with such regret and shame that even when just imagining the speech, he’d have started to quietly cry to himself, imagining a disgusted or disturbed or unimpressed Josie as he bore his soul to him, begging for forgiveness. Sometimes receiving. Most of the time not.

Mick had only found out what Josie looked like today. Josie had always looked like a 10-year-old in those daydreams. Mick apologizing back when all of it would have meant something.

Mick started to roll the snow in front of him into a pile. 

He rolled it into roughly a log, or a loaf of bread. He studied his hands for a moment, putting one hand on the loaf, then another right in front of that one, then a third, moving the back hand to the front. And carving a more narrow space between the main part of the roll and the now smaller roll. 

It was a decent enough size. Close enough to make his point.

Mick looked Josie dead in the eye, and pointed to the figure he had made, laid out. “You were this size, the first time I tried to kill you.”

“Three hands large. I remember thinking of it like that, watching you be held by your mother. You were three of her hands large, just slightly too big for her to cradle between her hands easily. You were still barely nothing of a person, a brand new little…thing. That could be cradled in one arm, easily. You couldn’t move any. You could barely open your eyes.”

“I walked into the nursery, fully intending to push over your crib. I was going to push it, and just hope for the best. See what happens to a newborn infant if you just throw it onto the ground. You were,” Mick said, pointing to the loaf, “this big. With a puffy little face, who could barely open his eyes…”

“...but you just barely managed, and I lost my nerve, when you looked at me,” Mick said, reaching down to push his thumb into the ‘head’ of the little snowbaby. One eye. Then two. Carved into the snow. “...that big. With little eyes, unable to comprehend what I even was. Entirely helpless, and still managing to save yourself with just a gaze.”

“I want you to look at this, and understand me when I say this,” Mick said, glaring at Josie, “There was no excuse. Nothing. That could have justified me going into that room to push you onto the ground. You were a couple of handfuls big. And I wanted to kill you for ‘ruining my life’. Something that could barely open its eyes. You had barely been alive by that point. Nothing was your ‘fault’. You were helpless.”

“And I… I will always regret, putting my hands on that crib, ready to push it,” Mick said, gaze darkening, “I will always regret that it was fear, instead of compassion, that sent me running. I couldn’t even handle the judging gaze of an infant. I knew what I was doing was wrong. I wasn’t confused, or misguided. I ran to escape the judgment of the baby I wanted to kill. That I tried to kill, over and over, after that. That I terrorized. That I ruined, because I couldn’t learn the damn lesson I needed to learn that first damn time I failed…”

“I’m sorry. And I’m sorry that no apology will ever be enough,” Mick said, staring at Josie, “I was a mean, sadist of a child who took everything out on you. And I knew it was wrong from the very start. And I didn’t change anyway. And I’m sorry it took so much fixing me, before I could even start to be the sort of brother you should have had from the start. I’m sorry.”

Josie had never been told, but he’d guessed a thousand times that Mick had likely tried to kill him when he was a baby. It had been one of the more confusing things when Josie was thinking it through, because…how do you mess up killing a baby? Sometimes he thought that maybe their parents had just been around too much, but that always felt like a hollow guess at best. 

Hearing it confirmed was a messed up twinge of smugness, “happy” to be proved right. 

Josie looked at the little snowbaby Mick made. He had been three hands long. …and Mick had been 7. Having just lost his mom, having… Honestly Josie had no idea how his birth had been explained to Mick. Maybe all along their father had been planning to have a ‘proper heir’. Maybe…it had been an idea of a family trying to move on from tragedy, making something new, which would’ve already been hard for Mick. But…getting a new little brother, and having his whole fucking life dismissed in the same breath. 

The anger made sense. The answer of that anger being to kill him didn’t.

Josie felt the back of his eyes start to burn as his brother described being chased away by Josie’s uncomprehending judgment. Having that be the start of years and years of…Josie being told about his own power, and resenting it, and…actually being helpless in all the ways that actually mattered. Years of calling out to Mick, for help, when he had already turned away, running from the reality of what he was trying to do. 

Swallowing thickly, Josie nodded, quiet for a few moments, before quietly getting out in a shuddering breath, “...thanks, Mick.”

Mick picked up the baby head, and with a frown, threw it at Josie’s chest. “What’d I say about thanking me?”

“Oh shut up,” Josie scoffed wetly, “I don’t forgive you, so I’m not gonna say that. I can be glad you apologized, let me have this.”

“Hmmm…” Mick huffed, nodding as he leaned back onto his hands, back to sky-gazing, “Fair enough. Suppose bullying you into accepting the apology in the ‘right’ way would be pretty shitty too. You know what, sure, I’m feeling generous today. You get an apology for that too. Sorry.”

“Damn,” Josie breathed, starting to feel a little embarrassed by how hot his face was getting, “Wonder who’s tumbling into a snow pile for that? Truly blessed to get that sort of generosity.”

Mick smirked, amused by the joke–until they both heard a loud shout. Mick looking genuinely startled as he glanced over his shoulder, a low groan as he heard someone in the distance clearly recovering from another fall, with a small murmur from them going “Shit, again?”

“...okay, but was that a coincidence, or does your ruin mark have a sense of humor all of the sudden?” Mick whispered to Josie.

Josie looked over in shock as well before sighing, a disgruntled twist settling into his face for a moment before he just shook it off. 

“If I’m right in recognizing that voice? Then it might be bully humor,” Josie whispered back, grim amusement in his eyes. “At least I know who to give this money back to later.”

“Know ‘em? Well…maybe that’s our sign to get up and out of the snow anyway. You and I should grab another hot drink, laying in the cold isn’t great for either of us,” Mick said, standing up and stretching his back a bit… before, with some hesitation, offering Josie a hand up.

“Don’t we intimately know that,” Josie snorted, before smiling softly and taking the offered hand, getting up. He stretched a little, cracking his back. He was numbed out enough that it wasn’t exactly hurting anymore, but there was the kind of discomfort that Josie knew something would be waiting for him later. 

“You like the place we went before, or wanna try another? I’ve really got an endless list.”

“You can pick, I don’t have a preference. Gray Earl Tea tasted fine, but my next one might be more ambitious,” Mick said, putting his hands into his pockets and looking around, “Might really expand my horizons. Try something crazy. Like…maybe a mocha.” Mick snorted. 

Josie whistled low, impressed (and…astounded. Micklaighn had just made a joke. With him!). “Daaaaaamn, okay? Mister Adventurous today! I’ll pick a place sure to serve that kind of palette well, then.”

“Hmmmm,” Josie playfully hummed, “Then, to drink on His Highness’ silver… If we’re going with WWKD then I’d say yes, since people can’t escape Kaito buying them food.”

Mick raised an eyebrow, following Josie as they, very noticeably, headed in the opposite direction to where they had heard the crash. “...WWKD?” Mick asked, before he considered the context, “...what would Kaito do? You don’t mean the Luminary prince? Is his name Kaito?”

Mick was genuinely asking. One aspect of living his life more or less in the woods was that news was basically whatever went around the rumor mill, if Mick didn’t feel like picking up a newspaper for himself. Living outside of Usott, the royal weddings were little more than gossip or interesting tabloids to him. If you had asked him what either of the new princes’ names were, he wouldn’t have been able to tell you either of them, only remembering the heir apparent’s. 

Then he recalled his earlier curiosity about the story of suing a prince. “Wait, do you know the royal family?” Mick asked, genuinely surprised, “...are you into politics after all? I would have thought our family history would have soured it for you.”

Josie nodded casually, still feeling a little playful about it before he pulled a disgusted face. “No, you’re right. Couldn’t pay me to get into politics. But I do know the royal family, sorta.” 

Gesturing with one hand, Josie explained, “Two of my kouhai got into some trouble and were having it handled by the royal family, so I kiiiiind of know them that way. Like, as much as I needled Arven into being an in to see the new temple in the castle when it was finished, and Kaito happened to be there too. And having, like, literally have said hello before, I asked him and Kokichi a bit about Luminary art and religion ‘n shit.”

“Then,” Josie rolled his eyes with a sigh, though there was a hint of a smirk on his face, “When I got into that trouble I mentioned before? Kaito was the one who found me while I was having that episode. Dude is like the most dad dad to ever dad, so he tried to be like, hey champ, what’s up, and I went off on him. We saw a kelpie together.”

“I did apologize for it, eventually,” Josie shrugged, before looking sheepish, “And…I actually talked with him about reaching out to you. Turns out people are right about going to the royal family to sort out problems, who would’ve thought?”

Ah. That explained why they were dodging him, then. Not that Mick really wanted to add any new dynamics to this already precarious situation, but basically everyone who loved Josie? Or, hells, liked him? Hated Mick. 

“I imagine he’d have some things to say, then, if we ran into him,” Mick mused, mostly worried about being chastised for Leaving the Neutral Zone. They really were supposed to be at the hotel lounge. It should have been a quick conversation that let Josie escape back into the world while Mick just went upstairs, back into his hotel room. They weren’t supposed to be having talks burrowed in the snow, or on apparently a cafe-crawl. 

“...it’s odd to think about sometimes. That you just have this whole life.” Mick admitted, “I’ve always pictured you as around 10, when I picture you. Maybe 14, if I was being ambitious. But you’re not. You’re grown. I’m looking right at you and it’s still a bit hard to fathom.”

“Probably, but Kaito would have things to say if he saw me no matter what. He’s that type.” Josie shrugged, before sighing a little at himself. His voice softening. “I think he’d cry if we mentioned you apologized to me.”

Kaito had mentioned that was all he wanted from the people that hurt him. Or at least the beginning of the list. That Josie had gotten one, with an open invitation for more later? He had a hunch Kaito would be really happy for him. 

…Josie was glad that he’d reached out. 

Snorting softly, Josie gave Mick a grin. “I think I can relate, though it’s probably weirder for you. I always pictured you still struggling with acne, but I really can’t tell if you’ve gotten taller or I just did and the perspective’s all off.”

Josie readjusted his scarf, looking ahead. “...I’d hoped you made friends, wherever it was you went. I’m glad you did.” Josie grinned through a light wince. “...and that they sound a lot cooler than the friends you had when we were kids.”

“Oh, yeah, that crowd,” Mick sighed, looking around warily. Like he was expecting Nicolaus, Amer, Joakim, or Larry would just ‘appear’, summoned by thinking of them. “As far as I’m aware, those four just disappeared off the planet, once I was put into solitary for that year. By the time I was allowed to travel again, I was pretty over them. Doubled down on that when none of them ever reached out to me after either.”

“I know I have no real room to talk, but I just attracted opportunists and sadists. Not real friends.” Mick frowned, glaring at the distance. “...it’s not a redeeming thing. But maybe it’d make you happy to know that I did beat the absolute tar out of Larry once, near the end. Was looking at you in a funny way.”

“...” Mick scowled, spitting on the floor, before pulling out a toothpick to chew on, “Didn’t entirely understand what I was getting a sense of back then, or why it pissed me off so much. Now that I’ve got hindsight of age? Wish I had knocked out his front teeth. Might still be inclined to if I ever see him again.”

Josie nodded a bit, hints of genuine uneasiness going through his body language as they recalled the part of Josie’s nightmare that was outside the home. He hadn’t necessarily expected Mick to, but…he was relieved he hadn’t called him ‘princess’ at all during this. 

Look, sure, Josie was a slut now, but knowing what could’ve happened with a different roll of the dice…

Josie gave Mick a brief, surprised look, before smiling softly. “It does, actually. I was a little busy, yanno, recovering from hypothermia and pneumonia, then being a colossal shit to my case-workers and moms, but…I really don’t remember seeing them since. I just take it as a good thing.”

That was why it wasn’t a ‘redemption’ moment. Mick had been pissed at Larry’s weirdness to his freak kid brother, and after having a blow up fight with him about it, had gone on, pissed as all hell, and pulled the snow stunt. 

Josie might be surprised, but Mick wasn’t traumatized by the reminder of snow. 

In Mick’s mind, that had just been the latest in a long series of stunts. Just the one that had finally exposed the whole plot for what it was, had forced people to intervene. There had been one baffling moment when he was 25 and explaining to someone what had happened, and he couldn’t remember which murder attempt had been the one to get him caught. Had sat there for 20 minutes, just wracking his brain, trying to recall if it had been…the well, no, the… that time on the roof, no… before eventually he had snapped his fingers and said out loud, “The snow storm!”

And then he had spent the rest of the week feeling like shit for not remembering. 

“I imagine they knew the game was up.” Mick said, “I’m a bit relieved to hear they didn’t stay a problem for you afterwards.”

“That, and I had a good protection detail for a while,” Josie chuckled softly, “But…yeah. Better that they just didn’t start anything at all.”

Quiet for a moment, Josie shook his head with a huff. “Perspective’s weird. I’d basically just resigned myself to the fact that everyone at school ‘n shit knew what had happened back then, and that it was all just a Josie Fact.” He rolled his eyes a little. “A guy I’ve been going to school with through all of that and since didn’t even know I was adopted when we talked a few months ago. Really makes it feel smaller than it all felt like before.”

Getting into the new cafe, Josie peeled off one of his gloves briefly, rooting around in his pocket for the copper he’d shoved in before.

“Bit of a cliche to say, but we’re only the main characters of our own story,” Mick murmured, a tad distracted glancing down at Josie’s hand. Frowning at the scars.

…was that one of his? No, right? He was pretty sure nothing he had done had scarred his hands…

As they collected their drinks, they sat down inside this time, because it was warm inside and it was cold out there. Settling into their booth, Mick tasted at his mocha, peering at Josie. “...the hands weren’t me, were they?”

As much as he did like the cold, it was nice to stay somewhere warm for a bit. As Josie let his Hot Doc cool a little, he blew on his hands and then folded his fingers over his ears a little, hoping to thaw out his piercings a little. Josie knew better than to put in metal in freezing weather, but they were still cold.

So he looked a little silly, looking up at Mick in surprise before slowly bringing his hands down, showing off a palm for a second. “The well,” he answered, shrugging a little. 

…ah. Right. 

Mick’s face fell a little, looking away uncomfortably. Right, that’s right, that had been him. Well, no need to be squeamish about it now. He certainly hadn’t been when he had literally pushed his kid brother into a damn 10 foot hole in the ground. 

“...that was a particularly bad one,” Mick said softly.

Josie chuckled softly, looking at one scar that wrapped around the side of his thumb. “Yeah. That and the snowstorm are the ones that get me the worst.” 

He suddenly snorted. “You ever hear about that big horror book that came out a few years ago? I think I had like literally a dozen people come over to warn me against reading it. Called, uh…Rings, or something.”

Mick shook his head. “Let me guess. Someone trapped in a well?”

Mick paused, before musing, “A few years ago, we were sharing frightening stories around the firepit. Wasn’t the first or last time we did it, and I never offered a story that wasn’t just a joke. Nothing ever really got to me, except for this one time, where someone went into detail describing someone being trapped in a cave-in…I don’t know why it made me think of the well. But I remember this deep sense of nausea as I listened…”

“...hmm,” Mick hummed, closing his eyes and sipping his mocha, “Did you end up reading the book?”

Josie hummed confirmation. “Main plot is about this death curse, and there’s a big reveal that the ghost doin’ the cursing was a little girl that died in a well. But apparently there’s a ton of foreshadowing and hints about it the whole book before.”

He winced a little, hearing how much it affected Mick too. Josie would never expect the same degree, but…well, Mick hadn’t been separated from everything he’d done to Josie. That had been a Very Big Thing about it, as they’d just talked about. 

“I thought about it,” Josie hummed. “Not even really for exposure therapy or anything, just wanted to make myself upset. But…ultimately I didn’t. One of my friends is really big into horror so she just summarized it for me once when we were hanging out.”

He laughed softly. “She said she was glad I didn’t read it, since apparently some of the descriptions are, like…upsettingly evocative, even for someone without that exact trauma.”

“Mmm, I’ve…” Mick frowned, looking away, reconsidering what he was about to say… before slowly saying, “I’ve heard good things about that sort of way of dealing with this stuff. But, honestly, it’s just hearsay I’ve heard of. Would it be shocking to know I’m not the only one running to the wood communities looking to escape a past?”

“We share stories sometimes. Things that helped, things that didn’t. Anyway… you know what, nevermind. Advising you on ‘what would help’ feels like a balancing act that I wouldn’t handle well. In truth, Josie, I’m going to be leaving today with the nagging fear that no matter how well this goes, that just the act of talking to you is gonna hurt you today. Like you’ll be holding back all the shitty feelings until after I’m gone, and I’m just leaving you to deal with all of that.”

“So, fuck ancedotes or what worked for which friend, just…take care of yourself today, alright?” Mick frowned, “Make sure you do the things you know work. No one wants to see you hurting from this.”

“Call me a lightning rod because I am totally shocked,” Josie laughed, looking amused in the sort of calm way that said he wasn’t shocked at all. Not everyone who ended up in secluded communities was running from something! But a lot of people were. And while Josie believed that there were good stories about exposure therapy working…considering how he constantly prodded his own buttons to self-harm, it wasn’t a method he was recommended. 

That lighthearted sarcasm soon faded from Josie, though, as he gave his brother a small, genuine smile. Hearing Mick tell him to take care of himself? It was almost 20 years too late. 

It was just in time for today. 

“The shittiness is part of it,” Josie said softly, shrugging a little, “But it’s not all of it. And when we head our separate ways, I’m not going to be dealing with…well, anything alone. And I can’t stop your shittiness any more than you can stop mine, but…for the other stuff?”

That genuine smile got a little bigger. “...I’m glad that we’re talking today.”

-

A very nice older woman, seeing Kaito looking a little defeated as he inspected the bottom of his shoes, coated in snow, had told him to hold off on a bench as she set off. She had come back with a towel and, to Kaito’s surprise, a good nail file, gifting both to him before sitting and showing him how to add some traction to his shoes with the nail file that would make his trip home less slippery. 

Kaito had enthusiastically thanked her, and had settled in to work on his shoes, still sitting on the bench as he worked on his other shoe now. Lightly but consistently running the nail file over his soles, not hard enough to thin them, but enough to give the bottom of his shoes more textures to catch themselves on the ice beneath the snow. 

It was a neat trick! Kaito didn’t know if it worked yet, but he felt good about his odds as he worked on his heels. Finding the act of the small, repetitive task soothing by itself, though, buuuur, it was chilly with only one shoe on.

While Josie played up just taking Kaito’s money for his own, well, maybe talking with Mick really was inspiring a change of heart. Who would’ve thought that anything could make him be less of a twat~?

…he didn’t control who Ruin hit, not like that, and he did feel bad for getting Kaito twice. So after parting from Mick, Josie had picked up another coffee before heading out, soooort of heading back home, but…ah. 

“Working on some traction?” Josie called out, helping himself to the free space on the bench. “Though doing this outside is a little ballsy.”

Kaito startled–he could really get lost in his head when doing an easy, repetitive task, the world sort of faded out when he was deep in one of such tasks–at Sudden Josie, looking up and then over at where Josie had sat down with a frown, before suddenly lighting up. “Oh, Josie! Nice to see you, how’s the…” 

Kaito thought back. Arven had mentioned Josie was working on some project or another for school, it having come up because Arven had donated some sort of little statue his disappeared mother had sent some ways back for the project. “...the little monkey statue project going? Arven told me about it, the project work out alright?”

“And, yeah, these shoes are new and I wasn’t thinking about how well they’d do in the snow.” Kaito shrugged, showing Josie his work, “Turns out, not great. But this nice lady showed me this trick, so I’m giving it a shot. And the cold isn’t hitting me too bad yet. I run a little hot, so I get a little bit of a buffer in Dicea weather before it starts, like, killing me.” Kaito chuckled…before suddenly looking grim, “Give it another month. Then I’ll be frozen. I do not understand how people live in Dicea during the deep winter, I basically just plant myself in front of the fire and don’t move.”

Kaito suddenly laughed, “Sorry, I’m babbling. What are you doing out here, kid?”

Josie hummed approvingly. “Okay, so don’t looked too shocked or it’ll break my heart, but I do finish schoolwork every now and then. The project went well, I was comparing, like…non-huge-funded, personal carvings from around the world--not architecture, or the huge stuff an artist would get commissioned for for months, but like, something a hobbyist might do, or a personal idol someone might make for worship, that kind of stuff. Actually being able to have a physical piece to examine was incredible, Arven really did me a solid.”

Peeking over at Kaito’s shoes, Josie examined them for a moment. The traction didn’t look horrible but…well, adding to it the way Kaito was doing wouldn’t hurt them. So it was fine in the end. Even more if Kaito wasn’t freezing. 

Laughing a little, Josie agreed, “Hey, that’s a legitimate strategy. Not everyone’s a little snow slut like me, and even I can’t resist the cozy allure of a fireside cuddle. Still,” he shrugged a little and offered the coffee…and a handful of copper, though he wasn’t expecting Kaito to take them from him this moment, “I brought some back-up for ya. Don’t underestimate the creeping chill.”

“Why would I be surprised? You’re a smart kid, you seem more than capable of doing your work.” Kaito said, nodding along with Josie’s explanation as the kid explained what the point of the project was, humming in interest at the appropriate moments as he worked on the ends a little before deciding, yep! That’d do it. 

Putting on his shoe, Kaito pocketed the nail file and adjusted the towel around himself, glancing over at Josie with a curious look at the ‘slut’ comment, turning that over in his mind… before getting a bit distracted at the offer of coffee and… “Oh! You found them!” 

Kaito took the coffee, before holding his hand out for the copper, explaining, “How’d you know they were mine? I tripped earlier today and realized I had lost my pocket change. When I went back to the place I fell to see if I could find them, I fell in the same damn spot,” Kaito chuckled, pocketing the coin, “That was literally gonna be my ‘treat myself to coffee’ money, so you just made my day, seriously. I’m right, right? You found these in the snow? Did you guess they were mine because I’m covered in snow?” Kaito asked, snickering.

“Well, I was talking with my brother and we happened to hear a familiar voice make some very ‘falling into snow’ sounds and bemoan about it happening again, so…” Josie shrugged with a grin. “When I found the change, it didn’t seem hard to put together. And who doesn’t like a hot drink on a day like today? Please don’t fuss about me not literally having one right now, if I have another cup I’m gonna piss myself before I get back home.”

Kaito choked mid-sip of his coffee, it going straight up his nose and over his upper lip, Kaito sputtering and spitting up the hot beverage over oh no, his nice sweater! 

Kaito looked in a panic down at the coffee stain on his running sweater, taking his towel and dabbing over it as he groaned, “Shoot, I asked the palace stylist to pick out a new set of workout clothes for me this winter. They’re gonna kill me…ah well, what!?” Kaito sputtered, wiping his chin with the towel as he gapped at Josie, “Your brother!? You did it, really!?”

Kaito paused, realizing this conversation must have just happened, if they heard him falling all over himself earlier… before his brow suddenly furrowed, very serious. “Do you need me to go beat the shit out of him?”

Josie snorted, cooing, “Aw, bad luck~” before he leaned over to scoop up a little snow. Gently, he paused, giving Kaito both a warning and waiting for consent before pulling out his sweater a little and patting the snow against the stain. It wouldn’t get everything out, but it would make laundry a little easier later. And considering how much Kaito had fallen today, he probably should wash his workout clothes anyway.

However, as Kaito caught onto the very obvious crumb Josie had laid out--like a whole loaf, really--his grin turned more sheepish. “No; please don’t, actually. It…”

His expression softening, Josie gave a small smile. “...it went really well. And I think any white knighting come-uppance would just make me feel kind of shitty.”

“...he apologized to me, Kaito. Like a real, sincere, good apology.” Josie let out a short, quiet laugh. “With a promise for more later when I’m ready for them.”

Kaito gave Josie a slack-jawed, wide-eyed look of surprise, adjusting the towel around his shoulders as he gapped at Josie… before he pulled his leg up onto the bench beneath him, adjusting his seat to be face directly at Josie, his arm using the back of the bench to steady himself as he said, “No he didn’t.” 

“...did he!?” Kaito asked, sounding absolutely gobsmacked, before sounding incredulous again, “No…okay, tell me exactly what happened. It wasn’t, like…” Kaito frowned, “It wasn’t like a sarcastic thing? One of those head-fuck ‘gotchya’ moments? You’re sure? Tell me what happened.”

Josie chuckled a bit, this type of reaction wholly predictable, but in a great way. Bringing up one of his legs as well to turn and mirror Kaito and fully face him, Josie started to recount. “So, a little while ago, I finally pulled myself together enough to send him a letter…”

Josie explained all about the letters he and Mick had sent to each other, and the hoops they went through to set up this meeting. About seeing Mick for the first time in nearly ten years, and the weird perception of size, and the sick-ass scar his brother’d gotten. About…how apparently Mick had wanted to apologize from the outset, but hadn’t wanted to steal Josie’s intent and catharsis from him, so he waited for the anger he’d expected…only to not really find it. Josie, a little sheepishly, talked about how he had just wanted to talk to Mick more, and had fumbled quite a lot of the conversation, but…had also gotten around to exactly what he wanted, the two of them really talking about their childhood, and then…

Mick had apologized. Josie asking for one, despite his lack of anger and feeling to a right of Mick’s life, and Mick’s incredulousness at that…but him apologizing. Josie actually teared up a little again, even just vaguely describing what the apology actually was, but his grin was bright through heavy breaths, just…overjoyed to get something he thought he’d never have. 

“So…yeah. We kept talking at that cafe for a bit, and we’re still gonna write ‘n shit, but…yeah. That’s the story.”

“Holy shit,” Kaito whimpered, chewing at the end of the towel a bit, eyes swimming, “Huh. That’s…honestly, that’s incredible. Yeah, you’re right, all of that sounds really sincere. Huh.” 

“Shit, man, I’m really happy for you.” Kaito sighed, after taking a moment to think about it, resting his head on his arms, imagining that whole conversation in his head, which, dammit, just made him feel more emotional as Kaito let out a little shuddering breath, “...man, that had to have been so scary for both of you. Ugh, sorry, give me a second,” Kaito said, rolling his eyes a bit as he sipped at his coffee, trying to give himself a chance to swallow down the sniffles. Pull it together, Kaito, stop crying at the damn park. “...how does it feel? I mean…” Kaito gave Josie a searching look, “Did it help? Don’t get me wrong, it sounds like it went amazingly, but… I dunno. It doesn’t erase what happened, but did getting some closure with him help with the memories at all? Shit, maybe it’s too soon to ask that, this just happened.” Kaito said, rolling his eyes again as he palmed at his cheeks a bit, pushing the tears aside. 

Josie chuckled, feeling the burning in his eyes as well and needing the moment Kaito needed as well to just…absorb. If ask who he wanted to tell about meeting with his brother first, Josie probably would’ve put Kaito waaaaaay down the list…but in some ways he was glad the prince had been around. This was a good way to see just…how he felt like telling the story. 

And, well. While he normally wouldn’t have told Kaito first, he still wanted to tell him. For this exact kind of understanding and reaction. 

“I dunno if I’d really say it was scary, but I was nervous as the hells, yeah,” Josie laughed. “It’s so weird. Mick should be the last person in the world I should have to prove anything to, but I just…wanted this to go alright so badly.”

Shaking his head a little, Josie gave a half-shrug. “I told him too, I think I just have to wait to see how my psyche’s gonna take this all in, but right now?” He smiled softly. “...it feels good.”

“I spent my whole childhood believing I was the worst thing that happened to Mick, and even if I could recognize, like, cognitively, that that wasn’t true as I got older…it still felt that way sometimes, you know? Hearing him talk about it from his end…” Josie shook his head gently. “It’s still awful stuff. I’m never going to, like, not have been traumatized. But…I don’t know. It feels a little easier to…let go? Or maybe that’s not quite right, but…I dunno. To not dwell on as heavily, without just ignoring what happened.”

Josie shrugged again, looking down warmly, even as he made himself a little smaller. “My brother and I can have a civil, fulfilling conversation together, and we can even joke about things. We’re not the people we were when we were kids, even if that’ll always be a part of us, but…that growth…that’s amazing. Like the past really is just…the past, not something that clings and seeps and…you drag with you through the present.”

“I think I get all of that, yeah. There’s something to talking to someone and seeing all the ‘human’ sides of them. And as awful as it can be to, like, take that risk of them still being awful to you…actually, no,” Kaito shook his head, huffing, “Even when they still are awful. Because sometimes they are! Confronting them can make them way less intimidating, because, hey! You were capable of confronting them, and walked away, and that means you’re not actually helpless…”

“But being brave enough to do the confronting is still, like, most of it.” Kaito decided after a moment, grinning at Josie, “That was really brave. Damn near heroic, I’d say! Don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad that your brother didn’t make it an absolutely miserable experience for you, but you should be so damn proud of what you put into this on your end! That was brave! You’re tough as hellfire! If you can confront him, you can take on anything!”

Kaito was practically bouncing in his seat, clearly a little caught up in his admiration for what Josie had just done… before he flushed, looking a little self-conscious as he forced himself to settle down, “I mean, that’s just what it looks like to me. I’m really glad this is something you didn’t have to regret…”

Kaito sipped his coffee… before his brow furrowed, “Where are your mothers? Your moms must be terrified right now. Like, don’t get me wrong, thanks for checking on me after noticing I face-planted a few times, but if I was your parent, I’d be pacing a hole in the floor right now. You should really go put them at ease.”

Kaito laughed lightly, looking sheepish, “Sorry, I’m not trying to rush you away. I actually really do enjoy hearing how things are going for you, you’re interesting to talk to. But my parent instincts are screaming at me right now that I should hurry you along.”

“Seeing that they’re just socks,” Josie nodded in sage agreement. Again, he’d known logically that his brother was just a person, but it had been almost impossibly difficult to really feel that way. To not have him built up as this emblem of anger and hate at an unfair world, both Josie’s tormentor and guiding martyr. Seeing and learning about the things that just made Mick a person? It helped solidify the image of him in Josie’s brain, the edges sharpening enough that the blur couldn’t grow out of control. 

“Hey, I’ll take that,” Josie winked, “Could I get it in writing? I’d like a physical bravery permit to show off whenever someone calls me a wimp.”

Chuckling a little, Josie looked out onto the street with amusement. “To be honest, I had to really put on my debating suspenders to get to do this at all without a chaperone. As you might be able to empathize, my moms didn’t want me going anywhere near Mick without backup. But…well, I told you all the set up we did. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if they were hiding out nearby to spy on me.”

Josie rolled his eyes. “Embarrassing, really. Kinda made a fool of myself a few times.”

Kaito, immediately, looked around to see if he could spot the women spying. Because, yeah. That’d be what he’d do too. Not spotting them did not dissuade him from the idea: yeah, still, probably around.

And while Josie entirely meant it by Kaito empathizing as a parent, his stomach still squeezed with a small amount of anxious grief. Briefly, for a moment, thinking of his own parents, and how… no. He couldn’t really relate. 

…Kaito let out a breath, banishing the thought from his mind. He didn’t need parents! He was a grown man with kids of his own! He was 24, dammit! Practically an elder! 

Chuckling a little at himself–he wasn’t entirely unselfaware of how god damn young he was–Kaito raised an eyebrow at Josie, “I’m sure none of it was as bad as you’re picturing. Why, where do you think you flubbed it? And keep in mind if it’s not ‘face planting in the same snow pile twice’ then I’m not going to be impressed, slapstick-wise. Gotta get up pretty early in the day to be that comically clumsy.” Kaito smirked.

Josie let out a long, bemoaning sigh, deflating his whole body sideways onto the back of the bench. “...I kinda freaked out a few times. Some, like, personal stuff was inevitable to get into, ‘cause it was related to our mutual shit, but I kinda let slip stuff that’s alllll me and that he really didn’t need to know about. Or be put in a position to have to step away from feeling obligated to play therapist with. And…”

Josie sent Kaito a look, his expression not hardening, but serious in its own way. “I’m not gonna get into it, but there’s some…family stuff. And because of it, I literally sprinted away from him at one point. And, like, he knows, so he absolutely got why I was doing it, so I wasn’t just being a little freakazoid, but it still felt ridiculous to me.”

He shrugged a little. “Not a big deal, but just…embarrassing.”

Kaito put his hands up in humble surrender, “If you’re not gonna get into the family stuff, I’m not going to ask. You are safe and sound and thriving, which officially lets me off the hook for being incredibly prying into your problems for your own safety.” Kaito paused, before putting his hands down, grabbing his coffee again as he shrugged, “Trust me, that distinction is important, I have been focusing so much therapy time on figuring out why I keep literally chasing down traumatized kids I stumble across. Can I just say, you little assholes have really interrupted the work I was doing on figuring out my place as a practically comic book version of an ultra-wealthy prince in an environment that doesn’t accommodate that anymore. It was important! You all derailed that, like, months ago!”

…then Kaito chuckled, looking genuienly amused at himself as he sipped his coffee, smirking over the cup lid, “You were saying something about finding yourself oversharing? What a weird habit. Can’t relate. Also, I noticed you did not put the ‘don’t ask’ warning on that particular topic.”

Josie snickered a bit. “Hey, at least we’re keeping you busy? It’s not like you’re married with kids in a position where all eyes are on you, right? So you absolutely need things to fill up otherwise totally empty therapy time, for sure.”

He then sent Kaito a dry, amused look. “My brother didn’t need to learn about my sex life, and I doubt a different, unrelated 20-something needs to pry either.”

“I mean, that’s true.” Kaito admitted, shrugging a little, “Just so long as you’re talking about it to someone. And, while I’m actually not that much older than you? Like… I’m very conscious that in Dicea? Me talking casually to you about that is creepy. Though, I do have some strong opinions on what it means about giving someone the sex talk. Like…I have no idea in practice what you all’s sex ed is actually like, but I know in Luminary, it’s just all about the health stuff. How to keep yourself safe, diseases and pregnancy, where to buy it and how to politely both accept and decline it in prayer groups. That sort of thing, the basics.”

“But, like, there’s so much more to it, and it gets all…screwy. In people’s heads. And honestly, I think everyone needs like a peer or someone to talk that shit out to so that when something has gone screwy, someone else can be like ‘oh, no, that’s fucked’. I was hugely, publicly sexually active back in Luminary, but all the worst shit that happened to me was always centered around the stuff that for whatever reason I wasn’t telling anyone about. Like, like, that Dicea thing! Where all your paperwork is available to anyone, always, to make sure no one is being taken advantage of quietly? That. But for sex.”

Kaito paused, considering everything he just said… before nodding, “Yeah, so long as you’re talking to someone about stuff like that, you’re right, I don’t need to pry.”

“I mean,” Josie shrugged a little, “It’d be weird if you were like, ‘ooooh, tell me about getting your rocks off, kid’, but as an adult that’s looking out for me, yeah, it’s healthy to talk about this stuff. Confining it all to within peer group stuff just creates a mythology around sex that doesn’t help anyone.”

(It was a very funny dichotomy, in a way, Josie’s views on sex.)

Josie nodded very knowingly as Kaito mentioned the idea of sex getting screwy in people’s heads. “Like the whole desperation to have sex for the first time as a way of feeling mature, or the idea that sex is the most meaningful act of intimacy you can give a partner, yeah.” He rolled his eyes a little. “Like, it’s not meaningless, but I think it’s way less of a Big Thing than people make it out to be. Like, wow, you sure did it, just try not to vomit on the other person as you clean up.”

Chuckling a little at the humorous observation Josie thought would land really well, Josie waved Kaito off a little. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Kaito grinned, nodding along in a surprising amount of comraderie on the subject. It had been a while since he had talked to someone who actually, genuinely enjoyed it as much as he… did…

Kaito’s grin went a little crooked, his brow furrowing together a little as he chuckled uncertainly, “Ha ha, what?”

Josie raised an eyebrow. “What?” 

Before he paused for a second and rolled his eyes a little. “Okay, I get it, my reputation doesn’t extend that far, especially in what Arven’s willing to gossip about. The tragic truth, Kaito--I’m a heartbreaker~”

“Honestly I’m not really sure why people are still going out with me since that reputation is solid at school, but,” Josie shrugged, “Like I said, probably that view of trying to have sex, and they just choose someone that’s not gonna have a breakdown while the illusion is shattered. That, and I’m super confirmed not to give anyone STIs.”

“Right, okay…” Kaito said carefully, sensing that he had stepped onto a Button by accident, and was now staring down at the button wondering it it was safer to lift his foot and see what happened or keep his foot right where it was. “...what illusion?”

In this metaphor, Kaito did not know if asking that was keeping his foot off the button or taking it off. It was a bad metaphor. He was just very aware he had stumbled onto something sensitive.

Josie snorted derisively. “That sex is good. That it’s anything but something people have convinced each other is a relationship ritual and for making kids.” He rolled his eyes a little. “That it doesn’t actually feel disgusting and makes you feel hollowed out and full of bile? That.”

“Ooooooh,” Kaito said, face scrunching up a bit, “Right. That. Uh… and that’s how you feel… every time?”

Kaito paused, looking at his hands around the coffee cup, biting his lower lip a bit. Was this his business? Maybe he should stop talking about this. The kid was…probably fine and he’d figure this out and…

“...like, every time?” Kaito clarified. Entirely unable to help himself as he looked back at Josie with concern. 

Josie narrowed his eyes in confusion. If Kaito’s sex history was as prolific as he said, then…why was he clarifying so much.

“Yeah?”

“...” Kaito took another long sip of his coffee, though he was briefly distracted to notice another dry little flurry had started that day. Snowflakes drifting down lightly from the gray sky. Pretty. Kokichi would be thrilled. 

“.......Josie, that is not how it’s supposed to feel.” Kaito said, before correcting himself, “No, that’s… that’s not how it feels ‘for everyone’ is actually probably more accurate. There are plenty of people who don’t like it generally, or only like it during really specific times in their lives or even just specific times of the month or the day…I remember there was this one girl I knew who could only do it between the hours of 2 in the afternoon and 4, any other time it was brought up she’d say the idea of it made her nauseous. And for some people it’s just ‘never’, but…”

Kaito gave Josie a more concerned look, “...they don’t usually keep having sex, if it grosses them out like that. Are you repulsed every time? Or just… often enough that you think it's the norm or…?”

Josie narrowed his eyes a little more. That was the illusion. Just like how a lot of people got into relationships, it was this…huge myth about sex being wonderful and special and life-changing. When at best it was just…there. And incredibly disgusting otherwise. Of course people would keep having sex even if it was lack-luster--they’d been told their whole lives that it was amazing.

“...every time,” Josie said slowly, still working out the disconnect between him and Kaito. “It’s expected, people tell themselves they like it, but it’s really just gross, isn’t it? People just keep doing it for the same reason unhappy marriages exist--people don’t want to be alone, and they buy into a ‘standard’ experience.”

…Kaito grin had thinned a little sadly. “Yeah, sure, that can be part of it.” He agreed. 

“...okay, Josie, I am giving you one chance to opt out of this conversation, because h’oh boy, there’s a lot I want to say right now.” Kaito admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, “But, I don’t want to put you in the position where you have to, like, literally run away from me off into a different storm again to escape me and an uncomfortable subject. Your mothers will kill me, especially if they’re hiding somewhere and watching us right now. I can’t die, Josie, I have children to raise and teenagers to harass.”

Josie snorted lightly. “Guess I’m just having heavy conversations today. Alright, hit me with it, but only if you can handle heaviness back, okay? If…” Josie hesitated for a second, unsure if this was really wise, but…Naga’s tits, then, it was happening, “we’re actually gonna get into it, then I’ll probably get into the embarrassing shit I told my brother then immediately backed out of, and it’s not great. So this is your chance too.”

Kaito laughed, “That’s a hard sell for me. I love talking about sex, it’s a huge part of my identity, and it had been for a really long time. Hell, losing access to that part of my identity was also something I was getting a little bit into once, but kinda got derailed by the teen stuff. The whole ‘how one identity I adopted was meant to counter my original identity as a prince because suddenly I couldn’t… prince right and stuff’,” Kaito frowned, looking away, before shaking his head, “My point is, my point is… okay! So!”

Kaito, pulling up his other leg to precariously pull off a criss-cross seating into the bench, keeping steady despite really only being half on the bench now, put his finger into the small bit of snow still piled up between them, where neither of them had sat, and drew a line in the snow. “First of all: sex is a spectrum.” 

“Oh, maybe ‘horniness’ is a spectrum,” Kaito mused, frowning a bit, before nodding, “And people are allll over this line. Let’s say…this over here is the height of someone’s libido, right?” Kaito said, etching three little x’s onto one side of the line, and then on the other end putting in a little 0, “And this end is someone who’s not only sex indifferent, but repulsed. And this middle part would be… um, I don’t know, people who enjoy it on occasion? That might be the average, so yeah.”

Kaito paused, looking at his line, realizing he needed to convey too different aspect on this particular spectrum, before looking around. Grabbing a stick from a nearby bush, he pulled it off, cracking it into pieces with one hand as he started making little lines with his other hand into the snow line, “This line? That’s me. I’m very near the full heightened libido end, and literally the only reason I wouldn’t put myself at the absolute end of that line is because I’ve seen what it looks like when someone’s libido is literally out of control, like, medically, and that’s not me. But me? I enjoy it. Crave it, really, it’s always a little on my mind. Except when I’m smelling baby powder? I’ve literally doused my face with baby powder once to get my hormones under control, so that’s really the only thing that makes me not wanting it a little.”

Taking one of the branches, Kaito put the little piece of wood, before saying, “See this? This is also me. This is how much I have sex in comparison to how often I want to. This is important, mostly to show why I’m concerned about you.” Kaito said, placing the stick a little bit ahead of the ‘average’ line he had established in the middle. “That’s our baseline, right? Any questions so far?”

Josie grinned a little. “I imagine getting married put a totally different aspect on being The Sex Guy.” Or, at least it was what someone would hope from someone married, but Josie wasn’t going to prod that. Everything he had heard and seen pointed to the princes being very happy together, so there was no need to even bring up the idea of cheating. 

Settling in, Josie listened to Kaito start to explain his model of horniness. Nothing mind-blowing, and, yeah, Josie knew about sexuality being a fluid spectrum and all that, but… Kaito…wasn’t just kidding around, was he? 

Considering him, Josie really just…had to ask. “...like…when you say ‘enjoy’... Not just for others’ expectations? Or what you think you should be doing? Like, stick with me, in a world where, like, other people didn’t really exist, and you could do anything, you’d still be like…fuck yeah, I want to have sex.”

“Yes,” Kaito said immediately, before frowning, “But, also, yes. Which is why I warned you that I had a lot to talk about, if we talk about this. Because, I know what it is you’re seeing and talking about, and yeah, there’s a lot of that too. I just wanted to start with the most physical explanation before I got into the… tricky stuff.” Kaito frowned, looking a little uncomfortable, “because, the thing is, nothing is ever one thing… I’ll get into it, give me a second. Okay! So…”

Takin another stick, Kaito put it down near where his libido mark was, “based on the way you describe yourself? This is roughly how often you’re having sex, right? We don’t tend to call ourselves sluts that derisively unless we’re actually doing it all the time, so I’m gonna assume you’re at…well, maybe ‘near’ my usual activity level, back in Luminary.” Kaito said, finding it unlikely Josie was actually at Kaito’s most active levels, before making a mark right next to the zero end, “But with the way you describe the experience? Your libido is here. Which is fine, by the way! Some people just don’t have a libido. That’s not something to be ashamed of. But…”

Kaito pointed earnestly at Josie’s stick on the line, “Then why??? Is this here?!?”

Josie raised an eyebrow, a little skeptical but… (Even at his most cynical, and his most thick-headed, Josie knew that one point being right didn’t mean blanket yeses across the board.)

Looking at where Kaito guesstimated his own points on the spectrum--about right, honestly--Josie could only sigh at Kaito’s earnestness before giving him a wide, grim smile. “My own tricky stuff. The thing I blurted out to my brother is that I use sex to self-harm. In, like, the worst possible way.”

All amusement fading from Josie, leaving only bitterness, he explained, “I flirt, stir up interest. Spend time with people…then always break up with them, or end whatever it is we’re doing, usually acting like a total asshole. So, like, of course they’re upset, ‘cause someone’s being a dick to them and…that’s great for me. Then it turns into a whole reputation of being a fuckin’ bicycle that’ll break your heart, and the more people that come to hate me, the better it is, because I’m trying to make myself miserable. And the fact that I know I’m doing that, and still just doing it anyway is just…another layer to it.”

“Just love being a piece of shit.”

Kaito clapped his hands together in front of his face, brow furrowed as he stared at Josie for a good, long minute… before pointing his palmed hands at Josie, “Boi.”

“Wait, so you already know you don’t like sex!?” Kaito gasped, before pausing, crossing his arms and grasping his own chin as he tilted his head up, looking at the sky, “No, wait, I guess I knew that…so, wait, you think…that all sex is bad, and everyone secretly hates it, so what you do is…”

…Kaito balked, giving Josie a shocked look, “No. You don’t just go around deflowering virgins to specifically make their first time shit. Please tell me that’s not…ugh, Josie. That’s so… ugh.” Kaito groaned, putting his head into his hands, “...look, I know I’m feeding into your self-flagellation thing by confirming that’s a shitty thing to do. But Josie. Going out of your way to ensure everyone’s first sexual relationship is bad is…sooooo shitty.” Kaito groaned. “Auuuuugh.”

“...but wait,” Kaito said, looking up, a glimmer of hope on his expression, “People don’t run to the town bicycle if he’s known as a bad lay. People make fun of the newly minted incel if word gets around he’s a bad lay. So maybe their first time with you isn’t terrible…heartbreaker nonsense aside, everyone’s first love breaks their heart.” Kaito said, rolling his eyes, “That’s why it’s only the ‘first’.”

…Josie…didn’t exactly know what Kaito meant by ‘deflowering’ or ‘incel’, but…but if there were people out there who actually genuinely liked sex… Josie squinted suspiciously, thinking, before looking a little incredulous. “...are they not actually lying when they ask for more ‘n shit?” he muttered, mostly to himself, though audible.

That couldn’t be right. It was all just ritual and feeding into the propaganda, right? Because…of course Josie heard the rumors about himself! And…all the talk about, ‘I know, I know his reputation, but so-and-so said they saw the gods’ just…was feeding the machine, right?

Josie crossed his arms and leaned against the back of the bench, honestly looking a little insulted, but also relieved and feeling conflicted about that as he huffed. Pausing, before frowning at Kaito. “...emotionally it’s still really shitty.”

“Well, yeah, of course it’s still shitty. I’m not applauding you in this moment, I’m actually a little genuinely upset by the idea,” Kaito admitted, frowning at Josie, “That’s…trying to hurt people with sex, Josie…that’s not great. I’m a little relieved at the idea that you failed, if that’s what you were trying to do. Sex is really vulnerable. It shows this side of you that really doesn’t come out in any other aspect of day to day life, it can be a really raw and sensitive side to a persons personality, even if they don’t treat sex as a sacred thing, like Atuans do.”

“And sex is sacred for us, by the way,” Kaito said, giving Josie a somewhat frustrated look, “It’s special. A moment of worship shared between two people, or a way to express feelings in a passionate form, or at its very least it’s meant to be a gift. To use it to hurt people…” Kaito clenched his fists slightly, looking away, frustrated…before he let out a breath, calming himself, “Well, I’ve done that too, though…I like to think at my most evil I was just acting recklessly. Not that that makes it okay, but…” Kaito paused, before looking at Josie, “...I really, really like sex. I like it a lot. But one aspect of it that I like is what I was trying to get to, in explaining that I know what you’re talking about. The ritual aspect of it, the social bit. I loved being special to someone for a night, being this event in their life they were thrilled with. It made me feel wanted and appreciated. It made me feel powerful, in its own way. Because for a little while, I was someone’s whole world, and I could make them feel amazing.”

“I put a lot of my self-worth into that,” Kaito admitted, clutching at his coffee… before looking somewhat exasperatedly at Josie, “So, yes, sex is used in some manipulative and social ways by people. I’ve used it that way. You’re not seeing an aspect of it that isn’t there. But no, not everyone is ‘faking’ liking it either. The social part of it isn’t the only bit.”

Kaito’s frustration was, like…one of the most mild reactions that Josie was purposefully trying to get through his promiscuity. People calling what he did shitty, thinking less of him…that was the point. Playing the game, being someone’s special thing for a night, then absolutely dismissing it to their anger and dismay…that was the point.

Josie nodded a bit, looking out at the snow bitterly. “You’d think how could you be special to anyone you’d had maybe two conversations with, but damn does it end up that way once you get on your knees for them for a while.” He sighed and pressed his fingers around some of his piercings. “...I really thought it was just the power of social perception.”

Josie sighed through his nose. “...I word vomited it to my brother because I was making some shitty point about how we both use people. Like…I know it’s not good, Kaito.”

“Oh, well…good?” Kaito said, a tad helplessly. “...well, not good, but… gah! It’s so hard chastising damn social masochists because that’s literally what you all want!” Kaito complained, before pointing a finger at Josie, “Well, how about this. I bet you weren’t even that heartbreaking. I bet a lot of your old flings still consider you a net positive! Hell, some people even like the snarky bad-boy thing, it adds to your mystique! Hah! So…there!”

Kaito paused, before scratching his chin a bit, “I don’t know where I was going with this. You should treat people better. And yourself better. And stop having sex with people if you’re sex-repulsed, like, that sounds like it's so much work just to be mean to people. There are so many easier ways to bully people. Bullying people is easy.”

Kaito wasn’t wrong about that. People weren’t stupid. If being around Josie really was that emotionally devastating, word would’ve gotten around fast to stay clear of him. Instead, it was just word not to start anything serious with him…even though Josie had dryly brought reality down for the people who had gone in with that intention anyway trying to ‘be the one’. If he were in a particularly uplifting mood, he might even say that maybe he’d even been a lesson for those people about trying to ‘fix’ others. But probably not. 

Groaning, Josie flopped his head onto one of his arms on the back of the bench. “Bullying people is a means to an end, that’s what I was talking about. Honestly, with some people the sex is all I get out of it, in terms of trying to hurt myself.”

Looking off to the side, frustration running through him, Josie murmured into his arm, “I’ve tried to stop… But the add-in of disappointing my friends when I just skip back into it when I’m in those moods is just the fucking cherry on top.”

Kaito put his head back into his hands and groaned louder. “Oh great well of course how else are ya gonna get that sweet sweet high of disappointing loved ones.”

Kaito groaned again… before huffing. Crossing his arms as he said, “Just to be one hundred percent clear about where I’m at with all of this? I don’t actually think that you’re accomplishing any of this. I don’t think someone who goes out of his way to abuse his friends’ feelings keeps said friends. I don’t think someone with a reputation for abusing his sex partners gets to keep getting new sex partners. And I don’t think you’d still be doing it if it really did devastate people the way you talk about it. Because this is Dicea, where shit like that doesn’t fly, and your moms seem like the sort who wouldn’t raise a bully, and your friends aren’t idiots, and I am currently holding a cup of coffee that you brought to me after going out of your way to return some pocket change I dropped. I am not actually angry that you’re doing these things.”

“I’m just…mad that you want to believe that you are. You’re making yourself out to be so much worse than you are, to just…make yourself feel bad,” Kaito said, his expression softening a bit…before glaring, “And to make me feel bad too, you jerk. I’m so mad right now. I want to yell at you until you take better care of yourself, dammit!”

“Naga’s tits, did you manage to talk to Mick before I did today?” Josie muttered before pulling himself up more with a breath. “Look, you’re not totally wrong. I’ve actually been doing alright, and believe it or not, people who are okay don’t try to self-harm. So this is all kind of filtered by me in a perspective that can see how dumb and self-defeating it all is. And that really hates it,” Josie admitted, frustration running through him again. 

It was the apocalypse coming down on him, like he’d want in a low, but it still was shitty for himself and the people around him, and Josie didn’t actually like that. He hated being someone that couldn’t keep his promises to his friends, who had to see, yes, the unconditional love, but…tired motions of his moms bringing out the damn checklist by this point of getting him help when Josie slipped. He hated that no matter how many therapists he talked to or what meds he took or stretches of self-improvement he underwent he always just…fell back down again, over and over. Not as bad as it used to be, sure, but…never really improving. Stuck in a cycle he could never really seem to escape from. 

…and yet, Josie always got back on stage.

“Hey, I did warn you, and you said go ahead.”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be talking to you about it. Especially if I can help convince you that, no, people enjoying sex isn’t a myth,” Kaito said, grinning a little, a tad amused by that, “Like… okay, putting aside all the shitty stuff? That’s really fucking cute, that you thought that. Both my husbands are a little sex-repulsed at times, my Kokichi based on circumstance and my Shuichi actually one of those ‘time-based’ ones I was talking about. And I feel like, while neither of them were as extreme as you? I’ve still had conversations with both of them that suggested in different ways that they kinda thought that too. I remember Shuichi thinking most of my obsession with sex was at first rebellion, and then cries for attention, and the fact that he was technically right did not prepare him for the fact that I was still sex obsessed once both those phases were done.” Kaito chuckled, smiling fondly.

“And Kokichi can’t really comprehend that, when it’s not actively on the table? That people are looking around with sex on the mind. He doesn’t feel sexy, he doesn’t look at other people like they’re sexy, and he’s always shocked when it’s brought up. I think for him, it was mostly just an aspect of fiction for a really long time, until I whirlwind’d my way into his life,” Kaito reflected with another fond smile, though this one slightly tinged with regret, “How you ace types look at the world is… cute. I think it’s nice that you can go into all these situations with this disconnect that always makes you see people as just people, and not as a bundle of attractive traits. It’s, you know…”

Kaito’s expression fell a little more. “It’s admirable, that you guys get to keep your heads and not need to fight thinking with your damn hormones all the time. It’s not exactly the most dignified way to exist. I think you’re lucky that sex doesn’t control you.”

“But dammit, I hate that I can’t just stomp out the shit in your head that makes you act badly to yourself!” Kaito huffed, back to looking irritated. “I just want to split the thoughts that are eating away at you out of your skull, put them into a new body… and beat that body black and blue! Tell it to pull it together!” Kaito said… before clarifying with a grim look, “Which I will not do because I do not beat people up when they are self-harming anymore, because that is not helpful and I promised to stop doing that even before I went to anger management. And now it’s… double not something I will do.”

It still sounded kind of fake to Josie. He wanted to take off his skin and lock his brain in an iron box and vomit out all his guts when he had sex, how could a reaction that visceral be on the same range as someone like…liking it so much they laughed in exhilaration? Sure, the experience of life was vast, but not that vast, right?!?

And…he’d heard of asexuality before, of course he had. But he’d never really… Was he ace?

Josie gave Kaito a side look. “...after all that, you’re gonna bring up your own guilt-complex around sex without batting an eye, huh? Though having to clarify that you don’t attack people that are self-harming anymore is incredibly distracting from that, I gotta say.”

At that, Kaito grinned. Tussling his hair a bit as he said, “Awwww. Guess who’s about to find out you’ve been talking to an asshole.”

Though, Kaito’s amusement was short lived as he shrugged. “I told you at the very beginning, I also have an ‘oversharing’ problem. Well…sort of. I have, like, weird little self-established rules about what I’ll basically share with anyone who asks? And what I’m apparently willing to take to the grave unless someone pulls it out of me. I don’t really have an ‘in-between’,” Kaito said, thinking about how hard it had been to talk to his own family about the things that had truly bothered him about his brother. 

He was still so glad he had eventually done that. It had hurt his family to hear about it, and had put Kaito into the truly terrifying position where he had to make hard choices about having Byakuya in his life…but it had been a weight off his shoulders, to finally not be carrying that alone. But the actual process of talking about it? Had been horrifying. Every part of Kaito the entire time just wanting to run from that situation.

Everything else that always bothered him though? “I like confiding to people things that bother me. It’s soothing, and I usually feel better about things when it's done, or learn something new, or just feel relieved. That’s partly why I enjoy hearing about things so much too. I like to imagine other people also get that relief.” Kaito said, “I especially love confiding to assholes, because there’s something almost…low stakes about it. I don’t care what they think, it's sweet if they get sad, and if they argue or mock me for it I tended to just feel more confident that I’m right or things are going to be okay, because, like…they’re assholes. Of course they’ll say the wrong thing.”

Sure, sometimes that backfired, but honestly that was pretty rare. Hideki had annihilated Kaito when he had tried it with him, but Hideki had known all the things to say that would hurt Kaito, and Kaito had been having a particularly hard day on a particularly hard week in a particularly hard start of a particularly hard year. And sometimes the risk of trying to relieve stress with assholes was, whoops, they said something that sent you into a depressive spiral that took months to crawl out of.

Otherwise? Good times.

“And we’ve been talking about sex hangups, so I don’t mind confiding about my own issues with it. If anything, that gives you context for why I feel so strongly about how you’re handling yours.” Kaito frowned…before grinning tiredly. “But yeah, if you want to poke into me beating the shit out of my self-destructing loved ones? Or being overly aggressive to loved ones when they talk badly about themselves? You can. It was a real problem for me for a long time. Still is sort of a problem, I just try more to remind myself how damn unhelpful it is. People's shitty thoughts aren’t separate people I can just…” Kaito grit his teeth, “throttle. Until they stop hurting them.”

Josie chuckled. “Sorry to break your heart if you were banking on another impression, but I was fully aware of that. If you can take my hand and start skipping along the circles we talk around, there’s no way you’re not an asshole.” Josie didn’t want to be quite as insulting as to say that Kaito was the same kind of asshole he was, so that was easy to recognize…but there were enough similarities.

Like chasing after other assholes, though Josie didn’t usually do that to bear his soul.

Shrugging a little, Josie gave Kaito a perhaps more kind look than he might’ve been expecting. “Hey, if it’s something you’re working on and have already sworn off, then you don’t need my judgment for shit that happened ages ago. If you can possibly believe it,” he exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, “the subject of holding yourself to past mistakes has come up a lot today.”

“Yeah… hey, wait,” Kaito said, pointing accusingly at Josie, “Didn’t you just say you were recovering from being a weird shitty lay guy? How come that doesn’t apply to you then?”

Josie gave Kaito a dry look. “Because I’m still doing it. I don’t think a few weeks really qualifies to make something ‘in the past’.”

“Mmmm, yeah, okay, I’ll give you that one,” Kaito agreed, “Though, there’s probably a few people in your life who’d argue otherwise. The people who love us tend to be more forgiving than we are to ourselves. Sometimes I don’t know what’s kinder; holding ourselves to better standards and holding onto the guilt, or just accepting the forgiveness and stop worrying them by doing dumb little punishment rituals for ourselves.”

Kaito paused. “...oooooh, your weird shitty lay thing is a self-punishment ritual, huh. What the heck are you punishing yourself for anyway?”

“Or argue for even harsher judgment that leads to actionable change,” Josie chuckled, before humming, “And I don’t think those things are mutually exclusive, when holding yourself to better standards is literally just that, and not including a little asterisk about self-harm…which is literally just for yourself and not about getting better at all.”

“And, yeah,” he spelled out, “A ‘self-punishment ritual’ is a mouthful when you can just say self-harm. Which I do when I feel so not just worthless, but actively detrimental to the world that I don’t think I should be allowed to exist.”

Kaito pursed his lips a bit. “I think I’m trying to create a distinction between just feeling ‘generally’ shitty about yourself, and when you’re punishing yourself for something super specific…but even if I was managing to do that, it sounds like it’s the ‘generally shitty’ one anyway.”

“Like, for me,” Kaito said, putting a hand on his chest, “I don’t ever feel like that. And before you roll your eyes at me, I’m not just bringing that up as like a ‘I’m healthy, why can’t you be healthy like me’ kind of way. I’m trying to understand how this works with you by filtering it through my experiences, including in recognizing ways those experiences don’t fit together.” Kaito said, frowning, “That’s a mouthful. You ever just say something aloud that screams ‘I’ve been to way too much therapy’? That was that.”

“Anyway, my point is, when I hate myself? It’s usually in response to something specific. And I have to deal with that specific memory to make the bad feelings stop. So that’s…not what you’re experiencing, right?” Kaito clarified, “It’s just general shittiness?”

Josie chuckled softly, giving Kaito an amused look. “You’re in similar company with the therapy speak. Alright…”

Shifting a little--his propped up leg was starting to fall asleep a little--Josie thought about what Kaito was trying to ask, and what that answer actually looked like to him. “Not…general,” Josie started, tapping slowly on the back of the bench. 

“It’s like…a drip of water going into a basin,” Josie tried. “Like, I’m no angel even at my best, but if I’m doing well, I just kind of feel like a person. Then, over time…drips build up. And it’ll be passing thoughts of hate and worthlessness, until they’re regular thoughts, until it’s ever present, and then without really realizing it, I’m in a low, and I start doing shitty stuff ‘cause I feel shitty.”

“Sure there are things that can set me off, but even in perfect circumstances it just…happens sometimes. And for me, one of the most mindful, helpful things I can work towards is realizing when that basin has a good few cups of water in it and I can ask for help emptying it.”

“Aw, that’s kinda sweet,” Kaito mused, looking down at his little line graph in the snow, brows furrowed in contemplation, “...why did you try to tell your brother, then? I’m making an assumption that if you’ve been willing to talk to me about it for this long, he didn’t actually let you talk about it much. You’re not worn out on the subject yet. Were you asking for help?”

Josie groaned, tipping his head back a little. “I was being a freaked out asshole. He was telling me how the shit he did to me was him using me, and I was like, damn, runs in the family, because I can never be normal about anything. I really didn’t want to get into that with him, we already have enough baggage between us and him showing up isn’t like,” Josie rolled his eyes with a scoff, “the magical answer to me suddenly being okay with everything in my life.”

“Well, sure, and also you doing a bad thing doesn’t justify all the bad things done to you,” Kaito said dryly, reaching down to place a little point onto the snowline. Some of the points transforming into little swirls or squares as he continued to idly play with it. “...were you hoping he’d relate to you? It can be nice to be understood.”

“I mean, what he said just before was like…anti-relating,” Josie scoffed lightly. “Saying that whatever shit I had going on really couldn’t be as bad as a persistent attempted child murderer, which, like, yeah. I think maybe my brain just had an aneurysm or something, I didn’t mean to say anything.”

(Josie couldn’t deal with someone calling him, or even insinuating he was ‘good’. And Mick talking about how Josie wasn’t as bad as him just sent off a type of ‘you’re in trouble’ alarm that Josie didn’t even recognize in his head. It maybe said something that a similar panic had prevented him from ever answering Mick why Josie hated himself.)

“...hm.” Kaito hummed, crossing his arms. “...okay, do you actually even need any help right now? I can try to help, but honestly, it sounds like you have some sort of really specific set of rituals and formulas to deal with this stuff already. And, well…”

Kaito shrugged. “My style of ‘helping’ is really just me being an asshole, which doesn’t work as often as it does on people who don’t run dramatically into the horizon to be electrocuted by storms and chat up scary glowy death animals. Yeah, I looked it up, I know what that thing was. It was scary!”

Josie grinned. “Aw, c’mon, that’s no way to talk about a pretty girl! She was just enjoying a walk--you sayin’ you wouldn’t go strolling the sea floor if the waves parted for a few hours?”

His chuckles calmed a bit as he shrugged. “To be honest, I’m surprisingly good. I’m gonna head home in a bit, get fussed over and interrogated and asked like a million times if I’m okay, then do the exact same thing when I see my friends later. I know I’m pretty fucked, but I’m not floundering.”

“You’re not really that fucked either,” Kaito frowned… before sighing, putting his hands up in surrender, “Alright, if you’re fine, you’re fine. You have a lot of safety nets before me, and frankly, I less want to ‘save you’ and more want to grouch at ya for being very rude to your sex partners. But, it kinda seems like the only person you’re really hurting there is yourself anyway, so…”

Kaito shrugged, looking grim. “It’s not super fair to the people you’re using to essentially just gross yourself out with, but you already know that. And, well, you’re far from the first teenager to exploit sex to make yourself feel a certain way. If it makes you feel better in the future, when you can think about all of this more objectively? You’re not actually all that unusual, in how you’re handling sex. Just sorta…” Kaito looked down at the line, shrugging at it, “coming at it from the other end. You’re not evil. You’re just a shitty teen doing the shitty teen thing. You’ll get better.”

“That’s the goal,” Josie smirked, though there was something more vulnerable and, honestly, slightly sad about it, rather than showing off any kind of smugness. “I’ve never even considered that I could be ace so…you’ve given me some real thoughts to ponder over.”

…Dimitri absolutely wouldn’t get it, Josie was pretty sure he’d never hooked up with anyone, but…well, he had some other people to check in about that with too. 

With a breath, Josie stood up and stretched a little. “Well! Good luck with your boots. I should be heading home so…see you around, Kaito. Well wishes to the family and all that.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Kaito startled, giving Josie a mildly surprised nod as the kid decided he was done, “Hey, congrats on your brother again. I know we went wildly off topic, but that still really is a huge step. I’m sure everyone’s gonna be thrilled for ya.”

Josie smiled, his eyes scrunching a little. “Thanks, Kaito. And for hearing me out about it before too. I might’ve thought it through on my own but…I’m glad I wrote Mick, and I’m glad you helped me get there.”

Turning to go, Josie laced his fingers behind his head and took a jaunty step. “Hmmm, I wonder if anyone’s prepared a dual celebration-devastation treat for me~”

What the heck was a dual celebration-devastation treat? Maybe like a…like a rolled-chocolate cake with a cream filling…?

Kaito watched Josie go off, looking bright and peppy. Scratching his neck uncomfortably, Kaito leaned back and stared at the gray clouds for a bit.

“...Atua who loves me,” Kaito started, “...what the fuck was that? Who the hell has sex with you to give themselves the heebie jeebies!? What the fuuuuuck, oh my you, okay, I knew people used sex to do all sorts of mean shit to each other, but that was a new one, damn. How did his partners not notice!? Some of them had to have noticed, right? I’ve done hate-fucking before, sure, but grossed out? God, that’s humiliating, those poor kids.”

Kaito put his head in his hands and groaned a bit, still trying to wrap his head around it–wow those must be weird interactions. Does he just scrunch his nose and grimace through the whole thing!? His partners must think they smell or something–before chuckling a little. The world was so full of people, huh. Damn.

Getting up, Kaito headed home.

-

Ingo was…kind of surprised. Considering how excited Siffrin had been at the prospect of getting to a city, it wasn’t like he expected them to stick around a few days then be off into the wilds again. Esllesium was a thriving, lively city, and the end destination for many, and extended one for some. He just hadn’t expected Siffrin to stick around him. With a whole city at his fingertips, Siffrin wanted…to hang out with Ingo. 

It was a kind of flattery that he didn’t know how to deal with, to be honest. But he enjoyed having a new friend around, and coming up with ideas to leave the Palacio to show Siffrin around was both fun and wonderful for getting out of meetings and nags’ line of sight. 

But while Ingo could take meals elsewhere and skip out of the Palacio with Siffrin, he couldn’t fully avoid his family (...not that…Ingo really wanted to) or his responsibilities (...which he did, sometimes.). 

And, well…with his mother asking so kindly if he’d take breakfast with the family the next morning, Ingo really couldn’t turn her down. 

Alright…okay. Maybe…no one would mention anything! They all had their own lives going on, after all. It’d be okay! And that was what Ingo told himself as he headed towards the royal family’s breakfast parlor.

Siffrin, likely to many people’s surprise and concern, was proving to be like a wild cat that wouldn’t go away.

Mostly because members of the family kept feeding it. 

The Palacio, unlike some places in the world, was not a community building. Siffrin was not entitled to a room there. Rooms were given as long-term arrangements to the royal family, certain castle staff members, inner circles and ambassadors, and other people who for various reasons just had business in the Palacio that made it sensible for them to live in the immediate area.

Siffrin was none of those things. He was just a dude who had followed Ingo home once.

And yet.

Siffrin’s little bouncy hat bobbed as he walked with M’dame Izzy. She wasn’t really a ‘m’dame’, that wasn’t a title here, but it was how Siffrin couldn’t help but think of her as he followed her down into the breakfast parlor, making idle small talk as he complimented, “No, I think your necklace is fine. It’s fun when jewelry makes little jingling sounds. Like chimes.” 

“Eheheh, I think so too--one of the best parts of dressing up is being both sparkling and musical,” Izzy snickered with Siffrin. “Have you ever thought of adding little whistles to the end of your cloak? Then when you spin it’s like you have your own flute-y theme song!”

Ingo smiled a bit as he spotted Siffrin and his aunt heading to breakfast too. There wasn’t a friend he’d ever seen Aunt Izzy fail to make, but, still, he was glad they got along. And he had to admit it was a bit cute to see the two of them leaned together in conversation while so many other people were about a head taller. 

“Good morning, izeba,” Ingo greeted, leaning down a bit with a grin to get within aunt-smooching range. “Good morning, Siffrin! Having a bit of fashion-talk in the morning?”

“There isn’t a better time than right after getting dressed, is there?” Izzy answered with impish smarm, indeed smooching Ingo’s forehead. 

Siffrin’s expression warmed when he saw Ingo had arrived, as it always did when they met up. Sometimes Ingo was busy, so they only said hello to each other in passing in the morning, but most of the time Siffrin got to join him in whatever he was doing that day, Siffin following along and shadowing him, offering companionship in the moment in exchange for guidance on what to do that day.

Siffrin had known Ingo for a month, now. And Ingo was consistently nice to him, and seemed to enjoy their company.

So Ingo was now the most important person in the world to Siffrin.

Not that they’d tell him that! That’d be so embarrassing, could you imagine? That was the sort of thing you kept to yourself. But getting a little excited to see him, Siffrin turned to Izzy. “Would you mind if I sat with Ingo? We can talk more about accessories later, if you’d like?”

“Bet on it, Siffi,” Izzy cackled, giving him a wink before gleefully heading over to her wife, practically swinging around the side of Marissa’s chair to kiss her cheek. 

Despite her diminutive stature, she actually made the chair rock slightly, and Brathanial just sighed, slumping back more in his own chair. Trying to start up an argument with Marissa was an exercise in harsh futility, but…oh, so Mom could blow through the room like a tornado, but if he rested an elbow on the table it was too uncouth for eyes. Double standards, he was tellin’ ya…

Just quickly glancing around the sunlit parlor, Ingo tried to both not ignore anyone looking over while not drawing attention to himself as he found his own seat, smiling warmly at Siffrin as he pulled out the one next to him as well. Aunt Izzy was both great for distractions but also awful since his family was so used to her antics. 

“Good morning, Ingo sweetie, Siffrin,” Tiana’s soft voice greeted. “Did you both sleep well?”

“Yes, I hope the hail didn’t wake you,” Cordovan said, the older man looking over the two with some tired concern, “It’s not very often that Eslley gets hail.”

Siffrin nodded, though they refrained from speaking up. The Exalt and Exalted, as Siffrin had eventually learned they were called, were kind but sometimes imposing figures. The whole family was, to an extent, but Siffrin had learned it more in the last month, the sheer dignity the family carried in them. A sense of self-assurance and pride that came from a people who had had their capabilities and determination battle-tested, and come out victorious on the other side. 

It was a bit intimidating??? They were super nice, but Siffrin had failed to grasp what family he was walking in on, a month ago. Now they had a much better idea of how important a ‘royal’ family actually was. It’d be like if the Counsel was all one family.

(What counsel?)

(???)

Siffrin looked down at the food eagerly, their stomach already grumbling.

Ingo laughed lightly, not concerned in the slightest (or at least trying to come off that way) as he started swirling his bread in his chocolat. “Didn’t even notice it, honestly, wouldn’t have known if I didn’t see the ice on the ground.”

(...Ingo certainly hadn’t already been outside when it had started to hail, weighing how bad it was against cutting down on practice time. He’d been a shivering mess by the time he snuck back into his room, huddling into every cover he had.)

“I’m glad you had a peaceful night, then,” Tiana cheered with a sweet smile before laughing sheepishly. “Your father and I were a bit startled, actually. It took a moment to place the sound…but seeing the hail illuminated by the moon really was a lovely sight.”

It…had been a moment of panic, really, hearing a strange sound. After what they’d rebuilt, the idea of betrayers was absurd…but there was always that question of ‘what if’. 

Siffrin had literally slept through it. He hadn’t known it had hailed until this exact moment.

“Sorry we’re late, are we late?” called a voice, two young men hurrying inside. The one calling out was Dark, otherwise known as Eimdall Dianthe, who hurrying to his usual seat absentmindedly ruffled Ingo’s hair on the way past him. “Good morning, my little herald of the blue skies! Most honored mothers, exalted, exalt! It’s a beautiful morning, is it not! The skies applauded this new day last night, did you all hear!?”

Dark asked this as he sat down, beaming at everyone, before startling as his eyes glanced over Siffrin. “Oh, traveling one, apologies! I only saw the back of the chair, didn’t realize you had joined us for breakfast today.”

Making a sputtering noise, Ingo quickly dropped everything to try and fix his hair, giving Eimdall a dirty look. “I’m surprised you even managed to notice it past your earth-shattering snores.”

There was a small jump in Brathanial’s shoulders, indicating a silent snicker as he glanced over at his twin. Sure, they weren’t actually twins, but being born around the same time was close enough for them. 

Izzy, on the other hand, had fewer reservations about laughing, though she admonished, “C’mon Go-Go, be nice. It is a beautiful day, and we could start it out right not getting into fights.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Ingo apologized lightly. 

“I make no apologies, as I was nothing but delightful,” Dark smiled brilliantly, “Now, why is no one eating yet? Certainly you were not waiting for all to be present? Eat, drink, be merry! It’s a beautiful–”

Thump-thump-thump

Dark’s smile didn’t so much as twitch at the sudden sound of hail hitting the windows and walls. “It’s an interesting day! Much cause to celebrate!”

Brathy looked over towards the windows, frowning in concern…though it looked more like a dark expression on his face. “Dunno about celebratin’, but it does seem like a good day to stay inside.”

…damn. Sure the Palacio was big, but that did cut down on places to disappear to. 

As the family started to dig in, pairs and duos chatting among themselves, Ingo looked over to Siffrin. “I do think they’re right, unfortunately. Is there anything you feel like doing on a homebody day like today? I think my tour offers are running a little dry by this point,” Ingo joked.

“I like walking around with you,” Siffrin said, able to eat his food a touch more slowly these days. He had devoured everything put in front of him when he had first arrived as quickly as he could, mostly because he couldn’t help himself. A mixture of awe at the taste and his malnourished body desperately playing catch up. 

These days, they were able to take it a little more patiently, one bite at a time, as he looked up curiously at Ingo. “I was thinking of exploring one of the libraries, if you wanted to do that with me? I’m not sure if there’s anything I actually want to read, but it occurred to me yesterday that I should take advantage of that, since I can’t remember the last time I had easy access to a bunch of books.”

Ingo wasn’t exactly the bookish-type, but in a rare occurrence his brain sought to intervene before his mouth. He knew it was a privileged position, to be around a wealth of knowledge and tomes and choose not to engage with it. So…for someone who wanted to engage with it, and didn’t always have the option?

“Sure,” Ingo chirped happily, “The ambiance is kind of perfect for curling up with a good book, isn’t it? I’m no librarian--” He ignored the muttered ‘no kidding’ from Brathy. “--but I might be able to point out or explain about works that are more Eslley-specific, that you may not have come across before.”

“Ah…that does sound like a lovely time, but…perhaps that’s a plan you two could do later?” Tiana timidly asked. “I’m sorry, Ingo, but we were hoping you’d sit in on at least some of today’s debrief meeting.”

Ingo felt his stomach clench. He…had been missing a lot of meetings lately. Which he didn’t see as a problem since he never contributed anything anyway, but… “Oh? Ah, then I’m sorry, Siffrin. Maybe you could get a lay of the land in the library first and I could meet up with you later then?”

Siffrin observed Ingo. 

It hadn’t escaped their notice, that Ingo looked at the meetings about the politics his family ran like a bear trap he needed to gnaw through. Especially anything that had to do with his upcoming marriage. Siffrin didn’t envy their position, but Siffrin also knew there wasn’t much he could do to help Ingo escape from his duties, before smiling lightly and saying, “Well, don’t keep me waiting too long. You know how my sense of direction is. I could end up lost in that library and no one would ever see me again. Which would be tragic.”

(Right?)

“I’d never stop looking for you, so I’d like to think of it more as a tragic event beat with a heroic conclusion than anything.” Ingo winked, before eating some fruit, laughing a little to himself as he caught Brathy rolling his eyes and Izzy snickering to Marissa, doubtlessly whispering sweet nothings. 

Siffrin lit up, clearly pleased with that idea. 

Siffrin didn’t always know if he believed it, when Ingo said stuff like that… but he did like hearing it. It eased the doubt and fears that plagued him. Eased the fear that they’d wake up tomorrow and just… be lost again.

“Ah, on the note of the debrief, have any of Ingo’s potential betrothed finally written back?” Dark asked, “I still think the answer is putting on a massive ball and inviting all of the princesses in the land. It’d be romantic! And foot traffic through the country would be good for international relations.”

“Not at the breakfast table,” Cordovan said sternly, “Official matters will wait for official times. Work does not need to start the moment we do.”

“A party coming up would be a fun time, though,” Izzy agreed. “Winter greys get so depressing! And warming people’s souls is as much in line with Abatea’s hospitality as just their bodies.”

Ingo felt his stomach clench again, his heartbeat start to speed up, though he glanced over, giving his dad a small smile. He…liked to think things between them were pretty alright these days. Ingo wasn’t really sure if he’d ever truly get over feeling like (a disappointment) but they had a sort of understanding.

(...even if sometimes it still just surprised Ingo to…have a dad. He’d been a toddler when they escaped to Fennox Wry, he really didn’t remember Cordovan at all, only hearing about his heroism and goofy idealism and bonds of loyalty through the stories he’d hear from his family. Meeting him again as a teen had…felt like meeting a stranger he just knew things about, rather than reuniting with his father.)

“...perhaps there would be something to the idea of a ball,” Leana said, glancing over at her brother, before turning her attention to her parents, “Would it be the worst thing, to give Ingo an opportunity to meet his potential suitors? And who is and isn’t willing to make the trip here might say something about how they view the country.”

“At the meeting, please. While I know we are all quite comfortable with them now, can I remind you all that some discussions need to happen in meeting spaces for a reason,” Cordovan said, pointedly looking towards Siffrin, who smiled lazily back at him. “Some things are confidential for the safety of our family and people.”

“Which I support. Safety is cool,” Siffrin said, looking down at their meal–nooooo they ate it all again…–before pushing back at the table, “I think I’ll get a head start on the library. Thanks for having me this morning.”

Ingo liked parties! He adored them, really! The music, the food, getting to dress up in your fanciest clothes, countless people around all having a good time--it was his ideal setting, honestly. Just…the idea of it being more like a…show. An auction. For him to put on his best showing all for foreign royalty and elite to critically look over him and judge his worth…

Nnnnng. Ingo was glad for the hail so anyone hearing weird thumping would assume it was the weather and not his heart. 

Pulling his gaze back up from where it’d fallen onto the table, Ingo…

Gave Siffrin a wave and a smile. 

…uh oh.

Everyone watched Siffrin scurry off… before Dark looked around. “Well, now that our mysterious vagabond has away’d themselves, should we discuss the potential ball?”

“Calling them a ‘vagabond’ is a bit much…if maybe accurate,” Leana sighed, “Orchestrating an internationally attended ball would be difficult. And expensive.”

Marissa frowned. “Certainly on account of Ingo’s future, expense is not the issue.”

“The issue is that we are all still eating breakfast, and I am certain I said this is not a meeting place a second ago,” Cordovan said sternly.

“Oh boo,” Izzy pouted a bit, waving Cordovan off. “Okay, okay, no to planning. But! Just the concept of a party’s nice, right? Ehe~” More to Marissa, adoration gleamed in Izzy’s eyes. “It’s been a while since we could spend a night dancing away.”

“Mom,” Brathy sighed before shaking his head a little. He nodded a bit to his aunt and uncle. “You need all of us at the meeting today, or just Ingo with the usual crowd? I got some deliveries to handle, hail’r nothin’.”

His future… Because that’s what it was for. His future and Eslley’s. All that Ingo could contribute, these days. Ingo lightly swirled his tea, trying to focus on the weight of it in his cup and just calm the fuck down.

Marrisa frowned harder at this. “While I admire the gumption, certainly such deliveries don’t actually need to be done via hailstorm. I’m sure whatever it is can wait for the weather to clear.”

“Some work needs to be done in its proper time, Marissa,” Cordovan said, “For instance, meetings should take place in meeting times.”

“Father, doing some of this now might allow Ingo to meet up with Siffrin sooner,” Leana said, glancing worriedly at Ingo, her eyes knowingly watching the way he fussed with his tea, before saying sternly to the Exalt, “Which we’ve seen Ingo enjoys, on…more difficult days.”

Cordovan gave his daughter a tired glance, this clearly bringing up an argument the two had had at some point. “Things will be less stressful to discuss when we give it the proper time and attention it deserves.”

“Does it have to be just princesses?” Dark offered, “I know that there aren’t that many male heir-apparents in the world right now, so princesses are the better bets, but I think it’s foolish to take men entirely off the table for that. Especially ones with good reputations! I’ve been hearing a lot about the Dicean heir-apparent, and apparently he’s an absolute joy to his spouses. And he’s poly~”

“And I’m sure that nice young lady at the music store understands weather blowing around all sorts of timetables,” Izzy said with an impish grin at Brathy. 

While Brathy looked up, giving his mother a scandalized look for a moment, he just blew the accusation off with a disgruntled, “Pah,” only blushing a little. 

It was a type of composure Ingo envied, as he sent his own betrayed look up at his sister--difficult days?!--and then added in scandal as his attention whipped to Eimdall, a little affronted squeak escaping his throat as his face started to blaze red. Like…sure he did end up flirting a bit with guys sometimes, but he’d made it very clear he was a ladies man~ and that wasn’t something to just bring up in front of their whole family, EIMDALL YOU JERK!!!

“Children.”

Tiana’s voice was soft, as it often was, but there was the folded steel of the north as its backbone. Her gaze around the kids not accusatory, but firm. “Cordovan’s made his wishes quite clear, and it’s not fair to corner someone into a conversation by surprise. We can discuss this later, once our stomachs are full and our heads are focused. Alright?”

Ingo flushed more, averting his gaze as he nodded, Brathy slumping with a murmured, “Sorry, Aunt Ti.”

“Sorry mother,” Leana said, glancing with concern at Ingo again.

“Apologies, auntie,” Dark agreed.

Cordovan gave his wife a grateful look, before quietly returning to his meal. Plates were scrapped by forks and knives as the others all did the same, an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air. 

It lasted for three, two, one…

Izzy huffed. “Okay, but who’s placing bets we’re gonna get enough snow to make snow messengers this year?? I say we wish big and make Sister Viva double over laughing with how many messengers of Abatea we make outside the mosque!”

That got conversation going again. 

-

They didn’t all go straight from the breakfast parlor to the meeting room as, like, one conglomerated group. It’d be a little silly, at least to look at in Ingo’s opinion. So they all split off to attend to minor things, freshening up after breakfast. Not particularly needed, Brathanial did start getting ready to head out, after some phenomenal mom-fussing, while Tiana took Cordovan’s hand, the two of them taking a slower, more scenic walk eventually heading towards the meeting room. 

Ingo…Ingo had managed to calm down over the tailend of breakfast, but there was still a sort of tightness in his chest that warned him that he hadn’t beaten the anxiety attack. As if he ever did. But as long as he could stave off the more embarrassing parts of it until he wasn’t around anyone then…he was still counting that as a win! 

Outside the parlor, Ingo took a deep breath. Okay! Just a regular meeting, then he’d be right as rain! Or hail, today!

The meeting room was a massive, oblong table that curved inwards, where certain areas were reserved for certain members of the family. Unlike at breakfast, the tables were all strategically spaced out, it being a Essley tradition that in discussions such as this that each individual at the meeting be certain to be speaking for themselves. To ensure this, they were not in leaning or whispering distance of each other, with the Exalt taking the widest part of the table as opposite of him, a massive fire raged in a large stone firepit. 

There were large windows, but they went out to a view of a sheer drop, making it impossible for anyone to sneak in, listen in or spy through the glass, a large view of the city and the forest beyond…usually. The storm making it difficult to see very far at all, everything gray silhouettes. The doors closed. 

Despite the atmosphere, this was not a ‘grim’ place for the royal family. Merely a professional and private one. This was where important decisions among the family were meant to be made, before being passed along to be officially drafted and observed, or challenged, by lower courts. 

Etched onto the table, burnt in as sigils as marks of where to sit, were deity marks. Hung on the walls, as decorations, were massive scrolls, showing the history and ownership of all deity marks that had come before them. Not all deity marks were currently present or accounted for, but when they were discovered, they were added to the scrolls, and if they still lived, their mark was etched into the table to show their place among them.

(Among the deity mark lineage marks, the mark of Ruin had been left blank for many generations now.)

As everyone settled in, the Exalt clasped his hands together, looking warily around at his family. “...Alright. Now we may discuss it. Unless someone else has something more pressing to bring up immediately, the matter of Ingo engagement is the current topic of discussion, as it has been for some time now. It’s Essley’s first international move since we’ve reclaimed our lands. Its importance cannot be understated. A marriage will be our first national alliance established, display a precedence of values we have, assumed or otherwise, and will have a ripple effect in how every other nation views us based on the choice. There will be much nations will believe they can assume from it: how strong we are, how much financial reserves we have, who we’re afraid of or how we wish to develop the nation long term. Ingo’s marriage will be the starting point of everything moving forward. It must be treated seriously.”

The room sat in heavy silence.

“...though, no pressure, I suppose.” Dark said, smiling uncertainly.

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

Keen eyes took in the arranged Dianthes, Sister Avi smiled with curious amusement, catching some of her apparent late-comers’ eyes and inviting them into her good humor. It seemed that it had been a busy breakfast for the Dianthes. 

(It wasn’t exactly another instance of manipulation, that Mercasia had been welcomed so warmly into Usott’s Nagan Mosque. Most of the believers didn’t even know about Deity Marks. But the fact that the Mark of Peace historically was so related to the Mark of Resonance, the latter passed down through the line of dragonkin that had once been the goddess’s closest confidants was…perhaps a nice coincidence.)

“Well? A ball does seem like a nice idea, doesn’t it?” Ingo said lightly, his stomach clenched rock hard. “Leana and Eimdall made good points--it’d be good for international traffic, making it very clear that Eslley is a not only safe, but desirable place to travel to, and it would do the work of vetting who would be willing to continue into talks with us. Plus, while we’ve had celebrations within our country, inviting others into a celebration would be a sign that we’re willing to reach out too.”

“Ah, we are re-visiting this idea in serious consideration, then?” Advisor Altair connected, the moon elf flipping through his notes. “A ball hosted by the Dianthes, extended to all nations’ royalty that have officially recognized Eslley’s sovereignty.”

He nodded a bit. “I am of the mind that it would open up the table for negotiation more easily than cold calls. A nation would be more willing to hear out any proposition if they have something to personally gain from a meeting of the connected world, rather than solely a dialogue with Eslley.”

“There’s also a matter of standing,” Leana said, her expression stiffening into her calculating mode, a tactician budding in the light of a new problem, “While cold-calls are an understood process of arranged royal marriages, there is something inherently subservient in the idea. Whoever first considers us will have first negotiating rights. There’s a reason it’s more often than not that the seeker of an arranged marriage is the one who sends their member to the other countries, and not receives them.”

Dark raised his eyebrows, “Egads! Is there a possibility of negotiations allowing us to keep our blue skies?”

“That’s unlikely, as he is fourth in line, and ideally we shouldn’t settle for less in his betrothed being anything other than the next upcoming leader, if not the current one,” Marissa pointed out, “Both for Ingo’s sake and ours. We want to ensure his spouse is in a strong position to guarantee his safety.”

“I really meant more that by using a ball to draw prospective marriages in, we start the negotiations on less deferring grounds,” Leana explained, “Imagine it: instead of us starting negotiations across letters where we’re trying to argue Ingo’s worth, a ball setting with the implication of earning Ingo’s favor puts him, and us, in a position of power and choosing. All the princesses will be competing with each other to earn his attention. The psychological effect that will have on the families we are considering could seriously be to our benefit.”

“Royals aren’t immune to the appeal of a song and dance,” Dark said, “And people want what they fear they can’t have. Make Ingo’s betrothal a spectacle for the world to compete over, and they might compete just for fear of missing out.”

A bunch of girls down at the pub clamoring for his attention? It…had never happened (likely because Ingo always flocked to girls first) but it sounded like a lovely time! All the times it had happened when Ingo convinced Jeremiah to join him as a wingman looked incredible, for how much Jeremiah looked as sour as he always did. 

…a whole ballroom of princesses and their entourages seeing how well he could play the part of the dashing, enchanting prince and placing bids on his hand?

…uuuuuooooogh…

Izzy nodded in agreement. “It’s important, but our Go-Go is worth more than just the first person that happens to say yes. Getting to start the whole she-bang face to face makes it seem more personal too.”

Because otherwise his marriage was wholly impersonal…uuuuuuuuuuugh.

“Having people visit thinking about us as ‘the party place’ rather than a buncha religious zealots trying to convert their royal lines would help out too,” Sister Avi snickered. “Though if being the place to be convinces pilgrims to make a trip too, we wouldn’t complain.”

“Making our religion seem more… inviting would be helpful, by this point.” Cordovan said, practically aging a year as he said, “A deadly war, regardless of who started it, did not do our religions international image any favors. Our blessings now just look like weapons, for how long we’ve had to use them as such, and our teachings look like dogma since we’ve had to reestablish them against attacking forces. Self-defense or not, it makes us look incredibly aggressive. I have no desire to raise our nation on the image of being violent conquerers. We cannot make winning this war our greatest accomplishment for the next decade, let alone the next generation. We need to build on more.”

“With that said, then we should be certain to pick a nation that isn’t military-inclined. We’d look like we’re pursuing more military might to win more wars,” Marissa said, “I’d say we should focus on nations that at least in recent history have been relatively peaceful.”

“Well, Luminary was never a real option anyway,” Dark said, not needing to expand on that: Luminary’s place in international relations had been undesirable for basically as long as anyone’s history books went back, with no worthwhile resources to trade, no desirable cultural traits to draw tourism, and no advancements worth engaging with them to learn more about. All of that, on top of being warmongers? The country had nothing to offer, and thus nothing to trade with. “But that might disqualify Dicea as well then? They might be in the same boat as us.”

“Dicea’s a tricky country to make meaningful alliances with,” Marissa said, pulling out her binder–a massive tomb that she updated meticulously–and opening it to its ‘Dicea’ index, “Actually, almost every country on that continent is. Dicea’s self-sustaining to a fault, there’s not much anyone can offer them, so they don’t indulge in much trading or off-continent relations. In other words, they’re fickle because they can afford to be.”

“They also aren’t truly available, regardless of how Dark feels on the matter.” Leana pointed out dryly, “I believe their only princess isn’t even a year old yet.”

“We should still invite her! Again, the foot traffic is nothing to sneeze at, and even if Dicea can’t be our first alliance, friendlier relations isn’t a terrible idea.” Dark argued, before smirking, “Plus, she might be 1 by the time the ball actually occurs. Perhaps she’ll be ready to marry by then?”

“Let’s try to be serious, Dark, there are better times for jokes.” Leana said dryly.

Ingo looked off to the side, a small, self-deprecating smirk on his face. If their blessings looked like weapons to the world, then it was miraculously to their benefit Ingo couldn’t use his. Not that other countries would get that until they told them. 

(...that wasn’t entirely true. But the only way Ingo had ever been able to activate Rally was…something that just wasn’t helpful, really. And not something he’d willingly do in front of. Anyone.)

“That counts out Panem too,” Izzy sighed, “Honestly it looks like they might be too busy with their own conflicts to even start considering anything to do with us.” Which might be a good thing, until Panem joined the world economy with more stability.

“However, Novoselic is in a different position than the other nations on that continent, and their world presence is speedy, if nothing else,” Altair mused, conferring with his own notes. “They engage with world trade and commerce, and they’ve refused to fight in any of the recent wars of their neighbors. Also, their princess should be around your age, Prince Ingo.”

Flushing, Ingo grimaced a bit. “Er, yes. I know we can’t afford to be incredibly picky, but I…would prefer to marry someone even slightly a peer.”

On a similar wavelength to Eimdall, Ambassador Phoenix Avocet gave Ingo a smile that would be disarming and sweet as could be, if not for the twinkle of mischief she could never fully manage to hide. “Woes be, I hope Ancle Finch doesn’t cry too much when it turns out they’re disqualified not just for political reasons, but because they’re an old, old man. And, yanno, married.”

“Any man is disqualified, really, so long as he can’t produce children,” Cordovan reminded them, “That includes any infertile woman as well, so age should be taken into account. We might not need heirs, politically, but we need heirs for the marks. Unless Ingo’s future spouse is willing to take on a surrogate as well, but knowing how inheritance works for most of the world, I doubt many would be willing to risk making a lineage any more confusing than it already gets.”

“It really is a shame Dicea is off the table. One of the already established husbands we know for a fact can have children. It’d be nice to bet on a royal family that’s already proven good to the spouses they collect.” Dark sighed. 

“I do hope, my son, that you will know better than to speak to them in such a way if you should ever actually meet the Ouma’s,” Marissa chastised lightly, “You talk like they’re a harem rather than a marriage, and there are many who would take offense to that. Dicea is not an option. But if we are looking at the continent, then Altair is correct. Novoselic is a highly appealing option. A young princess already deeply entrenched in her nations politics and her families responsibilities, coming from a long line of Neverminds that had focused on creating profit and international connection fo their otherwise small country. There is a lot of evidence that they might actually be a very wealthy nation that simply knows better than to advertise that considering their neighbors.”

“The Momota name is a bit tricky. Another point for the ball, even if we did want to focus on Novoselic,” Leana pointed out, “Momota is a name with baggage, both internationally and religiously. Ingo will not become an Atuan, that we must ensure. It would be better if we could convince the princess to take on the Dianthe name, even if she won’t potentially take on our faith. It would be a sign to the rest of the world that our faith still leads us, but that we can culturally mingle without losing that.”

“We should pick a few princesses we’re determined to draw in, regardless of how many we actually invite to the ball,” Cordovan said, “So we’ll establish a list on preferreds–”

“Wait!” Dark lit up, “Does this mean we’re actually having the ball then!?”

Tiana, typical for a lot of meetings, tended to stay back and observe the discourse. She’d come a long way, from right after her marriage to Cordovan, feeling too shy and just…not clever or insightful or assertive enough to feel like she had anything to contribute. These days she was far more confident in quiet observation. 

Turning to Cordovan, she smiled softly. “Well, darling? It seems we’re all on board. Shall we host a ball?”

Cordovan startled, before realizing what his wife and nephew had caught him in. Damn, he supposed he had started discussing it like that was the plan now…

…he glanced at Ingo, face stern. “Ingo. I will not force you to do something you cannot. Would you prefer the ball? Or stick to the course of inquiries.”

Force you to do what you cannot. (Not what you don’t want.)

Ingo swallowed, instinctively fixing his posture a bit under his father’s gaze. Feeling the authority of the Exalt.

He grinned. “If we can throw a party, you know I’m in! That’s waaaay less boring than dozens of copied over letters.”

His heart felt like a frightened bird clamoring against its birdcage.

Cordovan stared at him. Trying to read him. To understand his son…

(That he barely knew.)

“...then it’s decided,” Cordovan said, turning his gaze back to the group, “We will start making preparations for an international ball, where princesses all over the world will be invited to compete for my son's hand in marriage. Competition, of course, will simply be a matter of earning his favor. As Ingo will be prepped well in advance for the desirable traits he will be looking for, Ingo’s favor is Eslley’s favor. So says the Exalt, carrier of the mark of Rally.”

“The heir apparent, carrier of the mark of Rally, has no objections.” Leana said.

“The justicier, noble of Eslley, has no objections.” Marissa said.

“Second son, carrier of the mark of Rally, has no objections!” Dark grinned.

“The Exalted, noble of Eslley, has no objections,” Tiana said, smiling gently at Ingo. An apology of a mother sending her son to a fate she could no longer protect him from. The pride of seeing him willing for the sacrifice. The despair of him walking towards that sacrifice. 

“Princess of Eslley has no objections!” Izzy cheered.

“Second Voice, Sister of Abatea, carrier of the Mark of Resonance, has no objections.” Avi smiled.

“Advisor to the Exalt, carrier of the Mark of Mastery, has no objections.” Altair nodded.

“Ambassador of Mypros, carrier of the Mark of Insight, has no objections,” Phoenix said kindly. 

Ingo took a breath. “Third son, carrier of the Mark of Rally, has no objections.”

-

Siffrin was laid out on his back, his legs up and high as his ankles hung lightly hooked against one of the bookshelf edges, as he somewhat lazily looked through a book he had propped up against his collarbone, two more books acting as pillows to let his head arch forward. 

Glancing down the long, spiraling aisle lined wall to wall with books, he heard footsteps. Making a guess who might be coming down all the way down here– he was in the library’s lower levels–he called out idly, “Who dares disturb my labyrinth?”

“Now there’s a way to treat an invited guest you don’t see everyday? Unless it is I, missing the etiquette of the Goblin King?” Ingo snickered--weak, his usual performance suffering, it seemed--as he walked down the aisle, seeing Siffrin’s set-up. “Might such a law in the labyrinth be to only read books upside down, too?”

With a small sigh, Ingo sat himself down against the bookcase Siffrin was leaning his legs against, propping one leg up to lean an arm against. “Found anything interesting?”

“I don’t read books upside down because it’s legal, I do it because I’m amazeing,” Siffrin smirked, peeking around the book at the haggard looking prince, “...not really. I found an astrology book. Do you know what your sign is?”

“Oh, huh,” Ingo mused, peeking his head a little to look at the cover. “Can’t say I know all that much about it, other than there’s supposed to be compatibility matches. I’m a sun sign, I believe.”

He smirked a little, but there was something just…tired in Ingo’s expression. “What’s yours? If I actually knew the good matches I bet I could guess.”

“Are you? That’s fun, I’m moon,” Siffrin lied, liking the idea of being some sort of contrast to Ingo. “Well, let’s find out what your future is meant to be…assuming you lived sixty years ago, since that was the year this book came out with a list of predictions at the end of it for that year. We’ll just pick today's date.”

Flipping to the back of the book, Siffrin looked through the suns, eyeing through the list… “Wise sayings are often left on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away,” Siffrin read, “...so I dunno, take from that what you will. Someone say something nice to you today?”

“Oh?” There was a genuine perk of interest in Ingo’s voice as he looked over to Siffrin, smiling a little. “Really? I…think that means our birthdays are close together or something? Neat.”

Something nice? Well Ingo supposed so. Being told that his word, his judgment, would reflect all of Eslley was an honor beyond…anything. It was the kind of thing that Leana was working towards every day, what the…the fucking mark in his eye was supposed to mean, that Abatea had bestowed on their family who even knew how many years ago; Leana probably knew, because she was smart and focused and paid attention during their lessons because she was next in line for the throne and had always taken that seriously and would take to the responsibility of speaking for their whole country like a duck to water so OF COURSE IT WAS A NICE THING TO HEAR IT WAS INCREDIBLE!

“How cryptic,” Ingo croaked, his heart beating a mile a minute, his face having gone ashen as he worked himself back up in his head. “Never been much good at r-riddles.”

“...” Siffrin gave Ingo a bit of side-eye, before looking back at the book, looking through the list, “...mine says, if today was sixty years ago, you don’t need all the answers to life, just ask your dad.”

Siffrin blinked, before squinting at the book…before scoffing, “Well, clearly the fortunes are dumb. Maybe something else in here is more fun. Want to find out who you’re super compatible with?” Siffrin asked, trying to keep his voice light.

They were aware that Ingo was unhappy. They were mostly trying to distract him a bit from whatever was on his mind. They could already guess the meeting had been hard.

Even if it was Siffrin’s fortune, whoever had written that book clearly--obviously, Ingo, duh--hadn’t met his dad. 

What did compatibility even matter when he--

“Sure, maybe I’d be able to remember it this time,” Ingo said, trying to sound light and interested and joking, but his voice just coming out in a murmur. Volume escaping him little by little. “It’d make for a good ice-breaker, good for…” A shaking breath left him, “crowds.”

Siffrin glanced curiously at the word ‘crowds’. Huh.

Flicking through the pages, Siffrin found what they had been looking for. “Ah, so, there’s a few signs you’re compatible with, but your number one compatibility is with Venus. Venuses love, well, love, beauty, and art. Venus and the sun are intensely compatible because they see their own traits reflected in each other, creating the symmetry both signs desire, while embracing their passionate sides. I guess you’d get along with a venus because you guys have a lot in common. That’s kind of nice?”

That’d be nice. Look, Ingo didn’t think any of the princesses he’d meet would be mean! He was sure they were all lovely ladies and…in literally any other circumstance, he’d be thrilled to even get a date with someone! He just…

“Yeah,” Ingo quietly warbled, tears in bubbled globs running down his face. 

Uh oh. 

INGO IS CRYING AGAIN SIFFRIN YOU IDIOT FIX THIS!!

Siffrin sat up, looking a bit uncomfortably at Ingo, before moving to sit beside him. Glancing nervously at him, he tried to think of what you should do for crying people. Did they want to be touched!?? Siffrin was pretty sure you were supposed to hug someone who was crying, but that sounded terrifying. 

Don’t just sit there, DO SOMETHING!!

“...there…” Siffrin awkwardly tried to pat Ingo’s shoulder. Pat. Pat. “There?”

They paused, trying to guess what they said that caused the crying, “...y-you don’t have to be with a Venus if you don’t want to?”

“Siffrin!” Ingo rasped with all the aplomb of someone wailing, just without the volume, as he curled himself towards Siffrin’s shoulder. Just barely keeping the presence of mind to wager that he’d knock the both of them over if he actually threw himself at his friend. “W-w-we’re having a ball which is, is really cool! Bu-bu-but it’s for inviting all the - the princesses in the world t-to ‘earn my favor’ a-and I-I-I-I I’m supposed to speak for Eslley in making a proposal to one, b-b-but I’ve never gotten a real date a-and what if I choose the wrong person and - and it’s bad for everyone but then it’s my fault and how am I supposed to know w-who’d be the best alliance?! Girls are just pretty but they’re also really scary a-and I’m just g-going to be put up like a showhorse for bidding a-a--”

Having said that all in one breath, since he really couldn’t take any others, when it ran out Ingo was left choking on nothing, his vision going hazy from more than just tears.

Oh stars–heavy!!

Siffrin squeaked lightly as Ingo all but threw himself at them, keeping upright but just barely as Ingo sobbed into their shoulder. Awkwardly, sweating a bit in nervous energy, Siffrin patted Ingo on the back– pat-pat-pat– as they did their best to listen to what was bothering their friend.

It was… a lot. 

“If you’re choosing, then…you can choose someone you like?” Siffrin tried, mentally detangling everything that had just been thrown at him, “So maybe start with that and then…figure out alliance stuff from there? That could simplify it?”

Siffrin paused, before pointing out something he had noticed in the last month but hadn’t had a chance to really comment on yet. “Have you dated before?”

Ingo tried to answer, but not a sound came out of his mouth. And a…not anything came out. Which was really, really bad, and the realization made the sinking, shaky feeling Ingo had been trying to ignore wash over him like an ice bath. 

No, nononono, you are not having an anxiety attack in front of Siffrin! You’re okay! Ingo, you are a-okay, swear to Abatea, breathe you vapid moron you’re fine--

Ingo sucked in a painful-sounding breath, holding his body rigid as he breathed like he was physically forcing chunks of air down his throat. In the same way, he tried to force words out, but when they refused to come he just shook his head a little. 

It wasn’t that simple. And…Ingo’s dating history was…too embarrassing to get into.

Siffrin gave Ingo a startled, worried look when he gasped a rasping breath… and Siffrin’s expression softened. “Hey.”

Siffrin got Ingo’s attention, before putting their hand over their own heart. “Do what I do.”

Holding his hand over his chest, Siffrin took a deep breath in… and deep breath out… deep breath in… deep breath out…

Doing his best to focus on Siffrin, Ingo tried to copy the exaggerated movements. Not admitting to himself (at least just yet) that he was having an anxiety attack, but…well, familiar with what Siffrin was trying to do. So Ingo just focused purely on the movements, not trying to ascribe meaning to them or think about what was going on, and just…tried to copy. 

Tried to breathe. 

Tried to calm. 

Deep breath in…and deep breath out. And soon, the rhythm evened, Ingo’s breaths not quite as loud and the stiff tension in his body slowly laxing. And…not thinking about it quite yet, Ingo wiped his tears and…very gently put his forehead on Siffrin’s shoulder. 

Siffrin felt their whole body stiffen in surprise. Oh. Body heat. That was new.

But Siffrin forced the stiffness in him to not jerk his body away from the unfamiliar feeling out of shock, and did his best to relax into the press. Closing his eyes and only trembling a little, both basking in and bearing through the unfamiliar sensation. Hot. Siffrin was always surprised by how hot skin on skin contact was. It was like a day in the sun, all focused on one spot. It was…really unusual feeling.

…he wasn’t sure how long he was supposed to hold this. Was he supposed to lean away? Was Ingo expecting him to do something else? Was Siffrin doing this right??

Don’t force it. Forcing it shuts you down even harder. Just breathe and let it come. 

Ingo could only assume it was from Siffrin’s clothes, but there was something really…unique about the way he smelled. Not…earthy, exactly, but…maybe something mineral? Ingo couldn’t place it, but it was nice. 

“S…” A very soft voice got out, before going quiet again. And it was quiet still for a while longer, before, “...sorry. Thank you.”

“It’s okay,” Siffrin said, warily peeking out before closing his eyes tight again. Ingo’s face was right there. “...today was bad, huh?”

There was a nod into Siffrin’s shoulder. 

“...I’m going to let my whole family down,” Ingo said in that same ‘swallow and you’ll miss it’ voice. Tone somehow getting even weaker as he admitted, “...I don’t want to be sent away.”

Siffrin didn’t really understand politics. Or royalty. Or even this country, entirely, yet. As much as he liked Ingo, he still barely understood the prince. All that is to say, he was in a terrible position to give insight or advice, and he knew it too.

Yet, still… “Maybe you don’t have to be?” Siffrin said, “Maybe there’s another way? Why can’t your princess come here?”

Ingo opened his mouth and felt his heart speed up again. Feeling just as he did as a small, silent child, hiding behind his mom’s legs and unable to answer even the simplest, most innocuous questions a stranger posed. 

But he wasn’t, and as much as he hated what people meant when they talked about growing up…Ingo had had to grow up, one way or another. And when the facade of faking it crumbled, he’d had to figure out ways around that too. 

A silence fell, but Ingo just breathed. Finally sitting up from Siffrin’s shoulder and giving them an embarrassed but sincere plea for patience as Ingo settled back against the bookshelf, hugging his arms around himself. 

It was atrocious pacing, but eventually, “...we’re hoping I can marry an heir, or someone o…” Deep breath. “...otherwise heavily inv-volved with the proceedings of their nation. Someone like that can’t come here.”

A sad, hurt look came over Ingo’s face. “They can’t be expendable.” And Ingo was.

“...you’re not expendable,” Siffrin said. 

Siffrin had some difficulty understanding how they reflected in the world, sometimes. In many ways, they knew themselves as little as everyone else did, and that made it difficult to guess how the world was going to react to them, moment by moment. And they forgot things a lot, which made appearing intelligent difficult, when it came to remembering things, like what basic items were called, like the paper-like sheet that he had been staring at, all bound together within a book, their words all proudly parading in front of his eyes on the…thing.

It didn’t always make Siffrin the most ‘aware’ person. But he could tell when someone was feeling bad about themselves. That was a form of empathy that submerging everything about him hadn’t erased. 

“Maybe whoever you marry can lead their country via letters?” Siffrin offered, smiling lightly, his tired expression clueing in that he was somewhat kidding, “Or over the phone? Even if she doesn’t move here, she could visit for a long time, that way. You wouldn’t be gone forever?”

“Only in that I’m a bargaining chip for a marriage,” Ingo muttered. For being a prince, he’d just never been…special. That had been fine most of the time in Fennox Wry--his mother and his aunts had never hid their lineage, but no one really talked about the royalty stuff in Fennox Wry. They had just been people. And Ingo was alright with a sword, but he hadn’t even been close to the best; he was never going to be considered for a Khan’s champion. And that was fine. 

Then they’d left and joined the revolution, and suddenly Ingo was An Important Person. Cordovan Dianthe’s Son, nevermind that it had been the first time Ingo had ever seen his dad that he could remember. Ingo was blessed with Abatea’s Deity Mark! Royalty, Eslley’s heart, had returned! 

But Ingo had never stopped feeling like Just a Guy, and while his sister and cousins had stepped up to the demands made of them, Ingo just…didn’t. Couldn’t. So…of course he was the one that was getting shipped off. The only thing that made him valuable was his bloodline, so nothing about Ingo personally mattered. 

Ingo just shook his head a little, before slumping against the books more. 

“...”

“...what’s a phone?” he softly asked.

(“How have you not heard of this yet, Siffrin?” Odile said, looking genuinely surprised at Siffrin’s curious look, “There’s been announcements for years. They’re developing towers in Dicea–”)

(???)

(...)

“I dunno,” Siffrin said, closing his eyes, something frustrated running through him as whatever it was emptied out of him. Like a dream that faded the more he tried to grasp at it. “My head hurts.”

Rubbing their temples, trying to ease the thumping strain, Siffrin still managed to give Ingo a concerned look through his wince. “...why is this your responsibility anyway? Your cousins like politics more than you do. Can’t one of them do it?”

Ingo gave Siffrin a worried look and for a moment just…fretted anxiously. He…didn’t know any healing magic, hells, he couldn’t really use any kind of magic, and it wasn’t like he went around carrying a med-pac…

Shaking his head a little distractedly at Siffrin’s question--Eimdall was next in line after Leana, and after what they just went through people felt more comfortable having some extra padding to the succession, and Brathy didn’t have the Deity Mark in his bloodline--Ingo pushed himself up. Not…entirely steady, but determined and actually looking a little frustrated for a moment before he managed to get out, “Water? Medicine.”

“I’m fine,” Siffrin said automatically, even as they scurried to their feet, the books still on the ground as they peered up at Ingo, “...but I’ll have some if you have some.”

Ingo gave Siffrin another worried look, reaching out to steady him, before pointing up. Hoping to get the message across that he didn’t have any with him so they’d have to go back upstairs. 

…and hopefully not run into any of his family, or just anyone in general, that’d be great. It’d be mortifying to run into someone while he was struggling with words and Siffrin wasn’t feeling well.

Quietly, with a nod, the two headed up. 

Siffrin always walked quietly, his padded heels dully clicking against the floor in a way that didn’t allow the sound to carry beyond himself. His hat and cloak bobbed and bounced as he walked alongside Ingo, though his hat was tipped back enough to allow him to peer up in concern for his friend. 

“...you don’t really have to say anything until you want to,” Siffrin told Ingo.

It was a bit futile. Ingo could wipe his face as carefully as possible, but while he wasn’t the ugliest crier, thankfully, there were still signs. And unfortunately they were ones his family were all too used to seeing on him. 

But, still, Ingo held himself up and suppressed the weak, gooey feeling in his body as much as he could and--

Ingo gave Siffrin a look before sighing. Quiet, before he murmured over, “Can’t. Not want.”

“Oh. Okay.” Siffrin nodded, the two walking in silence some more. “...would it help for me to speak?”

“...”

Ingo looked sorry and bashful, but nodded, offering Siffrin a small smile. He knew it was annoying, and a weird ask--fuckin’ weirdo just couldn’t speak all of a sudden, guess it’s up to you to fill the space--but…he did appreciate that Siffrin had thought to ask about it.

“Alright, let me…”  Siffrin trailed off, trying to think of what he could possibly bring up. It wasn’t like he had a lot to share. Not much had survived his trek through the forest.

Ah, but, the forest.

“There’s a specific fluffy little animal in the woods that I’ve stumbled across on occasion, I’m not sure what they’re called,” Siffrin admitted, “They have rings on their tail, black marks on their face. I learned how to clean food watching them, what foods edible off the tree and what ones need to be taken to the river to be washed. They were really helpful so I spent a lot of time watching them.”

“One day, after a particularly bad storm, I was sleeping up in a tree that started to break and bend. It ends up falling over and got caught in the branches of two other trees, and I realized I was stuck, because I wasn’t sure what bit of movement was going to knock the tree down entirely and make me fall.” Siffrin paused, before deciding to be honest. “It was scary.”

“I didn’t realize I was sleeping next to a nest. It had been the first time I had been up that tree, and the nest was actually much higher than where I was sleeping. Well, while I was frozen there, a massive version of the ringtailed animal climbed up the tree, over me, and went into a hold in the tree. She came out with a little baby in her mouth, and ran off. The little baby didn’t make a sound, nor did the other four she came back for. One after another, running up and down the tree, bouncing off my back as I held on, going to get her babies and take them to some new nest.” Siffrin paused, “Seeing the babies up there made me even more afraid to move. I didn’t want to knock the tree over and get one of the babies hurt.”

“Well, after a while, the mama came back, and I thought she was going for another baby, but she just bounced off my back and got onto the bit of tree in front of me and stared at me for a while. She stared at me, before going to check on the nest, but there were no more babies inside, so she came to look at me again. And she started making this little chittering sound at me. I didn’t know what she wanted.” Siffrin said, before smiling lightly, “And she started nipping at my shoulder and smacking my face with her leathery little hands. Just shouting at me and smacking me, which scared me into going backwards. And I kept going backwards and backwards, and just as I got to the base of the tree, it cracked again and the two of us scurried off as the tree crashed into the ground.”

“I think I would have been really hurt, if I hadn’t finally climbed down. She came to look me over, shouted at me some more, and then she ran off.” Siffrin paused, “I didn’t know how to thank her. I hope she knows I was grateful. She didn’t have to come back for me.”

The layout of the Palacio Dianthe wasn’t all that involved, they didn’t have tons of hidden passages or shortcuts everywhere, but…well, Ingo had helped rebuild the damn thing. He didn’t have years and years of childhood memories scuttling about the halls, but he did know it well so the route he took them on was a little out of the way, hoping to get to where they were going without being spotted and flagged down. 

And while Ingo did keep an eye out for anyone they might pass, he mostly just…listened to Siffrin talk. Trying to focus on their words and story, and…well, it was compelling! Ingo’s eyes widened, imagining being stuck up in a tree precariously tilted, watching in frightened silence as a woodland creature collected her family…and then the confusion, and yet warmth, of being included in that rescue. An act of pure, selfless kindness across species. 

Ingo didn’t start crying again, but he looked moved, holding his hands over his chest. “...-at was truly kind,” he commented quietly, eyes glimmering in awe. He just absorbed that, before tracing a shape like a mask around his eyes, and then moving his hands into rounded points over his head like ears. “...kind of grey a-and black?”

Siffrin watched Ingo’s motions before nodding, “Yeah, that’s it.”

Ingo nodded a bit, taking a turn down a hall and peeking around. “We…hm. We call them washbears.” He gave Siffrin a little grin, wanting to point out it was funny that what Siffrin had learned from them apparently were the same traits that people in the past observed and thought were so representative that they named the creatures that…though he couldn’t quite get the words out. 

It…would be difficult to really find the same washbear that had helped Siffrin, so it’d be difficult to really make any sort of direct gesture of thanks, but…

Looking around, Ingo opened a door and nodded for Siffrin to go in, gesturing for them to sit on a fainting couch while Ingo busied himself at a cluttered vanity, pouring some water and searching through a few drawers. 

“...f…forest shrines?”

(Not mine.)

Siffrin scurried inside, flopping down onto the couch and watching as Ingo moved around the room. “I don’t know much about forest shrines. I think I’ve seen a few of them, but I’m only assuming, really. They were these little structures that looked too deliberate to be random, and they had a ‘sacred’ feeling to them, so I tried not to disturb them too much. I did sleep in one, once, but I don’t think the forest minded any. Nothing bad happened anyway.”

Ingo nodded before finding apparently the bottle he was looking for and closed the drawer. Or…tried to, though there was a dull thunking noise before he could fully close it. He tried opening it back up again, hoping to jostle the contents inside, but all he got were thunks and with a sigh, he just left it. 

Handing over the glass of water, Ingo held up a greenish bottle with a loose cork sealing it, and pointed at the hand-written label for Siffrin to read. There was a list of herbs, along with what they were for (general pain relief, headaches, nausea) and…well, Ingo hoped that this would work for Siffrin. 

With a little build-up, he made a sound in his throat. “...o…l-left with offerings for…wildlife. Or anyone that n-needs them.” Ingo took a breath, like he was going to say more, before a frustrated expression crossed his face. “...after hunting.”

Siffrin took the bottle and water, looking over the label before drinking it down, following it up with the water. “Thank you.”

They couldn’t help but pout a bit, before admitting, “I had a hard time with the idea of hunting while I was out there. Turns out I’m a bit squeamish. I caught frogs to eat once, but they were just so calm and sweet in my hands, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It was less me having an issue with eating meat, and more I just felt like… I was eating peers. It was disquieting.”

Siffrin had also had the benefit of always finding enough edible plantlife. If they had been starving, they might have made some hard choices, hunting wise. But those choices would have been hard regardless. It turned out he didn’t have a natural hunter in him, ready to jump out once he was out in the wild. They just felt like another little creature in the woods, trying their best to get by. 

Heh. Maybe Siffrin should get a shrine…unless that meant he was being hunted. Then maybe not.

“But, if you’re saying we could go out and make a wetbear shrine? As thanks?” Siffrin asked, tilting their head, “I would do that if I was doing it with you. It’d feel weird to just do on my own, since that’s not one of my beliefs, but it sounds nice.”

Ingo gave Siffrin a small grin at the thanks and, his attempts to help his friend out in motion, he pulled over a thick, almost marshmallow-y-looking cushion and plopped down on it on his stomach, the front of it raising up enough to cross his arms on and be propped up. 

Hunting was…hard. Not just in pure technicality, which was a factor, but emotionally. Having to end a life yourself and facing the reality of death under your hands…but it was a reality you needed to face if you ate meat. Meat didn’t just appear, a life had been exchanged for it, so having the proper respect and gratitude for it was important. Thus, the shrines. 

Which…Ingo didn’t think he was able to explain properly, and he didn’t mean to make a washbear shrine, and it was washbear, not wetbear, and…

But words just wouldn’t form in Ingo’s head no matter how much he tried to arrange them, and frustration just grew on his face as he clenched a fist, the non-sound just blaring louder in his head the more Ingo tried to force it.

Siffrin looked at Ingo for a bit, before awkwardly looking at their feet. They had upset him again…

Looking around for a way to fix their mistake, Siffrin glanced around at the room, before noticing more and more oddities to the space. He had at first thought it was some sort of study, but there were little style choices that made it feel like a bedroom, but wasn’t quite that either…

“Where are we?” Siffrin asked, realizing he had no idea. 

Just talk you dummy, it’s not that hard! You can make your point if you explain yourself, and no one’s going to be mad and it’s not going to go wrong, just say something, Ingo!

Amid his self reprimands, Ingo looked up, realizing he hadn’t explained where they were going at all. Gripping his opposite forearm, Ingo…not quite nodded, and not quite rocked himself on his cushion before getting out, “....room.”

With a huff and another pause, he clarified, “My room.”

It was? But it didn’t have a bed. Was Siffrin sitting on his bed?

Siffrin looked around, increasingly uncomfortable. He had made his friend upset, and he hadn’t fixed anything yet, and honestly just about anyone else would probably know exactly what to do or say by now. Siffrin was just an idiot who didn’t understand people and just made shitty situations worse and no wonder he had been left in the forest and no one but a wetbear had been willing to come get him because he was a burden and–

“I don’t really understand why you’re not talking,” Siffrin said, uncomfortably looking away, “...did I do something?”

Ingo’s attention snapped to Siffrin as his eyes widened in worry, and he quickly shook his head. There were some indistinct sounds from his attempts to say something before Ingo huffed and took one of Siffrin’s hands in his own. With a pleading look, Ingo shook his head more slowly and squeezed their hand. 

Sighing softly, Ingo got up on his knees and went back to the vanity, looking around for a bit…before he returned with a slightly bent and creased pamphlet. It was…humiliating. And Ingo hated this. Just so…weird and inconvenient and… But he didn’t want Siffrin to think this was their fault. 

A bit red, Ingo handed over the pamphlet, clear large letters on the front titling it Selective Mutism and Non-Verbalism. It wasn’t something Ingo just kept around to show people--it had actually been some literature his aunts had given him when Ingo had been struggling with feelings of being…different. 

While Ingo was shy, selective mutism wasn’t just being quiet and shy. It was a neurological issue of a hyperactive or particularly sensitive amygdala, partially or even completely halting language processing systems in response to certain stimuli. A person that went non-verbal wasn’t choosing not to speak, they literally just couldn’t remember what words were and couldn’t form them. In many cases, a person wasn’t able to write or use other forms of communication either, considering it wasn’t a vocal issue. 

Siffrin took the pamphlet, reading it over after a quick glance at Ingo, verifying he was meant to read this. Okay. 

Looking over it, Siffrin’s eyebrows went up lightly…before a look of understanding came over them, eyes darting through the common words–thankfully so, since Siffrin couldn’t always read the local language, only knowing pieces of it–explaining in neat but professional wording exactly how mutism worked. 

“Oh,” Siffrin said, looking up at Ingo, no longer confused but still with questions, “So should we just give it time?”

Ingo watched Siffrin tensely. Sure, people didn’t tend to be mean about it or anything…though Ingo had…pretty much only told his family… But it was still something…odd. The kind of thing that made people furrow their brows and say things like, ‘you can talk fine normally’ and ‘aren’t you just making this up’ and ‘well everyone gets nervous’. 

But, from asking if he’d done something wrong, Ingo saw Siffrin actually relax and…that made him relax a little too. Sighing a little, he rolled his eyes beleagueredly and nodded. “S’annoying. E…” Another sigh. “Soon.”

“Alright,” Siffin said, looking around, “...do you have any board games? To pass the time, I mean. I’m really good at checkers,” they lied. 

Ingo huffed a quiet laugh. “Terrible,” he commented, hoping that it came across that he was speaking about his own board game skill. Pushing himself back up from his second flop on his cushion, Ingo wandered over to a set of drawers separate from the vanity, starting to peruse. 

He wasn’t so much of a board game guy, but he did like games in general, so he probably had something laying arou--ah. It wasn’t quite checkers, and Ingo was just as bad, but…

Ingo tilted his head with a small smile. “Flip-Ems?”

Siffrin didn’t recognize the name ‘flip-em’ but he did recognize the distinctive black-white tokens that Ingo put down, and with a nod Siffrin sat down opposite of him. Pushing back his hat, Siffrin took half the available tokens to his side, before placing the starting four in the center of the board. 

For a little while, the two of them just sat there, the only sound between them being the small ticks of the game. The first game went slow, Siffrin clearly hesitantly remembering how to play, and Ingo won. The second game went a little faster, and Siffrin was surprised to find they won that one. And after that, there was a speed and efficiency to their quiet gameplay. Resetting the board over and over again as the game tac-tac-tac’d on through several more rounds. 

Ingo wasn’t very good at Flip-Ems. Sure, he knew the rules and the conceit, and he did try. He looked for long strings of his opponent’s tokens and tried to get to the ends of them efficiently, but it just always turned out that as soon as he’d make what he thought was a good move, his opponent, which in honesty was usually Eimdall, would take back just as many if not more tokens. Ingo had only been able to look at the board in astonishment when he won the first game, though he was quick to give Siffrin an encouraging grin. 

As they continued to play, though, Ingo started…muttering. At first maybe something that couldn’t be taken as more than just a heavy breath, but as time went on it became more and more apparent that he was actually speaking words. And as they quickly set tokens on the board between each other, Ingo could be heard quietly saying, “The minimum amount of cinnamon we be swimmin’ in is less than seventeen.”

Siffrin glanced up in ever-increasing concern. “...Ingo,” Siffrin finally said, “Are you having a stroke?”

Ingo looked up, at first genuinely wide-eyed in surprise, before he flushed, looking off to the side with an awkward cough. “N-no, I’m quite fine. It, ah…”

Coloring more, he gave a half-shrug as he laid down another token. “It’s a speech exercise. Kind of like a tongue twister? It’s…supposed to help with deliberate pronunciation. Like ‘the sixth sick sheikh’s sixth sheep’s sick’.”

Siffrin blinked… before going, “Oh. Like ‘An excellent view of eleven benevolent elephants.”

“An excellent view of eve - …eleven benevolent elephants…” Ingo repeated, laughing a little at himself for the flub. “That’s a good one, and it certainly paints a feasible picture, unlike some others.”

Grinning a little more, Ingo prompted, “To sit in solemn silence in a dull dark dock; in a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock; awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock; from a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black lock.”

He wrinkled his nose, his accent somehow making the deliberate words sound even sharper. “Awfully morbid, that one.”

Siffrin blinked, before slowly repeating, “To sit in stealthy… no, solemn silence in a…dull dark prison, with a life-long lock; awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp–oooh,” Siffrin winced, sweating slightly, “That is a morbid one. Grim.”

Glancing down, Siffrin made his next move in the game, before asking, “So do the tongue-twisters help with the mute stuff? Or is it unrelated?”

Really awful imagery, but a wonderful cadence. It had always been something Ingo liked in music, but his talks with Phoenix had really given Ingo a true appreciation for how skillfully phrases could be made. A ‘pestilential prison’ was a horrible concept, but the words together were incredibly catchy. 

“Sort of…” Ingo sighed. “Mostly from when I was little? I’d talk so rarely that when I actually could, I struggled a lot just from being out of the habit, so my mom shared some of the performers’ tricks she knew. These days I talk enough that even after my brain goes weird I’m usually just slow getting back into it, but…I guess it’s just helpful because it used to be helpful?” he pondered. “Like the habit itself helps.”

“Like…” Ingo hummed as he placed a token, “I would assume that writing things down would help with your memory stuff, yes?”

Siffrin hesitated, mid-placing his next move down on the board…hesitating…before quietly shaking his head, putting the token down with a small click. “No, that doesn’t really help.”

Siffrin put his hands on his lap, clearly debating with himself a bit. Then, seeming to gain either some courage or resignation, one or the other, Siffrin patted through his pockets, looking for something. It took them a minute, but when they finally found it, they pulled out a sheet of paper. Stained yellow, like it had survived water and time, the line through the middle from where it had been folded so thin that one bad twist of the paper would pull it completely in half. 

Carefully opening it up, Siffrin glanced through it, wincing slightly–ow–before wordlessly handing the paper to Ingo. 

Siffrin!!! Don’t forget to get everyone!!! Odile is probably in the shop getting supplies. The shop is that building with a bunch of barrels around it! I saw Bonnie go to the east! They’re probably near the veggie fields… Just go east and then south! And Isabeau must be at the Favor Tree to the west. Give him some time though! I think he has a lot to ask for! Before you go talk to him, you should explore! I’m sure people would be happy to talk! Don’t be afraid to talk to people, everyone here is nice! I promise!! Just don’t get lost okay? 

And, well, also, you should see the Change God’s statue and pray for victory! If you want!!! (You really should!!) 

Let’s meet at the Clocktower to the east after! Just jump over the broken bridge. Don’t slip, the river current can get strong! You’ve got this!

Yours,

Mirabelle~~~

Siffrin watched tiredly as Ingo read it, before catching his eye with a small smile. “...I don’t know how long ago this was. You think maybe I slipped?”

Ingo frowned a little. He didn’t know much about, like, actual memory issues, so he wasn’t that surprised that his assumption was wrong, but… He really didn’t know what would be able to help, other than writing things down.

…maybe Siffrin didn’t either. 

Ingo took the paper like it was made of spun sugar, seeing the wear off the rip and, considering it was something Siffrin was carrying around, Ingo wanted to treat it gently. Though, as he began to read through the contents…

Odile. Bonnie. Isabeau…Favor Tree? Change God… Clocktower. Mirabelle.

Names Ingo hadn’t heard Siffrin mention before. Locations and things he didn’t know. Sure, Ingo was no expert on all of Eslley, but…he didn’t think you could slip so far down a river as to end up in an entirely different country! To the point nothing sounded familiar.

“As our confirmed river-slipper? It’s possible,” Ingo smiled back weakly, carefully handing back the paper. He went quiet, thinking for a moment before looking back up at Siffrin. “...those people seem important to you. We could put out a call, even just…announcing that you’re in Esllesium? With the number of names, I think that’d be specific enough that if they saw it, it’d be a direct call.”

Ingo’s smile brightened with a soft earnestness. “...even if you may not remember them well, I think a part of you could never forget how much they mean to you. You’ve kept the letter, after all. So…that’s worth giving it a try, right?”

Siffrin carefully folded the paper back up, before putting it back into their pocket, right next to where he kept his silver coin. He knew the two were related, somehow. And even if he didn’t know how anymore, he still kept the two items together, in case something eventually changed…

Siffrin smiled sadly, something hopeful in the idea…before they winced, looking away. “I don’t remember them at all. And…they might not remember me anymore. I…”

(I only ever half-exist, slipping through reality like water through stone.)

(I erode. I affect. I change.)

(But I am incapable of becoming a permanent fixture into the very landscape that I alter.)

(I am constant transformation, and in that inability to stop the endless cycle of evaporation, precipitation, flight, rain, flow of a river that is never the same river you put your hand into as the one you pulled your hand from, I am impermanent and unfathomable.)

(...and I hate it make it stop make it stop make it stop make it stop–)

“...can be kinda forgettable, sometimes.” Siffrin shrugged, looking away. “...it’d be kind of nice to just know who they are though. Even if they don’t know who I am, it’d be nice to meet them.”

Ingo frowned, his brows pinching in a little as he was just…confused. “They might not remember you? My friend, you are not forgettable in the slightest. You have such a deep-seated sense of kindness that you barely even consider it so, which creates an alluring aloofness that has people begging to know more! You extend such understanding to others that proves you know the social game, and it makes conversations flow like water! Not to mention your proclivity for top-notch wordsmithing,” he chuckled, giving Siffrin a wink. 

Sobering into something more determined, though, Ingo leaned forward on his cushion more, looking straight at Siffrin. “Aside from my own opinions, though? …if I wrote a letter like that to someone, I would never forget them,” Ingo said with the utmost assurance. Not a single doubt in his heart. “No matter how much time passed, or what else I did with my life. Once a heart is touched, it’s forever changed. Like a fingerprint whose ridges stay, even through growth or morph or others joining its canvas.”

Everything in life changed, but experiences, and experiences with people especially, were what you took with you. 

Ingo believed this whole-heartedly, his sincerity leaving no room for argument…before he considered how much Siffrin believed he would be forgotten, and an idea occurred to him. Looking over Siffrin in worry, Ingo asked, “...do you think you may be cursed?”

Siffrin’s eye had widened a little in wonder, listening to Ingo just…praise him, really, was what was happening. And it was a little overwhelming, yes, absolutely, Siffrin found themselves dipping into their collar a little in shy anxiety. But at the same time, their body warmed with pleasure, just…enjoying the flattery of it. It was nice, to be thought well of. To be…liked. 

But his face tensed a bit at the direct question. Glaring down at his hands, considering his words carefully… “I’m not…sure,” Siffrin said, wincing a little. His head giving him a worrying little pulsing warning, as he admitted, “It’s hard to…think about. So I don’t.”

That had been too much, apparently. The drumming headache that he had submerged under a pain-tonic came thrumming back, and Siffrin winced, rubbing his temple. He needed to talk about something else. “I’m sorry I upset you earlier.”

Ingo nodded slowly, taking that in. He’d heard about curses where a condition of the curse was an inability to talk about the curse, so…not being able to even consider it to yourself seemed like a similar condition. Cursing someone was already bad enough, so to take away even their ability to ask for help, or to think it through themselves…it was cruel. A type of…isolation, really, shunted onto a person… 

That Mirabelle, that wrote the letter… The knowledge and…intimacy they managed to convey in just a few words, knowing everyone’s habits and schedules and what their hopes may be. Knowing all that about Siffrin, and taking the time to help them out with such casual specificity, and yet still having that optimistic encouragement… 

Ingo knew, in his heart, that was love. And while people who loved each other couldn’t always be by each others’ sides, to be torn away by something out of your control, to have the days you spent together taken… It was too much to bear. And Ingo would not stand idly by while Siffrin bore it. 

“...you really should see a cleric,” Ingo suggested, his tone firmer than when he and his sister had mentioned it the day they met Siffrin. “Or…even my aunt, or my cousin; they’re quite adept with healing magic. Even if they just have a better remedy than random painkillers, I think that would do you well.”

He sighed, easing back a little as he played with his bangs. “And you didn’t upset me, Siffrin, I’m sorry that I freaked out on you. That must have been scary to see. Things have just…been a little stressful…” Ingo’s voice trailed off in a mutter before he looked back up with a bright smile. “But! As it turns out, we’re going to be hosting an international ball, so--!!”

Scrambling up, Ingo crossed an arm over his chest, doing a little fancy footwork to have one foot in back and another in front as he extended his other hand in metaphorical invitation. “I have the utmost honor of extending the first invitation to you to attend!”

Siffrin didn’t know what to say to Ingo’s recommendation to see a cleric–he wasn’t entirely convinced he had something that could be fixed, and he didn’t enjoy involving other people in this problem. They tended to… talk about it. Which hurt. A lot–though their mouth went into a little surprised ‘O’ face as they were… “I’m going to a ball?” Siffrin asked, eye sparkling in wonder. “...can I wear a dress? Is it a gown type ball?”

Laughing as he plopped back down on his cushion--flailing slightly as he tried not to let it dump him on the floor--Ingo nodded with an eager, haughty excitement to share. “It will absolutely be a gown-type ball. If there’s ever going to be an occasion to go all out in terms of dress, it’ll be this.” He rolled his eyes a little in faux exasperation. “I can already imagine the plethora of fittings I’ll be going through once we actually establish a date…”

“Which,” Ingo smiled sheepishly, “means that you’ve got to stick around for a while, so you can go, right? Or at least to plan to come back for the ball, if you do end up going somewhere else.”

(...)

(Just say it. He already knows. Put it out into the open.)

“I don’t actually have anywhere to go,” Siffrin said, ducking his head beneath his hat. “After this.”

Ingo smiled kindly, but even with his best performance there was something markedly…sad about it. It wasn’t even fair to insinuate that this could be a good performance, considering the total meltdown Ingo had just had. “That’s not entirely true.”

“When we find your friends, even if they make the trip to Esllesium, that will still mean you have a rediscovered home somewhere else,” Ingo pointed out, “And while the call to adventure isn’t always so pointed, you never really know when it’s your name that dances on the wind. It’ll be your choice to answer, of course, but there are some very convincing arguments out there in the world.”

Ingo winked. “Just remember you have a party a dashing prince is counting on you to attend, alright? Wherever life takes you. I’ll get you a proper invitation to keep once we have the details down.”

…Ingo really believed they would find the people in the letter, huh?

Siffrin considered that, snaking his hands through his cloak to find the pocket again. He pulled out the silver coin, flipping it through their fingers a little, reaffirming himself of its reality. His connection to the letter. His connection to four people whose names he had to remind himself of by re-reading the letter. Over and over and over and over again. 

(Were those four people–Miradelle, Odine, Isabeau, Bonnie–really waiting for him, somewhere?)

(Did Siffrin still have famil–???)

(...)

Siffrin looked up warily at Ingo. It was hard to believe. Reality didn’t really work that way for them. But…if Ingo believed it… they nodded. “No…matter what might happen? I’d still want to come to your ball. Maybe…” Siffrin smiled warily, the doubt clear in his eye, but trying to be optimistic along-side Ingo, “...maybe I’ll have a few guests of my own to invite.”

“...the six of us together would have a ball of a time.” Siffrin smirked. “Though don’t worry, I’d give you a heads up; I wouldn’t just waltz right in with uninvited guests.”

“Nothing would make me happier,” Ingo said sincerely, before bursting into snickers at Siffrin’s puns. “Of course! I’d want to make sure your party of party-goers would have the proper introductions. I think it’d be a little too serendipitous if any of your friends were royalty, but they deserve the same respect extended to them.” 

Glancing over to a window, Ingo twisted a bit of his hair around a finger sheepishly. “...I think I have some more invitations to give out as well, even before the official announcement. If I don’t want an earful, that is.”

“Who else is coming?” Siffrin asked, looking at Ingo curiously, “I know this is meant to be a wedding thing, so…princesses?”

Ingo nodded, looking to the side as to not seem affected. “We’re going to start making a list of which princesses in the world would seem like the best match for me, but beyond that we’ll probably extend an invitation to every nation that’s acknowledged Eslley, just for the courtesy of it. A lot of Esllean nobility will likely attend just because it’s here and would be a good place to make connections, and I’d assume that any royalty planning to come would have a whole entourage coming with them. This is as much a…tourist trap of sorts, as it is a marriage auction.”

Ingo shrugged a little. “If someone asks to come, at least when it comes to foreigners, we’re not really in a position to tell anyone no. Any networking we manage to achieve will be a huge boon.”

Siffrin frowned, eye searching Ingo in small concern. “Calling it an ‘auction’ is sort of a bummer.”

“Yeah? Maybe…bidding parade?” Ingo tried, bouncing his leg slightly. “I…well, I don’t really know how you’d alter the nomenclature of a cakewalk to be about people, I’ll admit. Maybe a pageant? I think I have the air of a pageant winner.”

“A pageant sounds nice,” Siffrin agreed, tilting their head a bit, “A pageant with a bunch of princesses on parade. That would be kind of nice for you. Gives you a better opener than the ones you used at that wine-hall you took me to. I think those girls thought you were joking. Like, putting on a bit.”

“Uuuuuuuuoooooogh,” Ingo groaned, his expression immediately cringing in regret as he flopped backwards over his cushion, paying little mind to how it followed his momentum and threatened to tip his legs up and over him. Getting back up was future-Ingo’s problem. “I was really proud of that one too! I even thought that adorable brunette with the lotus hairpin had been eyeing me up, so of course I went to say hello!! Aaaaaaaggggg!”

Ingo dramatically threw his hands over his face, saying muffled, “‘least I didn’t get us thrown out this time…”

“Well, you’ve only gotten us thrown out…twice,” Siffrin said, smiling warily even as he sweated a bit, “Which, for all I know, is a normal amount of times to get kicked out of a bar. And coffee shop. Though I still think the coffee shop was only half your fault.”

Ingo had thought it would be nice, treating every lady in the coffee shop to an extra shot of espresso. He hadn’t thought that the barista would assume Ingo had actually asked every female customer if they wanted an extra shot and they had said yes. And suddenly when a bunch of jittery, hyped up women were demanding answers, whelp, Ingo had been there, on the hook. 

“I wish we could go fishing,” Siffrin admitted, “I feel like fishing would probably relax you. But they got so mad the time I brought my pole to the bathhouse…”

“No, I should’ve been more clear…” Ingo sighed, frowning with disturbance. “Even if it’s not really how people treat things like coffee, that…technically is drugging people without their consent. I…really don’t feel great about that.”

It was scary having your body suddenly go out of control. Ingo didn’t blame any of those women for their anger at him. 

Sighing, Ingo tumbled his arms off the top of his head, his bangs flying away with the motion, unlike Ingo’s usually staunch defense of his appearance. “Well, there’s not even the illusion of catching anything at a bathhouse. Unless you want someone’s towel, and then that kind of anger makes sense.”

Glancing at the window again, Ingo sighed more dramatically. “I’ll never hear the end of it if I say we’d be fine going out in this… But we should head out to a river soon. Plenty of good fishing, and it’s not like we can get kicked out of a tree.”

“I feel like the first day we met suggests we can get kicked out of trees, but alright. Though, uh…maaaaaybe not when it’s hailing?” Siffrin smirked, “Not that you’re not cool and strong and stuff, but I think if the sky is throwing ice at you, maybe just take the L. We’d be black and blue even before Jeremiah dragged us back.”

“Well, who would I be to not take such wise advice?” Ingo laughed, peeking up at Siffrin. “I can cite machismo enough, but I was far more used to snow than hail--there’s being bold, then just being stupid.”

Ingo pouted, kicking his legs lightly. “And I do know the difference, to the surprise of some people. Ugh, he can be such a brute sometimes, right?!”

(The masked one could be a bit intimidating sometimes, but–)

“He’s not so bad. It’s nice that you have someone who guards you who also respects you a bunch,” Siffrin observed idly, not thinking much either way over whether Ingo had noticed that yet or not. After a month of observing the two interacting, it just seemed obvious to Siffrin as he mused, “He just gets mean when he’s worried.”

It was barely a second that Ingo looked up at Siffrin in surprise before he sighed, his tone softening from the petulant whining he’d punched up before. “...yeah… I mean, I think he could stand to be a little less mean, but…I know he’s just worried.”

“...it’s kind of nice, in a way, right?” Ingo asked, looking up at Siffrin with a soft, tentative smile. “Knowing that no matter what kind of stupid trouble you get yourself into, there’s someone that’s going to sigh and grumble, but head on after you to bring you back home.”

Siffrin stared back at Ingo.

(Odile called out…)

(They all ran for you…)

(In that moment, you knew…you were loved—???)

(...)

Siffrin smiled. “It sounds nice, yeah.””

The hesitation in Ingo’s smile eased out. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting from Siffrin but…well, he’d heard before a counter to that sentiment about, like…never learning from your mistakes, and enabled recklessness. And Ingo could see that point but there was something so…wonderful, about being loved even with your flaws and mistakes out on display. 

It was comforting to hear that Siffrin got that too. 

Stretching out a little, Ingo more than halfway just lounging on the floor with his legs up on the cushion, his shirt riding up a bit, he hummed in consideration. “...if the hail lets up later, would you want to head to Velvet Midnight with me again? Feray was kind of one of the people I meant when I said I should start making invitations before the official announcements.”

Flexing his ankles back and forth, Ingo closed his eyes. “We could do some shopping before it--it just feels wrong to show up without a present at this point.”

Siffrin liked the Velvet Midnight well enough, but its star singer, Feray, was… Siffrin’s face scrunched up slightly, looking away awkwardly. “Do we have to? Feray…has a real ‘I’m going to swallow you whole’ look about her, sometimes. One of these days we’re going to go into that place and the only thing they’ll find of us is my hat tossed into the alleyway.”

Ingo laughed lightly, peeking an eye open. “She’s not so intense once you get to know her, I promise. She’s like…a marshmallow coated with chocolate and coconut flakes--she can be a little prickly, but she has a true maiden’s heart. And, well, you can’t deny her vocal talent. How you really know her character is the fact I’ve gone in crying about rejections countless times, hoping to soothe my heartbreak, and Feray only chooses songs about awful partners sometimes.”

And the fact that she listened to him sob and moan about it backstage, or at least pretended to listen, or pretended to pretend to listen, while intently listening. Despite the facade she put up, Ingo knew the terrible truth--Feray was actually nice.

Ingo snorted lightly. “Or would you rather see if Phoenix is free and ask to go out drinking with her? I’m still astonished you’ve managed to dodge it so far.”

Now Siffrin looked worried, sweating even harder as he squirmed uncomfortably in his cloak, even as he smiled warily. “Phoenix isn’t…bad, she’s just…”

A lot. 

“Also going to eat me at some point,” Siffrin decided to settle on, looking increasingly resigned to his grim fate of definitely being eaten alive by one of these intense women someday. Siffrin was already very short in this area, but some of these women made him feel a bit like a hamster or squirrel or something, some small rodent, that’s just come face to face with a snake, or a hawk. And each time Siffrin encountered them, they were just left with the vague hope that this time the predator wasn’t hungry. 

“It’s much easier to run around with you, since you’re about as dangerous as a fluffy rabbit,” Siffrin smirked, “At least we’re in it together, sort of thing. So, sure, I’ll come with you.”

Ingo laughed a bit harder at that, his chest rising off the floor a little. Feray would metaphorically…well, pretend to eat someone live. Probably convince someone to go on a shopping trip with her. Phoenix? Of all the people Ingo had met, if someone came around saying that human flesh was available and edible, Ingo would place all his coin on Phoenix being the person to shrug and say something like, well, may as well try it. That’s what made her a lot of fun, though. 

“I keep saying it, if you know your tolerance then you’ll be fine~” Ingo laughed, before sucking in a dramatic gasp, lifting a leg straight up in the air for extra effect. “Siffrin! My own friend! I can be plenty dangerous, thank you very much!” While he was playing it up, there was a genuine flush starting to cover Ingo’s cheeks. “I am not an herbivore boy.”

…sure, maybe he did find some women people might describe as a carnivore woman a little intimidating…but women could be intimidating sometimes, and Ingo wasn’t so insecure in his own masculinity to think he’d never be taken aback by anything!

“...?” Siffrin looked curiously at Ingo…before snickering, “Oh, no, did you not know that already?”

“Right, sure, you’re not a… what did you call it,” Siffrin smirked, “A ‘herbivore’ boy? No, sure, I agree. That’s why the ladies can’t leaf you alone. That’s why when you’re flirting with people, that’s not you shaking like a rabbit, that’s you generating energy for your final form: as the hardcore carnivore, fowl-be-it for anyone to suggest you’re about to take flight…”

Siffrin paused, before grinning. “Hold on, give me a minute, I can think of more. I’m on a roll. Sort of like the breadrolls you’re thriving on.”

“!!!” Ingo squeaked in offense, turning more and more red as Siffrin went on. “I don’t shake! I’m the epitome of suave. S-sure I don’t really… I-I mean, I don’t do it just for my own benefit! It’s nice to get compliments, and I simply see too much beauty out in the world to let it go uncommented upon!”

Even the power of puns wasn’t enough to keep Ingo from steaming in embarrassment. He was simply burning, shooting Siffrin a particularly embarrassed look as he self-consciously pulled his shirt down. “I don’t eat more than anyone else! A-and I work out! You think I can look like this naturally?”

…sure, maybe he was…a little soft. In some places. B-but that was normal! And good for working muscle! Not…that Ingo was doing a whole lot of strenuous work these days, but he was still working out so…it applied!

Siffrin laughed, before giving Ingo a warm look,.“Sorry, I got a bit caught up in trying to think up prey puns. It was barely about you by the end, I just really wanted to use breadrolls once I thought of it…but, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you being kind of soft. It’s a nice thing about you. You’re someone really comforting to be around.”

Siffrin shrugged, looking back down at the board, remembering he needed to make a move before Ingo could, even if Ingo was in the middle of tying himself into knots on the floor. “Any of those ladies would be lucky to keep your attention. You just need to get past those introduction jitters. You’re amazing when you’re relaxed.”

Ingo pouted a bit longer at Siffrin, holding the end of his shirt down before huffing. “Well, alright, I am pretty happy about that. Being a comforting presence is absolutely a win. Just don’t start suggesting diets to me or anything or I will start crying. Again.”

Seeing Siffrin regard their forgotten Flip-Ems board again, Ingo started pushing himself back u--.... Back u--... Back… Oh for Abatea’s love, why did he… 

Grumbling a little, Ingo started trying to roll-slash-flail off to the side, trying to get back up before he groaned. “And I’d be delighted to pay anyone attention! Does it really look that bad from the outside? It always seems like it’s going well to me…” He sent Siffrin a sheepish look, somehow twisted sideways and from under an arm. “...well, until it isn’t.”

Siffrin politely pretended not to notice that Ingo, tough alpha male carnivore that he was implying himself to be, had absolutely trapped himself on his side and was now wiggling like a turtle trapped on its back. Or an overstuffed hamster briefly waking from a hibernation. Siffrin smiling his little U smile that he did when he was just planting a smile on his face without actually feeling it. Though, this time it was more out of a light desire to tease Ingo than out of a real desire to deceive him. 

“It’s always interesting to watch you flirting with women,” Siffrin admitted, “Educational, really. I’ve not always been good at reading social situations, but by this point, I know the exact moment a woman stops feeling weirded out and just sort of starts feeling bad for a person. There’s always this little scrunch of their mouths. I could probably whittle it by this point from memory.”

“Better to know upfront than later, I always say,” Ingo huffed, having successfully made it back to his knees and now was furiously trying to fix his hair without making it look too purposeful. “If we’re not meant to be, then at least we find that out quickly. There’s plenty of Ingo-love to go around, and I’m not in any hurry.”

…even more since he really wouldn’t be able to start any sort of real relationship now, but…

Ingo stuck his tongue out a little. “Like I said. I’m smooth.” Subconsciously frowning a little as he tried to get his bangs straight, Ingo hummed softly. “Though…you don’t really have much of an interest in flirting, do you? At least I haven’t seen you do it when we’ve gone out.”

“Mmm…” Siffrin shrugged, “I wouldn’t know what the point would be. No one has ever caught my attention like that. Flirting with someone while we’re out would just mean I’d have less time to spend with you. Which is the main reason I want to go out anyway.”

Ingo understood…well, ‘understood’ not being interested in anyone so not going for it, but… He blinked, attention entirely stolen by Siffrin for a moment as a light blush came up on Ingo’s face…before he broke out into a bright, flattered smile. “Aw, okay, now that was smooth. I hope it doesn’t come off like I’m trying to ignore you or anything when we’re out--I like spending time with you too, Siffrin.”

“I mean,” he snorted lightly, giving a light nod to the room around them, “I did invite you to my room, so I’d hope so.”

Siffrin looked around. “Isn’t this your room's waiting room? If I talk to you for a hundred more hours, do I level up to the bed part of your bedroom?”

Ingo laughed a bit. “A waiting room? I’ve never heard it described like that, but I don’t think you’re wrong. And for Gratitude’s ears, Siffrin,” Ingo sent him a mildly scandalized look, though still light-hearted, “That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

He was already a little surprised he wasn’t getting told off any more than usual for his flirting. The more the preparations for his eventual marriage got underway, the more Ingo supposed he…well. Was supposed to act more like an awaiting husband. Inviting someone into his bedroom proper…

….eeeeeugh. He felt lucky they hadn’t run into anyone on the way to his room, and they weren’t even doing anything.

What was a bit much? The bedroom had the bed. It was in the name. 

Siffrin didn’t always understand why sometimes Ingo got embarrassed when he talked to them. He knew why it happened sometimes, when Siffrin did or said something to tease the guy. He was fun to fluster, Ingo’s good nature allowing Siffrin to take more risks when it came to being playful with him. It was rewarding. But then, sometimes Siffrin would say basically nothing at all, and Ingo was suddenly embarrassed and flustered again. Siffrin couldn’t figure out the correlation.

They supposed they could just ask why Ingo was embarrassed…but, well! That was embarrassing! It was awkward, admitting they didn’t always understand why the mood of a conversation had changed. Better to just keep quiet and try to work it out on their own. They’d figure it out eventually. They weren’t that dumb, they’d get it if they had time.

(Hah. Time.)

(Get it?)

(...???)

“Well, at least all the flirting you do is going to prepare you for the ball?” Siffrin pointed out, “Learn by doing, right?”

“That’s the hope,” Ingo laughed, unable to keep out the twinge of nervousness in his voice. “If I can sweep the princesses off their feet and…figure out who would be best to marry for our countries,” more stress bled through Ingo’s expression, “Then…that’s not just the hope, that’s the whole intention. It’s as much a showing for me as it is a sort of competition for them.”

(...what if no one wanted to marry him?)

(What if every princess they invited just looked at him and laughed and went home?)

(What if he ruined all foreign relations for Eslley because every princess just thought he was a loser?)

A pallor of death washed over Ingo’s face as he started sweating, his stomach cramping up again.

“Oh…” Siffrin considered that…before shaking their head gravely, “That ballroom is gonna be a bloodbath. I can try making little doll versions of you to pass out as consolation prizes if you want? That might ease some of the hurt feelings.”

…

Ingo hoped how grateful he was came across in the soft smile he gave Siffrin. 

“I’d like to see your attempts anyway. Call me vain, but I think a little me you’d make would be devastatingly charming,” Ingo laughed. “And at the very least, it might make a nice gift for the Princess of Dicea, if her family decides to come. She is…apparently not even 1 yet. So dolls may be up her alley…if maybe in a year or two, depending on the type.”

(Siffrin missed his doll sometimes.)

(...oh.)

(Wait!)

He could think about that! 

Siffrin suddenly gasped, looking around as, for a brief second, they felt like they were at the waterfall…before looking excitedly at Ingo. “Do you know of any waterfalls near here!?”

“Siffrin?”

Ingo had called out in concern at the sudden gasp, reading…excitement on his friend’s face, but he wasn’t entirely confident that he was right about that. Though Siffrin did seem okay, if a little…

“Waterfalls?” Ingo said befuddledly, raising an eyebrow. “Um…yeah, there are a few, like, interconnected ones to the northwest, and a bigger one to the east called Maline Falls. It goes over and into the Gushbul Ravine.”

Ingo gave a little nervous laugh. “The ravine seems like an incredible place to explore, especially during shooting star season, but, uh…a lot of people go missing around there. It has a lot of sheer drops, and since there’s a major waterfall going into it, I have to assume there’s a substantial river at the bottom and…yeah. Not the safest place to vacation.”

Siffrin was practically vibrating, bouncing on their knees in excitement. It was clear if they could, they’d bolt out of the room that very second to go accomplish whatever was on their mind, as they said, “A waterfall over a massive ravine…”

Was that the same waterfall?

Siffrin wasn’t sure. He couldn’t know for sure, not really. But that sounded familiar. He remembered being stuck by the waterfall for a long time. At first because the climb (the fall, the climb, the fall–) had been hard. The climb taking so long that Siffrin couldn’t actually remember starting the climb, not in that moment. They could only remember the moment where they had stopped climbing, and stayed because the grief wouldn’t let them move forward. Staring at their doll, caught on the ledge. 

Each day thinking maybe today they could find a way to get it down, they couldn’t leave it, they had gotten so far together, they had been through so much, it had the way hom–

(???)

…Siffrin had wanted to keep the doll because…the doll had sentimental value. And no other reason. He missed the doll. Giving up, walking away from it and resigning himself to going on through the forest, had been agony. But just like with everything, time and distance had faded the doll and the waterfall from memory…only for this conversation to remind Siffrin that all of that had existed. 

Siffrin rarely remembered anything. It was exciting! And he wanted his doll.

“...” Siffrin smiled brightly, “I know we can’t do it now. But at some point, maybe Jeremiah can take me there? I left something there. I bet it's still there! My doll! I lost it on the cliffside next to the waterfall! I remembered!”

Ingo felt a smile growing on his face, just from seeing Siffrin’s sheer excitement, and--!

Sitting up straight, Ingo gave his friend a confident grin. “Siffrin, as soon as the weather permits? I’m bribing Minuet with the sweetest words and we’re going to that waterfall, and we’re going to find your doll. On Abatea’s name.”

Some of that confidence waned as Ingo gave Siffrin a sheepish look. “...just don’t mention this to my sister, alright? …or my parents.”

Siffrin practically glowed, stars in his eye as he smiled brightly, leaning towards Ingo like he just wanted to be near him, “Really?! Thank you!!!”

And, grinning fiercely, Siffrin laughed, “I won’t tell anyone! I missed my doll! I forgot I had it at all, I only remembered my fishing rod, my note and my coin. Well, and my dagger too.” Siffrin giggled, before smiling earnestly, eyes bright with hope, “But the doll is…different. I was…”

Siffrin’s smile strained, “I was so sad to leave it behind. I felt so guilty. After getting so far…it’s probably really broken now. Its face and hands are made of glass. Porcelain. It already had a crack when I left. I hope it still has its face. I hope it forgives me.”

Siffrin paused, hearing themselves…before sheepishly looking away. “Sorry, that’s a weird thing to say about an item. I know. I’m not crazy.”

Ingo’s expression softened. “I don’t think it’s crazy to have so much compassion you extend it to inanimate objects too. If your doll is that precious to you, then of course we’ll get it back, and…well, it’d be your decision of what to do, but we can see about what’s possible for repairing what’s broken.”

Glancing down, Ingo rubbed his forearms a little before he took a little breath. “...you’ve seen all the art around. The buildings. After the fighting, when we were starting to rebuild… You wouldn’t believe how many people I came across mourning things. How many of them felt so silly for being so genuinely upset about a building we found in rubble, or a statue crushed in half… We were at war, people’s lives were lost, Eslley’s entire culture was being destroyed, what does a shattered pot matter when compared to that? …that’s the kind of stuff I’d hear.”

“But it’s not really just a shattered pot.” Ingo shrugged, giving Siffrin a small, tired smile. “Of course people are what matter at the end of it all…but there’s a lot of space before ‘the end’, and that’s filled with so many other things that matter. A space that feels like home, a sense of belonging, just…something that makes someone happy. So…”

Ingo looked around for a moment before getting a cloth headband off the vanity dresser, its whites faded and some of the embroidery of its zig-zag pattern loose, and, close up, tiny mending stitches visible here and there. “...so we find the pieces of those things, and fix them as best we can. Out of respect for what they were, and…continued love, I think. Changed, the evidence of damage not erased or forgotten, but…still loved. The way it was, and the new way it will be.”

Gently, Ingo patted Siffrin’s hand. “I think the doll will forgive you. I think it’ll understand the position you were in, and…you can both understand the changes you’ve both undergone. And then move forward together again.”

Siffrin’s gaze followed Ingo’s, watching him pick up the cloth headband, it clearly meaning something to him. Siffrin wondered what the cloth represented. It had clearly been repaired at some point, maybe even at multiple points. Ingo could seem very aloof, sometimes, when it came to most everything, whether purposefully or just by his nature. Siffrin wondered what would get his friend’s attention like that–

He flinched at the hand pat. 

He hadn’t meant to, and immediately felt embarrassed by the flinch. Awkwardly, determined to try to play off like maybe it hadn’t happened, Siffrin reached over and tried to pat Ingo’s hand back, and ended up patting his wrist instead. Feeling clumsy and out of his depth, Siffrin pulled his hands back into his cloak and stared at his knees. 

“Thank you for understanding.” Siffrin said softly. “...you’re a good friend, Ingo.”

…oh. Was he not…

It wasn’t like his heart had suddenly become an anchor, but it did sink a little. He had noticed Siffrin wasn’t the touchiest person, but…did he really… Ingo just felt further confused by the pat in return, but--

“Thanks, Siffrin,” Ingo smiled back, “I try. It’s the least I can do for the friendship you’ve shown me in turn.”

“Hey,” Ingo said, trying to get Siffrin’s attention, before drawing his fingers up from the corners of his lips, smiling brighter. “It’ll be okay, alright?”

Siffrin glanced over, eyes tracing Ingo’s gestured to smile… and Siffrin laughed at that. Smiling brightly back at him. “Yeah. It will be!”

-

While things were definitely more strained than they already were at the von Aegir household, Fiora had found that some of her initial reasons for coming out at all were still true--the freedom to be unapologetically herself. No longer were her skirts and makeup stored in her school locker, and while of course it was reasonable to change clothes for different purposes, Fiora no longer found herself practicing the craft of quick-changing in the school bathrooms right after class. She didn’t have to arbitrarily lower her voice out in public, she never had to respond to a name that wasn’t hers…

…well, her parents were working on that. 

But for all of the tension, Fiora in general felt a lot better about things these days. And so she had even more energy to devote to better things!

Such as preparing for the Crystal Ball! While she had been out for it last year, it wasn’t like Fiora would dare stuff a whole ball gown in her locker so she had gone in formalwear she already owned, which had been fine! Just because she wore skirts and alternately tailored shirts more often these days didn’t mean she didn’t like any of her old clothes. But…the allure of going to a fancy dance in a showstopping gown…Fiora was going to chase that dream, damnit!

So, prepared for the snow in layered leggings and a thick jacket (and…maybe less prepared eschewing a proper hat for just the ribbon tied in a bow in her hair), Fiora headed into the fashion district with a gleam in her eyes and coin in her pocket.

The wedding was coming up, and Kaito was trying to work out how sexy he was allowed to look…while at someone else's wedding…and also it was deep winter. “Like, I can’t get away with the sort of style I wore to dada’s wedding, sweetbun,” Kaito explained to his, he was certain, highly invested and entirely fascinated daughter as they peered into some windows, “I would freeze, and I’m pretty sure it’d be rude. But I can’t wear armor like daddy’s wedding either! That’d be show-offy. Especially if no one else is showing off armor. I could get away with it if I was a knight or something, but otherwise that’s pretty tacky, princess.”

Miyako blew a mouth bubble. Kaito absentmindedly wiped the drool off her face as she kicked happily from her harness on his chest. 

“Yeeeep. You said it, Miyako. We’re in new territory here. I don’t think people actually wear old-fashioned Dicean formal-wear to stuff either, so we’re really reinventing the wheel here…oh! Miyaaaa~ Miya, look!” Kaito whispered, passing by a store that was, from what he could see inside– “Princess outfits!! Oh, wow, these are actual gowns, I would have never expected to see something like this in Dicea…these are just in regular stores? Are commoners wearing gowns? For what?” Kaito mused, peering curiously into the store.

…Kaito had always liked the gowns the noblewomen wore to special events…

…he had a daughter! He could go show her! Yeah! 

“Come on, baby-love, let’s go peek at the pretty gowns. I know you’re just dying to see them up close.” Kaito projected, heading inside.

Whatever Fiora chose she’d have to get properly fitted--every gown for every person would, in honesty--but looking around all the displays… It really was like being in a fairytale! Her gaze was wide with glittered excitement as she slowly moved through the store, imagining herself in every one. 

There were tons of floral motifs, which you might imagine, even for winter. But…did she want a dress like that? It’d be good year-round (because while occasions on par with the Crystal Ball didn’t happen every day, it wasn’t like she was going to go all out getting a gown just to wear once) but…well, it wasn’t her usual motif. And it being so common wasn’t necessarily a detractor, but…

Well, maybe she should choose a length first and narrow it down from there? A shorter skirt-length would be easier to move in, though for the dance it would be rather cold, and Fiora wasn’t really sure she’d want to get something with full sleeves…hm, that was something to consider too. 

…there were some nice, feminine suits as well, but…Fiora didn’t really… There was nothing wrong with them, or anyone who’d choose to wear them!! But…

Hearing footsteps come down the aisle she was in, Fiora stepped forward to let them pass, but her face lit up in recognition when she glanced over. “Oh! Prince Kaito, and this must be Little Princess Miyako as well! Good day!”

…pretty teen with the blind dad…future knight from a Dicean noble family…one of the teens– FIORA! 

Kaito lit up, grinning as he gave the girl a nod, “Hey, good day! Fiora, right? I don’t think I’ve seen you since…god, it was some festival or another. I remember you had some great moves at larping chess. It’s nice to see you again. Are you buying a gown?” Kaito asked, glancing around at the elaborate dresses, “Project for school or something?”

“Goodness, I believe that was the Harvest festival,” Fiora confirmed. “How time does fly. It is nice to see you again as well.” She hadn’t heard all that much about Kaito recently--Josie had mentioned running into the prince recently, and Arven always had something to scoff over if you got him on the subject, but as far as Fiora could tell, things had been fairly calm over at the castle.

Laughing a bit, Fiora followed Kaito’s gaze around the dresses. “I suppose you could make an argument for that, but no, I am shopping for the Crystal Ball.” A little sheepishly, she clasped her hands behind her back. “I do not own, well, any dresses really, so I figured this would be the most appropriate time to finally obtain one. Even more since any establishment that specializes in formal dress will be taking advantage of the season.”

Fiora gave Kaito a nod. “And you?” She smiled a bit at Miyako. “Making plans with your daughter so that when she asks to dress in a more retrograde fashion you’ll know exactly what to look for?”

She blinked, before giving Kaito a mildly alarmed look. “O-or you could simply be shopping for yourself, pardon my assumptions!”

Kaito gave Fiora a mildly surprised look, “You don’t own a dress at all? Well, actually, maybe that’s not that surprising, I think someone told me once that dresses were falling out of fashion in general, at least more-so than they used to be. Can’t remember where I heard that, I feel like I know a few professional fashion peeps who could have told me that, but that I might have actually just straight up read that somewhere…”

Trailing off from his ramble, Kaito vaguely trying to remember where he had gotten that bit of trivia, Kaito startled a bit at Fiora’s second assumption. Looking a bit scandalized himself as he quickly corrected, “Oh! No, no, hah, not for me! Hah!” Kaito laughed awkwardly, before grabbing Miyako’s arm and having her wave at Fiora, “Nah, my little tyrant princess here bullied me into the store. She took one look and just got dazzled, told me she’d send the guardforce after me if I dared not come peruse. So, here I am!”

“Crystal Ball?” Kaito asked, letting some of his fluster go as he gave Fiora a curious but earnest smile, “Balls are a big deal, you’re going to a ball~? I didn’t actually think Dicea did balls, that’s pretty exciting! What are Dicean balls like? I imagine they’ll be a bit different from the Luminary ones I grew up with.”

“While that may be true, the matter of aesthetic is not why I have neglected that entire category in my wardrobe,” Fiora confessed, looking a little sheepish. “I only recently came out to my parents, and while I did take motions to express myself through fashion, it was something I really only felt safe doing at school. I suppose some summer dresses would be fine being folded, but for something along these lines,” she gestured to the gowns around them, “I have only recently gotten the closet space to obtain one.”

Fiora smiled in amusement and waved back to Miyako, a…well, honestly a little confused what that actually meant for Kaito, or why he’d gotten flustered, but she supposed simple curiosity was as good a reason as any. Though, looking back up at him, she returned the curious look. 

“I imagine not, and I would not want to monopolize your time, but I have to say I am curious what Luminary balls are like… However,” Fiora laughed lightly, “I highly doubt what you are even thinking of as being different is another matter entirely from a school dance.”

She tilted her head a little in curiosity. “At the end of winter term, Mid-Vally arranges a dance, what we call a ball, for the students as a treat after mid-term exams and to see our friends off before the winter break. I…hm.” She tilted her head the other way. “I suppose Arven has not contributed much to our conversations on the matter when it comes up during club time.”

Kaito winced a little in sympathy. Fiora having to come out to her parents about having been dressing masculine when she wasn’t supposed to all this time had probably been, just… a really hard conversation. He still thought her father was an idiot for not noticing himself by the time of the harvest festival, but Kaito understood, the way he heard it, figuring out your gender for certain could be such an ordeal that telling your parents they had had it wrong all that time could be humiliating for them… 

But Fiora seemed the sweet type. He doubted she held it against them. It was nice to hear it was all sorted now. “Congrats! I’m glad you guys all got that worked out, I bet it was a process.” 

“Arven’s supposed to be going to a school dance!?” Kaito gasped, giving Fiora a baffled look…before he suddenly looked stern, “He better not think he’s skipping out. Or going dressed in nothing! That kid doesn’t take anything seriously enough, I’m dragging him out shopping the second I have a minute. And I have to warn Doppio’s parents! They gotta go bully him into getting an outfit too!” Kaito suddenly lit up, eyes going distant into his head as he gushed, “They’re going to be so cute! Awwwww.”

Chuckling, Kaito reached over to catch the side of a random dress, looking it over before looking Fiora up and down, assessing how she might look in it as he explained, “Well, schools don’t have balls in Luminary, we have masquerades. Masquerades are basically just more informal balls, more about goofing off and having fun. Balls are pretty formal events, really prim and proper, lots of schmoozing and the social-side of business being done. But I bet your school ball won’t be that different from the school masquerades I went to. Just without masks. How ‘extra’ are you allowed to be at these sorts of things? Liiiiike…”

Kaito looked through a few dresses, before almost like a magic trick, pulling out from the row of dresses just the FLOOFIEST possible dress. The sort of dress that took up the floor space of three people and weighed about twenty pounds by itself. And SPARKLED. Miyako looking at the sparkles in fascination as Kaito put the dress up to Fiora’s collar, looking it over as he said, “These sorta really wide-brimmed ones? The type you have to put the cages inside and shrink yourself into a corset to fit? Oooooh, do you own a corset? Corsets are awesome.” Kaito grinned…before laughing a bit awkwardly, “Ya know, for the ladies. I love how this sorta stuff looks on you all, so I might know more little things about it then you’d expect me to.”

Fiora’s expression softened, feeling warm getting a congratulations and a kind understanding from someone she barely knew. Every time a person came out to express their identity for the first time was something to cheer for, but Fiora’s specific situation…it was nice to feel others’ compassion for it. “Thank you, Prince Kaito,” she said, smiling with gratitude. 

Kaito’s zeal over Arven, though, Fiora found more amusing as she laughed a bit. “No student is required to go to the dance, of course, but it is the kind of party I do not see many people wanting to abstain from. It would be sweet if Arven asked Doppio to come, would it not be?” Glancing over some of the dresses again, Fiora laughed a little more. “It has been very invigorating, seeing the displays of courage and passion many of my peers have gone through over the past few weeks, asking others to the ball. I admire some of the more creative methods.”

Hearing Kaito describe parties in Luminary, Fiora took the information in with a slow nod, pausing for a moment to amusedly shake her head at a black dress with a chest cut out and such lightweight fabric making up the skirt it almost looked like it was in tatters. More the kind of thing she could imagine Gerard being into, if he liked wearing dresses. 

“I see… I do not think I could imagine any sort of social event in Dicea that would not have to account for some degree of goofing off, though the masquerades you describe do sound closer to the school dance, indeed,” she mused. Looking at the dress Kaito pulled out, Fiora’s eyes gleamed in interest, though she couldn’t help but laugh a bit as he held it up to her. 

“I believe it would be a matter of incorrect sizing if you used a corset to shrink anything,” she laughed, before swishing the skirt around a little. “...this would be quite the showstopper. I shall keep it in mind.” Decided, Fiora nodded, before pulling aside a dress in a slightly toned down, but similar silhouette. Floral, still, but the applique looked so delicate and the sleeves made of them looked so darling… And…

Fiora let out a half-amused puff of air. “Well, if I did decide to forgo traditional sleeves, that would make tailoring the shoulders much easier…” 

“Oooooh! Pretty,” Kaito agreed enthusiastically, before looking down at Miyako, “Miya, what do you think? Fiora here can pull off an over the shoulder slip-sleeve, right? The color is super cute, and the floral patterns have a sweet dignity, yeah?”

Miyako blew another mouth bubble. 

“You’re right, ‘sweet dignity’ isn’t the right word, it’s more of a restrained decadence. A design that has the finesse and detail to convey wealth, but without needing to make that wealthy the entire point of the design. Well said, Miyako!” Kaito complimented her, before grinning at Fiora, “I could absolutely see a lot of nobility I knew growing up wearing that to summer events. You’d be the envy of the ball! Though, if you go that route, definitely get yourself a coat that’s going to compliment it, because you’re going to end up in that coat.”

“Though, you have that orange hair, spring colors really are probably your best suited…how do you feel about pink?” Kaito asked, looking around at the dresses and pulling out another foofy one, before laughing as he realized this one was even wider than the other one he had pulled out, “You could hide legions in here. You’d at least have plenty of leg room.” Kaito chuckled.

Giving Miyako a flourished little bow for the sweet review, Fiora agreed, “Most definitely. Whatever I end up choosing will have to be winter-proofed to a degree. The school building will be heated, though the outdoors will not, and I would rather not freeze before I enter the doors.”

Fiora made a little considering sound at Kaito’s suggestion of colors. Spring colors? She supposed they were nice, if a little out of the current season, and…well. Fiora knew she tended to gravitate towards darker and more saturated reds and blues. But…this would be a nice opportunity to branch out a little more… 

“Pink is a lovely color,” she hummed, before grinning widely at the dress that Kaito pulled out. “Oh wow. I did not think they would even have anything like this here.” Fiora’s eyes went a little dreamy. “Could you not imagine being a dashing heroine in this, the belle of the ball, the center of a dancefloor…” Even dreamier. “Only for a villain to spring their grand plan, whisking you away. The dress is both an asset in creating space, but a hindrance in weight and eventually she is bested, the dress torn and sullied as she lies in a dungeon, but her presence of poise is unbroken as she stares out through the cell bars…”

Kaito had been politely smiling, listening to Fiora daydream about being the center of attention at a ball. Of course, of course, who hasn’t–

Kaito turned bright red. Then that red turned even brighter, his shoulders squaring as his neck strained around a swallow, Kaito’s eyes going distant even as he actively tried to fight it. The emotional whiplash so unexpected that Kaito had no real defenses against it and could only stand there, being far too caught up in a great image. Wow…

Miyako blinked, looking up curiously at her father. She blew another bubble, intrigued as dad just stood there, melting on the spot. What a weirdo. 

“...” Kaito looked around, a tight little smile on his face, clearly fighting with himself for a moment… before he suddenly said in one breath, “Okay, but there’s this band I like, right? They’re sorta goth and like to play up nefarious imagery. So, imagine if the villains had snuck their way into the ball by secretly replacing the band, right? And even throughout the fight, they’re so extra about it that they keep playing even as they’re doing this big, public kidnapping, so the attack has this awesome, grand-gothica backdrop the entire time, and it’s the singer who actually attacks while all his bandmates use their instruments as part of their weapons??” Kaito grinned, eyes wide with wonder, “Wouldn’t that be cool?”

Fiora didn’t even have a chance to get embarrassed about her daydreaming getting away from her, as her eyes went wide and gleaming, a blush of her own starting up as she hopped on board Kaito’s addition to the fantasy. A sort of goth, playing up the image band… 

“Oh…” Fiora said softly, her gaze a little glassy. “And the singer quipping in their croon during the whole battle, and, maybe, for a moment, she finds her curiosity outweighing her resolve…and it is that single moment of hesitance where the villain strikes. Maybe not outright saying it, but the moment of capture painted entirely of the notion of ‘you are mine’.”

She could even see it, the villain dressed in stark blacks, reaching out with a gloved finger to tilt the heroine’s chin up, purring that into her face before…

Bright red, Fiora was all but vapidly grinning, steam and hearts metaphorically bursting from her.

Miyako now looked curiously at Fiora too. These two were way overheated. You know what, Miyako knew what to do…

Kaito, unaware that some poor woman at the ice cream parlor down the road had just inexplicably decided she was about to bring cups of cold milk to two people at a dress shop a few stores down, put a hand over his face and laughed a little keen noise of eager embarrassment, practically steaming through his hairline. Though, eventually he managed to pull his hand away, grinning crookedly at Fiora as he said, “If you ever get the chance to hear Amplification play? It sounds like it’d be right up your alley, at least aesthetically. I’ve only seen them play live once, but they’re dreamy, trust me.”

Kaito suddenly looked around, having lost the thread of why both he and Fiora were in this store in the first place as he wondered, “Okay, but which dress would look best after a fight…oh!” Kaito suddenly hurried over further down the row, where some of the darker colors were, as he pulled out a dress that he had been able to see the front side a bit of, looking gobsmacked as he said, “No, even better! This is what we’d wear when, like, we’re sorta playing it up like we’re on the villains side, to trick him, right? But, also, the new aesthetic is sort of sincere, because as much as you want to escape being a prisoner, you can’t help but find some aspects of your captors life kinda alluring. Villainy is a bit sexy…in a fantasy concept, Miya.” Kaito suddenly said sternly to his daughter, while she contently continued to acquire cold milk for these two silly adults, “No growing up to be a villainesse, young lady…but, okay, tell me this wouldn’t be a great ‘start of darkness’ dress!” Kaito gushed, showing Fiora.

Fiora blinked a few times as Kaito pulled them (at least slightly) back to reality, before looking to the side and coughing embarrassedly into her fist, trying to regain some composure. Even with a like-minded individual…that was still a little embarrassing. Still, she gave him a secret grin. “I will keep them in mind, then.”

Taking in the new dress Kaito pulled out, Fiora regarded it with some fascination, the flow of the skirt reminding her of a decadent waterfall… However-- “While I do agree in the concept of taking on some of the new aesthetic you have been exposed to, I take umbridge with trying to trick the villain.” Taking a step, Fiora held her head high as she flourished a hand to her chest. “A true heroine need not resort to underhanded tactics! Even stripped of modesty and well-being, a heroine would keep her true heart and honor!”

Kaito raised an eyebrow, before laughing, nodding his head as he said, “Alright! I can get behind that. You’ve got the heart of a true maiden, you can leave the tricky stuff to us guys.” Kaito reassured her, putting up the dress and looking around fondly… before chuckling a little as he shrugged, “Well, as cool as this place is, unfortunately I don’t think I’m about to find an outfit meant for me in here. I’m actually trying to pick something out for a wedding I have to go to soon, and as much fun as this is I really should get that outfit at some point. I really do think pink is your color by the–”

“Excuse me,” an older woman said, coming up to the aisle, smiling nicely if… a little confused looking as she held two cups of milk, “Would you two like these?”

Kaito blinked at her, glancing at the cups, “...what is it?”

“Um…it’s milk. It’s meant to be for the hot chocolate we sell at my ice cream store this time of year, but I just got the sense you’d… like some?” The woman said, sounding less and less sure of herself.

Kaito glanced down at his daughter, who was contently kicking her legs, before grinning brightly, “Giving out free samples to other stores! Clever! And it worked, that super makes me want to go get hot chocolate at your store! I will definitely be visiting after this, thank you!” Kaito said, taking his cup of milk from the confused but pleased woman.

“I would argue that sincerity is no simple matter,” Fiora said, though she soon laughed it off, feeling the silliness of daydreaming with Prince Kaito in the middle of a dress store. She perked up, nodding a bit as Kaito explained his truer purpose for being out by these stores in the first place, though before she could comment…

A confused expression came over her face, but seeing Kaito’s lead… “A novel strategy,” Fiora nodded, accepting her own cup…mostly just not to be rude. “Thank you very much, ma’am.”

“Of course,” the woman smiled, looking around in mild confusion…

“I bet your store needs you.” Kaito said simply.

“Oh! I left the counter empty, oh, honestly, I’ll forget my head next.” The woman muttered, hurrying off.

Bad. Bad baby! No kidnapping ice cream/hot chocolate ladies for milk! Bad little villain baby! You are so hearing from your empath father later, young lady!

Miyako kicked happily. Plan succeeded. They were no longer melting. 

“Well, nothing ventured nothing gained, I guess!” Kaito laughed awkwardly, sipping on his–yep, that was literally just cold milk–before grinning at Fiora, “Gotta give her that, right?”

Fiora gave her milk another confused look before shrugging a little and sipping from it. It wasn’t the best idea to have refreshments in a store like this so she supposed drinking it would be the way to get rid of it. “I suppose so, though it is a bit odd. I may stop by the ice cream store as well, if just to check on her.”

Looking through the lines and lines of dresses, Fiora sighed softly. Pink, huh? 

“...I would not want to keep you longer, but…did you have school dances back in Luminary?”

“Well, masquerades,” Kaito said, looking around at the dresses again as he nursed his milk, “Think ‘ball’, but with dim lights and masks. It’s supposed to give everyone an air of mystery or anonymity to them, to make it easier for everyone to relax and let loose. Though obviously everyone always knew it was me. I didn’t wear full plates of armor, of course,” Kaito added in, forgetting that the average Dicean would not know why, of course not, he either would or wouldn’t have, “But as a member of the royal family, my outfits always had to give the impression of armor, you know? So a lot of really fancy metal work puffed up and decorated by silks. I loved my outfits, because I made them work, y’know.”

Kaito grinned a little wolfishly at that, though he was still looking at the dresses rather than Fiora, so it lost some of its effect, “I always want to be someone who’s turning heads, it’s a favorite hobby of mine. But I’ve always really envied how much variety you ladies have to work with, when it comes to stuff like that. Dicea has a bigger range of mens clothes and styles then we have in Luminary, but even here the mens clothes doesn’t hold a candle to how many different types of clothes are just in this store alone, it’s really something else.”

Now Kaito looked over at Fiora, grinning wide, “For your first dress? I have to imagine you’re gonna be here for a while choosing something out. You have so much to choose from! It’s exciting!”

“Like an elegant costume party,” Fiora hummed, trying to imagine it from Kaito’s description. “That all does sound lovely… The contrast between metal work and silks sounds particularly intriguing, I have to admit.”

…that hadn’t been exactly what Fiora had been building up to get at, though, but the clear reminder that Kaito had been royalty in a system that put so much emphasis on class made her reconsider asking at all. Show-stopping outfit or no, of course there would’ve been a lot of attention on Kaito. She…really doubted he would’ve been in the position of planning to go to a fancy party and…no one asking him to go with them. 

Fiora was fine with that! The ball was going to be fun as it was, and she was looking forward to seeing her friends and dancing and just having a good time. And she supposed if she really cared about it, she could always ask someone herself. It…just was a nice daydream, she supposed, to be asked. 

Nodding slightly, Fiora gave Kaito a considering look. “Are you not a fan of dresses? I will be honest, as excited as I am for my first, and to wear one to the ball, I am not either. Other than the questions it might have brought up that I was not ready to answer to my family, I simply had no desire to wear dresses on most occasions. Though while the world of dress design is indeed vast, I would not lament quite as much for other styles,” she smiled up at Kaito. “I am confident you will find something both as creative and within your ideals of masculinity that you will fall in love with.”

“Oh! Yeah, obviously I think dresses are neat, but not enough to imagine myself in them.” Kaito lied–not to mention the few times he had dared allowed himself to be talked into some, always at night, always strictly in private, no, seriously Kore, no– before grinning a bit conspiratorially at Fiora, “And, actually? I have found a style I really love. Some of you guys yakuta’s and kimono’s? Are gorgeous, and very fun to wear. And apparently Luminary used to have more sorta…sashy, swishy clothes for guys back in the day, that I’m exploring a bit. They’re great.”

Sipping at his milk again, Kaito suddenly went, “Oh! I only ask cause this is your first dress, but you know the rule about color coordinating with your date, right? Don’t worry, if you get a pink one and who you’re going with doesn’t want to wear pink, easy fix, just get them a pink flower to wear on their outfit somewhere. Just make sure you’re wearing something on you that matches their color too, like a bracelet or necklace or something…assuming Dicea does the same thing Luminary does, I mean.” Kaito laughed.

Fiora lit up before nodding knowingly. “Oh quite. It is all quite casual in day to day, but I think everyone has had a moment of wearing a special kimono or yukata and it just being this…moment. The elegance and aplomb hitting you. Though that just may be the power of clothes that suit one in general,” she laughed lightly. 

Before her lips pressed together lightly, Fiora taking a breath as she looked through the racks. “Ah, well, I believe that is more of a fun type of coordination a couple may opt into, rather than a rule, but…” She smiled thinly. “I will not have that issue at all, considering I am attending the dance on my own.”

Kaito’s eyebrows raised a little, “Oh, did you turn everyone down? I get that, it can be fun heading to these things available.”

Fiora shook her head, looking over a fluffy-looking dress in ocean blues and greens. Lovely, but…not quite what she was looking for. Glancing over at Kaito, she smiled wanely. “No, no one asked me.”

“What?” Kaito frowned… before saying knowingly, “Ah, let me guess. Still have a week left?”

“Four weeks,” Fiora nodded, before shrugging slightly with a small smile. “So I suppose I should not say for sure I will be going alone, but as no one has asked me, I would rather not assume.”

Kaito shook his head, “No, you should assume. Heck, a month out? Even the for sure ones would still be figuring out how to ask. And trust me, that last week?” Kaito rolled his eyes, “People are going to just come out of the woodwork, just taking their shot in a last bid panic. Like, most of the people crushing on you know they don’t have a chance, so it’ll take them to the last second to risk it, just so they can reassure themselves they asked. But the for-sure one should really ask you within this next week then, to give you time to plan around the dance if they're responsible about it.”

“And if by some miracle you haven’t accepted anyone by the day before? Accept no day before invitations.” Kaito told her sternly, crossing his arms over his chest, unaware as Miyako clumsily attempted to mimic the movement, slapping her hands against her chest, “Never a day before invitation. That’s the type of coward who managed to think their way into believing their cowardice was them being brave or self confident, convincing themselves that you were such a safe bet that they could wait till the last minute. It’s rude! Don’t indulge them!”

Kaito paused, before adding in, “Getting asked out at the dance itself is different though. You can indulge them. But it's not a first come first serve situation! No one gets ‘dibs’, got that? You pick and choose as it pleases you, that’s the benefit of being both available and fantastic. Choosiness! Don’t settle or feel obligated!”

“Gya!” Miyako called, getting caught up in her fathers excitement.

“Yeah!”

Fiora supposed she was getting a head start on things, but not excessively so. She had been watching plenty of proposals go on at school, and for dress shopping…well, between getting it fitted, then deciding on accessories and styling, choosing a dress four weeks in advance seemed like appropriate timing. And if people were planning on coordinating their outfits, then…yes, asking needed to happen around now.

While Kaito talking about ‘all the people crushing on her’ seemed a bit…overly optimistic, Fiora did try to take in his advice regarding last-ditch askers and at-dance askers, and…

She couldn’t help but giggle a little at Miyako’s mimicry, before giving Kaito a smile. “I suppose you are right. And before I would judge others, I need to ask myself why I simply would not ask someone.” 

Fiora flushed lightly, a face coming to mind as it had been when she thought on the subject. If they bothered coming to school events at all, she did often spend time with Eden and Gerard (at least when she needed breaks from the dancefloor) so…it really wouldn’t be much different. But…she didn’t know. Gerard was graduating at the end of the schoolyear, and…well, Fiora didn’t think that would mean the end of their friendship! But it felt…significant. A last chance for…a school dance, at least.

“Well, it can be nice to be asked,” Kaito grinned, “And asking first can sometimes spoil it for the other person, if they’re planning something…but. I actually agree with you. I’ve been asked out plenty of times, but if I liked someone and wanted them to ask me out specfically? Well, then sometimes that’s up to you to do the fun asking! And to make a show of it, making them feel special and attractive, pointing to them and letting the world know boldly, hey! I think they’re awesome and I’d be super honored for them to give me their attention!”

Kaito’s chest swelled, eyes brave and focused…before he suddenly gave a pained whine, “And sometimes they turn you down and even if you’re going to marry them in roughly a decade, auuuuugh it still huuuuurts.” Kaito whined, a single, manly tear pricking the end of one eye as his shuddered, “Miyako, your dada could be so cruel.”

“Myananahf.” Miyako said sagely. Yes. She knew. Dada took things she wanted to put in her mouth from her all the time. Cruelty without limits.

Make a show of it, making them feel special and attractive, letting the world know that you think they’re awesome…

A spark started crackling in Fiora’s eyes as the wheels started turning in her head. As much as it would be nice to be asked? She was Fiora von Aegir, she didn’t need an ego boost!! And to make a gesture of admiration to someone she respected so much…why, it was practically a duty of the noblest hearts to do so!

A light pink dress caught Fiora’s attention as she started hyping herself up, and she pulled it out to look before giving Kaito a kind look. “I do not doubt the pain at the time, but I have to imagine it has become somewhat amusing to reminisce over now, knowing how it all turned out. And,” she grinned conspiratorially, “It does make greater points of ‘call-backs’ whenever you invite him out for events these days, correct?”

“...you’re right!” Kaito said, suddenly looking incredibly excited, “If I were to ask Shuichi out to a dance or something now, he’d totally go with me! I have a ring on my hand to prove it! He’s practically obligated to say yes, darnit!” 

Kaito thumped his fist into his open palm–unaware that Miyako attempted to clap at the same time in a bid to mimic him–as he grinned fiercely, “I’m gonna ask my husband out in the biggest, most showy, most elaborate way possible…and he’s gonna say yes. HA-HAHAHAHAH!!!”

“Y’ahhhhhhh!” Miyako cried in solidarity. Father and daughter cackling at dad’s nefarious plan.

Fiora couldn’t help but join the laughter, though hers was remarkably less nefarious, just…delighted to hear about people in love and expressing that to each other. Especially those people being the princes. 

Looking over the dress more… Fiora had been excited to go dress shopping in the first place, but now? Fiora felt bursting with optimism and energy, ready to take on the world! And…maybe in a cute pink off-shoulder, below-knee a-line party dress. It certainly seemed like it’d match some gloves she already had too…

She giggled a bit. “I think you might have had a point with pink.”

Kaito looked at the dress, and grinned. “Perfect.”

-

Okay, but healer classes were a shocking amount of chemistry. 

Kaito wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, when he had first signed up for some basic starting healer classes, but he supposed he had expected it to be more like the stuff he had learned taking care of Kokichi and the family. The best way to help a body sleep when their back was hurting or their chest was full of fluid, how to manage a fever, the best exercises to start with for rehabilitation if someone couldn’t get out of bed. Kaito had thought he’d come in practically an expert! 

But as he wrote more notes for the formula combination of certain medicines and how that affected the exact measurement of the quarter of an ounce that was supposed to go into syringes and how to use those formulas to adjust for air pressure in any particularly sized syringe, Kaito had realized by now that there was a lot more to it than just keeping people comfortable. It was a bit intimidating! 

But, well, that was why Kaito’s notebook was full of notes. Everytime Kaito was stuck, or frustrated, or doubting himself, he glanced at the notebook and pen setup his husbands had given him in the last year and reminded himself that no one was making him do this. It had been a personal challenge! He had wanted to learn! And his husbands were proud of him! Were cheering him on! 

That gave Kaito a burst of energy to try to work on the formulas again, though he still sighed, exhausted, as the lesson ended and the classroom started to pack up. “Geez…never thought I’d find myself missing light travel formulas. Fluid is hard.”

“I think your formulas may be going wrong if your fluid is hard,” Aster said softly, her smile just mischievous enough to let on that she was making a joke, though she immediately amended it, “It’s not the most intuitive, is it? But you’ve been picking up volume adjustments really quickly, Kaito! I-it’s really inspiring seeing you take to things we’ve covered in other courses.”

And it truly was. While Aster had just begun her focus in medical classes this year, a lot of her preliminary classes even back in high school she’d gone into with a lens of healing. Meeting Kaito partway through the term and this being his first class in the field at all was…a kind of daunting that Aster thought was incredible. It turned out he was just a clever, nice guy in general too. 

Packing up her things, Aster considered getting up…before letting out a sigh, giving Kaito a miserable look. “...there wasn’t a-another class that needed this room right after, right?”

Kaito had already stood up, his satchel at his hip as he glanced at their classmates leaving the room…before he sat back down, “Nah, I don’t think so. And I can kick out anyone who’s thinking of using this room as a project room. Today it’s our project room, they can find another empty spot to squat in.”

“Your back giving you problems?” Kaito guessed. 

When Aster had come into class moving slow and covered in bruises, Kaito’s first instinct had been to ask her for the name and location of whoever she had fought with. Unfortunately, she had fought a collapsing building, and Kaito’s husband was already working on sorting out all of that bullshit. It had broken Kaito’s heart a little, to see his lively and happy friend hurt and exhausted. Shit just…wasn’t fair sometimes. She hadn’t deserved this.

Aster giggled softly, giving Kaito a fond, thankful look before she sighed, putting a hand on the front of her brace. “Yeah… I’ll be alright, I just need to…not move for a second. I have a check-up tomorrow, so I’ll bring this up.” Though…the answer likely waiting for her was that…yeah. It sucked. The stretches and physical therapy helped, and Aster was keeping an eagle eye on her painkiller usage, but…healing took time, and a lot of it wasn’t pretty.

So, sometimes she just needed to sit down for a while before being able to walk again. Or use more intensive aids. 

“I don’t want to stay too long, though,” she smiled fondly. “I hate worrying Lupin so much when I’m late to our meet-ups. We both know I just need extra time, but that doesn’t really help the worry.” And she hated asking him to go find wherever the medical courses had scheduled their classes any given day, even if she knew that he’d do it in a heartbeat. Had been doing it. 

She didn’t regret pushing him closer to the wall when the bomb went off. She did hate the look on his face he sometimes had now, like he thought she’d die if he looked away.

“Do you have any fun plans for the rest of today, Kaito?” Aster asked, figuring she may as well settle in for a bit.

“You mean other than glaring at our homework, waiting for the math to stop swirling, only to realize uh oh, that’s just actually what it looks like?” Kaito grinned, before shaking his head, “Nothing unusual. I’ll pick up Shuichi from his appointment, flirt shamelessly until Kokichi’s off work, then flirt twice as shamelessly until Miyako’s third diaper change of the night finally breaks my flirty spirit.” Kaito laughed. “So, nothing unusual. What about you?”

Aster giggled softly at the, yeah, usual plans her friend had, before she smirked a little…if her sweet features could even manage any sort of expression that could be construed as sharp. “Once I can convince my body to move? I’ll walk Lupin home then become one with his and Zinnia’s couch while we hang out for the evening. We’ll probably try to get him to skip his evening class unsuccessfully, but we’ll probably hang out after he walks Kaiden back home.”

“Hmmm,” Aster hummed, closing her eyes with a peaceful expression. “Zinnia picked up some peppermint sticks to crush and put in homemade hot chocolate…I’m looking forward to that.”

“Ah, the mysterious and elusive Lupin,” Kaito said, only half joking. He had seen Lupin plenty of times now, but half the time either Kaito was in a hurry or Lupin was in a hurry or, occasionally, Aster didn’t have time to do introductions and the most Kaito could do was give Lupin a semi-familiar nod. Only really knowing the guy through reputation.

Though, wow, what a reputation to have. In the fray with Aster, pulling her from the rubble. The two had been through a lot together. Kaito liked Lupin purely from the things Aster had said about him.

“Look, I’m actually really good at carrying people comfortably when they’re all achy and ouchie, you really could volunteer me to be a pack mule for a bit,” Kaito offered–again–as he grinned at his friend, flexing his bicep, “It’ll be great exercise for me! And everyone will be sooooo jealous of me, getting to sweep you off your feet! Really, it’s a win/win, though both wins are mine.”

Aster smiled apologetically. “He does have a lot on his plate, but he’s been excited to get to meet you properly soon.” She sighed softly. “He’s always been a busy bee, but your schedules are particularly ill-suited for each other. Between his regular classes and the evening ones now, and all his volunteer work… I worry about him overdoing it, but Lupin’s always been like this.”

She had a feeling keeping busy was helping him cope with his loss of hearing too. She and Zinnia had tried to bring it up a few times, hoping to give Lupin a space to talk about it, but…in true Lupin fashion, he’d seemed confused that there was a problem at all. Aster could just hope that he was working out his feelings in one way or another, and hope that he knew that she was a safe place to express them when he needed to. 

Giving Kaito a fond look at his offer, extended once again, Aster shook her head. “I’ll take you up on it if I really need to get out of here, but I really do need to keep moving when I can. I need to re-learn the limits of my body, even the annoying parts.”

…though relief for those parts was something she was looking forward to--

“Oh!” Aster perked, before looking at Kaito brightly. “I never asked! Are you going to the Capill party?”

“Yeah, he has those ‘I took a break once back when I was 11 and the lost time still haunts me’ looks, which I have seen in…” Kaito paused, before laughing, “Literally all my family members. So I get it. Workaholics gonna work. But I’m sure he’s gonna be great when I finally win his attention! Look, look, I’ve been working on my sign language too!”

Proudly, Kaito signed hello, my name is… before hesitating, K a i…g…zero…

“Okay, not a lot,” Kaito admitted, shrugging haplessly, “But I’ll get it eventually. My ‘Kichi tries to teach me a new word every now and again.”

If Kaito’s ears could move, they’d perk up in interest. “Capill party?”

Pfff, okay, that was one of the more accurate descriptions of Lupin Aster had heard in a while. She giggled lowly at Kaito’s words before looking on with pride as he started signing, giving him some applause for the attempt nonetheless. “You are getting there. This one’s the ‘T’ you’re looking for, though, not a ‘G’,” Aster gently corrected, giving Kaito the right sign. 

Though she gave him an eager nod. “It’s a big college party people throw right before finals. I d-don’t know the full story, but it’s some kind of tradition to rent out this huge house called the Capill House and…” she shrugged with a small giggle, “party hard so then you can focus on finishing finals, I guess? It would make more sense to me to throw it after finals, but I’m not really complaining.”

“Do you think you’d go?” Aster asked. “It was a lot of fun last year.”

“Oh, wow, like… like a real college party?” Kaito asked, looking absolutely flabbergasted by the idea. Literally physically leaning back into his chair as he contemplated the idea, gazing in the middle distance. “Geez, I haven’t been to one of those in…I guess two years now? Has it really only been two years? Feels like a different lifetime.”

Kaito paused, before amending, “Actually, I’ve been to one since then. This isn’t gonna secretly be a death cult drug party, is it?” Kaito asked, grinning a little warily, “Kidding! …but also not kidding, if you’ve heard any rumors I should know about.”

Aster couldn’t help but snicker a little. Sometimes Kaito acted like she was so much older, but…he was Lupin and her brother’s age. Sure, sometimes Lupin acted like he was older too, but it was in a ‘my friends are younger than me so I took up the big brother role’ kind of older, and not a ‘I’m married and have two kids, my wild days are far in the past’ way. But…in reality? They were barely older than she was. 

And experience didn’t necessarily correlate with age.

“Ah, goddess, no,” Aster sighed, shaking her head a little. “I almost forgot you said you went to one of those parties before… No, this party isn’t like that. I mean…” She shrugged a little. “There’s booze and weed, so I guess you c-could call it a drug party if you wanted to be pedantic, but that feels disingenuous. It’s just dancing and games and people having a good time.”

“Nnnnnngh, I wanna goooooo,” Kaito admitted, grabbing the underside of his knees and rocking back in his chair a bit, biting his lower lip, “....a part of me really wants to invite my husbands, and a part of me is certain they’d both hate it. Well, maybe not Kokichi, Kokichi loves to dance. Maybe Kokichi would have fun…it can be a bit up in the air for him. Shuichi would hate it though.”

Kaito rocked a bit more, biting his lip harder. “...but maybe I could get him into a cute party outfit and he’d come and would suddenly spontaneously like parties and I could kiss him in a closet. God I wanna make out with my husband in a closet at a party, that’d be amazing.”

Kaito sighed longingly…before chuckling, “He’d hate it. Still, Kokichi might like it! Am I allowed to invite non-college people?”

There was a lot of that too. The Capill House was a huge building, and thankfully people tended to take advantage of that for anything more than light kisses or questionable dancing, for the sake of everyone else around. But while Aster hadn’t stumbled onto any compromising situations herself, she’d heard plenty of stories of people getting eyefulls they didn’t want. Or did, in some cases. 

“Yupp,” Aster said brightly. “Most people are pretty relaxed about it, but there’s no question about partners if there’s anyone starting to be a jerk.” Stretching her knees lightly, Aster thought for a moment. “You said Shuuichi’s in the detective track? I wouldn’t be surprised if some of his classmates invited him…so maybe he will want to go!”

“Either way, I hope you come--it really is a blast,” Aster smiled, before taking a deep breath and starting to push herself into a standing position. “Nggm… A-and we can probably convince Lupin to slow down enough to actually say hi.”

“My proud, smart, mysterious detective~” Kaito confirmed dreamily, before quickly standing up, standing by to help Aster stand up if she showed too much sign of struggling. Placing his fingers lightly on her elbow, waiting to feel pressure if she started to rest her weight on him. “I’ve actually been wanting to invite my Shuichi to something fun and date-like, but I think I’m gonna wait to invite him to something I know he’d love, like a really nice restaurant, or a murder-mystery show that he could mock the whole way through.”

“You did it! You’re awesome!” Kaito cheered as Aster got up, before nodding enthusiastically, “Let’s ambush the guy! I gotta tell him how cool he is. He should know I told the heir-apparent all about him, and the Oumas think he’s neat. Eh, ehhhh? Pretty cool, right!?”

Once she got her body upright and aligned, Aster told a hold of her forearm-crutches and tested her balance for a moment before nodding in approval. Up and moving! Progress! “A college party might not be the best date-setting, yeah, but it could still be fun. I’ve heard of, um, escape rooms, but set up as a race? Might be more competitive than romantic, but…j-just a suggestion.”

Laughing happily as Kaito cheered for her, Aster started leading the slow way out of the classroom. “Oh goddess, I think Lupin’d combust hearing that. He’s planned to go into admin since we were kids…or…well…” Aster’s voice softened a little. “...well, his parents want him to go into admin, and he’s always wanted to make them proud, but I think he does actually like that kind of work. He admires what your Oumas do, I think he’d be flattered you’ve passed on a good word.”

“As he should! My Oumas are amazing~” Kaito said, smirking for a moment, “...especially the little one. He’s the best.”

“I say we just kidnap Lupin and see how well it works out,” Kaito said, walking slowly beside Aster as she led the way, on standby to assist as she needed. “I’ve told you about the kidnapping teenager jokes about me, right? Lupin’s, what, a few years off? I can expand my range! Kidnap him, sit him down, say ‘how do you do?’ It’d be fun! He’s pretty too, so between the both of you I’ll have a cutie on each arm, be the envy of the town~”

Kaito paused, before snickering, “Then my Shuichi will get jealous and I’ll have to kidnap him next to make him feel special. That’d be fun too.”

Aster shook her head a little with an amused smile. “He really is about your age, so if that doesn’t change the concept? …still, I’d rather not interrupt him like that. We do still find time to hang out, but…” Aster paused, looking up at Kaito with a small, understanding look. “We’re all busier these days, and Lupin was even always on the run in high school. As long as we still make time for each other, and he’s not overworking himself? Then I’m happy to support him in whatever he chooses to do.”

“...I am looking forward to hanging out tonight, though,” she giggled, before lighting up, seeing a distinctive redhead across the way, standing with a taller blond guy that Aster could only assume was Kaiden, if not another of Lupin’s classmates from his courses.

A b c d e f g h i j k, Kaiden looked up, surprised to see someone knew waiting with Aster. Poking Lupin, be slowly signed, who that? Before, feeling ambitious, adding in tall dark red to clarify who he meant, even if it should be obvious in this context. 

“Hm?” Lupin looked up at the poke, before following Kaiden’s indication, a smile breaking out on his face seeing his friend. Giving Aster and Kaito a wave, Lupin grinned at Kaiden’s descriptors before slowly signing back as he explained. “Prince Kaito. He joined one of Aster’s medical classes this term.”

Going to meet the duo partway--not wanting to make Aster walk all the way over while they just stood there--Lupin gave another wave. “Good afternoon! How was class?”

“Mind-draining,” Aster chuckled, answering once she was close enough that she could stop and sign. “We’re working on fluid dynamics now and I’m just wishing everything had the density and viscosity of water.”

…oh. 

OH.

Kaiden looked down, a little embarrassed as he followed Lupin in, though he smiled thinly as Kaito grinned and gave him a wave. Kaiden knew Kaito by reputation. Danganronpa reputation. It was Kaiden’s first time actually meeting someone who starred in one of the Flora games. It was odd. 

Kaito seemed happier than Kaiden would have expected, as the man made a bunch of nonsense hand motions at him. Or, Kaiden thought they were nonsense? Maybe he just didn’t know these hand signs?? He looked a little helplessly at Kaito’s hands, while Kaito seemed to sweat a little harder, trying again…

“Okay, how do I sign ‘are you deaf’?” Kaito said, looking equally helplessly at Aster, “I think I’m doing it wrong.”

“Oh, I’m not deaf,” Kaiden said, pointing to Lupin, “I’m friends with Lupin, so I’m learning to make it easier to talk to him.”

“Oh!” Kaito beamed, “Neat! I’m sorta learning too. I need to figure this out before my Shuichi and my Miyako both learn, and they both with my third husband start sending secret messages to each other when I’m around. I have a few years to catch up!”

“Oh,” Kaiden blinked, “Neat.”

“YOU!” Kaito said, suddenly dramatically pointing at Lupin, “Will not escape me today!”

“He can’t hear you,” Kaiden reminded Kaito.

“Oh, shoot, hold on, let me write it down…” Kaito pulled out a piece of paper from his satchel, wrote on it, and passed it to Lupin. YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME TODAY!!

“Sounds like a challenge, but I have utter faith you’ll both make a breakthrough in it,” Lupin chuckled, before…well, trying to parse what Kaito was signing. Sure, most people knew sign, but the past month had really illuminated to Lupin just how uncommon it was to catch people signing casually. People still did it, signing across long distances so they didn’t have to shout, or making conversation in quiet areas, but for the most part, at least from his own perspective, if Lupin was going to see sign? Then he’d have to initiate it. 

So even for the people that knew him, he did appreciate it. Especially from those who weren’t as fluent. 

Regardless of clearing up the assumption, Aster still showed Kaito the signs, before she introduced, “Kaiden, this is Kaito, Kaito, Kaiden.”

Lupin…tried to keep up with the non-signed conversation--he’d been working just as much on learning to lip-read as he had been brushing up on sign--before he blinked in confusion at Kaito’s dramatic point…and then dramatic message. Raising an eyebrow, he snorted softly in amusement. “If you’d like to? I don’t have any objections if you’d like to accompany Aster and me to my home, and, well, Kaiden and I are heading to the castle after that anyway, if that would be on your way home?”

“Oh! Yeah, sure,” Kaito said, nodding at Lupin, before grinning at Aster and giving her a thumbs up, “See? Kidnapping complete! You just have to be firm!”

“We’re…not being kidnapped though?” Kaiden frowned, the four slowly heading out of the school, “What do you mean?”

“Eh, just something I say, don’t worry about it, kidnapee~” Kaito said cheerfully, “Depending on where ‘home’ is gonna be, I might part ways after to go pick up my husband. Or, if it's convenient, I’ll grab him while walking with you guys, and you can meet a super cool detective! Assuming you haven’t met him yet, he goes to this school too. He’s awesome. Dark blue hair, gray-yellowish eyes, vuuuulutpous~” 

Kaito sighed. His husbands were incredible. It was hard not to bring it up constantly. “Why are you guys heading to the castle?”

“Shouldn’t have doubted a master.” Aster grinned at Kaito before taking a breath and starting up again. She did catch the quick worried glance Lupin gave her, and she gave him a smile as well. She was alright, and didn’t have a problem speaking up if she wasn’t. It was okay.

The more difficult thing, though, was that because Aster had to use her crutches, she couldn’t exactly sign the ongoing conversation to include Lupin as they walked. 

So…Lupin watched Kaito’s face intently, trying to parse out what he was saying. Plans…maybe? Then a list of… “...your…husband?” Lupin tried, and seeing no utter bewilderment, he continued, “I have seen Shuuichi on campus a few times, I believe, though I don’t think we’ve ever spoken.”

He did pick up castle--Lupin was 90% sure, anyway--and he nodded to Kaiden. “We are taking a series of classes on sign--both for Kaiden to learn and for me to brush up on parts I’ve let dull. For my part, it’s been an extremely helpful experience.”

“Oh, yeah? So why the castle though–”

“He can’t hear you,” Kaiden said.

“Gah, hold on, my bad!!” Kaito said, taking the paper from earlier and writing against his arm hastily, passing it to Lupin, why castle???

Lupin smiled softly--betraying none of the slight awkwardness he felt--before reading the note Kaito passed over. “Because that’s where the classes are held?” he chuckled. “I’m positive there are sign classes at the university, but since we decided to take a class mid-way through the term, and, well,” Lupin glanced over briefly, nodding to Kaiden, “I don’t want to speak for you, but I’d assume as a beginner you’d want to start with the basics… It worked out that there was a workshop starting up at the castle when we looked.”

Kaito gasped, before writing furiously THERE ARE SIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES AT THE CASTLE???

“We can’t read whatever you shoved in his face,” Kaiden reminded Kaito.

“Damn it! Sorry! There are sign language classes at the castle!?” Kaito gasped, pointing rapidly to the message he wrote to indicate he was saying the same thing he had written.

“Yes.” Kaiden smiled lightly–while having the extremely guilt-inducing thought, briefly, that okay, he kinda got why the Kaito show had been so popular for so long–as he watched Kaito adjust his hand into a flat palm to write more on the paper. “Like Lupin said, it was too late to get a semester class, so we’re participating in workshops. Why the outrage?”

“It’s. Not. Outrage,” Kaito said, writing each work as he said it aloud, his speech slow as he focused on walking, talking, and writing at the same time. “I’m. Just. Surprised. Be. Cause. I forgot. Castle did stuff. Like. That.”

Kaiden was going to nod and say ‘oh, that makes sense’, but was surprised when Kaito kept going.

“And. It feels like. I should. Probably pay. Attention. To stuff like. That. It’s already. Bad enough. That I don’t. Know two common. Dicean. Languages. Because. There’s also. Tradean. Which is. Tough! Oh man. Do you think. They do Tradean lessons. At the castle?” 

“Maybe–”

Kaito kept going, undaunted. “This whole. Time? My ‘Kichi. As in Kokichi Ouma. Heir Apparent. Light of Dicea. Him. You know who. I mean. Would love it. If I. Learned Tradean. I’m an. Important figurehead! Technically. So I should. Be trying. To learn. Dicean languages. It’s–” Kaito turned over the paper, writing on the back, “Something I should. Do!! So it’s. Kind of exciting. To know they teach. Stuff like that. At the. Castle. But also. Like. How did it. Take me. This long?? To find out??? Gaaaaaah.”

“...” Kaiden watched Kaito write, “Are you writing out the ‘gah’ sound?”

“Mmhm~” Kaito said, before cheerfully passing the note to Lupin.

Deaf people were not safe from Kaito monologues.

Lupin made a little sputtering sound as, indeed, Kaito did shove a paper in his face, but before he could even read it Kaito was furiously writing again. A little nervous, just from what sort of context he missed, Lupin glanced to the others. 

“It makes sense that it’s different actually living there,” Aster mused, a bit more used to Kaito’s rambles by this point. “I really can’t think of the castle as anywhere but a community hub, but if it’s mainly ‘home’ then…yeah.”

Lupin thought he was a fairly quick reader, but as he got Kaito’s note, it still took him a good bit to get through the wall of text. “I’m absolutely positive there are classes for Tradean,” he nodded, before perking slightly, “...shoot, I remember one of my former classmates mentioning that his sister was a language tutor, for Tradean and Gauçaisi, I believe. A class environment may still be more helpful for actually learning and practicing a new language, though.”

“Gauçaisi? Gauçaisi… Would ‘Doppio’ mean some sort of food, in that language?” Kaito asked. 

Kaiden shrugged and Lupin didn’t hear him, so Kaito gave an inquisitive look to Aster next. “...would ‘ciao’ either mean ‘goodbye’ or, potentially, some sort of mean little curse word that some punk-ass kids would tell you means goodbye so that they could call you a bitch and laugh and walk away after the end of otherwise perfectly nice days, the little jerks!” Kaito paused, “...assuming it doesn’t mean ‘goodbye’ after all, I mean.”

(Yeah, Kaiden could see the ‘reality show’ signs on the guy.)

“Um…” Aster trailed off, her eyebrows tilting up as she thought. “I don’t think so? I-I have a friend that speaks Gauçaisi and I’ve never heard her say those, so… I mean, it could just be words I haven’t heard, but…I don’t think so.”

Waving to the others to stop for a moment, Aster signed to Lupin, “Do you know what language ‘Doppio’ is a food in?”

Lupin, at first concerned that Aster’s back was acting up, paused as he wracked his brain. “...that’s…Tsumarian, I think? I believe a ‘doppio’ is a type of coffee with two shots of espresso. In Gauçaisi it wouldn’t have the same meaning, but the literal word would be double.”

He shrugged a little to Kaito and Kaiden, aware that he couldn’t hear his own pronunciation, but pretty sure he’d gotten it right…in that it was the normal word with a slightly different accent. “Gauçaisi is one of the predecessor languages that made up Tradean, so a lot of the words are similar.”

“TSUMARIAN! Man, I wrote that down and everything and I still forgot, ugh,” Kaito groaned…before writing down, “Tsumarian. Man. I wrote that. Down and everything–”

Kaiden tuned out Kaito’s writing voice, looking over to Aster. “How are you doing?” He meant her walking, as they had been going for a while now.

Aster gave Kaiden a soft smile. “It sucks. But I’ll be alright. We’re just about to Lupin and Zinnia’s house so I can tough it out a little longer.” Indeed, they were about to turn onto their street, so the journey, at least for Aster, was almost done. Tilting her head a little, she asked, “How’s your brother doing? Physical therapy going alright for his leg?”

“He’s almost one hundred percent now,” Kaiden said, “Though, if he pushes it too hard he ends up limping again. But if it’s slow and steady, you’d think nothing was wrong at all. Oh, Kaito. I know he’d be embarrassed at my saying so, but I think he misses you a bit. It’s been a while even before the injury.”

“...??” Kaito gave Kaiden a bewildered look. “Sorry, do we know each other?”

“Oh, apologies,” Kaiden said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I thought you’d recognize the resemblance and guess. He’s my twin brother?”

“...” Kaito just looked more confused, looking Kaiden up and down, “...identical?”

“With the exception of a scar on his face, yes, more or less.”

“.......” Kaito’s brows furrowed in greater confusion, “...you’re gonna just have to tell me the name, man, I’m not super reliable with remembering people in a general sort of way. I tend to only remember who they are by context. Like, names are iffy and looks are iffier, since I have a tendency to just see… I dunno, I don’t see people the way they look like, apparently. But I remember how I know them, almost always.”

“Ah, I see. He enjoys challenging you to dance off–”

“TANGOUAI’S HURT!?” Kaito gasped, “NO WAY! Since when!?”

“Oh, uh, he–well, we–were caught in that explosion at the student medical building, if you recall it,” Kaiden said, grinning sheepishly, both embarrassed and pleased by Kaito’s concern for his brother, “Tango hurt his leg in it.”

“Oh noooo! Shoot, I was just looking forward to seeing him at my friend’s wedding. I was certain he’d show up to challenge me.” Kaito frowned. “Where does he live, I’ll go visit him. The guy’s my oldest friend in Dicea!”

“...he is?” Kaiden asked, bewildered by that.

“Eh, sort of. I think of him as a friend and I think he feels the same. He was really, really nice to me on my wedding day, really friendly and inviting, and he’s been so consistent challenging me in so many dance-offs now. He even checked in on me once when he knew I was having a hard time. Aw, man, I’m such a shit friend, I had no idea he’s been hurt for like a month.” Kaito frowned. “Yeah, of course I want to see him. Thanks for letting me know…wait, you're his twin?”

“Yes.” Kaiden said.

Kaito looked Kaiden up and down. “...wow, you really never can tell, huh?”

“Most people can, actually.” Kaiden said.

“Never can tell.” Kaito sighed, shaking his head in wonder.

Aster hummed softly, glad to hear things were going well with Tangouai. The four of them that had been caught in the explosion, five if you counted Nill going into the building to get them, hadn’t exactly become thick as thieves, but Aster felt a sort of solidarity or connection between them all. She would always be happy for someone to be recovering well from an injury, but she was especially happy for Tangouai. 

But it seemed the connections in this group ran even deeper. 

Aster made a little surprised sound, finding out that Kaito and Kaiden’s brother apparently had known each other for a while, curious finding out about all that…though she snorted a little at Kaito’s complete obliviousness. “Too many fit, tall hunks with blond hair and teal eyes out there, I guess.”

…Lupin had completely lost the thread, but…well. If it was important, he’d find out later, he supposed. Getting to the house, Lupin unlocked the front door, holding it for the others, or at least Aster if Kaito and Kaiden didn’t want to come in. Calling into the house, he said, “We’re back!”

From deeper within, there was an excited, “wooOOOOOO!!” approaching.

Kaito immediately brought his paper up and hurriedly wrote ‘wooOOOOO incoming!!’ before shoving it into Lupin’s face. Kaiden watched him do this, and was just increasingly baffled at how cartoonish this man was, as he called out, “He’s brought some friends, I hope we’re not being a bother, showing up out of nowhere.”

Just laughing at the whole business, especially Lupin’s mild sputtering from the paper suddenly in his face, Aster went into the house just in time for a woman with pink overalls hanging at her waist to come skidding into the living room. Zinnia gave a loud cheer before hugging Aster tightly (though notably around her shoulders) and then heading to Lupin, waving the guests in at the same time. 

“Kaiden, hey, good to see you again, man!” Zinnia called, all bright smiles even as she reached up to give Lupin an intense noogie, despite his sighs. “And hey newcomer--don’t think we’ve met! I’m Zinnia, Lupin’s roommate and Aster’s best friend.” Finished harassing Lupin, she held a hand out towards Kaito. 

Heading over towards the living room couch, Aster plopped down and stretched her back out with a sigh. “This is Kaito, Zinnia, my--”

“OOH, the newest med-head!! Nice to meetcha, Aster’s raved about ya!”

“Oh! The famous Zinnia!” Kaito lied–she hadn’t come up yet between him and Aster–grinning as he shook her hand enthusiastically back, “You’re just as friendly as I’ve heard! Awesome to meet you!”

Pulling his hand back, Kaito puffed his chest and jabbed his thumb at himself. “My name is Kaito Momota, Luminary Prince of the Stars, Second Son of Luminary, maybe! Actually, I might just be a potential heir-regent by this point? My daughter might be the first daughter by this point, and my nephew Theor might be the second son? Assuming Kaede is recognizing him, which by this point I don’t see why she wouldn’t, it’s not like Theor could give up his claim yet. And even if he could, he might still be the second son if Kaede allows him to keep his title, even if he’s never going to actually inherit. That’s what I got, to keep myself recognized as a prince. But it’s purely performative, if it got to us in the lineup we’d actually be jumped over. So I’m not sure if Kaede’s planning that with Theor and Miyako as well–”

“Are you aware you’re talking aloud?” Kaiden asked.

“...” Kaito suddenly laughed, “Anyway, awesome to meet you! You have a beautiful home!”

Sidling in past the others, Lupin headed in to drop off his school things, stopping briefly at the Heikka shrine to give a nod. In all that time, though, when he turned back, he noticed Kaito was still talking and…well, it sort of looked like it was still introductions…and Zinnia’s expression was going a little strained, her grin fading. Glancing over at Aster, he asked, What’s he saying?

Full slug-mode on the couch, Aster…tried to make sense of what Kaito was actually saying. I…think it’s leadership succession for Luminary? As it pertains to his daughter and nephew? It’s a little unclear.

Lupin glanced over at Zinnia with a quietly concerned look, a little ‘huh…’ noise in his throat. 

“Thank you,” Zinnia said, choosing to just go with what Kaito landed on. “I know Kaiden and Lup’ve got class in a bit, but are you stayin’ over? We’re havin’ stew-and-story night, and you’re more than welcome to join.”

“Oh, no, thank you though. I just wanted to walk with everyone more than anything. I knew Aster could get home fine, but it was nice getting to chat with her and her friends outside of the classroom,” Kaito explained, grinning brightly, “I’m actually going to walk back to the castle with Lupin and Kaiden, at least for a bit. Though, I have to know, what’s ‘story night’?”

From the couch, Aster threw up a double thumbs up. 

“‘Z’actly what it sounds like, big guy!” Zinnia laughed. “Who’s got the damn time for a book club these days? Way more fun to make up a good meal then elect someone to be the night’s dedicated story-teller and let ‘em go on a rip.” 

Other than shaking Kaito’s hand, Zinnia had been lazily signing everything she was saying, so it wasn’t much of a difference when she turned to Lupin with a sharp smile. “Hope you’re ready to lose some of your beauty sleep tonight, pretty boy, ‘cause I’ve got a wicked ride of a spook-fest for you guys.”

“I’m sure it’ll be a good story,” Lupin laughed, heading back towards the front of the living room. “They always are when it’s your turn, Zinnia.”

“Aw, that sounds awesome! Thanks for the invite, but yeah, I’ve got a lot to do today. Could really only take this particular detour since my husband’s appointment runs a little longer still,” Kaito said, looking down at his watch, “I love that idea though. Maybe I can bully my husbands into indulging me. Kokichi knows a ton of stories, and Shuichi could definitely recite little details, that could be a lot of fun. Thanks for the idea!”

Kaiden smiled, but didn’t say anything. He knew he’d be invited if he brought it up, but scary stories spooked him a bit, and he’d rather go cuddle up to his own partners as well at the end of the day. Though, he looked to Kaito and asked, “You said you wanted my brother’s address?”

“Oh, yeah, please! Here, write it down here…perfect! Any tips on the right time to bug him?”

“He’s usually home during the day. Big night life,” Kaiden explained.

“Perfect, that works great for me. Hopefully I won’t be disturbing his sleep or anything,” Kaito said, before looking to Aster, “Do the homework! Don’t forget!”

“Can’t detour from the rat race for too long, I getcha,” Zinnia laughed. “Alright, next time maybe. It was still nice to meet you in the flesh--gotta get the vibecheck on anyone watchin’ my girl’s back.”

“I’d say he’s passing well, considering you haven’t brought up challenging him to a fight,” Lupin mused, unsurprised that their two guests weren’t going to stick around for the evening festivities. Lupin tended to just walk Kaiden straight home after their classes, though he had been invited to their place plenty of times. 

Zinnia chuckled sheepishly. “Gotta play the sugar-sweet game with the law for a bit. Last jabroni was such a baby…but the guards don’t really see it that way.”

Waving from the couch, Aster giggled. “You don’t forget either! I’ll see you on Wednesday, Kaito, and it was nice seeing you, Kaiden!”

Spar? Spar? Spar!?

…nooooo, Kaito shouldn’t. It’d been too long! The closest he had come to sparring was helping the kids try it out against each other, and his dance-offs with Maki. Besides, spars hadn’t been fun for a long time. Kaito couldn’t remember the last time he had actually enjoyed a spar. He was too grown up for that now. Nothing appealing at all there.

……….it might be a little fun– “Alright, let me run off on you guys. Nice meeting you, Zinnia! Come on, Kaiden, Lupin, let’s bounce!”

“Are you leading the way?” Kaiden asked, amused, as Kaito strode towards the door with all the confidence of someone ready to fake knowing exactly where they were. Kaiden nodded at Aster and Zinnia, before following behind. Off to class.

-

They had put up chimes. 

There wasn’t a single guest among the party who hadn’t, at some point within the last six months, wondered why on earth Sakura and Hina had delayed what otherwise was a usually very quick process of getting married, right up until the worst weather for it. As invitations went out warning the guests that they needed to bundle up, because most of the ceremony was happening outdoors, the two’s friends looked at each other in open exasperation, shaking their heads and shrugging. A few wondering, despite her many years here, if maybe Hina didn’t entirely understand how cold it was going to be, coming from Luminary.

(Hina wasn’t friends with cruel people. But her social circles hadn’t known she was an immigrant until this year. It had led to some of her friends saying some careless things, sometimes.)

(Surprisingly, Hina found she didn’t mind. She just loved that it wasn’t something she was hiding anymore.)

Then, the wedding itself was taking place next to some seemingly random pond. Not a particularly famous or big pond. You had to leave the main road to get to it. Just a random pond in the middle of a seemingly random piece of woodland. Not even in the mountains, where perhaps the view over a vast landscape would justify the effort and choice. No one had any idea what the two women were thinking.

But the day of, a few guests had been asked to come early to help put up decorations, family, essentially, and throughout the morning as Yuta, his baffled but enthusiastic plus one Dimitri, Maki, her just as enthusiastic plus one Elia, the prince’s, and Sakura’s brothers, Daffodil and Carnation, and one of the decorations they had put up were little crystal chimes. The chimes little diamond shaped stones that, when the wind blew through the low-branches trees, little music followed the wind through the now sparkling trees, moving so gracefully through the air that it was like the wind was singing to them. 

And those sparkling chimes were still less dazzling than the frozen over pond. Which, smack dab in the clearing of the woods, even with the dim-sunlight of the winter day, shone and sparkled so brightly that Sakura and Hina, clasping hand to hand in front of the pond, almost seemed to glow in its presence. Light bouncing and dancing through the sparkling chimes and off the pond creating little rainbow refractions both in the air and through the trees, only occasionally disturbed by light snowflakes floating down past the colorful, shimmering lights.

Seeing the end result? The sheer beauty of this spot, that would have just been an ordinary pond in any other season, slightly shady even on a sunny day? No one questioned why Sakura and Hina had been so set on this spot in this day. Sakura’s vow only explaining how they had discovered it, as she said, clutching her fiance’s hand, “Hina…I knew I wanted to marry you the day you brought me here. Your sense of adventure, your bravery, your willingness to seek joy in places others would have dismissed out of hand…you told me you had found a fairytale in the woods, and once I saw it, I realized I had found a fairytale in you. A story I still sometimes cannot believe is real.”

“W-well, I am, so…” Hina laughed, a tear running down her face, “Marry me, okay?”

“We’re getting to that part, don’t worry.” Carnation assured her, doing the official announcement and standing to to the side while the girls told each other their vows. Hina laughed and Shuichi chuckled in the crowd, glancing over at Kaito…

“Oh, Kaito…” Shuichi whispered, leaning against Kaito’s arm as the taller man sniffled and whimpered, watching the wedding.

“W-what, it’s beautiful!” Kaito whispered, wiping his eyes. 

Tim gave his father a raised eyebrow, before looking to his mom to whisper, “Dad’s being a baby…oh.”

“Hush.” Maki said sternly, crying lightly as she watched the proceedings.

“Hina…you make me brave when before I wasn’t.” Sakura said, clutching her hands, “I was content to stay in my fathers pub and never seek anything more. It seemed my fate to just be the smallest of the Oogami family, to define myself that way. But through you? I realized there were other ways to prove strength. To prove duty. In your eyes, I see the version of myself I want to be. To aspire to. Someone as strong as you.”

“You were always strong…” Hina whispered, clutching her hands back…

Sakura smiled, “You only feel that way because you have always known the Sakura that you inspire. The one I’d like to be for the rest of my life. So I will walk the path forward with you. In that, I vow to never leave you alone in this journey of life.”

Yuta sighed, leaning against Dimitri, who gave him a curious look as the smaller boy said, “Lucky. Hina really went and bagged herself a 10.”

Hina laughed, bouncing on her heels for a moment, “...is it my turn!?”

Sakura smiled. “Yes.”

“I LOVE YOU!” Hina shouted, bouncing on her toes some more, leaning towards Sakura as she shouted, “SAKURA, I DIDN’T KNOW THERE WAS ANYTHING MISSING IN MY LIFE UNTIL YOU SHOWED UP! And once you were here!? I think back on Hina before you and wonder, how!? How did she go, day after day, step after step, without her Sakura!? How could I have possibly lived most of my life without you, when the thought of a future without you is like staring down a bottomless hole? All I can think is that the only thing Hina before you has going for her is that she didn’t know. She didn’t know what we were missing.”

“But now I do know. And I could never go back. I could never go back to a life without you, Sakura…my Sakura.” Hina said, looking determined, “My sweet, Dicean flower. I crossed a country once, not knowing what I was running towards, and now that I do know? I’d cross a thousand more. Forever. No distance would be too great. Sakura… I will always head to you. You will always be my destination.”

“So if we’re walking a path together? Then great!” Hina said, grinning wide up at her soon-to-be wife, “Then I’m exactly where I wanted to be! I’m home!” 

Kokichi had already cried twice while they were helping decorate the area around the pond, and ever since people had quieted down and the vows started, it had been an endless stream of tears that he was only not getting on Miyako by the sheer fact of all the layers they were collectively wearing. Hina had said that she wanted to get married in the snow because it seemed magical, and she had been absolutely right. And seeing her and Sakura standing together in front of the pond, declaring their love for each other, expressing the dedication and desire for their lives together…

Elia had laughed silently at Tim’s observations, and laced her fingers with Maki’s. All the tears around could give someone the wrong idea, but there was no doubt. There was only the utmost, pure joy around. 

(Something that would be celebrated further by an interesting parcel that had come in the mail just in time for the wedding, all the way from Zogel. A crocheted afghan, detailing a winter cherry tree coming into ‘frame’, snow falling and ice glittering down the pattern, and a photograph of a sapling. A card from the Temple of Mila in Zogel, giving a blessing of health and happiness to the newly married couple and explaining the blanket was a project from the priestesses, as was the newly planted snowbell in Hina and Sakura’s name.)

Carnation, seeing the two women’s vows were done and Hina was already getting on her tip-toes to try to kiss Sakura, quickly announced they were married and recognized in the eyes of Dicea and their family and friends, and yes! You can kiss! 

And as all the guests had been encouraged to do beforehand, everyone grabbed patches of snow in their mittens and threw them up in the air, cheering the new couple. Hina and Sakura Asahina. 

-

During the Descendants’ Day party, Tsume had managed to pull Arven away for a moment--other than her initial hugs and praises, of course. She had been…worried. For a while. Arven was a healthy, bright, vivacious young man, and Kiba always came back chattering brightly about antics they got up to…and Arven only ever smelled like Doppio and the castle. He didn’t talk often about his mom, but Tsume had started to pick up the distant language Arven used when she came up, and after a little prying, she’d learned that he was sort of staying at the castle indefinitely…because his mom wasn’t there. Though, even if she was, one person wasn’t a pack! So Arven was just…out there! Had been growing up in the world without a pack! 

So, during their talk, Tsume had broached the idea of Arven spending the next full moon with them. 

(She hadn’t phrased it like that, exactly, but Tsume thought it was obvious. Every werewolf was well aware of the moon cycles.)

Full moons could be a sensitive time, especially if you were going to be around people you weren’t usually around, but…by this point? How often Tsume had come home to Kiba and Arven--and often Doppio, sweet kid--going to town on the kitchen? How often Kiba mentioned he was going to be out late because he was spending time with Arven? The kid was pack. 

She just needed to talk to him about being legal family too. 

-

Restless as always this time of the month, Kiba lightly hopped from foot to foot as he waited in the castle front hall for Arven, Akemaru matching his energy in running circles around him. This was going to be their first full moon together! Kiba was PUMPED!!

“You packed deodorant? Not everyone’s okay with sharing deodorant and you don’t want to be the smelly kid tonight,” Kaito said, walking Arven down the hallway.

Arven rolled his eyes. “I’m just going to Kiba’s. They wouldn’t care.”

“Is that you saying you didn’t pack deodorant? You didn’t run out of deodorant did you…” Kaito leaned forward and sniffed suspiciously.

“Don’t smell me, you weirdo.” 

“You’re wearing deodorant,” Kaito decided, clapping Arven against his back, “Doppio going to be with you?”

“No, just me and Kiba’s family.”

“Good people, the Inuzukas. I like them, they’ve been good to you.” 

“I guess so, yeah.”

Kaito glanced down at Arven. “Big family too. Lots of dogs.”

“Mhm.”

“...you know, they’re an old family too. I mean their legacy goes back a ways in Dicea.” Kaito paused. “...their history is good too.”

“Is this a Luminary thing?”

Kaito was pretty sure this was some part of him that was Akane trying to nudge the boy towards a family who would understand him best. At least, that was the impression he had gotten when he and Kokichi had visited Akane to ensure she was settled down, now that she knew what happened to her pack. She had been happy. The forest had been filled with more flowers. It had been brighter. She had flirted shamelessly. 

Kaito had felt at ease, knowing Akane was happier. They still had to go to that nursery to fulfill Koharu’s request! He’d have to start poking his husband about that. Anyway, Akane had been the one to fill him in on the whole Arven/Inuzuka situation. He just hoped when Arven found out, he’d understand it was a good thing. A pack wanting you was no small thing. It was a reason to celebrate.

Considering how Arven had handled the whole ‘Doppio’ situation, Kaito suspected he’d be alright with the reality of werewolves. But still, Kaito hoped for the best, and wanted to reassure him, as he said, “It’s a Kaito thing. They seem great. And I think they love you, kid. That’s all I’m saying.”

Arven shrugged, before waving to Kiba as he saw him, he and Chief hurrying over as Kaito stood by the door and watched him go. “Hey! Ready, Kiba?”

“HEY!” Kiba boomed, practically jumping over towards Arven, excitedly swinging an arm around him and hugging Arven tight for a moment. “Dude, I am so ready, you don’t even know. My aunt said she got this kickass deal from this butcher in town and, bro, I’ve been literally dreaming about shortribs.”

Akamaru got up from where he’d been resting on the floor, an old hat at this and knowing that saving his energy during the day would make the evening all the more fun. He greeted Chief in the genial way, before boofing, ‘we shall eat decadently this evening, my friend. With the night comes indulgence.’

Heading out of the castle, Kiba took a big breath, heat practically wafting off him as his gaze turned to the dimming sky. Of course, in winter, this meant it was only afternoon, but…soon. He could practically feel energy buzzing through his bones, aching to get out…but mom always said never to shift unless it was a life or death emergency, or he was at home. 

“Anything you’re looking forward to tonight?” Kiba asked as they walked.

‘Sounds wonderful. My boy is very excited by this, I watched him pick new outer layers several times, hoping to impress.’ Chief chuckled back, leaning in to sniff Akamaru politely, ‘It will be good to know I can hibernate into a food coma happily while he runs around with your boy.’

“The shortribs you just mentioned are at the top of the list, easily.” Arven smirked, walking in step with Kiba. “Beyond that, dunno. Did you have something specific you felt like doing after dinner? I could go grab my bow, we could practice some archery.”

Almost immediately Kiba felt like snorting--using a bow after dinner? How could you expect to do archery with paaaaAAAAWSOh my god that would be so cool!! So his actual reaction was in his eyes widening, an exuberant grin stretching across Kiba’s face. “That would be so cool!”

“...though we’d have to work out something really tempting to get the twins to not be idiots in front of the arrows,” Kiba snorted with a mild lament. “Like, I always find bruises the next day from playin’ around ‘n shit, but I don’t want to end up having to rush someone to the hospital just ‘cause we were trying to be hot shit.”

“...gah!” he suddenly said after a scant moment of silence. “Feel like I gotta go set a new mile record for the damn track team or something--I’m SO PUMPED for you to hang with us this month!”

Arven laughed, though he couldn’t help giving Kiba a curious look. “This month? You mean this time of month? Wait, is this a family dinner or, like, some event your family puts on every month? Not that I’m not into the energy you’re putting out, but you’re more excited for a sleepover than usual.”

Kiba gave Arven a quizzical look in return. “Uh…I guess you’d call it an event? I mean, there’ve been a lot of holidays this month and the last, so feel free to just nod and go ‘uh huh’ a bunch, but--?”

Shrugging a little, Kiba offered Arven a small smile. “This is the time I can always count on to know I’ll see the whole family. Sure, I’m happy for everyone following their passions, and goin’ off into parts of their lives I’ll only ever hear about in stories, but…I miss ‘em, you know? I like being able to count on, even if everyone’s really busy, just…once a month catchin’ up and…bein’ family.”

He let out a groaning sigh. “Which makes it tragic whenever someone’s sick and they can’t come, which usually ends up bein’ a few people gone, cause like, duh, you’re not gonna leave someone to fend for themselves when they’re sick, and getting the whole family contagious is just asking for a city-wide epidemic or something, but still. Sucks.”

Ooooooh, this was a monthly family reunion. Okay, cool, Arven could get behind that, though… “You guys sure this is something you want me there for, then?” Arven asked, “I’m not exactly…”

Arven looked away, feeling a little uncomfortable to even point it out. Because, duh, it was obvious. It was almost presumptuous to bring it up at all, pointing out, hey, clearly I’m not family, should I be going to your family reunions? Because…what was Kiba supposed to say? No duh?

…that’d be hurtful to hear, so Arven shrugged and kept going. “Not that I don’t appreciate the invite. Always fun hanging out with you guys. Even if you look like you want to run a marathon right now.” Arven smirked. “What happened, you high on caffeine? Sugar? Sugar-caffeine?”

Kiba gave Arven a warm look, before he started fidgeting, a guilty energy toning down his boister. “Well…maybe not on paper or nothin’. And I know things with your mom are…weird,” Kiba wrinkled his nose, “So, like…you don’t gotta, like, even say anything back, okay? Ma invited you to a fun time hangin’ out tonight, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”

“...but you’re family to me, man,” Kiba said, bumping his shoulder against Arven’s. “And I know I’m not the only one that feels like that. Like I said, not somethin’ you have to, like, consider or anything right now, but I know Ma wants to have a real heart to heart with ya sometime.”

It was always shitty not to just come right out with shit, like trying to ease the mood of something serious with something fun, so that’s why Kiba kept saying that Arven didn’t have to worry about it…but come on. Arven was family, no question, and if there was anywhere he belonged, it was with them on full moons. 

Perking up from that mood, Kiba snickered. “Just got the buzzy brain, you know? Promise I did remember my meds this morning, it’d be so much more if I didn’t.”

A heart to heart…?

Arven shot Kiba an amused look at the shoulder bump, but it was half performance, too busy thinking about the implications of that. Arven was a little surprised, by how unsurprised he was by Kiba’s declaration of family; Kiba was a super affectionate guy, and he had never held back that affection for Arven. And Arven knew his family liked him, especially Tsume. None of that was terribly surprising… but paperwork? A heart to heart?

…Arven had known Kaito had been basically dropping a thousand hints, these last few weeks, that Arven should be on the lookout for something like that. But Arven had thought it was Kaito with his head in the clouds again. His own secret hopes sounding even more unlikely and outlandish coming from the ditzy prince’s mouth. Because…as nice as the family was, there was no way they were looking at Arven like that…

Arven’s own mother had barely looked at Arven like family. Even Kaito, who seemed determined to act like some sort of paternal figure to him, had never hinted at an offer like that. No one wanted him, not really… so, a random, big dog family of someone that was very quickly becoming Arven’s closest friend…just deciding he was? For no reason?

Wasn’t that too good to be true?

“I’ve been feeling pretty restless all day too. It might be a late night,” Arven said, grinning a bit, “Guess we’ll just have to run around under the full moon tonight, huh? Let out our wild side. We’re young and dumb, we’re allowed.”

“HA!” Kiba barked, Akemaru getting excited and joining him. “That’s the spirit! I don’t care, there’s really nothing like running around in the snow then curling up in front of the fire once you can’t take another step. It’s like peak…thermo-something-or-other. There’s got to be a named phenomena for it.”

“...oh,” Kiba said, like it had just come to him, “Mid-Valley does a pre-break dance too, right? Have you asked Doppio yet?”

“Not yet. I don’t know if we’re going to ours yet or not. If he’s not up for going, I’m just gonna skip it,” Arven said, not sounding that hung up about it either way, “Though, get this, somehow Kaito found out about it? He’s telling me we have to go clothes shopping for it. I still can’t figure out how he even found out! He’s got a spy in the school, I’m telling you.”

“What about you?” Arven asked, glancing over to his friend, “I know it’s kind of complicated for you. Distance and all of that.”

“That’s fair, though I heard from some of Hana’s friend’s back in the day that if you don’t go to the dance, it can be a blast to go out somewhere else? Like, it’s just for high school students so it’s not like the rest of the city is a ghost town or anything,” Kiba shrugged, giving credit, “But apparently it’s different vibes all the same.”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “Somehow? I’m both surprised and not at all. Doesn’t he have contact with, like, a lot of people from your school? Don’t think it’d be the weirdest if someone let something slip.”

Turning pink, Kiba gave Arven a familiar affronted look, as often happened when the subject of Ravin came up, before he sighed. “I keep tellin’ ya, man, it’s not like that… We’re not together. And even if we did live in the same town, askin’ him to a dance…”

Kiba suddenly trailed off, his blush ramping up before he quickly coughed, shaking himself. “ANYWAY, I’m goin’ with Hinata and Shino--gonna be the three most kick-ass people there that folks are gonna weep regretting not convincing us to go with ‘em!”

“Your crush on Ravin is as obvious as the sun. If no one’s asked you out, I bet it’s entirely because everyone knows you’re holding a torch for the puppeteer,” Arven said plainly, “You guys getting outfits for the dance? Dressing up?”

Kiba made a high-pitched whining sound, tugging the ties of his hood in embarrassment. “NO WAY! I am totally cool about him and not obvious at all! Because there’s nothing to be obvious about! We’re bros!”

A sort of weird chuffing growl in his throat, Kiba huffed. “Yeah? Look, I know I’m hot as the hells but I’m not gonna show up to a dance in my hoodie. The effort is what makes it more fun--otherwise you’re just standing around in a gym.”

“I’m not setting you up to make fun of you, just curious what you’re wearing,” Arven said, amused at Kiba’s ruffled feathers, “I was about to ask if you and Hinata and Shino were going to coordinate outfits or just all go your own wild ways.”

“Think we might coordinate something at the end, like trading accessories or somethin’ that’ll match us, but for the most part?” Kiba shrugged. “Think we’re just choosin’ our own outfits. I mean, I’m not even really goin’ shopping for anything new; Hinata might, since she’s gotten a little taller since last year so I dunno if she’d wanna wear the same dress.”

Smirking a little, Kiba nudged Arven’s arm. “If you and Sunshine Boy end up goin’ to yours, you should definitely coordinate. Just flex even more about being a power couple.”

Arven laughed, placing his fingers into an L and cupping them beneath his chin as he confessed, “It can be hard, to be the perfect couple. Everyone’s always looking at us in envy. And how could they not? Aceto’s perfect. Anyone else could be so lucky.”

“Anyway, you should wear furs. Furs look good on you. Kaito has a fur coat he keeps in his shrine. It’s massive, you’d swim in it, but it’d be impressive looking. You could borrow it from him… or steal it, it’s literally just hanging in his shrine, I doubt he’d miss it for a night.”

Kiba chuckled a bit, rolling his eyes a little. “Yeah, yeah, I guess the traditional look is a favorite for a reason. I’ll spare the royal nose-meister the conniption and think about it. Hana’d probably be over the moon if I asked her for fashion help, so I might consider making her year.”

Seeing the buildings start to space out as they left the city center, Kiba couldn’t help but look at the space and think--

“Hey, race you the rest of the way?” he proposed in an excited breath, fanged smile wide.

Arven bolted. Chief immediately running after him. 

Kiba let out an exuberant bark before he dashed after Arven, Akamaru and Akemaru keeping pace.

-

(...someone heard that bark, and scowled suspiciously.)

-

To Kiba’s grand delight, he and Arven were keeping pretty good pace with each other, but as they started nearing the Inuzuka property and the smell of smoking meats cut through the cold, sharp scent of snow…

The two of them didn’t stand a chance against the dogs.

There was a thundering sound, and for a moment, Arven thought perhaps a storm was peeking over the horizon. Thunder unusual for deep winter, but not unheard of…until he realized. No. 

That was the sound of paws.

Their own pups having gone far ahead of them easily, they disappeared, briefly, over a hill. A single bark in the distance being Arven and Kiba’s only warning…when suddenly thundering over the hill were dozens of dogs. All running as fast as their–usually massive–paws could take them, excitedly following Chief and the brothers back to their partners, tongues flopping in the wind and fur bouncing as all the dogs bolted over the hill towards the boys. 

Determined to greet them. All as one.

Arven briefly entertained the idea of turning tail and running for his life, but the Dogs were upon them before he could turn that desire into action, and WOE, he was soon on the ground, trampled by THE HOARD as many, many dog kisses and dog sniffs covered his body. Truly, it was the apawcolypse. 

Family, of course, included dogs. 

Kiba threw himself wholeheartedly into the fray of slobber and sniffs and full-body tackles, giving as good as he got, or at least attempting to as his laughter rose above the din. And, if the dogs all heading out hadn’t been message enough, the din was a sign that the last to join the party had arrived. 

Running out just slightly behind the dogs, Silkie Inuzuka sprinted out over the snowy hill, dashing on all fours a few times just for extra momentum. “KIBBY!! VE!!”

This, unlike the dogs, Kiba did brace himself for, trying to watch amid the sea of dogs as Silkie shot herself through the air…right towards Arven. Entirely confident that he’d catch her.

He did, but he was not aware of that until he was already flung back into the snow, gasping as he protectively put his arms around the small bundle of something…before looking down at Silkie and gasping, “Silk, you’re gonna kill me one of these days!”

Chief gave his boy a once-over, decided he was just being yippy as usual, before returning to sniffing and greeting the pack. Yes, yes, hello, excellent to see you again, how are the puppies…

“He-hee~” Silkie giggled as she gave Arven some happy greeting sniffs. “You’re strong enough! I’m so excited!! Aunt Tsu said you’re staying over tonight?? We can stay up all night playing together then, it’s gonna ROCK!”

“Oi, you gotta figure out how not to crash halfway through first before you go pulling other people into it too,” Kiba snorted, teasing his cousin before…hm. Where there was one twin… “Hey, Vel.”

“Hmm~” Velouria hummed, flopping over Kiba’s lap to avoid the snow. “You’re still gonna play with us though, right, Ve?”

“I mean, yeah, ‘course,” Arven said, sitting up with a sigh and only wincing a little every time Silkie hopped happily on her knees in little happy squees, Arven knowing damn well that Silkie would casually knee him right in the nuts and think nothing of it. “I wanted to bring my bow and arrow for us to play with, but Kiba said you girls couldn’t be responsible around it, so I couldn’t,” Arven said, sighing sadly. “It’s so cool too… shame.”

“KIBBY WHYYYYYYY?! YOU TRAITOR!” Silkie cried, now performing her delayed tackle on Kiba, who only skidded a little in the snow with an ‘ooph’. 

Stepping lightly on the snow with her tongue stuck out a little, Velouria got out of Kiba’s lap and went over to Arven, holding out a hand to pull him up--completely seriously, despite being about half his size. 

Though before Silkie could go on too much more of a tirade, another voice called out to the kids. “Kiba? Arven? You guys back?” Tsume shouted, peeking out from the front of the house. “Pff, get in here, ya knuckleheads, before you freeze your tails off! First round of hot drinks are up!”

“HOT DRINK TIME!” Silkie commanded, and despite the vagueness, Kiba could only laugh as he stood up with her on his back, starting to jog the last stretch towards the house.

Arven graciously accepted her help, taking her hand and, putting no weight on it, getting up, before watching Kiba race off with Silkie. “Would you like a ride, Velouria?” Arven offered politely. 

Smiling indulgently, Velouria nodded, even taking care to be a little gentle getting on Arven’s back. “...I’m glad you’re staying tonight too,” she said, wanting to make the point that it wasn’t just her sister that was excited. “What kind of hot drink do you want? Dad was making up some chai that smells soooo gooood.”

“If you’d recommend the chai? I can be sold on it, a good chai can be just as sweet and tasty as any hot chocolate,” Arven said good naturedly, as he ran into a trot, speeding up gradually to catch up with Kiba and Silkie into the house. “And I’m glad to be here. I like spending time with you rugrats. Gotta do it now before you two grow up and are too cool for piggyback rides…or are just too heavy and break my poor back.”

Heading inside, Arven wasn’t surprised to see the kitchen was alive with people cooking and milling about, and was equally unsurprised to see no one had let Tsume into the fray. Arven had learned after his first view visits: that woman was not to be allowed anywhere near the stove. For everyone’s safety and taste buds. “Hey,” Arven called out, for the family members he recognized.

“Heeey~” Kory drawled, giving a wave from the stove, looking unbothered even as he immediately turned back to it to flip some meats on a grill pan, the man next to him, Keats, Velouria’s dad, giving Arven a wave and a wink from the pan he was working on. From the kitchen counter, Evada smiled brightly. “Ve! Glad you made it, I was about to worry about you boys getting caught up in the snow!”

Tsume, taking advantage of being banned from the kitchen, came over to pull Arven into a hug once he let Velouria down. “Hey, hotshot! It’s good to see ya. You doin’ alright? Wanin’ sun not getting you down?”

Arven hugged her back–leaning in a little subconsciously. These were always nice…–before leaning back, smiling pleasantly at the older woman. “It’s been alright. I’ve been harvesting some winter specific herbs for a while now, but it’s just about gotten to that season where even the most resilient plants are about to be buried beneath snow. I might be a bit more bummed out when there’s nothing left to forage for a month or so, but right now it’s been fun. Oh, speaking of…”

Arven searched his pockets, before triumphantly pulling out a little baggie, passing it to Tsume. “For those hand aches you were talking about. Don’t eat them, they’re not tea or anything like that. They’re more like ice packs and heat packs at once? You cut them in the middle, put the goop inside on your knuckles, it’ll start out cold and then heat up for an hour. That should help with the swelling. I’ve used it on bruises, they work in a pinch.”

Tsume nodded, scoffing lightly at the ridiculous fact that plantlife tended to nestle away like the rest of them in deep winter. “I kept in mind what you were talkin’ about last time while I’ve been goin’ on the slower walks with Chamaru and the fogies--I never noticed just how many winter herbs were still around even this late into the season. I knew about the tubers and roots you can still find, but if you’re not desperate for ‘em diggin’ through that much snow and ice just ain’t worth it.”

Her eyebrows raising a little as Arven pulled out the baggie, Tsume took a look and a sniff before cheering. “He-hey! I feel like I’m cheating at somethin’, getting the healing hook-up this well. Thanks, kiddo, you’ve really done me a solid.”

She got in a thankful hair ruffle before Kiba came over, a hot milky tea in hand. “Yo, you want me to put your stuff up in my room? Figure we’ll prolly be stayin’ down here for a while.”

“Let me do it myself, I need to use the bathroom anyway,” Arven said, giving the family a nod before hoisting his backpack up his shoulder, hurrying up. 

Arven hadn’t needed an immediate break or anything, but he did take a second to compose himself upstairs. The memory of ‘heart to heart’ kept intruding in, Arven not sure what to think, or… hope to think? Or analyze that hope. What even was that? What was he hoping for?

As he gave himself a stern look in the bathroom mirror, he fixed his bangs over his scarred eye. He was being stupid. What he was expecting. ‘Hey, Arven, want to be adopted? Hey, Arven, you’re basically an orphan, right? Hey, Arven, have you been a kid by himself for a very, very long time, and now that you’re the least cute and childlike you’ve ever been, now that you’re a grumpy, stinky teenager with a dog and legal baggage, want to have a whole-ass family? Just…just like an entire, huge family? Want to be a family?

Arven glared at the shimmer in his eye before huffing, flicking himself off in the mirror. Stop being stupid. Go downstairs and be normal.

Gods, he was always so emotional this time of month, it was so stupid.

Heading downstairs, Arven allowed himself to relax among the hustle and bustle. Arven looking around for Kiba in the chaos, before heading to him. “Settled in. You said something about a fire? You guys have the firepit on?”

“Oh, did I?” Kiba wracked his brain for a solid second before letting out a laugh and tossing his arm over Arven’s shoulders. “Look at me, takin’ care of shit even when I don’t commit it to memory. Yeah, we’ve got it on! It’s cold as shit but I think I’d go crazy staying inside all evening; you wanna head out to it? We can throw some balls for the dogs, get a head start on being loved forever and ever.”

Even as Kiba said it, several furry heads turned in interest. 

“Pfff, well, now that you’ve said it aloud, we have to, right?” Arven said, reaching over to give some of the dogs a pat, before heading outside, “Bet I can throw farther, longer.”

“Nuh-uh!” Kiba laughed, starting to lead a procession out to the backlot. “Sure, your shoulders are daunting, but I’ve long studied the art of torque. I’m gonna whip that shit.”

Out around the firepit, indeed blazing hot, Kiba got out a ton of tennis balls, stuffing any he couldn’t hand over to Arven in his pockets, laughing brightly at the excited barks they garnered. And, with not even a count off, the two of them starting hucking balls, a sea of dogs running around and--

“Srrk,” Kiba snorted, watching Silkie take off into the fray, spotting Velouria soon after. 

“Uh oh,” Arven chuckled, “Those dogs are going to wipe the floor with them.” 

Maybe he was a softy, but the next few balls he chucked were purposefully close to the girls, who were hollering and cheering as they ran among the dogs, chasing the balls. “They’re surprisingly fast,” Arven admitted, watching Silkie dive for one of the balls. 

Kiba had no such sympathy…but that was perhaps because he had confidence. Watching his little cousins dash and prance around, running full tilt…it made him happy to see how much fun they were having, but it was starting to make him a little jealous too. It looked like fuuuuuuun.

While dutiful, Kiba started hopping between his feet, getting a little acrobatic with his throws just to get extra energy out. “Little kids will still just go for it, you know? Like they don’t give a fuck about having to stop--leads to, like, superspeed.”

“Seems like it,” Arven said, chuckling as Silkie hopped out triumphantly from the dog pile, holding the tennis ball, only to immediately get tackled by Chief, of all dogs. His big boy sending her right back into the fray. Arven didn’t call out any warnings to be gentle, he trusted Chief to know a little kid’s limits. 

“You look like you’re about to launch into orbit, man,” Arven noticed, raising an eyebrow and smirking at Kiba’s hops. 

“I feel like it,” Kiba snorted, before shaking his head a little. “Like, I know the answer is kinda,” he rolled his eyes and pointed to his head, twisting his wrist back and forth in a sort of screwing motion, “But I don’t get how people aren’t. This is like the tiniest release on a valve--I feel like I’m gonna explode if I’m not movin’ in some way.”

One of Kiba’s older cousins poked their head out of the back door. “Hey, some snacks are up, and Aunt Tsume wants you guys to keep an eye on the sky if you’re gonna stay out longer.”

Normal for winter, the sky was rapidly dimming, but Kiba just waved his cousin off. “Yeah, yeah, we got it.” They still had a little while before the moon came up, and…well, Kiba didn’t really care about going inside to shift. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d left a scavenger hunt of his clothes out around the lot and forest to find in the morning, and…he wasn’t sure how Arven liked to do it, but he figured his friend would mention something about it if he wanted anything specific.

Arven looked up. Was it going to snow? It felt too cold for it to rain, but snow melting on them would leave them just as wet, eventually. At the very least they could herd the girls inside.

After a while, Chief came by with one of the balls, triumphantly dropping it at Arven’s feet. “Beat all the other dogs and the girls for that, old man?” Arven grinned, petting and ruffling Chief’s face, “Came out of the pile a champion?”

Chief barked, affirming, yes. He was a champion.

“There’s a big winner!” Kiba laughed, crouching a bit to give Chief some congratulatory pets as well before throwing his next ball. They continued for a bit, Kiba only taking a quick break to dash inside and grab snacks--which looked like a meal unto itself--and…well… In true teenage fashion, even after Sierra had called the twins to come back inside to get some food, Kiba and Arven had continued playing with the dogs and chatting, and before they knew it, night fell…

…and the full moon began to rise. 

Kiba had been chortling, recounting the class discussion that had completely gotten away from the initial talking points…before he paused, a shiver going up his spine as his gaze drifted towards the horizon. And his eyes dilated. 

“...aw fuck,” he said in more of a breath than anything, before quickly starting to strip. 

Arven had been practicing kicking the ball up with his foot–he was up to four successful kicks before losing control of the ball–when he heard Kiba curse lightly. “Everything good, Ki…um.” Arven blinked, watching his friend inexplicably strip. 

A lot of thoughts immediately ran through his mind. Kiba, you know I have a boyfriend. Kiba, it’s a little unorthodox to prepare for skinny dipping this far from water, and right in front of your kitchen windows. Kiba, the actual fuck, dude, there’s being comfy around someone and then being naked. Should Arven get naked? Is this a Bro Thing???

But what he actually said was, “Kinda cold for that, isn’t it?”

Kiba snorted, boots tossed and now doing a complicated little jig to get his pants off, even as tremors started to go through his body. However, while one would naturally assume it was from the cold, it looked like Kiba was sweating, actually. 

“Mister f-funny guy, ‘kinda c-c-uuung,” Kiba cut himself off with a small groan, scrunching his eyes tight before he redoubled his efforts, pulling his hoodie and shirts off (revealing a localized, but gnarly scar on his abdomen, slightly to the right). Akamaru calmly plodded over, watching over Kiba without much concern, but just being a familiar, comforting presence. 

Then Kiba started breaking out in fur. 

“Kiba… are you okay–fuck.” 

Arven took a step backwards, clutching the tennis ball between his hands tightly as he stared wide eyed at his friend. Honestly, if Chief had immediately gone to step in front of Arven, the older dog squaring his shoulders, Arven might have run. But this was Kiba, and he didn’t want Chief to be afraid of Kiba, so Arven immediately murmured, “Settle, old man, settle, it’s okay… T-TSUME? HANA? UM… um…”

Arven glanced towards the house, eyes widening as he shivered. He couldn’t see inside. But he could hear from inside the house howls. At first one, then two, and then a cacophony. 

The dogs around them put their heads up and joined the sound. Howling at the top of their voices. Everyone but Chief and Arven. 

Kiba doubled over, fur spreading over his skin, his quiet groans sounding more whine-like by the second, especially as two pointed ears started appearing from his head. Or maybe the appearance of a fluffy brown tail would be a greater indication. The shifting of muscle and bone under furry skin was a little less in your face, so maybe not that, but maybe by the time there were four paws on the ground…

Akemaru, excited as always was with the rest of the pack…before he tilted his head. Noticing Arven and Chief standing apart. Prancing over to them, Akemaru wagged his tail encouragingly at Arven, before looking to Chief. He’s late? 

Kiba--or, the juvenile brown wolf that had been Kiba--joined in with the group howl before flopping down with a small panting huff. The wolf shaking its head in disorientation before sniffing. Regarding Arven with familiar narrow eyes. 

My boy… Chief hesitated, hesitantly wagging his tail. If the other dogs weren’t worried about their boy, maybe this was…doesn’t do that. Generally.

Arven stared down at the…what the hell was he looking at? “Kiba?” Arven squeaked. Logically he knew it had to be, he had just seen this…dog? (Who are you kidding that is a wolf) be his best friend a second ago. But Arven was still registering what he was looking at, as he said, to his own bafflement, “...you good?”

Kiba’s ears perked as Arven said his name and he tilted his head. Sniffing a few more times. 

…yeah, that was Arven (friend, brother, pack), though…

Oh, like uncle! Akemaru boofed happily, his tail wagging more happily, everything right as rain in the puppy’s head.

Nudging Kiba with his snout, Akamaru encouraged Kiba back onto his paws, the teen yawning and showing a mouth full of sharp fangs…before he let out an excited bark and blepped, his tail wagging as he walked over to Arven, sniffing furiously. Weird but, well, scent didn’t lie. 

Rubbing against Arven’s legs, Kiba dipped his head, tail wagging furiously, as he let out a bark.

…okay. 

For lack of better ideas, Arven reached down and patted his friend’s head. “Good Kiba.”

Whelp. Okay. So what was happening right now? Well, it sure seemed like, well, hmmm… it sure seemed like his friend had turned into a wolf. Yep. That definitely happened. Is happening. Current. Current events. Hmm.

As the dogs all sniffed at each other and rolled around in the snow, Arven glanced down at the tennis ball in his hand, wondering if…if friend-wolves (werewolves) worked the same way dogs did, as he asked warily, “Do you…fetch?”

And, not really waiting for a confirmation, Arven threw the ball.

Kiba’s tongue lolled out of his mouth as Arven patted his head, Kiba pushing into the touch. Oh yeahh, that was the good stuff! Sure, they’d figured out how to give pets with paws, but there was something about how it seemed like hands were made for petting that still made them the creme de la creme~

Oh, but…speaking of other wolves… Huh. If Arven was gonna look weird tonight, then Kiba should probably get his mom. All problems went to Mom, as pack leader, so…she’d know what to do! And without fur, Arven was probably gonna get co-BALL!!

Kiba was off in less than a blink, barking excitedly as he zoomed after the ball. Only barely not catching it still in the air before he ran back, looking at Arven with gleaming eyes. 

“Oh. Wow,” Arven said, genuinely impressed–wolf!Kiba was faster than the dogs by a good bit–before warily putting his hand out, “You’re too big for tug of war. You either give the ball or no fetch.”

Kiba whined a little, lowering down on his front paws a bit while his tail wagged before--with maybe a surprising amount of gentleness, from such a big wolf--delicately depositing the ball in Arven’s hand. Dancing between his paws in anticipation and giving a few short barks. 

Again!

Okay. He and Kiba were…passing the ball around. Like bros do. Nothing unusual in this. 

…..was the house now full of giant wolves??

Deciding to grapple with that train of thought later, Arven tossed the ball again. This time really trying to challenge Kiba, trying to send it as far as he could.

Kiba dashed off again, actually even faster than the last time, his eyes trained on the ball. He could hear pack behind him--the other inuken that had stayed outside--but even if Kiba didn’t easily outspeed them? The over-an-hour of playing fetch beforehand had tempered competition and energy, while Kiba was just starting to come to his peak. 

However, as he came back triumphantly with the ball, it was a peak that needed to be fueled. Dropping the ball in the snow, Kiba barked at Arven, Dude, we gotta get dinner, I am starving.

And, just to make sure Arven got the idea, Kiba started nudging his lower back with his snout towards the house.

“Oh, well, okay, guess we’re going…” Arven swallowed nervously, nudged closer and closer to the house full of sounds, “i-inside?”

Chief stuck close behind. The large dog looking small next to Kiba’s wolf-mass. 

Ahead of them, Akemaru dashed inside while Akamaru flanked Arven’s side. They both knew something was weird, but not so weird as to completely lose the script. Full moons could be a little hectic, sometimes even frantic, with the Inuzukas, but inuken had been with the werewolf pack from the beginning. They knew their stuff. 

As Kiba made sure Arven made it inside, the scene awaiting them was…well, probably what Arven could’ve imagined. And sort of what he had seen before. The house was filled with wolves, some chowing down on a wide array of meats, some rolling around with others, some just chilling out. Though, as Kiba barked out, ‘Ma, we’re back!’ several wolves…paused. Taking in Arven’s appearance with tilted heads and wary sniffs. 

A smaller blond wolf cub started to dash towards him before a red wolf caught her by her scruff. And from the fray, a large brown wolf stalked forward. Looking at Arven in confusion and appraisal. There were a few wary whines from the group, but the brown wolf paid them no mind, simply padding up to Arven…and getting on her back paws. Dwarfing the boy completely, as she put her front paws on his shoulders, leaned in, and started licking his face. 

Well damn, really messed up the signs on that one, huh? Oh well.

“Ahhhhhhhh–oh, okay, wait, um!!” Arven flinched, leaning away when a massive wolf perched itself against his shoulders, a maw that could fit his whole head in it coming at him… and licking him. Enthusiastically. “W-wait…hee~ Stop, that’s, haha! Oh no.”

Arven couldn’t help the at first nervous, and then still nervous but far more genuine giggle. Wolf kisses were just as coarse and slobbery as dog kisses, apparently. Also, there was another lick at his wrist, and he looked won to see another wolf, with intense, pretty eyes, brown fur and most importantly, red marks…

“Oh my god, you’re all wolves, huh?” Arven laughed nervously, looking around, before looking at the massive wolf that had licked him, “...Tsume?”

Tsume snorted approvingly, giving Arven one more lick before getting off him. Looking to Kiba, the two wolves sniffed each other before Tsume put her maw around Kiba’s snout, greeting him. ‘Told you to watch the sky, brat. Get in here before dinner’s over.’

With almost sneeze-like laughs, Kiba pushed against his mom as he trotted past, greeting other pack members as he made his way over to the food, starting to chow down. 

With Tsume taking the lead? All the other wolves had calmed down. They knew Arven, of course, but an unexpected human among shifted wolves was always a tense moment, no matter who it was. The pack leader accepting him as their own? There was no question about it. 

With supervision from the red wolf, the blond wolf cub, now joined with a grey one, scampered up to Arven, the blond one practically vibrating with excitement, before there was a boisterous laugh. Some of the wolves parting at a large white wolf with a scar over one eye’s intense look to let a wheelchair through without tails getting caught. 

“So this is what young Akemaru was barking about!” Kiba’s Uncle Guy--notably not a wolf--boomed, looking at Arven warmly as he rolled over. “Quite the surprise, young Arven! Mind Silkie and Velouria’s teeth, Miss Mom will keep them in line but the overwhelming POWER OF YOUTH does make biting accidents more likely.”

Arven reached down to pet the two pups–the girls?--before looking up warily. He knew Uncle Guy, of course. A boisterous and friendly man, Arven was pretty sure Uncle Guy was with Uncle Perv. Though, not seeing the pervy uncle anywhere, Arven could only assume the wolf with the scarred eye near Uncle Guy was probably him. 

“So…” Arven looked around at the wolves, Chief still sticking to Arven’s leg. “...so, I’m taking a shot in the dark: werewolves?”

The grey wolf cub pressed into Arven’s hand, while the blond cub yipped happily and immediately flipped around onto her back, squirming excitedly. Arven had promised to play tonight, so they were gonna play sooooooo much!!

“Ha-HA! Right you are, young Arven!” Guy confirmed, giving a thumbs up and a grinning wink that…maybe it was just a trick of the light, but it did seem to sparkle. “Indeed, many Inuzukas are werewolves!” 

Some of the boister faded a little as Guy professed his confusion. “Which Kory and Tsume seemed convinced you were as well, but…all’s well that ends well, I suppose! Are you hungry? There is more varied food than just for our dear carnivores.”

“...yeah, I suppose I don’t want…floor meat,” Arven admitted, watching three of the wolves playfully(???) pull a massive chicken leg between the three of them. Maybe it wasn’t a chicken leg, actually. Too big. Goat? “Lead the way.”

Moving carefully through the crowd–everyone was both very big and also not as tall as Arven himself, which was an odd feeling–Arven went to join Guy. “...wait, me? Why would I be a werewolf!? Is…is it how I do my hair!? Because it’s just wild looking because I don’t brush it enough!”

Seeing Arven in good hands, Tsume licked Arven’s hand once before heading back into the fray, going over to check up more on Kiba. You tell your damn kid to watch the time, and what else does he do but completely ignore everything until the moon comes up…heh, her kid for damn sure. 

Wheeling over to the kitchen, the white wolf let out an amused boof as Guy started to set out the more human-palatable foods that the family had prepared earlier. “Ha, a book is not judged by its cover, young Arven! I can’t claim to truly understand, as even with EXTENSIVE TRAINING my olfactory prowess cannot compete with a werewolf, but Kory mentioned you smelling like a werewolf.”

Holding up a calloused hand, Guy cut off, “Not that you smell like a dog, just that werewolves have distinct scents, things that contribute to a pack scent. I believe dear nephew Kiba mentioning that you identified and found comfort in others’ scents as well, which seemed like a tip off to him. It seems we have all been bamboozled by particular coincidence, however.”

“I cannot begin to fathom any of that,” Arven admitted, sitting down as he pulled the plates of food closer to himself. “I smell like a werewolf…I smell like a pack?”

Arven stared at the food–plenty of vegetables, plenty of carbs. Meat that came from something smaller than maybe a goat–before he felt his shoulders fall a little, frowning as he downcast his eyes. “...oh. That was why…oh.”

They had thought he was another werewolf. One of them.

No wonder they had treated him like family.

And now they would know he wasn’t.

Very, very sadly, Arven ate some green beans. Looking absolutely crestfallen. Truly, they were the saddest green beans in the world, just by proximity. It was shaping up to be a sad green bean sort of day.

Guy raised an eyebrow, but before he could do much, several wolves all came by Arven’s side, nestling by his feet and around his back, and a familiar brown juvenile wolf came bounding over, resting his head on Arven’s thigh and looking up with shimmering eyes, whining softly. 

Werewolves couldn’t exactly smell emotions per se, they weren’t psychics, excepting the ones that were, but emotion too had its own sort of smell, the energy of emotional shifts their own sort of vibes. And pack was everything. So if someone was sad? 

Kiba whined, looking over Arven as he tried to figure out what was wrong. While they weren’t appetizing to Kiba right now, Arven usually loved vegetables!! Was that different during full moons even if he didn’t look different?

Laughing fondly, Guy put his arms around the white wolf suddenly in his lap, before he gave Arven a fond look. “If I may give some advice, young Arven, as another human that’s been adopted by the pack--if you find yourself with a problem, so matter how much you may want to solve it alone, you will find dozens of paws put upon you in support.”

Meeting an intense, narrowed gaze that had looked over at Arven at his mood shift, Guy grinned. “Tsume has claimed you, there’s no giving that back.”

Arven startled as he was suddenly surrounded, practically bundled, by wolves. He glanced around and saw Chief at his side as well, packed in among the, well…the pack. Arven instinctively reaching around to pat heads soothingly, before scratching the ears of the wolf he was sure was Kiba on his lap.

Arven stared at Guy, for a moment not sure if he believed him. For a moment not able to let that painful, ugly hope win. Arven was independent. He loved Aceto and had come to rely on Kaito in some ways, but Arven had been alone for a lot longer than he had had either of them. He had watched his mother walk away one day and never come back. He had soothed and healed himself when he had been burnt. He had fought the world to save his dog, and he had done it on his own two feet, refusing to so much as slow down even when he was broken.

Arven, as silly as it sounded in this exact moment, was a lone wolf, and had been for most of his life. He didn’t need anyone. He didn’t need anyone.

…but Tsume had claimed him, and there was no going back.

Tsume had claimed him? And there was no going back.

He had been claimed, and there was no going back.

There was no going back.

He wasn’t going back.

Arven felt the whine start deep in the back of his throat. He tried to swallow it, but he couldn’t. His face scrunched as, that deep whine coming out as a tight, uncertain keening sound, Arven started to sob. Clutching his hands through the fur that surrounded him as the sheer weight of it all scrunched him down from his neck to his back, curled around them.

He wanted to apologize for acting foolish. But he couldn’t speak. He could only whine as he thought, over and over, there was no going back! No one would make him go back! Back to the empty house acting as a tomb for a ghost that inexplicably still kept sending him letters! Arven had been claimed! THERE WAS NO GOING BACK!

-

A group howl had started among the pack in response to Arven’s whines, people surrounding him at all sides until the sobs had calmed and the tears had dried. And from there? …well, the twins had been promised play time.

It had turned into a night of fetch and tug-of-war and so, so many pets, and, as usual, it ended with a giant literal dogpile, everyone retreating to the den that had been completely covered in wide, soft dog beds and blankets and snuggling together. And as the sun rose? A family of groggy, disoriented werewolves slowly rose, touching base with each other and trickling back to their own homes to attend to the still-spinning world that didn’t quite follow the same rules of the moon. 

However, some luck was on their side, as it was a Sunday, and Tsume, bundled in a cozy robe, sipped her coffee and watched her boys, amused. Having bundled Kiba partially in a blanket to mitigate the greatest bits of embarrassment…but absolutely having left him completely wrapped around Arven, who looked like he was doing the same.

Once Arven had finished sobbing like a child, the night had actually gone pretty well. After a while, Arven had just gotten used to the new more horizontal style of the family and had just gotten back into the rhythm of hanging out. Admittedly, maybe even being a bit more honest about his feelings as he had confessed while sleepily hanging out with Kiba on the floor that he had been sort of hoping Kiba’s family would want to take him on, but Arven had felt too embarrassed to tell him before.

Before Arven had fallen asleep, scratching Kiba’s ears, he had mused, “It’d be weird if we were brothers, right? But also…maybe kind of fun.”

But as he started to wake the next day, curled around a OH VERY NAKED THIS WAS NOT HOW CLOSE HE WANTED TO BE WITH KIBA–GAH! 

Arven shot backwards, looking frazzled as he looked around, focusing as he felt Chief thump over to him to lick his face as Arven spotted Tsume. “Oh! Oh. Hi.”

Kiba just flumped into the empty space Arven left, a snore snorting out of him but otherwise undisturbed. Even as Tsume cackled, leaning over a bit in her laughter before taking a breath and giving Arven a wave. “Mornin’, kiddo. You sleep alright?”

A fanged grin glimmered over her coffee mug. “You and Kiba were looking pretty damn cozy every time I checked.”

“Ng’aaaaaaa!!!” Arven whined, looking increasingly embarrassed, turning a bright red, as he looked urgently between the peacefully snoozing boy and said boy’s mother. “I didn’t do anything weird, I promise! I just pet him!” Arven paused, “OH THE HEAD I PET HIM ON THE HEAD.”

Pause. “THE NORTHERN ONE!!” Gah! Get out of his head Kaito!!!

“BAAAA-HAHAHA!!” Tsume burst out cackling even louder, almost entirely doubling over in her seat. Some coffee sloshed over the side of her mug, but it was still a bit before Tsume could pull herself together, trading hands and wiping the excess coffee on the side of her robe. 

Shaking her head, still entirely amused, she got up and ruffled Arven’s hair. “I know, hotshot, I know. Not like he put on clothes before you two passed out, right? You’re good Arven.”

Giving him a fond look, some of that sharp amusement softened. “Though I should check in with you about that before deciding it, huh. Sorry for the surprise, kiddo. Everything seemed to line up, so I figured of course you’d want to spend the full moon with us.” Something apologetic softened Tsume’s sharp features even more. “We didn’t scare ya too much, did we?”

“Oh, um, with the werewolf thing?” Arven clarified, looking up at her a little sheepishly as he idly fixed his ruffled up hair, “...yes and no? I mean, yes, obviously. Kiba’s whole body twisted in pain and then grew fur. And teeth. Lots of teeth. That was terrifying.”

“...I mean, otherwise?” Arven frowned, tilting his head, “No, not really. It’s actually not my first rodeo with the sort of things you’d think would only be in fairytales. I mean, I chased a fairytale across the continent for Chief. Maybe I never considered werewolves specifically, but I think if you had asked me I would have assumed they were real. You were real.”

“...you guys being werewolves took me off guard,” Arven admitted, “Um…so, yeah, wow. Wow. Also…Uncle Guy said…why did you think I smelled like one?”

With a little huff, Tsume lowered herself down to sit with Arven, taking a sip from her coffee. “Isn’t the prettiest thing, is it, but anything your body’s forced into rarely is.” She shook her head a little. “Thankfully Akamaru found that little punk’s clothes outside--maybe next month he’ll remember to keep an eye on the time.”

Nodding, Tsume leaned back with a sigh. “That’s another reason why I just assumed. Hearing your story about the Titan Herbs and searching them out for Chief? Sure, ya got your enthusiasts out there, but not a lot of people who think there are only humans around here would go so hard into that stuff. Didn’t think you might have your own reasons, other than bein’ a werewolf.”

Chuckling lightly, she nudged Arven’s shoulder. “Cause you do smell like kin, kiddo. We can trim ourselves into whatever shape we want, but we can never fully escape our roots.” Tsume shrugged a little, looking unbothered. “Maybe you have a wolf somewhere up the tree and that’s just what’s affecting your scent…and helpin’ out your nose. When Kiba first came home talkin’ about you? He was positive you were another werewolf, so that’s just the presumption we all went in with.”

“Well, I guess…I mean, I’ve always had a good sense of smell. And smell affects me pretty hard. I sort of assumed I half learned that from Chief practically raising me,” Arven confessed, before his face went a little crooked and frustrated, “I could ask my mom, but she probably won’t answer. Every time I send her a letter, the next letter I get back from her completely ignores I said anything. I’ve quadruple checked the letters are going where they’re supposed to. She just doesn’t read them.”

Though, that said, his mother had always had a sort of…’aesthetic’. That if Arven had to guess what she associated herself with, wolves would be high on that list. The fur clothes, the sharp-toothed necklaces, the two wolf coats she kept in her closet. That was…that was odd, in this context, but maybe still another sign of his mom…

What? Being a werewolf? Seriously? “She really should have told me, if our family was werewolves,” Arven said, frowning, “Even with her ‘forget the past as it relates to us, we’re creatures of the present’ thing. She hated even thinking about our personal history, maybe if werewolves really were in our family she just wanted to forget about it. For whatever reason. I don’t know why you’d want to forget being a werewolf. Being a werewolf looks pretty awesome, from here.”

Tsume sighed a little, shaking her head with a ticked frown on her lips as Arven mentioned his mom and her philosophies. Tsume had tried to be more considerate at the beginning, but the more Arven spoke about her, and the more it became apparent that she just wasn’t around and hadn’t been for a while? Oooooh Fifth help her if Tsume ever met Sada. 

Giving Arven a squeeze around his shoulders, Tsume gave him a grin. “You’d be right, it is pretty awesome!” …but the grin faded a little. “But werewolves don’t have the kindest history in Dicea. It might be too generous to your mother, but if she knew your lineage was varied enough that you wouldn’t shift? I can see the idea of her not wanting you to inherit that grief or that danger. Just wantin’ ya to grow up without tragedy.”

“...but then she left, so that kinda screwed that whole plan up,” Tsume rolled her eyes with a tsk. “If she knew? I dunno how she ever could’ve left you without her heart breakin’ every step, and that’s just from bein’ a mom. Some folks are just real pieces of work.”

Tsume took another sip of coffee before stretching a leg out and sighing. Turning to Arven with a plain look. “...I wanted to wait until the full moon was over, just so you could think a little straighter and not have that extra stress during a stressful time. So, you don’t have to answer this second or nothin’, but…” Tsume offered Arven a grin. Her expression loving. “What do you think about bein’ an Inuzuka, Arven?”

“...”

He wanted it, yeah.

He had sobbed like an infant last night because he realized he had it. Miyako would have rolled her little eyes at him. Tim would have been too sympathetic. Aceto would have been happy for him.

But in the clear of the next day…he had to know.

“Why me?”

Tsume raised her eyebrows a little before chuckling, ruffling Arven’s hair again. “Why not you? Arven, how many days have you been over just in the last week? Two weeks? You’re you, hotshot, and bein’ you means you’re family. Ain’t more complicated than that.”

She squeezed around his shoulders again, but this time she didn’t let go as she gave Arven a grin. “You’re ours now, not sorry.”

They had chosen Arven because he was Arven. 

It was as simple as that. 

Arven reached up to place his hand against her wrist, squeezing it a bit as he looked away, briefly tensing…before shooting forward. Pulling her into a hug.

“...okay,” Arven said, voice tight, “I mean, if you want. I guess. Sure.”

Chief’s tail wagged enthusiastically. Able to express more easily the joy Arven felt than Arven could.

Carefully saving her coffee from spilling on either of them this time, Tsume closed her eyes as she held Arven back tightly, rubbing his back in gentle circles. “I do want. I’m gonna bully those nerds down at the adoption agency so hard to get those damn papers, but even before it’s in ink? You’re my kid.”

Lingering in the hug for a bit, Tsume snorted. “And your brother’s gonna be elated too, once he rejoins the land of the living. Kid could sleep through a hurricane, I swear.”

Arven snorted, squeezing her a bit as he said, “One time he napped in a field we were hanging out in and I had to drag him into a pond to wake him up. And he came out of it still half asleep.”

Pulling back from her, he looked at her almost warily. “...what should I call you?”

Tsume chuckled, shaking her head a little as he glanced over to the lump among blankets that was Kiba. She had been a little skeptical at first when the healers were talking about how his meds could mess with his wakefulness, but…it was pretty astounding how truly out of sorts in a drowsy way Kiba was before he took his meds. Add in the excitement and hormone changes during a full moon? She wasn’t gonna let him sleep the whole day away, but Tsume was happy to let him sleep in for quite a while. 

Looking back to Arven, Tsume smirked before scoffing. “Not ‘mother’, and we’ll have words if you call me ‘that bitch’. But otherwise? Whatever you want, however that changes through time. If you wanna stick with Tsume? That sure is my name. Kiba calls me ‘ma’ and has since he was a pup, and ‘mom’ is just fine by me. I say fuck around and find out what feels best to ya.”

“...I can’t bring myself to call you ‘mom’ or anything right away,” Arven admitted, looking away. As thrilled as he was, a part of him was still protecting himself. Waiting for rejection and disappointment. “...but I might try it later.”

“Don’t expect ya to just flip a switch or anything,” Tsume nodded, accepting that easily, before she grinned sharply, “But be prepared for me to start grinnin’ like a maniac if you try it out.”

With a breath, Tsume stood up and cracked her back, before offering Arven a hand up. “Alright, you ready for breakfast? Coffee’s already up, and I can heat up what some of the family made earlier for ya in a sec--just gotta get this bedbug up enough to put on clothes,” she snorted, nodding to Kiba.

Arven gave Tsume a grateful smile, before looking down at Kiba. “What a bum. I’ll help him.”

“Kiba! We’re going to your room! You need clothes!” Arven shouted at the sleeping body. When all this earned him was a snore, he grabbed Kiba’s ankles and started to pull him across the room and towards the stairs, Chief very ‘helpfully’ nipping at Kiba’s blanket, which thankfully managed to stay wrapped around Kiba’s waist, at least, as Arven dragged him up the stairs. “We’ll be back!”

Only about halfway to his room did Kiba start to stir, his snores cutting off in a snort before he blearily looked around, trying to piece together what was going on around him through a foggy mind. 

“...nngraffawg?” Kiba asked, voice thick with sleep.

“Clothes, bro,” Arven said, continuing to valiantly pull Kiba across the floor, “You need them for breakfast. Tsume’s orders.”

…

…?

…oh, he was naked… Moon, right. 

“Uhgm,” Kiba grunted in confirmation, waiting until Arven let him go to pull himself upright, holding the blanket around himself, and tottering into his room. Or…walking right into the wall, before slowly shuffling to the side until he found the door.

Arven watched, amused, as Kiba headed into his room smack-faced first. Before feeling Chief rub against him, Arven reached down to pat his life-long family on the head. 

“...I think we found a good one, old man.” Arven smirked.

Chief, good-naturedly, barked in agreement.

-

Kaito had asked Kokichi and Shuichi if they’d be fine with him spending time with Miyako in his shrine, and after getting the go ahead from them, had brought her in. After that, for many hours, Kaito juggled between entertaining Miyako, working on craft projects, keeping things out of Miya’s mouth, and doing diapers in between setting up makeshift squares and domes that Kaito mostly just had to insist were buildings, okay?

“It’s all about imagination, Miya~” Kaito said, spinning little colorful papers into tubes and taping them down, placing them down among the crowds, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, sweetbun, Dad totally could make some kick-butt figurines for all this. Dad’s talented! Don’t let Aunt Maki or big brother Tim suggest otherwise! But, for short notice, all these little paper tubes? People. Here, we can even give this one a smiley face. See it?”

Kaito showed Miyako the little smiley paper tube, Miyako’s pacifier saving the paper tube’s little life as she reached out to hold it, looking at it curiously while she suckled the pacifier. Kaito beamed at her, before saying sweetly, “That one can be your own personal advisor, alright? Or maybe a priestess! Whatever you want your right hand man to be, sweetroll. It’s your world~”

And then, when Kaito was finished, he hurried over to the side of the room–stepping carefully around buildings and people and animals–before turning on a record player, which started playing loudly…well, not Luminary music. Kaito didn’t have any. But definitely what he considered ‘epic’ music.

Then, hurrying back to Miyako, he put her on the little throne doll wheelchair thing he had found at a trinkets store–literally the reason he had thought of any of this at all–put Miyako on the rolling throne, and announced, “Make way!! Make way!! For Princess Miyako!”

Miyako looked up curiously at her dad as he started to carefully roll her down the roads, Kaito grinning down at her and whispering, “Look out to the masses, Miya, they want you to wave at them. Go ahead, like this. Waaaaave.”

Miya flexed her fingers open and closed. Good enough! “Good job, baby girl! Alright, and the parade is going to go around this corner, and the battalion is doing this little marching thing…basically a dance routine, but you’re not supposed to call it that or their generals will twist your ears.” Kaito snickered, before moving the little formatted soldiers around in little dances. This caught Miyako’s attention briefly, but mostly she was still just looking curiously at her crazy father, still holding her right hand man tightly in her little baby grip as she sucked at her pacifier. “And then everyone sings this chant that really only maybe half the people in the crowd actually knows the words. But we have to know it because sometimes you have to sing it all by yourself at a party or something, where you can’t just mumble through the words you don’t know. Trust me, if you try, no one’s gonna let you forget for aaages.”

“And then, you turn this corner and—uuuuh, destroy that building, apparently.” Kaito grinned, watching Miyako lean alllll the way over as far as she could to topple over one of the buildings. “How very Momota of you, Miyako, just going around toppling things you don’t like. Oh, that one too? Alright, fine, we’ll destroy a few buildings~ cause it’s our day, baby~”

And then, after a bit, Kaito took Miyako out of her throne and the two had some fun pretending to be giant monsters stomping through the city, Kaito giving the screaming masses little high pitched voices that made Miyako giggle as he cooked them across the room. 

It was a nice Lumination day.

-

Deere hadn’t been particularly optimistic about having a nice Lumination, but, looking at the chaos around him… Sigh. Never any sort of peaceful holidays around, huh. 

In an act of generosity and compassion--or probably just not wanting to be bothered about it--Shin had rescinded his ban on booze for Lumination, and not having to be secretive and hide it? At least other than from the local Guardforce. Everyone was living it up--most of all, from what Deere could see, the Royal Head of Security, the Royal Detective, and…her girlfriend, which, still, Deere didn’t know all that much about Miss Luna. 

…he supposed it was nice that people were having a good time, he wasn’t against that. He just hoped the night wouldn’t end with the majority of them taken to a drunk tank for public disruption. 

Nursing a mug of coffee instead of spirits, Deere watched a rather heated game of darts over on the side of the room, still attentive for His Grace’s needs even on a holiday.

Selka was LIVING IT UP!! 

As respectfully as possible, of course. As a woman in a position of power among the group, she knew there would always be an undercurrent of pressure and presumption if she were to, say, take belly button shots off of her fellow party members. And as a Priestess of Atua, she knew it was her responsibility to not make anyone unduly uncomfortable in a party atmosphere by indulging in anything too sensual, especially in regards to sexualizing others. 

So, when someone mixed jello and alcohol, Selka graciously volunteered to be the table for the shots, giggling as shots were passed around before– “Awww, hey!”

Shin dryly pulled her up, ignoring her pouting–mixed with more giggles–as the king dragged her over to Deere, shoving her into his arms. “Our priestess is beside herself with festivities, I believe.”

“Deere, Deere. Dear darling boy~” Selka giggled into Deere’s chest, hugging him as she used him as a pole to steady herself, “Don’t tell the king I’m a little tipsy~”

Setting his coffee down, Deere easily caught Selka…and continued to keep her up, sighing with a small smile. Patting her shoulder, Deere nodded gravely. “My lips are sealed, Priestess. You’ve been enjoying the holiday in a most responsible way, everyone knows.”

Glancing around as he steadied her more, Deere hummed softly. “Could I tempt you into sitting with me, Selka? I think this section of the wall has been properly gloomed.”

Selka giggled happily, snuggling into Deere’s side as she murmured something that was basically gibberish but might have been something about how everyone needs a bit of ‘glomping’. Shin sighed, looking around warily as the Luminaries started the national chant, knowing any second the far raunchier ‘parody’ version was going to erupt out.

Looking over at Deere, Shin asked, “Well, how has this Lumination day been treating you, then?”

Patting Selka’s back, Deere gracefully relocated the priestess onto a seat, though he didn’t stray far once they were no longer on their own in the battle against gravity. She didn’t seem totally far gone, but Deere wouldn’t put it past any drunk person to find ways to fall out of a chair. 

Settling in to watch her himself, Deere gave Sou a grimly amused smile. “It’s not quite as chaotic as what I’m used to, but not as much of a far shot than you’d think. I’m just hoping nothing gets set on fire or we don’t end the night with glass shards all over the floor.”

“And yourself, your grace?” Deere nodded “I would assume the Queen is rather busy with her own celebrations today to check in much.”

“My beloved wife has much to celebrate, lately,” Shin said, leaning against the wall and watching the increasingly enthusiastic chanting and cheering and singing. “So hopefully she indeed is having a good one, though she’s busy enough to not have called yet.”

…’deigned to call’ Shin’s brain idly corrected him.

Finding his dialogue was sometimes a challenge and sometimes almost worryingly effortless. Shin couldn’t even really remember how he ‘actually’ talked. When he wasn’t playing a role or a person or a title. What did he talk like without all the mimicry? The bits? The gimmicks?

Maybe Shin wasn’t anyone without those things anymore.

“...you know, if you think of something more worthwhile that you want than ‘a job’, you should let us know,” Shin said quietly, watching the festivities, “You do understand what you did for the country, yes?”

Deere still didn’t really understand the relationship Sou had with his wife, not that he’d really tried to pry much. In any circumstance, it wasn’t any of his business. Still…seeing how distant and…politically cordial they were to each other, but remembering that core faith he’d seen…it was a little confusing. He hoped, amid what was sure to be an even bigger and more serious celebration than Deere had ever seen in the military compounds, that if Sou did actually want to wish her a joyous Lumination? That Kaede would call. 

…against his better judgment, Deere had sent a letter back to Luminary a bit ago. He hoped that it had made it to his parents in time for today. 

Side-eying Sou, Deere sighed quietly. There was an impulse to just accept a promise of future employment and leave it at that, but Deere wasn’t crazy. When he’d gotten the report from the investigators he’d hired, he had understood just how precious that information was to Luminary. Passing over a political secret like the whereabouts of a missing queen, and the crimes she may have committed against Dicea? That was far and beyond ‘just doing his job’. Deere could easily ask for any number of things, and he’d be justified in asking. 

…

Looking around, Deere kept his voice similarly quiet. Debating with himself for a moment, before he admitted, “...my father was Indentured.”

Carefully tilting Selka the other way from which she’d been sagging, he sighed, his expression tightening for a moment. “If that information about the…device we heard about is…true? If it turns out to be something that could help with the lingering effects of conditioning… If the inventor ends up sharing that knowledge with Luminary officially? However it gets decided to…be on the market, or whatever… I want to be able to offer its use to my father. High on the waiting list, so to speak.”

“To be entirely callous about it, give us a few experiments first to make sure it’s safe, and once that’s confirmed? Your father will be on the top of the list after that list,” Shin said, subconsciously steadying Selka as she over-corrected and started to tilt too far in the other direction, singing cheerily as she swayed. “Consider it done.”

It was a callous thing to say, and a part of Shin felt guilty saying it. Speaking that openly about cruelty would have been outrageous in Kimigashine. But cruelty wasn’t less common in his old home, it was just better hidden, Kimigashine hiding their cruelty under bright colors on perpetually sunny days, the country building itself as a major tourist destination in an increasingly larger and more connected world. It was all about perception, in Kimigashine. 

In some ways, Luminary’s odd relationship with aggression–barbarism, it was plainly called among the Kimigashine nobility–and strength, its openness in its cruelty, was almost refreshing. Which was a new revelation, for Shin. For as long as he had been in Luminary, because of his own wife’s cruelty, it was only the last six months or so that Shin had really gotten to know anyone in Luminary, their culture and their perspectives. In some ways, Shin becoming a king, and then being sent away to Dicea, was the MOST he had gotten to know Luminary, entirely from getting to know the people in his party. 

Who were…aggressive. In everything they did. Aggressive in their pride, their festivities, their sexualities, their anger, their joy. Even the quiet ones were aggressively quiet. There was this undercurrent of anger in almost everything they did, like they were all constantly waiting for some sort of fight to break out. Which made it even more surprising that fights rarely did break out. It was like every member of his party was so constantly, vigilantly waiting for that aggression to be turned against themselves that their constant vigilance for it almost made them passive with each other. Their vigilance making their aggression so All or Nothing that very often it was Nothing. Because All was often too much.

And when the fighting did break out? The people involved were bizarrely emotional about it. Shin still couldn’t wrap his mind entirely around it, how hyper-involved with each other people who were fighting in his group were. In, uh…multiple ways. Two of his party members Shin still couldn’t entirely tell if they were dating or not, since they sniped at each other and argued constantly, and had been one of the ones to have the few blow-out fights the group had had, but Shin was entirely certain he had seen the two women making out on several occasions. It felt like as King he shouldn’t ask anyone about it, so he hadn’t. But it was bizarre.

And Shin would never quite understand when sometimes the cultural rules, as he had come to think of them, just suddenly Didn’t Apply. Shin absolutely certain his remark would have been approved of by a Luminary, even appreciated, when Selka suddenly gasped between them, eyes shimmering and full of watery horror as she looked up at Shin, distraught, “Don’t experiment on people! That’s cruel!” 

“Ah,” Shin said, not having realized Selka was still functioning enough to listen, “Hm.”

“Never liked the indeeentured program.” Selka pouted, looking over at Deere and sadly patting his arm, eyes still watery with tears, her lower lip jutting out. “You grow up hearing that it’s for criminals and such, rehabilitation, all that, but then you actually talk to any of them and it’s always some poor soul behind on their rent. Or just a wee babe! Why did kids need to be in the program? We used to have perfectly good temple orphanages, way I hear it.”

“Well, that is why my wife abolished it, mostly. The kids were a bit of a sticking point, in the end,” Shin said. Since that was basically true. It sure had been the sticking point for Maki Harukawa. 

“And those BROTHELS!” Selka scowled, her watery eyes still watery but now pissed, “BLASPHEMOUS! ATUA STRIKE THEM ALL DOWN! SEND ALL THE SAINTS TO PISS OVER EVERY BLASPHEMOUS STEP IN THOSE DEMON BUILDINGS!”

“FUCK BROTHELS!!” A party member, overhearing Selka raging and a good sport about the priestess’s ideologies, cried out, “TEMPLE PRAYER ROOMS ARE ALWAYS A BETTER TIME ANYWAY!”

“DAMN RIGHT WE ARE!” Selka crowed, throwing her fists into the air, “LEAVE THE SEX TO THE SEX GOD, DAMMIT!” Selka swayed, before suddenly looking guilty. “Th-the once believed sex god. Obviously. Long debunked now.”

“Hm,” Shin said, still mildly confused by all of this. He didn’t really understand the Atuan religion at all.

“Yeah, I don’t exactly want to sign up my family to be experiments,” Deere mumbled, before giving Sou a respectful nod. “Thank you.” On top of the safe list sounded perfect. And Deere really hoped his father was above that, but…he hoped Jacob wouldn’t just reject the offer because of his own pride and that it was something Deere had arranged. Officially, yeah, the effects of conditioning were supposed to be gone. But talk to any ex-Indentured candidly, or just happen to be around them at the right time and place? It was crystal clear that the effects, if they were fading away at all, were doing it so gradually it made no functional difference.

And despite if…his father really wanted nothing to do with him anymore… Deere wouldn’t be able to live with himself without at least offering Jacob a better chance. 

Like Sou, Deere’s eyes widened in surprise as Selka joined in on their conversation, grimacing as he realized it meant she’d heard about his father…but he could always bank on her not remembering in the morning. Sighing a little, tilting his head away from the volume, Deere patted Selka’s back, using that to steady her as well. 

“Atua loves us all, Selka, and that still includes sex workers. You’re not wrong,” he sighed. …though he had noticed that that title was what people called Atua in Dicea, if they referenced the god at all.

Selka pouted a bit, leaning her head against Deere as she muttered moodily, “Atua loves everyone, the temples are meant to protect…” before mumbling off, looking more and more irritated.

“Well, nevermind all of that. Today’s a day of festivity, the recognition of Momota greatness,” Shin said, somewhat dryly, “So eat, drink and be merry–”

“Actually, actually!!” Selka suddenly said, hefting herself to her feet, bosom heaving as she squared her short, stout body as much as she could, looking to Shin. “Do you KNOW your history, your grace!? Because, because, beeeeecauuuuuse…” Selka narrowed her eyes at him, “You should.”

And she poked him in the chest.

All the noise stopped. Someone accidentally dropped their glass and it shattered. There was a sudden tension of…well, it was blatant fear. Everyone in the party watching the king, waiting to see what would happen.

King Sou, up to this point, had been shockingly lenient when it came to informalness. In truth, he was mostly the one who started the informal atmosphere, looking just a little too fed up to keep up the strict rules of hierarchy. And the priestess, especially, got particular leniency, as priestesses always did. Atua was the sacred being that gave the Momotas, and all the politics surrounding them, their authority, and priestesses, while not higher on the hierarchy than anyone with the Momota name, were still something…different. From everyone else. A branching line in the hierarchy.

But that only allowed priestesses freedom of behavior to a point. If King Sou gave an order against the priestess right now, no one would be surprised. If he struck her, no one would say a word. If he threatened her, everyone would treat it as sincere…

Shin raised an eyebrow. “What am I supposed to know?”

“Luminary history!” Selka exclaimed, “Atuan history! From before the Momotas! It still…matters!”

“Ah…especially for the royals, I suppose.” Shin nodded after a moment.

There was an obvious breath of relief. If Shin had noticed the tension, it didn’t show on his face, as he said, “Well, if you’re going to insist on telling me about it, Priestess, historically I can’t dissaud you from…anything. So fine. But drink water first.”

Deere looked at Selka in shock before the tension that froze the room froze him too as he looked between the priestess and the king. 

The thing was, as odd as he could be? Sou wasn’t unreasonable. Strange and stubborn in certain ways Deere had trouble discerning sometimes, yes, but…for fear of repeating the same mistakes? Unlike other nobles Deere had been around, Sou just…didn’t seem entirely divorced from both the fact that other realities than his own existed, and what they even might look like for people outside of himself. He was an elite, yes, but, put bluntly, he wasn’t a dick about it. 

Still, even the most laid-back, understanding people had lines, and Deere felt words well up within himself. Reminding Sou that Selka was drunk, and to not hold it against her, they could talk about stricter booze-bans or have a private conversation later…

…but it seemed that was unneeded. 

Letting out a breath--ugh, too stressful for a day like today--Deere glanced between Selka and Sou. “I can go get water, if you two will be alright together for a moment?”

Shin waved Deere off dismissively, nodding, while Selka’s body seemed to swell with purpose, grasping onto Shin’s hand as she said urgently, “Come, come, I am going to fill you with sooooo much knowledge, it’s crazy.”

“I already regret this,” Shin said dryly, allowing Selka to drag him away to go sit at a couch near the fireplace. 

As they went to sit, the party eventually returned to life, chatter and laughing and jeering at each other raising in volume the more it looked like things weren’t about to explode. Selka drunkenly but determinedly starting to explain to Shin, “So, first, your grace, while of course Atua is the one true creator god, he be pleased, that doesn’t change the fact that the temples were designed around back when he was hidden as the God of Whores and Concubines, and there had to be a reason he wanted that–”

Giving one more wary look at Selka’s balance, Deere headed over to the back of the bar, aiming to see if there were any spare pitchers he could snag for water. However, before he could weave his way back, Caeldori stepped out from behind the bar, holding a tray with cups and a water pitcher. Giving him a soft smile, she offered it. “I did figure this was next in order. His grace is quite gracious when it comes to drunken tomfoolery.”

“Seems to be one of the few that really knows what a celebration means when they encourage celebration,” Deere snorted, agreeing as he took the tray. “Thanks, Caeldori. Happy Lumination.”

“Happy Lumination, Deere,” she returned, before giving him a softer look. “I know you have your duties, but I hope you will enjoy some merriment today.”

He offered a wane half-grin. “When everyone passes out from drinking and I can have the most peaceful sleep imaginable? You know I’ll party it up.” Leaving with a nod at her giggle, Deere returned, handing Selka a glass of water as she regaled Sou with Luminary’s history.

-

Siffrin was giddy to the point of restlessness, back in their usual traveling clothes–their massive hat easily staying against their head despite the wind, as always–as they leaned forward to peer down the heights they were flying over. A sweet, eager smile having been firmly planted on them as their singular gaze traced the upcoming waterfalls, pouring down into a massive ravine that seemed to go on through the distant forest for miles. 

Siffrin’s stomach twisted a little uncomfortably when they looked at the ravine. They couldn’t help…imagining. How long it might take someone to walk through that. It seemed to go on too long. And it was so deep, each wall a sheer, merciless angle straight down into the massive, river-lined pit below. 

He bet that, based on how the walls were, the sun would rarely get inside, keeping everything in constant, freezing shadow. Except for the very middle of the day, when the sun would be right in the center of the sky, and blazing hot, and inescapable…

…sounded blinding! Siffrin was glad they weren’t doing that! Just a quick trip to look at the waterfall! Ha! 

Siffrin peered as much as he could at the stone wall around the waterfalls as he could, but… “Can we get closer?”

Ingo wasn’t a scoundrel, he very much knew how to take no for an answer, thank you, but…come on, no one could tell him there wasn’t anything special about being hugged from behind as you rode along, right?! Not that Ingo was getting ideas, no, Siffrin wasn’t even holding onto him that tightly, but still! It was nice!

Aaaaand Ingo was very glad that he’d surprised Feray with flowers and bourbon one night and got her talking about being a sky knight. He knew how to ride a falicorn, sure! In…theory, mostly, same with horses. Like, he could get on and, like, move…but unlike horses, a falicorn could be, yanno, hundreds of feet in the air and not having any reasonable idea of what you were doing was a little more dangerous in that situation. 

…honestly Ingo was still a little nervous, but animals could sense that on you, and he didn’t know Cirrus here as well as, say, Minuet, but he couldn’t just spirit Minuet away from the Palacio without Jeremiah appearing by their sides in a second, and Ingo wasn’t reeeeeally supposed to be going out alone (Siffrin didn’t count, apparently) and especially out of Esllesium entirely and especially-especially out to the ravine that people notoriously went missing around…

But they were here! And it was an incredible view!

“What do you say, sweetheart?” Ingo enticed Cirrus, trying to steer her closer to the waterfalls. “The spray is actually quite refreshing after the fly over here! O-oh, or we could go to the top?” he amended at the snort he got. 

Siffrin fully trusted Ingo, and so just giggled a bit when the sudden change in momentum made him feel like they were floating for a moment as the falicorn dove down, heading closer to the walls of the waterfall.

It got louder and louder the closer they got, each circle through the air bringing them closer to the wall, until– “THERE!” Siffrin said excitedly, pointing to where, indeed, a small porcelain doll, wearing a baby-doll dress and with hair that, if you squinted right, probably had been in ringlets once but was now mostly a matted mess. Its arm, made of cloth instead of porcelain, was caught and pierced by a shard of rock near one of the handholds up the wall. Too far from any of the handholds to reach, and Siffrin had felt too weak and exhausted to make the risky jump for it, not with the waterfall itself risking Siffrin to be submerged even if they safely landed in the water. 

But Siffrin had been exhausted and starving and terrified of falling then, needing to make that terrible climb again. 

This time, he had none of those fears. 

And feeling a wild, reckless excitement to (SAVE THEM, SAVE THEM, IF HE COULD MAKE IT HE COULD SAVE THEM–???!?) finally save his friend he stood up, stuck his tongue out cutely to Ingo when the man looked over his shoulder in surprise, and leapt.

(Any why wouldn’t he?)

(Leaping through the air was second nature.)

Giggling determinedly as he plummeted down, aiming to grab his friend.

“WOO!” Ingo whooped, spotting the doll at Siffrin’s indication, throwing a victorious fist in the air (before quickly holding onto Cirrus’ reins again). “Oh look at that! Right as you described. To be honest I thought we might need to search for a bit, but - a-ah? S--SIFFRIN?!?”

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Siffrin’s cute, coy smile, them standing up and then…air. Without a thought, Siffrin jumping towards the edge of the cliff, just…countless feet above a killer drop. (Someone, yet again, running to their death with a smile more genuine than Ingo could ever manage. Running into a bloody fray with a laugh lighter than air. Someone leaving him where he could not follow, a path away--)

Ingo’s stomach dropping faster than his friend, he lunged, legs clamping around Cirrus’ flank as the falicorn startled at all the odd movements, pulling Ingo away, his fingertips not even brushing Siffrin’s cloak… His eyes widening in horror…

Just as a dark shadow passed under them, the distinctive leathery SNAP of wings closing cracking through Ingo’s head as a wyvern quickly spiraled. Dark gauntlets surprisingly gentle around Siffrin’s waist, the doll gone from the crag. 

Siffrin was fully expecting to crash into the water–he was pretty sure it’d only hurt a little–but made a soft little ‘ooph’ sound when something clamped around his stomach just as his hand clamped around his doll’s stomach.

Perhaps it was a metaphor? Manifested? Siffrin grabbing their own stomach, the doll a representation of his own, uh…self? The bit of them presumably still climbing the wall. They had heard a theory, once, that everything was always happening at the same instant, that time didn’t stretch but instead layered. So in theory, there was always a Siffrin climbing the wall, just as there was always a Siffrin falling, and always a Siffrin being held by a wyvern–OH.

Uh oh.

Siffrin clutched the doll close to himself, peeking up and then around, seeing, oh, yep. Yep. The calvary was here. Maybe it wasn’t that surprising. Maybe he and Ingo had been being followed the whole time. 

Ingo had a good sense of humor. Siffrin felt sure Ingo would understand the jump was, um, funny. 

These guys…maaaaybe not. 

…well, that was Siffrin being yelled at five minutes from now’s problem. In a…higher layer? Later fold? Wasn’t that just time stretching again, but with extra steps? Maybe that theory was stupid. Siffrin didn’t know where he had heard it anyway. Maybe he had made it up.

They didn’t really care. They smiled down at their porcelain doll, whose half shattered face looked blankly back up at them. “Hey,” Siffrin whispered, holding the painfully uncomfortably doll tightly to himself in a hug, “Sorry I took so long.”

Siffrin was happy.

Ingo didn’t remember calming Cirrus, but he must’ve, since he did register Jeremiah guiding Minuet up to tell him to land over on the far side of the waterfalls--a safe distance from the ravine. The…ravine that people notoriously went missing in, Gushbul Ravine, the god-scourge, the ravine that had a giant waterfall pouring into it and so presumably had a giant river at the bottom so that was why people went missing and oh goddess Siffrin had nearly jumped right into it.

Jeremiah was unamused. It wasn’t his job to keep tabs on Ingo, he wasn’t the prince’s retainer--and by the day he wondered why Ingo didn’t have one, casting aside the staffing issues they all knew about--and while he did keep up on the Siffrin Situation, that wasn’t his official job either. He didn’t really care if Ingo snuck off to go harass people and get embarrassingly drunk and get himself and his friend kicked out of all sorts of establishments. 

However, taking a falicorn from the stables was a pretty glaring sign that something was going on, and, on Leana’s word, they had set out, tracking down Ingo and Siffrin. All the way out to Maline Falls to…

Jeremiah sighed as Minuet flew over to stable ground. “...you did all that for a doll.”

Siffrin tucked themselves into their cloak, peeking warily from just below the brim of their hat as they held the doll to themselves. “...yeh.”

Jeremiah sighed again. 

Once safely on solid ground--checking that Ingo and the falicorn had made it fine as well--Jeremiah dismounted, at first intending to help Siffrin off, but…

Still wearing that horrified expression, Ingo stumbled off of Cirrus and practically flew over the ground himself, pulling Siffrin into a tight hug. Head tucked down and silent, though his heart was beating in quickened thumps more deafeningly disorienting than a Myprosian chant. 

O-ooh! 

Siffrin’s eye widened in shock as he was pulled into a tight hug–OH! FULL BODY TOUCH. That felt…huh. I-it was a lot, but also, um… huh…

Siffrin squirmed a little, trying to make himself comfortable in the hug, trying to keep his skin from lighting up so much…before leaning into it. Cozy…that felt kind of nice…

…was the shaking usually a part of it? Siffrin felt like ‘no’. “Are you okay, Ingo?” Siffrin asked, their voice a little muffled pressed into Ingo’s chest.

There was silence, before a short, broken sort of wail warbled into Siffrin’s shoulder, the hug growing even tighter. The prince’s body drawn so tight the shaking was visible even outside of the hug. 

“...why did you do that?” a soft, devastated voice asked.

Uh oh.

…Siffrin you made INGO UPSET! HE IS NOT LAUGHING AT THE FUNNY FALL. YOU HAVE MADE A MISTAKE FIX-IT FIX-IT FIX-IT– “It was an accident?” Siffrin tried. 

It wasn’t Jeremiah’s job to look after Ingo. 

He sighed, a look of absolutely fatigued exasperation hidden by his mask. It was possible this wasn’t even the thread, but after knowing Siffrin over the past month or so, Jeremiah had unwittingly become versed in 4D chess thought patterns. “...Siffrin, can you fly? Or do you know Feather Fall?” Jeremiah asked.

Siffrin was still safely tucked away into a shivering wall of very hot but pretty cozy (Siffrin was only a little overwhelmed still by the sheer presence) prince, and he hoped that hiding their face into Ingo’s chest might make them less painfully easy to read as they said, “...no.”

“But,” Siffrin peeked out, peering warily at Jeremiah, “I wasn’t gonna die. It’d only hurt a little.”

“W-w-we were like, I-I - 800 feet in the air?!” Ingo squeaked, “M-maybe more, I-I don’t - how could you not--” Ingo sucked in a shaky breath, squeezing teary eyes together tighter. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Don’t do that to me again.”

Jeremiah gave Minuet a commiserating look. That meant that every warning and lecture Ingo got probably wasn’t completely going in one ear and out the other, at least. 

Maybe it would have hurt a lot then. Siffrin didn’t know. They felt like they’d have probably been fine in the end.

(And if not, well…)

(Ingo was getting married soon anyway.)

(Siffrin would have had his doll.)

(No one else really needed him around.)

(so…)

(Who cared?)

Still, Ingo was very upset. So, awkwardly, Siffrin finally brought up an arm to hug Ingo back, as they said softly, “Sorry for scaring you.”

There was a deep, sniffly, shuddering sigh before Ingo nodded into Siffrin’s shoulder. Still hugging them for another moment before slowly unfurling himself, Ingo giving them a squeeze around the shoulders as he looked Siffrin over. The prince’s own eyes watery and worried, while there was a flush across his cheeks that only came from every bit of blood in his face having been recently absent. 

He nodded slowly, before saying just as haltingly, “...you’re alright?”

Siffrin peered up at Ingo, his wide eyed, slightly puzzled expression otherwise blank…

And, smirking, he brought up the doll in front of his face and made it nod at Ingo. “Thanks for helping me!” the ‘doll’ said, “Canyon believe how quick it was? All thanks to you!”

Siffrin lowered the doll, smiling brightly. “Thank you, Ingo.”

A small smile wobbled up on Ingo’s face, the air around a laugh leaving him, before he nodded and gave Siffrin’s shoulders another squeeze. And silently, he took a step back and walked away. Not far from the group! But just…apart. Long enough to…

…fuck.

Shit. 

Ingo took a breath as he ran a hand across his face, trying to push his tears away. C’mon, Ingo! Siffrin’s right there, he’s fine! He thanked you for your help and everything, and you know how much that doll means to him! You did well, and your friend is fine, and everyone is fine. It’s…

He hated how he couldn’t stop each breath from being so heavy and shaky. Like how they felt like pieces he was just moving, not actually staying in his chest. And like his stomach still hadn’t come up from the ravine yet… Fuck. 

Siffrin nervously watched Ingo walk off. They had really messed up…they weren’t sure how to fix it either. They hoped they hadn’t seriously damaged their relationship with Ingo. What if Ingo didn’t like them after this? Siffrin clearly too much to handle. Why had they jumped?

It had just felt like such a joyful, easy moment. Like nothing could go wrong. Like they could feel in the air, luck being on their side. 

(The universe had guided, and they had followed–???)

...they had just felt lucky, in that moment. Like success was guaranteed.

And they supposed in one sense it had been, as they looked at Jeremiah. “...sooooooo,” Siffrin said, rocking onto their toes, “there’s no real need to worry Ingo’s family over this, probably, maybe?”

Above, Leana had not landed yet. 

She had done a sweep of the perimeter, making absolutely certain that, if Siffrin was secretly an assassin who had wanted to lure her brother away after all this time, that they weren’t all diving into an ambush. She searched, but saw no signs of enemies, or other life of any kind, and eventually she had to land.

Sliding off her ride, she stormed over to Ingo, slapped him, and pulled him into a hug as she shouted, “Are you out of your mind!?”

Jeremiah raised an unseen eyebrow, before nodding over to where Leana was landing. Too late on one front. Crossing his arms, Jeremiah took stock of Siffrin. “...you do realize why Ingo’s freaked out, right?”

And freaked out he was, barely reeling from the slap as he hunched himself into his big sister’s hug. “I’m sorry,” Ingo whispered, losing ground in the battle against his tears.

Leana sighed, holding Ingo tighter… before putting her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back to look at him sternly. “We’re getting you an attendant.”

“Uh oh,” Siffrin muttered, seeing Leana hug Ingo again, even as she continued to furiously scold him about how IMPORTANT he was, and he couldn’t be so reckless, and why couldn’t he just STAY STILL, how hard was it to stay in the city!? “...um.”

Siffrin looked up warily at Jeremiah, his doll held to his side. “...I almost died?” 

Later, Ingo would throw more of a fuss about it all. He didn’t need a babysitter, not even a retainer, he was fine! But…right then?

Ingo just nodded sadly, taking in his sister’s concerned outrage. Murmuring apologies to her as he wiped his eyes every time she let him go from a hug. He wasn’t…trying to be reckless. He had thought they’d be safe, it’d be a simple trip over to the waterfall, they’d check for the doll from the safety of a mount, and bing-bang-boom Siffrin would have his doll back and they’d return with a neat story! He just hadn’t told anyone because then…then he wouldn’t be able to go. 

Because…out in the wild, with more factors they couldn’t control for, things…happened. Bad, dangerous things that could leave people…

On one of the hugs, Ingo didn’t let Leana go, just hugging her tighter as he hid his face in her shoulder. 

“Mm,” Jeremiah grunted in affirmation. “And you know why that’s something worth being freaked out over?”

Siffrin looked away, looking mildly irritated. He wasn’t stupid, he understood Ingo would feel bad if Siffrin died. It was sad when people died. It was just… “I was fine. I would have lived. It would have just hurt.”

“That’s worth being freaked out over too. Especially if Ingo couldn’t find your body in the river,” Jeremiah pointed out bluntly, before tilting his head a little. “...how wouldn’t you have died?”

Siffrin pouted. They…supposed, yeah. Them getting hurt just by itself was bad. Sort of.

Though, at the last question, Siffrin hesitated. Already knowing before they could answer that the answer wasn’t going to make any sense. It didn’t make sense to them either. It was just… “I could feel it in the air.” Siffrin muttered, holding his doll tighter, “It felt like the odds were in my favor.”

The universe had said Siffrin was lucky, in that moment, and Siffrin had trusted it. 

Jeremiah considered that. There was plenty of magic in the world that he didn’t really understand. Dragonkin could summon pure energy from their bodies, and while Jeremiah knew that was biological, he didn’t understand how. Oracles could know just how likely their vision or prophesy of the future was, but Jeremiah didn’t understand how it worked outside of pure statistics. A mage could summon a fireball to throw, but Jeremiah didn’t understand how.

Unless you were performing the magic yourself, he’d learned the ‘hows’ didn’t really matter much. But the consequences and effects did. 

Jeremiah considered what Siffrin was saying. They felt in the air that the odds of survival--not success, since he thought he might get hurt--were in their favor…so for no reason Jeremiah had been able to see, and likely from what Ingo could see, considering his reaction, Siffrin had jumped off the falicorn for the doll. 

“Death is a consequence you don’t weigh heavily,” Jeremiah guessed.

“...” Siffrin looked down at his doll. Something nagging, in the back of his mind. A heavy weight of…something.

That was out of his grasp. 

And without that thing… (without them–??)

Siffrin shrugged, the irritation growing on their face as they looked up at Jeremiah. “...it's not like anyone else was going to get hurt. It’s fine.”

It made no real difference to anyone, what happened to Siffrin. Beyond leeching off Ingo–his time, his attention–Siffrin barely existed. No connections, no goals, no past, no home…alive or dead. What was the difference? Siffrin wasn’t anyone to anybody.

So it was fine.

The mask blankly looked at Siffrin for a few moments, before without aplomb Jeremiah picked Siffrin up and plopped them back down facing Ingo still huddling into his sister. “This is him at the suggestion of you dying.”

Crossing his arms again, Jeremiah loosed a world-weary sigh. “...I told you when you first came to the Palacio that Prince Ingo is the type to give his heart freely, and that there are many who gladly take advantage of that. I remarked that it was fortunate that you didn’t seem to be the type to take advantage of him. However, I failed to account for your disregard of your own life.”

Jeremiah loomed down at Siffrin. “Don’t. Take advantage of him.”

Siffrin gave a small squeak of alarm when they were picked up and turned around, before shrinking in on themselves a bit, face tensing with guilt at the state Ingo was in. He was still…really upset. Which…was nice, but also, why? Siffrin knew they cared about Ingo way more than Ingo cared about them. Siffrin wasn’t bitter about it. Ingo had family and friends and real people to care about, not just Siffrin. So it just made sense that Siffrin would care more.

But…Ingo looked really upset. Actually upset. Would Ingo sob like that over anyone?

Siffrin shifted their weight foot to foot guiltily… before shrinking further into their cloak as Jeremiah loomed down, thoroughly intimidated. “...’kay.” 

With Ingo, Leana sighed, rubbing her brother’s back a bit. “You’re determined to age me another ten years before you’re safely married, aren’t you. There are so few things we’ve been able to keep whole, to protect, Ingo…don’t you understand what you mean to me? To the family?”

Leana leaned back from the hug, cupping the side of his face. Seeing him, yes, but also seeing something else. Some…perfect, untouched thing, different from the broken vases and cracked walls and exhausted people of her kingdom, as Leana said, “Don’t be so reckless. We just want you safe.”

Ingo sniffled, giving his sister a sad nod. In some ways…he still didn’t feel that reckless. He had been fine, after all, and Siffrin had been fine until they… There…there wasn’t any danger that had come outside of themselves. 

…but he knew that wasn’t entirely true, even if that was how things happened. Ingo wasn’t just told to stay inside Esllesium arbitrarily. They had fought a war, won back their home, healed the land and the people in it…but Ingo wasn’t sure if things would ever go back to the way they were before the coup. A world he’d only known through the stories of people who actually had non-toddler brains at the time. Outside of the capital, there was so much more danger that his loved ones just couldn’t account for. 

And that wasn’t even taking into account factors like the environment.

Factors, like…

Ingo swallowed thickly as he glanced over at Siffrin, seeing him and Jeremiah discuss…something. He felt…stupidly naive saying it, but, “...I thought people weren’t going to die anymore after we won…” Ingo whispered, feeling an echo of the shudder of fear he felt when Siffrin jumped. 

“People will always die,” Leana said softly, lightly brushing her fingers through his hair, fixing it, “...but no one died today. That foolish person gave you a scare, yes, but everything is okay. Don’t mourn what is still here. There’s too much real loss to mourn things we still have.”

“You,” Leana said, suddenly turning, glaring at Siffrin, before pointing to the ground in front of her, “Here. Now.”

“Eep!” Siffrin squeaked, before hurrying forward, not risking messing with that tone of voice. He stood where she had pointed, looking small and sheepish as she glared at them. “...?”

“...I have no idea what to do with you,” Leana admitted, gritting her teeth in the confession, “If you were one of my men, I’d consider having you beaten. Which is what happens when a warrior does something that puts everyone else at risk. Have you ever been beaten, Siffrin?”

“Uuuuh,” Siffrin sweated, “...I don’t know?”

“What you did was foolish and dangerous! What if you had fallen into the water? What do you think would have happened to him!?” Leana demanded, pointing to Ingo.

“He would have been fine–”

“HE WOULD HAVE HAD TO TRY TO SAVE YOU, YOU INSUFFERABLE CHILD!” Leana shouted, “People drown, trying to save each other from roaring rivers! Saving someone from drowning requires risking your life! Endangering yourself endangered him!”

“...” Siffrin cringed. 

“I have no authority to punish you, and that’s the only reason I don’t slap you senseless right now,” Leana said, glaring at them, “Test me again and I won’t care next time if I have a right to it or not. Do not put my brother at risk again, traveler. I will make you regret it.”

“...yes m’dame,” Siffin muttered.

What the heck was m’dame? Leana had never heard the term before. But whatever, it sounded like a title, just in a foreign language. She took a steadying breath, before ordering the two of them, “Get back on the falicorn. We’re going home.”

…that was true. Sure, Ingo never denied himself private tears in the shadows of night, but he’d always been in the camp of celebrating what you still had, or what you gained, over mourning what was lost. All those outlooks and emotions could and needed to coexist, of course, but the aspect that someone chose to dwell on more tended to affect quite a lot. Still…while Siffrin was ultimately okay, and that’s what mattered, Ingo did think he was allowed to be upset not even a half hour later. 

…and everyone else was entitled to that too. 

As Leana got started on Siffrin’s lecture, Ingo tried more substantively to dry his eyes, grumbling in embarrassment and thanks as Jeremiah came over and offered him a handkerchief. However, as Leana’s voice and temper rose, Ingo winced, thinking to intervene. “Hey, Ana, don’t--”

Just sighing as he was talked over, Ingo could only give his sister an apologetic look as he nodded and walked back over to Cirrus with Siffrin. 

…it wasn’t like she didn’t have a point. Ingo wouldn’t have thought twice about diving down after Siffrin if Jeremiah hadn’t been there.

“...sorry,” Ingo quietly said to Siffrin as they started to mount, grinning sheepishly. “She shouldn’t have raised her voice, or called you names. I tend to be a bit of a sore spot for Leana.”

“N-no, that’s…” Siffrin hesitated, before taking a deep breath. In…out… before smiling sheepishly at Ingo. “...I really messed up, huh? I sort of thought it would be funny. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Ingo gave Siffrin a wary smile, watching for Leana and Jeremiah (and Minuet, of course) to take off before following suit. “I’m…not really sure how jumping into a death pit is that funny. Guess that just isn’t my sense of humor.”

Sighing softly, Ingo focused on leading them above the treeline. “Thank you, though. If you don’t do that again? Then I happily accept your apology. Abatea take me, you nearly scared the life out of me…”

Circling for a few moments to gain the proper altitude--unlike wyverns, falicorns tended to be much better at horizontal movement, rather than straight verticals--something… Well, okay. Ingo didn’t want to play into his own stereotype that much, but…something shiny caught his eye for just a moment. Something…odd, out of place, in the ravine… Squinting, Ingo leaned forward a little--

“Ingo!” 

Blinking, Ingo looked back up, before grinning at Jeremiah and giving him a wave. …a little too aware that Jeremiah and Leana were flanking Cirrus as they started heading back to Esllesium. 

Siffrin hugged around Ingo’s waist, the doll placed between them. For as much as Siffrin adored the item, that didn’t change that it was half made of awkwardly shaped and somewhat sharply edged glass pieces, wincing as a moment of being jostled pressed the glass uncomfortably against his ribs. And no doubt bruising into Ingo’s back as well.

“I won’t pull that stunt again, I know better now. I think your sister would hurl me into the abyss herself, honestly, if I scared you again.” Siffrin snickered lightly, wincing at another jostle. “When we even out, I’ll put the doll in one of my side pockets.”

Ingo laughed softly. “If she thought she could get away with it without me immediately going after you. Being Leana’s enemy is a scary thing indeed. Our mom put it once that Leana has the fires of the north in her veins with the bonds of Eslley in her heart--being one of her loved ones means you have a formidable force on your side.” Ingo smirked weakly. “With all the expectations that come with that too.”

Because for Leana, loving someone meant wanting to see them at their best, becoming that formidable force against your worst impulses. It was…a lot, but despite the stress Ingo knew he caused her, he liked to think he balanced her out in accepting and loving someone’s flaws as well. 

“I’m glad we found your doll,” Ingo hummed, focusing more on Siffrin’s arms around his waist than the sharp, hard bits pressing into his back. “Hopefully it just needs a little tender love and care to get back into ship-shop shape.”

“It’s fine~” Siffrin said, because he honestly meant it. His doll was always perfect, just the way it was… though, “Well, maybe we could patch up some of the holes in its face so it doesn’t shatter more. It’s not the first time I’ve had to glue and fix its face though. It was a bit of a group project really. Madam Odile got the material, Isabeau had the craft skills, and Mirabelle painted the new face. It was nice, having a quiet moment where we could all work on something together.”

Ingo nodded--he’d do everything he could to secure expertise and resources for Siffrin, but it was Siffrin’s decision on what he actually wanted for the doll--before a slow grin crept up on his face. Odile (the ‘madam’ part was new, that sounded similar to what Siffrin had called Leana at the end there), Isabeau, and Mirabelle--the names from the letter, but this was an entirely new memory Siffrin was just pulling out of nowhere!!

Oh! Maybe the doll…?

“That sounds like it. Coming together for a unified cause, utilizing all your skills--that sounds lovely, if I’m honest.” Ingo laughed softly. “Perhaps we can impress them with our hole-patching skills, at the very least, when you’re reunited.”

“Reunited?” Siffrin frowned, “With who?”

“Your friends,” Ingo said confidently, not feeling dimmed by Siffrin’s lapse. “I did get permission from my father to put the word out for them and…” He snorted. “Well, it’s not exactly a responsible use of international communication, but since we already have all these addresses for the nations of the world…~ It would simply be a shame not to reach out in more casual ways too. A culture and news exchange! I know a few were interested in hearing about Eslley more than just strictly trade-talk.”

Siffrin wasn’t sure who Ingo meant–Siffrin had one friend, and it was Ingo–but they still nodded like they understood. Sure. Reunited with his ‘friends’.

“I sort of forgot how this day started. Thanks for running around with me to find things when you had all of this marriage stuff on the brain,” Siffrin said, watching the landscape below pass by, “How are you feeling about all of that?”

“Naaaah, it was my pleasure!” Ingo laughed brightly. “We’d been planning on getting your doll for a few days, and I’m a man of my word! Not a person, damsel, doll, or otherwise I’d leave in distress!”

Calming from that, Ingo shrugged a little, watching the wetland they flew over. “We’re still in the infancy of planning everything, so I don’t think about it that much, truly. I…am going to have a lot of briefs about,” Ingo made a subtle face, “what to look for in a suitable wife, so I apologize if I’m more busy than I want to be, coming up. At least I’m not needed for the logistical part of ball-planning.”

Siffrin rested their head into Ingo’s back, relaxing into the touch a little. It was easier, when one part of them was already touching a person. It was just the initial shock that was hard. Well, and the lingering shock. And sometimes the touch and scent of other people was a little…gross. But not in a terrible way. He still liked to touch them, it was just…well, like hugging his porcelain doll, really. There were drawbacks. But he still wanted to do it.

“...when you…” Siffrin frowned, staring at the passing clouds, “...when you move, can I come visit?”

Ingo grinned into the sky, feeling his heart flutter a little as he felt Siffrin lean into him. Ingo was a touchy-feely guy, he knew that, and sometimes he really did just genuinely forget about Siffrin’s discomfort with it, which always made Ingo feel like such a jerk… But on the rare occasion Siffrin initiated touch on their own terms? Ingo felt like he was walking on air~

And not just because they were currently flying. 

However, what Siffrin said did a lot more to his heart. “I’d sincerely hope you would,” Ingo said softly, chancing a glance back to smile at Siffrin. “Perhaps it’s a little unfair to my future partner, but…I’d want people to visit all the time. And for me to return for visits just as often. A person does not disappear from your life when they’re not physically around but…well, memories and letters only soothe some forms of longing.”

Siffrin closed their eyes, holding onto Ingo tighter. Stars, he hoped that was true…

Between them, the doll shook and jumped with every shift through the air. Somewhere in the base of its head, something too light to truly make a sound, still, rattled.

-

The idea of asking Gerard to the dance being a way to express how amazing Fiora thought he was was something that had been repeating in her head since Prince Kaito had said it. A display of pride to make someone feel special. And so…Fiora had begun hatching a plan. 

It was relatively simple to break into Gerard’s locker; Fiora hadn’t even needed to get into the school office to look up his combination, since Fiora was positive--and vindicated--that Gerard had installed his own lock right after assignments. And once she was in, it was an utter joy to arrange the thirteen black roses in a tilted display around a black calling card, asking to meet on the school roof after classes. 

What was more difficult was ensuring that Gerard would even check his locker in the first place. Fiora wouldn’t exactly say he was exhibiting signs of senioritis, but Gerard tended to keep the majority of his needed things on his person, all to minimize the need to use up breaks walking back to his locker. 

However, a solution came with only a little creative thinking. Gerard might not see his own locker often, but Fiora knew for a fact he kept tabs on Eden’s, regardless of how often she used it. Fiora didn’t exactly want to destroy school property, or compromise her friend’s privacy…but it was a known fact that some lockers didn’t always latch properly, forcing the owners to press down on both the top and bottom sides of the door to ensure proper sealage. So with just a little bit of work and a small screwdriver, Fiora altered the hinges of Eden’s locker to mimic the defect, broke into her locker just enough to open the door, and left one of the edges jutting out slightly. 

Something that was sure to get Gerard’s attention, and entice him into going to his own locker for extra investigative supplies. 

Gerard didn’t consider himself the obsessive type. He was the dutiful type, the sort of second in command (to the esteemed chess club) that did the dull, routine checks that their busy leaders would never even consider a priority among the sheer harrowing gauntlets they faced every day. So, while Gerard rarely needed to visit his own locker these days–it was sort of a pain to walk back and forth between classes when he could just carry things–he still liked to swing by the hallway his and Eden’s lockers were in, just to ensure no nefarious blue or gold shenanigans had dared mess with the empress! 

Plus, one time, Khalid and Josie had teamed up to bedazzle Eden’s locker, and people had called her princess for weeks. HOW DARE!!! THEY REDUCE HER ESTEEMED TITLE!! Gerard would not stand for a repeat! 

And aghast! He was right to be concerned, it seemed! Eden’s locker had clearly been tampered with. Opened and then improperly closed, a piece of it still jutting out, Gerard hurried over to the lockers, giving it a concerned look. Perhaps the esteemed empress had just mis-closed it…? Still! Gerard needed to investigate and repair! It could be another dastardly prank.

Determinedly, Gerard opened his own locker to search for tools he kept on hand…when a shiver of alarm ran through his whole body.

What was… this.

Gerard liked to think of himself as a man seasoned and accustomed to the hard edges of battles and the tricky landscape of mind games. After all, he took their chess club games very seriously. But this was a cut above anything he had seen before, the sheer ingenuity of the threat enough to send a real shudder of intimidation through him. 

13…the number of misfortune.

And while Gerard loved the color black, the symbolism of it in a rose–which in flower language meant “True Love”--right alongside the number beckoning misfortune, it was clear what the bouquet was trying to say: I am in true love with the idea of your death and misfortune.

What a terrifying message.

Steeling himself as he stared at the little black card, Gerard refused to be scared away as he reached in to grab it, wincing slightly as he waited for something–perhaps an explosion!? A dozen knives shooting out!? Chicken feathers accompanied by honey??--and when nothing happened when he grabbed the card, let out a relieved sigh before tensely reading the message.

Ah… a duel to the death it was, then.

Gerard wondered how he had made such a dire enemy. Sure, he recreationally spied on almost all of his classmates in preparation for his future in intelligence work, but, like…he didn’t think anyone was taking it personally. If they knew about it at all. Perhaps one of his many hidden manilla envelopes packed with ‘not quite incriminating but embarrassing enough for high schoolers’ evidence had been found!? But which one?! None of his alarms or traps had been set off, he would have heard! 

It didn’t matter. A duel had been issued. Which was highly illegal in this context in Dicea, so if for no other reason, Gerard had to see who this criminal was with his own eyes to report them as being a danger to themselves or others to the guardforce.

…after kicking their ass in a duel.

Smirking with all of his teeth, Gerard stormed into the chess club room to grab his prop fencing sword–fake, sure, but a heavy one, good for a solid smack to the head–before determinedly heading to the roof.

Fiora’s real enemy in creating the perfect display for Gerard was littering. Thankfully it wasn’t a particularly blustery day, but she was cognisant of the fact that if she laid anything out on the roof, it had a chance of blowing away and becoming dangerous detritus out in the wild. However…there was something in abundance that wouldn’t count as litter. 

Though…ah. Perhaps she should’ve asked Josie or Bernadetta to recommend someone from the art clubs to help her… Sculpting was something Fiora did need some work on. 

It wasn’t ugly! But…well, the snow letters were far from her graceful penmanship. And the heart was a little lopsided… But it still got the message across! And Fiora thought it was still very nice!

Hearing the roof door start to open, Fiora turned, a bright, expectant grin on her face as she took a knee in the snow in front of her art, holding out one last black rose. 

“Alright…” Gerard took a steadying breath at the roof door, holding onto his ‘blade’... before kicking the door in. Stepping out into the snow and holding out his ‘sword’ as he shouted, “En GUARD, you FIE-eeeee—eeend?”

Gerard quickly accessed. 

There were lopsided snow figures. They certainly spelled something, but Gerard wasn’t sure what it could be. An additional threat? A call for his death?

There was a lopsided heart sculpture. A display of his heart at the end of the duel?! Deflated by the steel of a terrible, definitive blade!? Another call for his death!?

A single black rose, truly the final nail in the coffin, one last reminder of the threat of the bouquet. A CALL FOR HIS DEATH.

…but, Fiora.

Who was kneeling, and looking beautiful, and a little surprised, and holding the flower.

…..and between her, and allllll the evidence of the certain duel to Gerard’s untimely and vengeance filled death…

Well, obviously, Fiora won every time.

Gerard lowered his weapon. “Fiora?”

Fiora’s eyebrows raised a bit as Gerard came storming onto the roof (she hadn’t been sure Gerard was capable of any kind of storming but thunderstorming) and…okay, admittedly the way he brandished his saber did catch her off-guard for a moment. But true to form, she quickly gathered herself and fixed her posture…though she did laugh sheepishly. 

“I am going to feel very silly if you had planned to spar with me today, Gerard,” she laughed, before her smile grew competitive. “However! I am determined to best you this day!”

“GERARD VESTRA!” Fiora boomed, loud enough for the students streaming out of the school building to hear. “WILL YOU GO TO THE CRYSTAL BALL WITH ME?!”

0.0

Gerard stared at her. Eyes wide. Genuinely shocked. Stone statue shocked. Just frozen. Really? Really? Really? Really–

Gerard didn’t realize he was saying it out loud until he heard someone down below shout, “YEAH! REALLY! DON’T BLOW THIS MAN, SHE’S REALLY ASKING!”

Gerard blinked. Oh. This was really happening. Oh.

…his face tightened, and while blush didn't show on his gray-ish pale skin well, there was a sort of blue-ish tint that was clearly a flush attempting to burn through his otherwise slightly off-color skin. 

“...really?” Gerard asked more consciously this time, swallowing, “That’s…ahem.”

“...DID HE SAY YES!?” Someone else from below called, “I CAN’T HEAR!” 

“YES OF COURSE I’M GOING TO SAY YES JUST GIVE US A MINUTE, PLEBEIANS!” Gerard shouted, getting flustered with the peanut gallery.

Fiora didn’t move while Gerard just…stood there, she kept her pose, but…

OuO;;;;~🏶

She was…sure she wasn’t misreading things. N-not assuming that Gerard fancied her, no, but they were friends. And as far as Fiora knew, Eden had never officially asked Gerard to dances and school functions and the like where they had hung out so…Gerard was probably still free, right? Fiora certainly wasn’t in the first wave of proposals, as what sparked that part of the conversation with Prince Kaito in the first place, but she would assume Gerard would’ve mentioned something if he had already been asked. …right?

Though just as the slightest hints of doubt started to nudge at Fiora’s chest, Gerard yelled down to their spectators, and Fiora…

“Pff…heehee~” she giggled, turning her head to laugh, before the words he said truly registered and she popped up, absolutely beaming! Before quickly getting back down into position, not wanting to take Gerard’s moment away from him. 

“Yes, really,” she confirmed with breathless glee. “I would be honored if we would attend the dance together.”

“…ahem.” Gerard coughed, looking away embarrassed for a moment, before squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin. 

Flourishing his saber, he sheathed it (by pushing it through one of the belt-loops of his pants), before striding across the roof, appraising the rose being offered to him. Finding it quite adequate–black roses were pretty, even if obvious death threats–he reached down to accept it, leaving his palm open for Fiora to place it in his hand. Bringing it up, Gerard sniffed it, before humming slightly. 

“I would, of course, be delighted to accept. You’ve always been a more than challenging adversary and rival, and have always pushed me to be my best self, as I know I have you. I imagine, together, you and I would inspire each other to have the best dance…date?” Gerard asked, something hesitant in the last word, “Together.”

✪u✪

Fiora’s eyes glittered as Gerard said ‘date’, an inferno of hope bursting alight in her chest. Of course she’d be more than happy going to the dance as friends, but…as a date?

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeee,” Fiora ‘quietly’ squealed, bursting back up from the snow with enough energy to send it flying away from her like a burst of confetti as she threw a fist in the air. “It is a date, absolutely!!”

0.0…

0v0

“Oh, good!” Gerard said, “I mean…good, very good. Fantastic, even. So it’s agreed then?” Gerard held out a hand for Fiora to shake. “Dating.”

Dating???

Fiora took Gerard’s hand with aplomb, shaking it with firm but controlled energy, a childhood of political preparation kicking in. “Dating, yes. Wonderful!”

A little more sheepishly, Fiora admitted, “I have already been dress shopping. Are you of the mind to coordinate our outfits?”

“Ah, yes, that sounds like an enjoyable task–”

“DID HE SAY YES!?”

“YES I SAID YES GET YOUR OWN DATES!” 

And to Gerard’s endless fluster, a cheer rose up from down in the courtyard, shouts of congrats to Fiora as the student body cheerfully moved on with their day, talking about what had happened.

“Ahem,” Gerard said, looking down at the rose…before bringing it up to Fiora’s ear. Comparing it to her hair, as he asked, “Would whatever dress you chose allow for an additional accessory? I have quite a few of these now, and this one looks quite lovely against you.”

Fiora laughed brightly, hearing the cheers from the ground. She had wanted her proposal to be a spectacle, yes, but there was something so…encouraging to hearing others’ support and delight at her own happiness. The moderate privacy of not being directly in front of people was probably more down Gerard’s alley, but with the hindsight of knowing how well it had gone, Fiora wondered how it might’ve gone with an audience. 

Flushing in adoration as Gerard brought the rose up, Fiora grinned sheepishly. “I am not sure how well they will last two weeks, but I would be delighted to accessorize in accordance with your own sensibilities. Do…you like them?” she asked, a slight hint of hesitance in the question. “It is a bit untraditional, I know, but I thought it would be a bit more personal to go with a more preferred color.”

Gerard hadn’t liked them, when he had thought they were exceptionally specific and intimidating declarations of a duel to the death. They had been dire, and threatening, and intimidating. 

But now they were from Fiora. Who was asking him to the dance. And looked beautiful with the delicate, black pedals contrasting her warm, red tones, full of life and fire and passion.

So now? “They were perfect,” Gerard smiled, “Your taste, as always, is impeccable.”

…

…

…shoot, Gerard had to talk to Eden. Plan: Lure The Thorned Rose to the Icicle Garden was too late. She had beaten Gerard to it. A formidable rival to the very last. 

Oh well. Maybe it’d be a nice date spot instead. 

-

Doppio sat back with a sigh, clenching his fists. 

“Take a breath, don’t let frustration overwhelm you,” Lazaro cautioned, leaning his head back over the balcony railing to let a stream of spiced smoke out from his mouth. “You’re more than capable, Aceto, it just takes practice.”

“We don’t know that…” Doppio grumbled, before pouting at the dry look his adoptive dad gave him. Taking a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders, Doppio focused on the prism in his hands once more, his brows furrowing in concentration. 

“Oi,” Lazaro cut in before Doppio could even start. “We aren’t holding ourselves back from massimo strength as we walk around town, si? We’re capable of a lot, but we only use what we need for the task at hand.”

Holding up his own prism in the hand without a cigarette, Lazaro slowly turned the cigarette hand like a dial. Each “click” making the prism morph into a different object. “Just enough. You are the one in control, not your power.”

As always, Doppio watched the morphing object with awe before he took another breath and nodded. “I’m in control…”

It took some time, but eventually a golden, speckled light started to fill the prism. Like a substance that was gently being poured into it (though somehow from the center) from a bucket. 

Doppio lit up, an excited grin on his face, while Lazaro affectionately bumped their heads together, grinning confidently. “Perfetto.”

-

Chibi Kaito was, to be entirely self-congratulatory about it, an EXCEPTIONALLY sophisticated construct these days. 

Chibi Kokichi, who had started out as merely a figment meant to let Big Kokichi feel more comfortable with leaving Chibi Kaito ‘alone’ for long periods of time, had gradually morphed over time to a less sophisticated but still steadily developing construct that’s job was, in essence, to be a monitor for Kokichi to check in on his own self-care. Chibi Kokichi, on top of just being mindful of reminding Big Kokichi to stop and think about things Big Kokichi needed, like breaks, or playtimes, or sometimes simply just water and a snack, was also just a quick moodboard for Big Kokichi to look at and see how his subconscious was doing overall. If Chibi Kokichi looked tired and was struggling to keep up with Chibi Kaito’s energy, then Big Kokichi was probably overworking himself again. If Chibi Kokichi seemed a bit lethargic and sad, Big Kokichi probably needed to stop and think about what was worrying him, or perhaps needed to do the opposite and take a break to let himself think about something nicer. If Big Kokichi peeked in and Chibi Kaito was furiously putting a massive feast around Chibi Kokichi to eat, okay, fine, he needed a snack. Or he was craving some Kaito attention. One of those. 

Chibi Kaito, aware of his partner’s important role in Big Kokichi’s mind, was always maybe a tad irrationally happy when Chibi Kokichi just seemed happy and enthusiastic about things. Not just because it meant both Kokichis were having a good day, but because Chibi Kokichi, when he was in a great mood, liked to assist Chibi Kaito in what he was doing for Big Kokichi.

Which was endlessly refining, fixing, enriching, and simplifying Big Kokichi’s access to his memories.

Which, just to be clear, now that there were MANY Big Kokichi memories going back CENTURIES, was an Important Job.

An important job that was much easier with Chibi Kokichi’s enthusiastic and energetic assistance, partly because Chibi Kokichi was more in touch with Big Kokichi’s desires for the memories than Chibi Kaito, who could get a bit tunnel-visioned, could be. It was Chibi Kokichi who stopped Chibi Kaito from trying the ‘let Big Kokichi hold all memories at once’ idea before Chibi Kaito had started working on the process of seeing what that would take. Probably for the best. The last time Chibi Kaito had tried to let Kokichi hold the old memories at the same time as his current life, he had sparked a massive fight between Big Kokichi and Big Kaito. Something about the memory being a dick. Whoops.

Chibi Kaito had thought Big Kokichi had wanted the memories! He hadn’t realized he was allowing too much out at once! 

The Nellis memory had made a very compelling argument that Big Kokichi needed it! Tsk. Chibi Kaito needed to be a little less trusting of the old memories’ judgments, he had found. They were all Big Kokichi, sure, but also they…weren’t. And they didn’t always know what was best for him.

Today, Chibi Kaito and Chibi Kokichi were carefully and slowly creating a door for the Grimmwald memory. One-sided, for Big Kokichi to access more easily when the desire to know about that life someday hit him. It was a careful and somewhat experimental process, creating access to those memories, and ever since the Nellis incident the Chibis knew they had to make sure the door couldn’t actually open until it was foolproof. Right now, Chibi Kaito was carefully molding the hinges by hitting it with a cartoonishly large mallet, which made a small squeaking noise every time it hit the metal, while Chibi Kokichi whistled happily, painting the door with little homages to the Grimmwald Memory’s life. 

It was a peaceful, nice day. Chibi Kaito should have known it was too good to last as a familiar voice sang out, oooooooh, new door??

(,Ծ_Ծ,) uh oh, Chibi Kaito thought to himself. Don’t lose your cool, man. If you ignore her maybe she’ll– DO NOT TOUCH THE HANDLE!!

“♬ ♪ ♪ ♪!!!” Chibi Kaito sang out, taking the mallet and swinging it at Amaina, who flew above the swing as she gently floated through the air, watching as Chibi Kaito shouted at her from where the door was laid out on the floor. 

O.O

OoO WOW RUDE i just wanted to look what’s wrong with that?!

(ง •̀_•́)===[   ] 

Chibi Kaito waited with the mallet, swaying his little butt around to steady its massive weight as he stared at the intruding construct, waiting for her to try it again. Amaina’s curiosity wasn’t ever abated being told no once. She’d definitely try again. 

O.O

O.O

Amaina dove down, aiming for the half-finished doorknob. 

,､’`( ꒪Д꒪),､’`’`,､!!!! 

Chibi Kaito leaped forward, rolling into a summersault and then kicking off the floor, swinging the mallet again and this time landing a hit. A small sound like a metal baseball bat hitting a homerun of a ball sounded out, Amaina whipping backwards through the air in tight, rapid rolls, before catching herself on nothing, her eyes glowing red and hair shimmering with glowing energy, before her skin and eyes turned swirling white and black, her mouth opening in a perfect circle of sharp teeth as she flew down at Chibi Kaito, who readied another swing with a charging cry.

Chibi Kokichi, undisturbed, continued to paint. He didn’t enjoy roughhousing like they did, the flashing lights and random battlecries mostly just happening in the background for him as he whistled. 

-

The tap of their claws echoed against the tile with every step forward into the hall, as Leana explained, “We’re trying to keep it as mostly hands off as we can. He made a foolish choice, yes, but we’re not trying to put him on constant surveillance. He’s not a prisoner.”

Grrrrrrrr, the creature's voice rumbled deep into its long, dark-fur lined neck, where a collar around it lit up slightly, a voice crackling out of the receiver, “Understandable. I did not volunteer to be a warden.”

Leana nodded, knowing this was true. The 13s, named for their ancestors, were a neighboring tribe to the city that sometimes migrated temporarily to the primarily human city for a little extra coin or a sense of adventure. They had found a niche for themselves culturally as being excellent bodyguards, concierges, and chaperones almost entirely because their culture had a highly developed and established definition of what those positions meant. And not infantilizing or disrespecting the things or people in their care was an inherent part of the job. It meant that there was less of a possibility of them abusing those positions, something that tended to be needed to be trained separately into humans in the same positions, who could confuse ‘care’ for ‘control’ more often, due to the lack of awareness of the muddying of those concepts in their culture. 

It wasn’t a guarantee on either end–humans could make perfectly good attendants and 13s could be awful at it–but when Leana was looking for experienced, tested, and trusted attendants for her brother, it just meant that she was less surprised when one of the best recommended to her was Eddie, who moved back and forth between the city and his tribe frequently, but was always highly sought after for positions like these when he was back in the city. 

Knocking on Ingo’s door, she called in, “Ingo, come to the door. I have someone to introduce you to.”

Maybe she also shouldn’t have been surprised when the person to open the door was short, white-haired, and black-eyed. She was surprised though at the little gasp she heard when Siffrin opened the door to come face to face with Eddie, gave a startled little squeak of alarm, and then quickly shut the door again. 

Leana and Eddie looked at each other in confusion, hearing the man scurry off behind the door. Grrrrrrrrr, “What scared that one so bad?”

“No idea. That was Siffrin. He’s a bit…odd,” Leana said.

There was a little bit of shuffling, some murmurs behind the door, a clearer, ‘You can’t just classify people as monsters, Siffrin… My sister wouldn’t…’ before an intentionally clearer voice came through. “Ah, you can just open my door, Leana! I’m pleased to meet your guest!”

If Leana did open the door, she would see Ingo with one hand down on a low table, his other crossed casually over it and propping his chin up. …and upon closer inspection, maybe some…dubious-looking goo near the hand on the table. 

Had Ingo glued his hand to his table, trying to get the pot open while he and Siffrin were trying to start repairing his doll? Who was to say?! Certainly not enough evidence to put that together.

Siffrin, in turn, had scurried behind Ingo, peering warily over his shoulder. Coming in, Eddie’s bladed tail made little whistling sounds as it whipped through the air, sniffing the air with his long snout before opening the three hinges of his mouth for a moment, getting a clearer breath to capture the small scents better…

Hrrrrrgh, “Did you glue your hands to yourself?”

“That’s not going to be one of your responsibilities, saving him from things like this.” Leana sighed. “What he gets up to in his own bedroom are his own problems. Ingo, please, if you’re capable of standing, introduce yourself to Eddie of the 13th Tribe. He’s graciously taken up our call for an attendant for you. He will function primarily as a bodyguard and also as an advisor when you attend events or intend to venture to the farther corners of the city or outside the city. You will be expected to call for him when you intend to leave, which should be simple, as he will be taking up lodging in the castle while employed with us.”

Siffrin squinted. “...that’s a monster.”

Huuurgh, “Who, me?”

Ingo flushed and looked decidedly elsewhere. “Who’s to say? Maybe I’m just exceptionally comfortable like this?”

Leana…really meant business, huh. He hadn’t thought that she was just saying words in the heat of the moment before, but…managing to meet a 13 that happened to be looking for a job right now? Ingo always did think Abatea had a sweet spot for his sister. 

Incapable of standing, actually, Ingo did shift to sit up on his knees at least, crossing a hand over his heart, as he gave Eddie a smile. “Enchanted to meet you, Eddie, I am Prince Ingo Dianthe. I suppose we’ll be seeing much of each other to come.”

And…hopefully not having a strained relationship. Ingo gave Siffrin a slightly surprised look before humming. “I suppose you might’ve never met someone from the 13th Tribe before… Ah, this is my friend Siffrin,” Ingo introduced Eddie and Siffrin. “They’re not from Eslley, so…I guess this may be some culture shock?”

Hrrgggm, “I suppose I can be patient with some cultural shock, though I am surprised at the idea that you’ve never so much as heard of my species.”

Leana sighed, “Before we assume too many things about where Siffrin comes from, let’s clarify something. Siffrin.”

Siffrin peered warily at Leana. “...ye?”

“Are you still determined to pretend like you have memories farther back than the woods?”

“...” Siffrin wilted a little, though he notably said nothing.

“Okay. Have you met anyone other than a human since the woods?”

“...” Siffrin shook their head. “No.”

“Siffrin, who Ingo discovered in the woods trying to fish in a flood, from how I’ve heard it, is largely suspected to have some extreme memory issues, but for some reason either cannot or won’t talk about it,” Leana explained to Eddie, who nodded slowly in understanding, “If Siffrin’s met someone other than a human before? They might just not know it. They might just remember the more aggressive animals in the woods.”

“I see,” Eddie growled, the collar calling out, “I will be patient then. I assure you, Siffrin, it is a pleasure to meet you, and I have no desire to hunt you.”

Siffrin squinted…before nodding warily. “‘Kay.”

That taken care of, Eddie turned to the still very trapped Ingo. “...I could free you, but the manner might displease you. Will you like me to anyway?”

Ingo frowned a bit, looking over to his friend in worry. It…really could just be a form of amnesia, and even the pain of trying to think about certain things didn’t disqualify that, at least from what Ingo…thought he understood when he poked his aunt about it. But in his gut, the possibility of a curse never left the list of options. Ingo actually did know people who knew magic, and even some that would know more about curses, but…

As much as Ingo wanted to help Siffrin when it came to reuniting with his loved ones? He hated seeing the discomfort and pain his friend went through, trying to sift through memories. And…well… They still had plenty to do otherwise. Such as repairing his doll. 

Which had led to the current situation, and…

Ingo blinked at Eddie, before casting a wary look down at his hand. “...I’d rather not ruin the table or my hand. I’m sure I can brainstorm a good solution eventually.”

Eddie licked his chops–the slightly acidic nature of his saliva more obvious as he did so, it sizzling slightly in contact with air–before nodding, “As you wish. Do you have any questions about my employment to you? Concerns?”

Eddie’s left ear flicked. He glanced over at Siffrin, who had picked up the porcelain doll, apparently to check on the glue for the pieces that had been put back already. His left ear twitched some more as Siffrin moved the doll side to side a bit. What was that sound…

Ingo laughed softly, now getting the gist. “I do appreciate the offer, though, thank you. So you’re just to accompany me to events and…anything outside the Palacio?” he clarified, glancing to his sister as well. “Hm… I suppose…how would you like to be notified if I’m heading out? Like, would you rather I send a message to your quarters or wherever you may be, or,” Ingo smirked a little, “try to be a little proactive in my own life and plan out my outings?”

Hurrooough, “It’d be unrealistic to expect you to plan out your every day, moment to moment. Just as it would be unrealistic to expect me to always be available within a moment's notice,” Eddie said, tail whistling as it flicked behind him, “So what I would propose is a relationship of intention. You will always intend to give me notice and time for travel, and I will always intend to be available for them. For now, we can settle on that as a matter of good faith between us. If one of us consistently breaks that faith? We can discuss a new method.”

“Seems reasonable to me,” Leana said, crossing her arms.

Siffrin lightly pet the sealed crack lines with their thumb affectionately, before asking, “What’s to stop us from just running off?”

“You, nothing. You are not Eddie’s responsibility,” Leana said. “As for Ingo, that’s part of the ‘good faith’ start. We will expect him to respect this agreement,” Leana said, sharply looking at her brother.

Eddie’s left ear flicked again. “...I believe something has gotten loose in your doll, there.”

In some ways, Ingo was a creature of whim…but he also desperately wanted to make people happy, so… Ingo let out a little gasp of offense at Leana’s look, his hand tugging on the table for a moment, before he apparently switched intentions and held his free hand to his chest. “There’s no need for that! Goddess, you’re making me out to be some kind of degenerate.”

Grinning at Eddie, Ingo gave him a nod. “I’ll do my best to act in good faith. I’d like to think I know my habits enough now that I could give you a decent heads up when it’s starting to feel like a pub night.”

However, Ingo’s grin faded as he looked over at Siffrin’s doll in curiosity. “Shit, did we miss a loose shard? That’ll be an issue… You mind tipping it over onto the table, Sif?”

Siffrin’s eye widened in surprise, before peering at his doll. He wasn’t in the habit of talking aloud to the doll, and never in front of other people, but he wondered to it ‘did we lose something in you, small one?’ before shifting it upside down, waiting to see if something fell out.

Nothing did, and Siffrin jerked her body a bit. Bobbing her porcelain head as he thumped her cloth body once, twice–shffp.

It was a soft sound, as dislodging from where it had gotten caught between the glass and the cloth of her neck, fell down a carefully folded square piece of paper. Expertly folded to take up as little space as possible, the square paper landed on the table with a soft tap.

Written on the front, in sharp, childish font, were the words SIFFRIN

…Siffrin closed his eyes. Their head hurt…

“What on earth is that?” Leana asked, reaching over to pick up the note, since Siffrin seemed determined to not look directly at it and Ingo couldn’t open the paper with one hand glued to the table. “Siffrin, it has your name on it. Did you write this?”

Siffrin hesitated. Had they? “...”

Ingo’s eyes widened as the note fell out, a bubble of hopeful excitement welling up…before he noticed Siffrin turn away. So that meant…

“That doesn’t look much like your hand-writing, my friend. I suppose that is something that could change, but…” Even if Siffrin wouldn’t look, Ingo still gave them a hopeful smile. “Given your attachment to your glass friend there, if I needed to give you a note transcending time and distance? I think it’d be quite a good place to secure it.”

Bowing his head, Ingo gave an appreciative nod to the doll. “A fine messenger you are, flame, apologies for the lack of proper recognition.”

Though he soon gave Leana an expectant look. “...what does it say?”

Leana opened the note. While a part of her considered that Eddie might need to be dismissed from the room for Siffrin’s privacy, it did not occur to her that she should also respect his privacy, as she immediately started to read. 

Though, when she finished, she frowned, and decided to read it aloud regardless of Eddie, as she quoted. 

Siffrin! 

I don’t have time to tell you I’m sorry. I know you thought we were going to send Bonnie, but we knew you wouldn’t go if we told you it was going to be you. I’m crying a little even as I write that. Of course I want Bonnie to be safe. But Bonnie won’t be safe crawling through a dungeon. It has to be our rogue. It always had to be you.

I’m sorry. I guess I had to say it after all. I’m writing as fast as I can. We are outside the King’s chamber now. Isabeau is distracting you while I write the instructions. You keep glancing this way. Did you notice we were hiding things?

Odile says I can’t write much more, because we can’t use more than one page for it to fit into the seam of Beatrice's neck. I know you’ve forgotten. It’s okay. Here’s everything you need to know. 

You have a dagger, shaped like a hook. The dagger must be blessed by–

Leana paused, glancing over to Ingo. Clearly rethinking if she should say anything…before sighing, continuing on Rally. Seek Abatea’s blessing from the Dianthe line. Then return to the city (in case you forget: the password to the teleportation door is Amie.) and go through the House of Change. The Change God says (again, in case you forgot!!) that it will have morphed into a dungeon by the time you came back. Don’t let it dissuade you! The king is in the sundial room, in the center of the house! 

Me, Isabeau, Odile, and yes, even Bonnie, are planning to push you through the portal. But don’t think we’re just going to lay down and freeze! We’re going to do our best to leave help for you in the house before the curse freezes us entirely! Look for us, Siffrin! Find us! Even if we are frozen, trust we are helping you! 

We love you, Siffrin. We trust you. We know you’ll make it back to us.

Yours,

Mirabelle~~~

Leana let her voice trail off, looking to Siffrin with a more critical eye. Siffrin, in turn, was shivering violently. Curled into their cloak and with their hat down. Face pinching in pain.

Ingo’s eyes widened into plates. This was more than, well, okay, it was exactly a note, but it was still so much more than just a note!!! Abatea’s hearth, this was…was!!! Siffrin’s friends, to start!! A…heartbreaking farewell, if only a temporary one. But the utter frantic faith of friends in…

…in a bad situation. A curse that…froze people? A king in need of deposition…likely in a magic way, if…

Ingo popped up--or tried to, yanked down again by his hand--and gave his sister an emphatic look. “Well, you can give the blessing, right?! We are quite pointedly those people, so…so…” He turned quickly, looking at Siffrin, and…biting back his words at the look of pain on Siffrin’s face. Ingo’s lips pressing together in sympathy before he looked up at his sister again. “We…can look into curses, right? Then Siffrin can remember things without his brain fighting him, and we can figure out what the House of Change is and…do the thing!”

Leana gave Ingo a slightly sympathetic look–her brother wanted to make people happy so badly–before after a moment she gently reminded him, “Rally isn’t indefinite, Ingo. If Siffrin’s been sent to use the blessing for some sort of fight? The blessing would need to be recent.”

“Well! Then…” Ingo’s shoulders dropped a little. Looking between Siffrin and Leana. Knowing he… 

Ingo gave Leana a pleading look. “Then…you could come with us when we find that dungeon, right? Or Eimdall! Then the time wouldn’t be an issue at all, and Siffrin would have another person to help along the way!”

Leana was struggling to look in Ingo’s direction. Looking at Siffrin wasn’t any better. She glanced down at Eddie, and was surprised at his thoughtful expression. “I apologize, Eddie, this was a heavy conversation for your literal first hour of work.”

Nnnngh, “This is admittedly somewhat more involved than I thought this position would be. But that said, I am not so old now that I don’t find something exciting in stumbling upon what sounds like a literal divine quest. I’d like to uphold my position as attendant, if there was any doubt.”

“A divine quest…” Leana closed her eyes, “...Father must see this. He is Exalt. What we do as the Dianthe line is ultimately up to him. I will not pretend to make any sort of decision yet.”

“...can I see the letter?” Siffrin asked quietly. 

Leana hesitated…before shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but I must hold onto this. My father must see it unaltered. We will hold a counsel today. You can have your letter back afterwards, Siffrin. I’m sorry.”

Ingo blinked, before giving Eddie a sheepish look. This was a bit much for just saying hellos and how are yous. But as Eddie put his paw in the ring, Ingo lit back up, pumping a fist in the air as their party was coming together!

…potentially. Be…cause as a divine quest, Abatea likely had an opinion of it, and as the family blessed by her, then decisions of this magnitude could only go through… Ingo winced a little. “Does…Dad haaaaave to see it?”

Not that Ingo necessarily thought that his father would disregard the letter and Siffrin’s quest. Whether from Abatea’s tenants or his personal nature, Cordovan had never been a person to deny people in need, and a group of people cursed by a mad king was…well, needy, and definitely down the Exalt’s alley. 

It was just that…counsel took a long time. And…

Ingo frowned up at his sister. “Siffrin can still look at it for a moment even if it needs to go to counsel. It’s his, and his loved ones’ words, after all.”

“They can have it once the Exalt has seen it, Ingo,” Leana said, looking sternly at him, “Siffrin is your friend, I know, but Siffrin can’t be entirely trusted. For a multitude of reasons, including things that are outside of their control. If their memory issues are real, they might sabotage themselves by mistake, messing with the letter. And this letter is the only thing we have as even a clue that…”

Leana looked down at the letter, brow furrowed. “...a whole country has been lost? When? Siffrin, what country are you from?”

Siffrin winced, looking away.

“Do you know its name? Where it’s located?” Leana asked, “What about this teleportation door? Do you know where that is?”

Siffrin was quiet.

“If this letter is real, its implications are astounding. The Change God has no home country. If a country was frozen over, we’d have heard. You don’t lose a whole country and no one notices. That’s impossible,” Leana said, glaring at the letter, “...and if it’s not? Then this letter is all we have, to help a country's worth of people. Siffrin themselves wouldn’t even be able to replace the knowledge if something happened. It must be protected.”

Ingo gave his sister a frustrated look. “How can they mess with it by looking at it? This letter is one of the last things he’s gotten from his friends, he could at least be granted the fucking honor of seeing their penmanship himself! You wouldn’t do this if someone needed to use Falchion when Dad was missing, o-or if they needed to use Laster’s compass!”

While Ingo wasn’t yelling, his voice was emphatic as he tried to reason with his sister, putting both hands down on the table and sitting up as much as he could. Searching her eyes (mismatched yet mirrored to his, as they always had been) for understanding. And…for her later point… 

Ingo’s expression was set. “You can lose a country if all memories and knowledge about it are cursed to be forgotten.”

Leana flinched at the mention of Laster. That was a low blow. But an effective one. She’d lose her mind, if someone tried to keep her compass from her…

Leana glanced over to Siffrin, who looked back warily at her. 

“...” Siffrin looked down, “...the letter doesn’t feel real, just hearing you say it. It feels like something you made up. A very mean joke, talking about people…” Siffrin looked away, hurt, “...who ‘loved’ me. It sounds fake.”

Leana’s shoulders fell a bit… before huffing. Passing Siffrin the letter. “Honestly, I’m too soft when it comes to my brother.”

As Siffrin looked over the letter, confirming for himself what it said, Eddie looked to Ingo. “There’s not a lot of magic that could affect an area as large as an entire kingdom. Are you suggesting we’ve all forgotten an entire country?”

Ingo let out a breath. “Thank you. I understand your point about security, but it is Siffrin’s letter.” He glanced over at his friend, hoping…Ingo wasn’t sure. That it’d feel less fake to Siffrin, reading it himself. That even if he couldn’t remember them, the sense that Mirabelle, Bonnie, Odile, and Isabeau loved him didn’t feel…absurd. 

It wasn’t absurd in the slightest for someone to love Siffrin.

Sitting back down on his side a bit, Ingo gave Eddie a sheepish look as he fussed with his bangs. “Per…haps? It could easily be a country we haven’t even heard of anyway, so the whole memory issue wouldn’t be one…though the fact that Siffrin’s friends know about Eslley and the Dianthes does make that more unlikely. But it still is possible.”

Ingo shrugged with a half-grin. “Call it a gut feeling, based on what I’ve put together,” he chuckled, “Which isn’t all that compelling, I know, but I’m still saying it should be an option to consider.”

“Well, as for your earlier question, Ingo, of course father has to know,” Leana said. “This letter directly called on our family and the god we champion for. From the Change God, of all deities,” Leana said, frowning, “who’s famously…unreliable. If it was purely a request from one of its Handmaidens then I’d trust it more, but the Change God itself is a trickster who taunts mortals and gods alike. They thrive on chaos. It’s always been assumed they don’t have a main kingdom because that was too stable an idea for them.”

Hrrrrrgh, “From what I know of the Change God, them having a country and managing to absolutely obliterate it off the face of the world makes its own eerie sort of sense,” Eddie observed. “Apologies, Siffrin. We do not mean to insult your religion.”

Siffrin’s nose scrunched in disgust at the idea, briefly distracted from the letter as they said immediately and confidently, “They’re not my god.”

Then they immediately winced. “My head hurts…here. Thank you for letting me see the letter,” Siffrin said, passing the paper back to Leana, “...I don’t remember any of this. But it… feels real now. I think it's true. All of it.” Siffrin hesitated. “...maybe.”

Ingo sighed a bit, already knowing that was the answer, for all the reasons Leana mentioned. Er, except for the stuff about the Change God which…he only sort of knew. Look, he knew plenty about Abatea, but considering he grew up in a place that didn’t care for gods, Ingo thought his wordly theology was half-decent!

Though at Siffrin’s firm declaration, Ingo couldn’t help but grin. A heart once changed was changed for good, regardless of the memories of how that change had happened. 

Giving Siffrin a soft look, Ingo nodded. “There is quite a bit still nebulous, huh. But, well, someone did write that letter, and I’m inclined to believe your Mirabelle. If nothing else, their sincerity shines through their words. If we can find out anything about this House of Change, or…anything related, I suppose, then we can get a better idea of how real everything is.”

“...setting up the counsel will take at least a day,” Leana said, “Ingo, Siffrin, find any clarifying information you can before the meeting. Remember, you’re not just offering information, there’s a level of persuasion you need to keep in mind. Our family and country is already busy with our own problems. Pursuing this? We’d have to argue this is something we should be doing right now. Someone will inevitably suggest this is not a distraction we can afford.”

Siffrin took a deep breath in…then out… before smiling tiredly. “Okay. Your family has always been nice to me. I’m sure we can convince them. They’re kind.”

Ingo nodded emphatically. “You and your friends are people that need help! At the very least, we know that for sure. And anyone that needs help will get it in Eslley,” he grinned, as solid in that faith as obsidian, “We’ll be able to get past political speech, I’m confident.”

“...we should finish fixing Beatrice, though,” he smiled softly, nodding to the doll, “It wouldn’t do to abandon one person’s quest at word of another.”

Siffrin looked briefly surprised…before his expression warmed. “Thank you, Ingo.”

As Siffrin sat down at the table, looking over Beatrice–who seemed proud to have delivered her message, finally, after so long holding onto it–Leana sighed, heading to the door. Eddie at her heels, as she closed the door behind them.

“...you’re certain you don’t want to turn down this work?” Leana asked Eddie, “You heard what he said. ‘We’ go to the dungeon. He’s already made up his mind, the reckless child…”

“I always come to the city when I crave a little excitement in my life. Adventure,” Eddie said, tail flicking, the sharp ends whistling, “As I said before: this sounds like a true adventure indeed. I’d regret it forever, to ignore what feels like a gift from the forest. You’d have to order me to quit, by this point.”

Leana sighed, “I’m glad this is good news for someone.”

Inside, Siffrin started to quietly work on Beatrice. Now that she was empty, Siffrin could focus on putting together the little glass shards. They’d like to fix her hair too. Maybe clean her dress. She had worked hard, she deserved it…

“...why did you ask Leana to go?” Siffrin asked Ingo quietly, “...Do you not want to use your rally thing on me, for some reason? You sort of sounded like you wanted to go…”

“N-no! I’m absolutely coming with you, regardless of what my father decides,” Ingo declared, his determination furrowing his brow a bit…before he looked over to the side, subconsciously covering his right eye a bit. “...it does sound silly, doesn’t it. I mean, I have the mark and everything…”

Ingo sighed, before realizing what he was doing and putting his hand back on the table. “I guess I never asked--how much do you know about Deity Marks, Siffrin?”

Siffrin smiled lightly, looking away. The smile a cat who’s been caught, but is still considering making a run for it.

“...thaaaat,” Siffrin drawled out, “....they’re…called…Rallys? Sometimes?”

Siffrin still barely knew anything about the marks. People talked around him like the info was common knowledge, and Siffrin never asked follow-up questions. Sometimes it was easier to just nod along.

Ingo laughed softly, not unkindly. “Very true, especially around here. Alright, let’s see…”

Resting his chin in his hand, Ingo thought about what was relevant to explain…or just what might be interesting. “Deity Marks are bloodline blessings bestowed by gods. Essentially, a long, long time ago, a deity gave someone a particular blessing, and it was potent enough that their descendants inherited the blessing as well, denoted by a symbol on their body. Any given deity had their own reasons and methods, I have to assume, but the blessing from the Goddess Abatea, called Rally, was given to one of my ancestors, and the Deity Mark of Rally has been in my family for…” Ingo gestured a few fingers out, since he couldn’t lift his other hand, and rolled his eyes, “forever.”

“Any particular Deity Mark has their own abilities, so understanding one doesn’t give you that much insight into others, but for Rally?” Ingo paused, wilting a bit as he sighed. “Through inspiring acts and deeds Rally can invigorate other people. Like…giving someone instant adrenaline, but without the jittery side effects and all that.”

Ingo smiled wanely. “...Leana is an incredible swordsmaster. Once, while we were fighting, she’d gotten blocked off from her unit by three soldiers and she pulled out some crazy maneuver to get past all of them…and then her Rally activated, and she and her unit basically won that entire battle from that point. It’s really…astounding.”

Siffrin looked at Ingo, understanding what Ingo was saying. Properly wowed by Leana’s skill. Curious about the powers.

But… “I don’t understand what that has to do with you?” Siffrin admitted, “You can use Rally too, right? According to the letter, that’s why I’m here at all. If you’re coming, isn’t that settled?”

Ingo’s gaze fell, his eyes squinting a little as his fingers glued to the tabletop flexed, unable to ball up. “...I can’t.”

Shame and insecurity washed over Ingo like a wave, any amount of that assured determination he’d shown to the others earlier completely missing. “Leana, Dad, Eimdall, they all know exactly what to do to get their Rally to activate, they can do it at the drop of a hat, practically.”

“...I’ve only ever gotten my Rally to work once, by accident, and…” Ingo grew smaller, looking away more as he shook his head. “...I can’t.”

It would be one thing, if he simply didn’t have a Deity Mark like Aunt Izzy. Having one and not being able to use it? He felt like…a fake. Even more than just every other way he didn’t measure up to being a prince.

Siffrin paused, looking away. Considering that. Once, huh…

“What about the one time you did?” Siffrin asked, “How did you do it then, if you can’t?”

ᇂ_ᇂ

ᇂ_ᇂ;;;;;

Ingo went from looking completely dejected to…incredibly uncomfortable. Slowly but steadily turning red as he started to sweat a little. His gaze shifting around a bit. 

“...erm…ahem. I…” He coughed. “...I was dancing…”

Siffrin smirked. “What?” they asked. Half incredulous and half endlessly amused. “Sorry, you were what?”

Heading over the red threshold, Ingo slumped more into himself, mumbling, “...I was dancing…”

Siffrin snickered, “So, what I’m hearing, is that when we’re in battle, you’ll be going… toe to toe with them?”

Barely even able to give Siffrin a mortified look, Ingo threw himself over the table, hiding as well within his arms as he could. “That’s not even--! My mum’s a battle dancer, she’s brilliant at it! I just--!”

Siffrin could be forgiven if they thought Ingo had suddenly hidden a steaming kettle within his arms, from the high-pitched sound that came out from the huddle.

“Well, you know I use my dagger to fight. I’m a half-decent dancer with a partner, so if you need to dance with me to get me rallied, I can–” Siffrin smirked, “chop-chop real smooth, y’all.”

And then, still smirking, Siffrin shimmied his shoulders, humming a little tune, before going ‘Chop-chop’ as he mimed stabbing twice.

There was a muffled scream from Ingo’s arms before he shook his head--or head and entire shoulder-area, really--and peeked up at Siffrin desperately, his face heading towards crimson now. “No, you don’t…”

“Siffrin, I’m a horrible dancer.”

One that couldn’t bear a single person looking at him, despite being the son of the most talented dancer Ingo had ever seen. One that, no matter how many nights he snuck out of his room to practice over the better part of the dark hours just…never seemed to get any better. 

Ingo’s Rally worked with his dancing. Ingo couldn’t dance in front of anyone so…he couldn’t use Rally. 

Siffrin slowed down, calming as he looked over Ingo…before tilting his head, musing, “That makes sense, you’re kind of clumsy.”

Ingo made a despairing noise, before tucking into his huddle again. Honestly even telling Siffrin that he danced was mortifying. Goddess, really he was sparing people from seeing him dance, it would be too much oafishness for the world to bear…

Siffrin smiled lightly. Ingo was kinda cute when he was embarrassed. It was sweet.

Scooting their chair closer, Siffrin smiled kindly at them. “...I’m not an exceptional dancer. But I did mean it when I said I was half-decent with a partner. Do you dance with people?”

“Only at events,” came Ingo’s muffled reply. And even then, only when it was absolutely required of him. Doing a light waltz with someone wasn’t so bad, he supposed, but…even that much started to make his heart pound and feel all too aware about the other eyes in the room. 

“Well…” Siffrin smiled lightly, “...does the dance have to be perfect, for the rally to work? Because if you just need to dance…” Siffrin looked fondly at his doll, “...I can trust you. If it was to protect me from a monster? I think you’d dance. Even if you end up looking a little goofy.” Siffrin smiled, sticking his tongue out at Ingo. “You’re reliable like that.”

Ingo peeked up at Siffrin--eye a little misty and…honestly looking a little overheated--before hunching into himself again. “...thanks, Siffrin.”

“...it’s kind of cute that you’d ignore a power you have because you feel awkward dancing,” Siffrin admitted, “Though…are you sure you’re not just being too hard on yourself? Comparing yourself to your mom?”

Ingo groaned, before he sighed with his whole body. “Just…trust me. It’s bad. I-I mean, most people would be sup-bp-par compared to mymum, but it’s…no go.”

“...good.”

“Mmmm,” Siffrin hummed, taking back to the task of working on the doll. Content to be quiet for a while, while Ingo eventually got his voice back.

…oh, that wasn’t good either. 

Trying to take a deep breath, Ingo unfurled himself a little, aiming to, well, sit up, but he found he could barely lift his head before the vertigo set in. Very not good. …you know, every time Ingo thought he’d found the deep depths of ultimate embarrassment, he always managed to dig a little deeper. 

Okay just…breathe, he guessed. Sweaty and deeply red, Ingo turned his head to the side and tried to focus on coming back to himself a bit.

Siffrin had meant to just give Ingo time, but as he listened to his friend’s breathing get more and more erratic…

Siffrin placed their hand on their chest, and said softly, “Listen. Do like I do.”

In….. out….. In….. out…..

It was harder to focus on Siffrin this time, with his vision spinning, but as much as he could parse it Ingo tried to follow their rhythm. Heh, at the very least he was kind of forced to use the table top as something to brace against. 

…they really needed to figure out how to un-glue his hand soon, huh.

Siffrin watched Ingo a bit, not sure if that had helped at all. They didn’t entirely understand why the thought of dancing did this to his friend, but it clearly did. Trauma was trauma, he supposed. 

Siffrin, after a moment, laid his head down on the table. They watched Ingo, still breathing slowly. Dark eyes peering sympathetically beneath fluffy white hair. 

It was stupid, and recursive, and stupidly recursive. He’d been mortified to let Siffrin know he danced, and had gotten so red he’d gotten dizzy, which had then been even more embarrassing especially because apparently it looked so bad that Siffrin had to focus on him which just made Ingo want to hide which made him more embarrassed and AAAAAAAAA

Eventually, though, some color did start to fade from Ingo’s face, his breaths slowing down on their own. A little extra wiggle from his hand, probably from sweat, which was gross and its own type of embarrassment, but…that was something Ingo could live with for the moment. 

“Your patience is ever humbling, my friend,” Ingo half-grinned after a while of the two of them just lying on the table. 

“...” Siffrin smiled lightly, “...I know technically it’s not true. Maybe. But right now, I’m happiest when I’m with you. So, it’s not really patience. I just enjoy this.”

Siffrin glanced at Ingo’s glued hand, before asking seriously, “Are we just stuck to this table forever?”

Ingo’s eyes crinkled a little as he gave Siffrin a warm, affectionate smile. “Well that makes me happy to hear, both to know I’m not causing you strain, but also because it happens that I’m quite happy to be with you too.”

Sighing, he tried to pull his hand up, again to no avail. “Goddess no, but…maybe for a bit. My aunts might know of a medical solvent…and Eimdall might enjoy the spell challenge of figuring out a way to ‘unstick’. But as for things available directly around us… Unless we want to chisel ourselves off, I think we’re just here.”

“Hmmmm.” Siffrin closed their eye. “Shame. It looks like we have no choice but to take a nap then. Really, just, entirely out of our control.”

“An absolute pity,” Ingo breathily agreed, crooking his free arm under his head to properly--not in a fit of mortification--snuggle down into. “You know, all problems can be better solved after sleeping on it anyway. We’re truly just doing our due diligence here.”

“This is self-care, I’m pretty sure.” Siffrin smirked, peeking back at Ingo, “Maybe your hand will be unstuck when we wake up. Glue dissolves with time, right? Give it a… I dunno. Hundred years?”

Ingo, maybe just feeling Siffrin’s gaze, peeked back and gave his friend a smirk. “Maybe two, just to be safe.”

Siffrin giggled, “Perfect.”

-

“I hope you two have a blast,” Kokichi said, grinning as he kissed Shuuichi’s cheek, still looking over both his and Kaito’s outfits appreciatively. “Really show all those wild college kids how to party! Mi-Mi’s gonna be bored to death of fantasy with all the stories I’m gonna tell her, so she needs something really bombastic, alright?”

Holding up their daughter, mindful of her squirms, Kokichi giggled, “Go hog wild, for her.”

Shuichi smiled at the kiss, quick to return a cheek kiss in time before pulling back, straightening his coat line as he informed Miyako, “Don’t let your fathers fool you, Miyako. College parties aren’t that exciting. Trust me, one day you’ll enjoy them the way I do: watching other people make terrible mistakes and making absolute fools of themselves.”

“YEAH!” Kaito cheered from the closet, having gone to change his shirt one more time and popping out excitedly, grinning wide as Miyako wiggled harder and went ‘GYA!’ in solidarity, “Because making a fool of yourself is FUN sometimes, Miya! Trust me, you need a few ‘being a dumb-dumb’ stories before you have too many things going on to be a big dumb-dumb all the time! Like having an itty bitty little baby who’s entirely dependent on you for eveeryyyythiiiing~” Kaito cooed, kissing all over Miyako’s face until she started her squealing little giggles.

Chuckling, Kaito leaned back and winked at Kokichi. “Which is why Daddy is being so kind to let his brute of a husband go off to be a dumb-dumb for a little bit. Seriously, I appreciate you, beautiful, I’ll take Miya duty next time, promise.”

Shuichi rolled his eyes, before lightly tapping the back of Kaito’s head. “You are wildly overestimating how wild I’m going to let you be tonight, ‘dumb-dumb’. We’ll be back at a reasonable hour, Kokichi,” Shuichi promised, blowing Kokichi another kiss, then kissing Miyako’s hand, before heading off to the door.

Kaito tsked, leering down at Shuichi even as he hurried to go open the door for him, giving Kokichi an adoring wave before dutifully following Shuichi, who hadn’t so much as slowed down. “I’m gonna get you to act a little stupid by the end of the night, handsome~” 

“Feel free to dream. I’ll be spending most of the night with Drake and Cheri.”

“Ah, so a challenge it is then. Looking forward to it.” Kaito grinned, wrapping his arm around Shuichi’s waist and pulling him in.

Kokichi, waving his husbands off, giggled a little more to himself before he grinned conspiratorially at Miyako. “I’m hoping to get some dumb-dumb stories myself, to be honest, but! We’re not gonna let Dada and Dad have all the fun tonight, now are we?”

Pittering over to Miyako’s rolling chair, Kokichi gave his daughter a salute. “Arrrg, Captain Miya! We be sailin’ fer the shores ‘o the hidden treasure ‘o the pocket monst-eeeers again tonight! Your lurin’ tactics and sense ‘o direction never fail! Onward and ahoy!”

-

There was a yearly tradition for Usott University. A ‘well-wish and farewell’ sort of tradition, while also, in a very odd way, acting as a sort of ‘good luck and good riddance’. See, every year, the senior, graduating class of the university rented out the Old Capille House–a small manor that had been built as a niche event space, essentially–and decked it out with everything you needed for a college party: food, music, booze. They let the local guardforce know a big college party was going on, they hired one guy whose job was to make sure no one underage came to join in, and then most importantly, they invited everyone in the university to have free run of the place for the entire night.

And then none of the seniors went. That was the ‘good luck, good riddance’ bit. The seniors always ended up doing some smaller get-together to reminisce and talk about their upcoming futures, usually at a bonfire. The goal of the party was to be a treat for the underclassmen who still had years of schooling ahead of them, and also, to laugh at any of them who managed to get caught up in drama, tomfoolery, or ended up catching the eye of the local guardforce who were ready for them. 

Like, great if the underclassmen were having a good time! But if they messed it up for themselves? Haha. Dumbasses. 

Nill thought that was a fun tradition, and despite never having taken a college class himself, he came to the party every year. This year there was a fun new addition to the festivities too. While usually the music was a live band, someone–some pink-haired guy with sharp teeth and an aggressively nervous disposition–had been commissioned to deck the manor out with massive speakers that pumped music loudly through various parts of the house, all somehow controlled by a central record player, which was able to automatically shuffle around random records to play random songs.

Beer in hand, people pouring in, and music pounding through the walls, Nill couldn’t help but feel like this was how music should work for a house party. What a time to be alive. 

Upon first glance, and even throughout knowing him, Drake knew he wasn’t exactly the kind of guy that put out a ‘party vibe’. But he did genuinely like parties. While often the designated watcher of any particular group he went with--because no one had ever seen him drunk, so people assumed he didn’t drink much in the first place--Drake loved just…being around people having a good time. Playing party games and often being pretty bad at them, dancing to songs he hadn’t heard in decades, or ones that he’d never heard before at all, having deeply interesting conversations with people he’d never seen before. It was all a good time, in his book, and Drake was even happier when Shuuichi said he’d consider coming to the Capille party that year.

Aaand while he didn’t mind it, he did enjoy that neither Shuuichi nor Cheri asked him to be their spotter for the night. 

Starting off with their first drinks of the night--actual cocktails, while the night was still young and people were both coordinated enough to make mixed drinks and clear-minded enough not to make atrocities--Drake and Cheri had been chatting against a wall when Cheri suddenly looked over to the side and pointed over. And now the party could really begin~

“Shuuichi! Kaito, hey!” Drake greeted as he and Cheri made their way to the newcomers. “Glad you guys made it alright!”

Shuichi smiled, bee-lining for his friends while Kaito gave them a wave, trailing after Shuichi though his eyes were scanning over the crowd that was already there. Kaito was checking to see if Aster had arrived yet. He imagined it was too early in the night for people to have started spreading out past the center entrance rooms of the manor, exploring and playing around in the rest of the manor, so chances were if Aster were here, she’d be in this crowd. 

Still, maybe he was wrong, as he saw no sign of her as he followed Shuichi. 

“Hey,” Shuichi greeted his friends, looking around as he noted, “This place is a bit nicer than what I was imagining, actually. I would have guessed this was a hotel or something based on the outside. It’s too big for a Dicean ‘house’.”

“It’s nice! We haven’t been in a manor since we stayed with that lord near the border when we were first coming down here, Shuichi. You remember? He had a farm of peacocks?” Kaito grinned. 

“I recall he had shimmering, metallic silverware and I’m still not convinced he ever got it checked to see if that particular decoration was toxic or not,” Shuichi said dryly, glancing back at Kaito as he said, “Don’t feel like you have to be chained to us, Kaito. You can explore.”

“I will, I will, just settling in. You two been here long?” Kaito asked Drake and Cheri, grinning at Drake, “I love those boots, man. Those are some ‘don’t fuck with me’ boots. Sexy!”

“I’m sure you could use it as a hotel,” Cheri mused, looking around the high wooden bracings on the ceiling. “If it weren’t for the fact the castle is more convenient, I’d imagine a lot of traveling groups would end up renting this place out when they come to the city.”

“I think that fits it, historically,” Drake sheepishly laughed. “A big manor house like this? It’s the kind of place you’d expect guests to live for a few months if they were making the trip, so it’s perfect for a ton of people.” 

Both of Shuuichi’s friends looked variations of intrigued and amused by the lord that kept peacocks and potentially poisonous silverware, though Drake gave Kaito a grin, shifting in his boots. “Thanks, Kaito--I’m kind of hoping that the snowy roads get that vibe too,” he chuckled lightly. “You wouldn’t believe how many snowdrifts I’ve fallen into already this year…”

“Ugh, I don’t even want to think about being that cold yet,” Cheri groaned, before she glanced over her shoulder with an amused look. “And I think other people don’t either. I didn’t see it last year, but it looks like some folks have configured an indoor fire pit in the grand hall. It’s pretty stunning, actually. You guys wanna check it out, or get situated with some drinks first?”

She gave Shuuichi an impish grin. “I was a little skeptical, but the fig negroni I got is surprisingly good.”

“Oh, oh! I’ll get us drinks! Shuichi, I can drink tonight, right?” Kaito asked, looking to his husband. 

“Don’t ask me like I’d stop you if you wanted to,” Shuichi said, “...but yes, you have permission.”

“YES! Woo!” Kaito cheered, pumping both fists into the air, before backing up from them, “Requests, requests? I’ll go grab drinks, meet you guys at neat indoor firepit thing!”

Kaito got the requests before hurrying up and running off to find the drinks. Shuichi watched him go before turning to his friends. “Thanks again for inviting me. I would have had no idea any of this was happening if you hadn’t mentioned it.”

“Hey, that’s how these things spread, isn’t it?” Drake smiled kindly, following Cheri’s lead as she led their group towards the grand hall. He supposed that it was a skill that came in handy with two little siblings, but she was very good at parting a crowd long enough for a group to get through. “And I figured that it’d be a little easier for you to make it than last year. Kokichi and Miyako doin’ alright?”

“They are. I felt a bit bad that Kokichi volunteered to stay behind, but I’m sure by now they’re deep in some adventure or another. Playtime has had an extra layer of excitement ever since Miyako figured out how to kick around in her rolly chair.”

Shuichi had wondered how people had managed a bonfire inside, but getting into the grandhall, a massive glass ceiling explained itself to him. Someone had gone to the center of the intricate glass ceiling and opened up the slots, the smoke of the bonfire going up and out the center, the heat of the fire negating the chill of the open window. 

Around the bonfire people had put down seats and blankets they had found, settling in to watch the fire and chat, while a few people in the circle around the fire had started to dance already, the heat and the music inspiring them. The seats seemed to be random–things pulled from every other room of the manor, some dining chairs, others garden benches, a few couches and recliners, one that looked like someone had ripped chairs out of a carriage–and Shuichi pointed out a plush couch with only a few worrying stains that was free in the clear. 

Plopping down, Shuichi asked, “Outside of party and school, how have you two been?”

While it was impressive that someone had thought to open panels of the ceiling, the fact that Cheri had said it was interesting that they’d configured the pit was a little…confusing, looking at the bonfire. In that it was in a literal pit in the floor, and had a mesh cage column that looked a little too intentional to just be something that some college students had brought in. But however it had happened, it was a cozy, inviting space to be. 

Taking care not to spill his drink as he sat--even without alcohol affecting him much, Drake had still opted for a virgin drink and was enjoying a very refreshing mojito--Drake grinned fondly. “Oh, that sounds so cute…and probably very stress-inducing for parents with a baby suddenly on the go,” he laughed, “Things are good! Most of my final projects are on a good pace, so it’s looking to be an easier ride to the end of the semester this time. Oh, and I actually ran into Kokichi’s friend Amber recently. She’s just as fun a dancer as I remember.”

“Should’ve gotten those boots in platforms, then?” Cheri teased, snickering a little at the roll of the eyes that got her. “Home’s been a little hectic lately for me. Nela’s working on arranging music for her year project so there’s a lot of note-searching that pipes up always in the most startling way.” Cheri chuckled a little before a sadly sympathetic smile crossed over her face. “I heard that one of her friends is probably going to be heading out of town after the freeze, though, and Nela’s been down about that. I’ve been talking with Dad about inviting Elthea over during the snow-in this year so they can spend more time together, but I’m not sure if Nela would even ask her.”

“And Bi…” Cheri sighed and took a sip of her drink with a sigh. “I can usually get some sort of idea about what she’s up to, but she’s being particularly secretive lately. I just hope she’s stirring up the drama for Unity gifts or something.”

“Amber’s a sweet girl. Maybe I should send out word to her that Kokichi ended up being left out of a party. Knowing her and Stacy, they’d go out of their way to more than make it up to him for missing the opportunity,” Shuichi mused, snickering a little along with Cheri at the mention of the boots. Though, in truth, he thought Drake would look nice in platform boots. They’d make him look a bit intimidating, which the Luminary in Shuichi couldn’t help but count as a plus.

“How old is Nela again?” Shuichi mused, trying to recall, “Mid-teens? 15? I wonder if she’s met Arven and Doppio, the current and old castle wards? Well, rumor has it both are going to be old castle wards now. If you have heard of him, Arven’s getting adopted I hear. Just in time for Unity, which might be nice for them! Though…”

Shuichi winced a little. “Oh, Unity gifts. Shoot, I have to start thinking about that. Kokichi’s gifts are always well thought out and sweet, Kaito tends to throw five different things at you in hopes something was what you wanted, and either way my gifts always look a little underwhelming in comparison. I’d like to do something to impress them this time.”

Shuichi pouted, thinking hard about it… before he sighed, stretching back into the couch a bit, toasting in the heat of the bonfire. “Their gift is my presence? And so… my gift is to let them… give me gifts?” Shuichi asked, pouting a little harder at his friends… before snorting softly, “What’s worse is they’d absolutely accept that, the logic behind it and all. They’re both so undiscerning–”

“Who’s undiscerning? Me!? Handsome, get me some non-toxic paint I can paint figurines with Miyako with, and I’m golden!” Kaito cheered, leaning over the back of the couch and passing around requested drinks to the askers, winking at Shuichi as he passed him his drink too, “Well, and other stuff~ but you don’t need to buy that.”

Shuichi flushed, taking the drink and huffing at Kaito a bit. “Kaito, you shouldn’t eavesdrop.”

“Oh, I am not gonna hear that from you,” Kaito snickered, rolling his eyes as he straightened up, before he looked over his shoulder, “I found them!”

Shuichi peeked over the back of the couch, and his eyebrows raised as a man with strong shoulders and stronger biceps, white hair over blue eyes–oh, no, one blue eye–and dark skin that seemed tanned even darker by frequent time in the sun and the way Kaito grinned at him and the way the almost obnoxiously handsome man smirked back…

Shuichi’s brow furrowed, feeling a tinge of jealousy…which immediately deflated a little when the man’s first words were, “Oh, shit, the 10 there’s the one?”

“Mmhm~” Kaito hummed proudly, placing a hand on Shuichi’s shoulder as he leaned against the back of the couch, “Handsome, friends of handsome, I met someone in line for the drinks! This is Nill! He’s a flirt.”

“Damn, way to out me.” Nill snickered, immediately following with, “Sup beautiful people. All of you here with someone?”

“Oh, really?” Cheri gushed, her smile warm and happy to celebrate someone else’s happiness. “Nela’s in Arven’s class at school, yeah. They’re not particularly close, but I have heard of him…oh that’s wonderful, cheers for him.” With a laugh, Drake raised his glass for the cheers. 

“I think your gifts are still thoughtful,” Drake encouraged his friend. “But if you want company going gift-shopping, you’ll definitely have a partner in me. I have a couple people on my list I need to do some serious brain-storming for.”

As Kaito and Nill approached the others, there was a sound that could only be described as, “!!!” from above. Up on a scaffolding-like platform at the top of the fire column, a blond wearing a lot of mesh under cropped and ripped clothes waved down. “Oi!!” he waved down, “Prince-man, long time no see! Request a color, hm!”

While Cheri and Drake gave the guy on the column a curious look, they greeted Kaito’s new friend. Giving Nill a wave, Drake chuckled kindly. “Friends, but we’re playing different games. Still nice to meet you, though.”

“Thanks, Kaito,” Cheri grinned, accepting her refill before giving Nill an amused look. “Stick around for some conversation, and maybe we’ll see. Nice to meet you, I’m Cheri.” Giving him a nod, she asked, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around campus before. Just elusive, or came out tonight for the good time?”

Kaito looked up, curious, though he almost on instinct grinned and waved, even as he didn’t entirely recognize… the guy… pretty, and slightly familiar, but who… “Blue!” Kaito called up. 

“Crashing,” Nill admitted, grinning without a hint of sheepish remorse as he battered his one set of eyelashes playfully at Cheri, leaning against the back of the couch alongside Kaito, who was half sat on the end now, “I crash every year. I like to imagine the bouncer is warned about me ahead of time, but I don’t think anyone’s honestly ever bothered to try to get me caught. You’d think I wasn’t a troublemaker at all!”

“Really? I’d peg ya as a troublemaker,” Kaito smirked, “You’ve got ‘eventful night’ written all over you.”

“Treat me right and I’ll get it all over you too, big guy~”

Shuichi didn’t feel jealous at the flirt. He felt jealous at the sheepish, barking laugh from Kaito, who flushed at the flirt. “If you come here every year, you must know some of the people here by now,” Shuichi said, eyeing Nill cooly, “Don’t let us keep you from them.”

“Awww, handsome, be nice~” Kaito laughed, leaning over to give Shuichi a quick kiss… before suddenly exclaiming as he looked up again, “OH! PRETTY WAREHOUSE GUY! That’s who that is!”

“Blue it is!” It was hard to see from the ground, but Deidara set to work on something, after a while dropping--if someone somehow managed to see it--a little clay bird into the bonfire. There was a cracking sound from the fire, before the flames erupted into a bluish-greenish hue. True blue was a bit difficult to produce with just what he had on hand, but Deidara thought this mix of copper and AP was enough of a crowd-pleaser blue. 

Cheri smirked a little. “I wouldn’t call just showing up ‘crashing’, considering this isn’t strictly limited to college students. You must have a good story behind it if people are actually wary about your invite.”

Though, banter aside, she snickered a little at Shuuichi’s jealousy, while Drake shook his head with some amusement. They did send Kaito a curious look at his delayed recognition of, well, they supposed the pyrotechnician of the night.  

“Ooooh, pretty,” Kaito oo’d and ahh’d over the changing flames, before grinning down at his husband, “Like my husband~”

Shuichi harrumphed slightly, before asking, “Are you going somewhere?”

“I know that guy from the burned woman incident,” Kaito explained to Shuichi, who made a small hum of understanding, “I’m going to go up there and just ask how he is. Check in.”

“If he’s less than 20, turn right around and never talk to him again,” Shuichi ordered, “We just got through the last group of wayward teenagers, we’re not pulling in more.”

“If he’s less than 20 and here I’m gonna find his friends, pass them some light beer and then make the bouncer kick them out,” Kaito said, rolling his eyes a bit, “Drake, you wanna come?”

“Why Drake?” Shuichi asked.

“I don’t want you getting caught up asking investigation questions at a party, handsome, and anything Drake learns he’s inevitably gonna tell ya,” Kaito explained, before looking to Drake, “Unless you don’t have any questions for him?”

Drake’s eyes had widened a little as Kaito started to explain what was up, and he took a more discerning look up at the man on the scaffolding. …yeah, that was him… However, as Kaito brought Drake himself up, the vampire startled a little, before looking sheepish. “Ah, not…really? Langston is…”

Leaning back and crossing her ankles, Cheri raised an eyebrow. “Already did some investigating of your own, Detective Soga?”

With a little embarrassed sound, Drake sheepishly tucked some hair back into his ‘do, before leaning towards Shuuichi, starting to explain. “If I’m putting it together right between ‘warehouse guy’ and ‘burning lady incident’... I was, uh,” Drake laughed tentatively, “questioned myself back about the college bombing, before. And the investigator had gotten some leads about, well, notorious arsonists in the school, like…” 

Drake nodded upward. “L - uh, Deidara, Langston, there. When I heard about the death at the warehouse, I looked into things a little myself.” Drake shrugged a little. “I believe his statement that he had nothing to do with the bombing. Don’t really know him to not take credit for his work, if you wanted to take the moral assumption out of things.”

“...he is 19, I think,” Drake added after a moment. 

“Aw, a fellow crasher. I salute him.” Nill smirked, looking up and smirking at the pyrotechnician. 

“Kaito, you are not to approach him,” Shuichi said immediately, “No more Dicean teenagers, I don’t care what the context is. You take the responsibility thing too seriously, it’s better to not engage.”

“Right, right, right, right,” Kaito said, looking up at the blond, “...buuuuut–”

“Go find literally anyone else to talk to,” Shuichi said dryly, waving Kaito off, “I let you loose, be free, go somewhere else. Don’t talk to teenagers.”

“Handsome, I gotta at least go ask how he’s doing. Then I’ll pretend he doesn’t exist, I promise! Even if something is terribly wrong with him!” 

“...liar.”

Kaito leaned over, gave Shuichi several more kisses, and then looked for a way up the scaffolding. 

Nill watched Kaito go, and considered following him. Kaito was fun to flirt with, just the right mix of flattered, playful, and bashful. But, ehhhhh, teenagers were no fun to talk to. Looking back to the group, Nill said to Drake, “You said something about the hospital school explosion, right? I was caught up in that. Haven’t been keeping up with the latest rumors around it, what do you know?”

Drake’s eyebrows raised before his expression softened. “Oh, I’m sorry about that; I’m glad you’re okay. I’d heard a few people got caught in the explosion, but well,” he shrugged sheepishly, “I didn’t want to go prying into people’s medical information when I was mostly just listening to hearsay.”

Sighing, Drake took a sip of his mocktail. “Officially, there’s no…like, provable connection. But people have drawn a lot of connections to that Remnant cult from last year. It’s more of a conspiracy theory, I’ll admit, but one rationale is that the explosion, and the deaths and hospital surge the next night were like…cultists’ last hurrah. Again, it’s not official, since the Ronpan ambassador is still representing everything, but people’ve noticed that news out of Danganronpa is even sparser than it generally is, and that’s where the Remnant cult was based out of, so…the theory is that the cult was rooted out for good in Danganronpa, and getting that news, anyone who was laying low here still decided it was time to light their own funeral pyres…and take some folks with them.” Drake grimaced a bit. 

Cheri frowned, nodding in concern. “One thing that does put a hole in that theory is the rumor that a lot of the people that ended up in the hospital seemed more…disoriented than nihilistic. I know there were some water tests done to make sure it wasn’t a case of something getting in the reservoir supply, but I haven’t heard any solid explanation.”

As Nill whistled lightly in appreciation, Shuichi sighed at Cheri’s observation. “I of course don’t really know anything. My family’s asked me to stay out of it, for my own sake–” Which was the explanation Shuichi gave to anyone who knew him well enough to know he’d otherwise want to look into it, “--but if I had to guess what a Remnant of Despair would take to make themselves a little disoriented and out of it? Well, that was their whole MO with the poppies last year.”

“Ah, me and my friend were just talking about that not that long ago. Back in…shoot, it’s actually been a minute. This last month and some change has felt really hectic and really quick at the same time.” Nill sighed, looking around. Where was that handsome goober anyway? “But yeah, if all of that was poppy stuff? I wouldn’t even be surprised, that drug made people lose it. If it was some last hurrah thing? Good riddance, hope that’s the last we see of any of them.”

At the scaffolding ladder, Kaito peeked up over the top of the ladder, onto the metal grating. “...ellooooooo? Is something gonna explode if I come up here?”

Cheri shrugged a little, though she did feel for the Flora being thrown under the bus by that theory. It wasn’t their fault they had been born into a destructive culture, and as far as Cheri had been able to tell from the investigations the year before? The Remnants really had left Dicea. Whatever had happened with the queen to cause such a shockwave through the hivemind…a night in the hospital wasn’t so bad. But Cheri did hope that the human-adjusted conspiracy didn’t take off to the point that the Flora who had suffered and survived that night were then condemned as cultists. 

Flora weren’t bad, just because they were Flora. And…regardless of Cheri’s more personal connection with psychic abuse…her connection with her sister, and the options now open to Nela, were more important to Cheri than being nervous about a broad culture that the people she’d reasonably meet would ever have condoned. 

Snickering a bit, Deidara put the bit of clay he’d been messing with back in his side-pouch before extending a hand to help pull Kaito fully up on the grating. “Only if you want it to~ Hey, Prince Kaito, nice request. Wasn’t expecting to see your kind of familiar face here, to be honest, hm. Didn’t know you were the uni type.”

“I am!” Kaito said cheerfully, accepting the help as he climbed up onto the metal grating, hearing the metal creek slightly under his weight as Kaito stood up, looking down, “Ooooh, this is a great view! The fire looks especially cool from up here. I wonder how they pulled off that pit grating thing, that feels really sophisticated. Like we’d be making sacrifices to really modern gods!” 

Kaito’s mind briefly wandered away to a dressed up, decked out, woeful human sacrifice Shuichi, being led to the advanced fire pit with grieving dignity, until Kaito swept in and swept him off his feet! Holding that curvy body to himself as he ran through a crowd of guards, Shuichi ooh’ing and ahh’ing over his rescuer as Kaito whisked him away… mmmm…

“…it’s neat!” Kaito said, coming back to the world as he looked at Deidara. “So was your pyrotech. Hey, I haven’t seen you since the warehouse, I figured I’d stop by and see how you were. You, uh…super traumatized? Or only like…” Kaito squinted, holding his thumb and finger close together, “A little traumatized. Also, are you drinking here? You’re too young to be drinking around a bunch of adults alone. Go drink in a dirt lot with your friends, you’d have more fun anyway.”

“Ha, well whatever Neo-Phaestus or Elep we got down in their inferno, they’re getting some of the best sacrifices seen in the world,” Deidara bragged, taking some clay back out of his bag. His chemical-embedded sculptures themselves weren’t the sacrifices of course, that’d be waaaay too hack, but the awe-inspiring moments when they cracked and exploded, turning the fire into wholly unique, colored masterpieces… Deidara would be impressed if he was a god.

Though, he was less impressed at what Kaito apparently came by to do, more than saying hi, and Deidara just blinked at him for a moment before nodding with an understanding look. “Ah, your first body, hm? Rough, definitely not an easy intro. But I’m good, my man, like,” he rolled his eyes, liner a little more obvious at the angle, “I could’ve done without bein’ questioned by the guards for ages, or Lake snitchin’ me out about it, but that’s all just annoyin’ shit.”

“Also,” he snorted dryly, giving Kaito an unamused look, “Don’t treat me like some teen stealing from the liquor cabinet, un. Bet I’ve been a student at uni longer than you have, an’ also,” Deidara lifted his nose a little, looking cheekily haughty as he cleared his throat, another of those little sounds that littered his speech, “I got hired this year. Fire safety.”

He lightly kicked the side of the grating with his boot. “Can’t have a baby this big without someone to sit it, you dig?”

“Ooooooooooooh, you’re fire protection… good! Great! Honestly ideal, that makes me waaaaaay more relaxed about you hanging out around here,” Kaito admitted, grinning wide. That grin not wavering much as he said, “Not your first body though, huh? Cool, cool, cool, a little tragic. You sure you’re alright? Multiple bodies not sort of just…”

Kaito made some vague hand motions that, after some testing out, eventually looked like he was packing flour dough in on itself as he asked, “Layering? Into some terrible breakdown? Where you will scream something vaguely incomprehensible and then, I dunno, throw yourself off the scaffolding and directly into the top of that fire?” Kaito asked, pointing at the fire like Deidara might have missed it, “And maybe exploding into colorful clay confetti as some last big fuck you to the universe while everyone else watches in stunned horror?”

Kaito paused, playing that out idly in his head…before looking curiously at Deidara. “Or something like that, I dunno, that’s just the most dramatic way I can think of for you to be upset by what happened. You upset? You good?”

Deidara snorted, eyebrows high and amused, though he considered the image Kaito created. “Man, if only going out could go so well. But even if I could figure out how to make my body a casing like that and ensure it’d actually go off, an explosion like that would be wasted on these plebs,” Deidara looked down at the hall crowd, sticking his tongue out a little, “If I go out with a bang? Better make it something that could be the talk of the country, and even that’s aiming small, hm.”

“Nah, nah,” Deidara waved a hand dismissively, “I’m good, my man. Like I’m obviously not enthralled by someone trying to bring me into a murder-suicide, but here I am out the other side, and none of us were left with more than some scapes and bruises. We saw ourselves Riz’s got his mom, know Shigeru’s tight with his family, and I have my own support.” Deidara smirked a little. “Like the shirtless guy you might see around tryin’ to talk about religion to anyone that’ll listen, though I hesitate to call him support.”

“But I’m good, really.”

“Oh, religious guy? It’s always fun to talk religion to another religious guy. You can be as passionate as you want to be and if they roll their eyes at you, well, hah, look who’s talking.” Kaito grinned, looking Deidara up and down before saying, “Okay, well, I get the gut instinct that you’re being sincere. But if you need anything, consider me a resource! Both as a person, and also as the guy married to the guy who basically knows everything in the whole wide world. I am a GREAT resource!” Kaito insisted, giving the kid a thumbs up. “Got it!?”

Hidan was Deidara’s friend, so he wasn’t gonna lump the guy in too hard, but, yeah, talking religion was all fun and games until you were strapped to a table right out of some schlocky thriller. Riveting conversation in the chants spelling out your doom. 

“Sure, sure,” Deidara laughed, “I’ll keep it in mind. Having a royal connection is a handy thing to have in the back pocket. Next time I get in trouble ‘cause someone steals my groove without any of the flair, I’ll pull your vouch out as a triumph card, for sure, hm.”

…sure that probably wouldn’t sway Danna’s opinion any, but Deidara hadn’t gotten in too much trouble, since it sincerely hadn’t been his fault before. Like he’d be so sloppy.

“Mhm, mhm, full royal swagger approval,” Kaito nodded approvingly… before grinning excitedly, “Can you mix some blues, dark purples and light purples together!? To impress my husband below? He’ll know what it means.”

Deidara raised his eyebrows a little before looking at his supplies with a hum, a spark of interest in his face at the challenge. “Getting several distinct colors in one fire is tricky, hm, but lemme see what I can do. AP can get some of a purple tinge on its own, but…hmmm.” 

Still idly fussing with the lump of clay in one hand, Deidara looked through a set of vials with various powders in them, nodding slightly to himself eventually. In what barely seemed like any time at all after he measured out some powders into the clay, there was a cute, fat, stylistic bird in Deidara’s palm as he gave Kaito a sharp grin and a wink…even though only one of his eyes was visible. “Let’s let ‘er rip!”

Down below, the group was still idly talking to each other, discussing a few different topics that had sprung out of the Remnant talk, with one detour of Nill once again trying to flirt overtly with all of them, when a new hiss of explosion popped out of the fire to grab their attention. 

People cheered and laughed at the new display of colors, blue, purple, and magenta mixing and melting into each other briefly, reaching for the sky in fiery passion… and Shuichi snorted, sipping at his drink as he glanced up at the scaffolding. Kaito grinning down at him with a wink. Oh, he thought he was soooo smooth. Cute…

Well, maybe Kaito would convince Shuichi to act a little stupid at some point. Why waste a smug, accomplished look like that, after all? It was a look begging to be kissed through. 

Later though. After Shuichi was done hanging out with his friends. 

-

Aster was having the time of her life. She did enjoy parties, in a general sort of way, and especially the treats that were socially acceptable to load up onto a plate and eat all of, but they could be a little…overwhelming. The noise and high energy nice, f-for sure, because that meant people were enjoying themselves! But it could be a bit much. 

However, there was a section of the Capille House Party that Aster had stumbled into the year before, with its own dedicated room and vibe semi-sheltered from the rest of the manor. Even the music system had its volume decreased, just there as pleasant background noise more than anything else. 

Lupin smiled fondly as he looked over the pile of giggling women, Aster looking absolutely in bliss as she passed a joint to Zinnia and snuggled with the blond curled up to her side. He knew she was completely aware of various cannabis-based treatments for pain management, and he knew that Aster didn’t tend to indulge that often recreationally, but…seeing her so happy now? He was glad to see that her excitement leading up to the party had paid off.

Lupin was enjoying himself plenty as well, make no mistake--he hadn’t come to the party just to watch over his friends. He’d wandered the manor for a bit, catching up with people he knew, playing a few games (though he opted for water, mostly, in the drinking games), and he’d recently finished a lovely conversation with a biology major that had braided flower accessories into Lupin’s hair in a meticulously elegant manner as the blond’s friends had enthusiastically conveyed whatever Giorno was saying behind his back. With quite a bit of embellishment added at some points, Lupin could gather from the arguments that seemed to break out every five minutes within the group. 

They had been a fun group. 

…

(...Lupin wouldn’t really say he’d been feeling lonely. That felt entirely dismissive to the efforts his friends had made, changing up the entire way they communicated. It just was…different. Everything was different.)

(He’d never really…realized, he guessed, how much he was used to the conversations held all around him, even if Lupin would’ve never pegged himself as an eavesdropper. How much subtext and inflection people conveyed vocally that, unless they were particularly expressive or practiced signers, just…didn’t cross.)

(How much…effort people put into casually talking to someone, when they had to really choose to make that effort for him.)

It seemed obvious, but Lupin over the past month had really noticed how…quiet his world had gotten. Not lonely, necessarily.

(...but maybe a little.)

The giggling coming up to the door was far deeper toned than the giggling harem surrounding Aster, but no less sincere in its playfulness as a man outside the door said, “There’s no way you can keep this up much longer.”

“Says who? Do I even seem winded?” Nill asked as he opened the door, a man close to his own size draped against his back, legs wrapped around his hips, the Oft Rumored of Luminary Prince apparently having a piggy-back ride on one of the locals as Nill looked around. “Oh, we found the chill lounge. Heeeeeey, ladies, we chilling–Lupin!” 

Nill, excited to see his friend, moved surprisingly quickly with a 250 pound man on his back, trotting across the room as he mouthed while signing, ‘Heeeeeey, pretty boy! Check it out! Captured a royal! Does that make me a pirate?’

Kaito’s eyes widened, saying, “Oh! Aster, hey! And Lupin!” before signing much slower and with clear uncertainty with his arms still wrapped around Nill’s neck, ‘How. are. You?’

“Kaitoooo!” Aster grinned, waving with lazy excitement from her pile. “You made it! Aw, I’m glad you did. Are you here with your husbands?” Beside her, Zinnia threw up an arm in a wave as she blew out some smoke.

“Ah le prince qui confond le Tumahri avec Gauçaisi~” the blond girl cuddling with Aster called out, giving Kaito and Nill a cheeky wave as well. “Bonne jour, belle-Aster d’ami royal~!”

Watching the novel entrance with amusement, Lupin smiled brighter, happy to see Nill. ‘I think pirate might necessitate some nautical involvement--I think this just makes you a thief.’ “Nill, nice to see you always bringing something new to these parties. And hello, Kaito, I hope you’re well, I’m doing perfect.”

…while he was sure not to stare, the fact of Kaito’s thighs around Nill’s hips just…stuck in Lupin’s mind. He couldn’t really place the last time he’d ever been involved with a piggy-back ride, though it was a form of fun intimacy when not for a purpose like (gods he wanted to put his thighs around Nill) having to carry someone to medical…

…hm? 

What was that? Why was…

Taking a small breath, Lupin took stock of himself. Sure, he thought Nill was attractive, and…well, maybe some forms of intimacy were appealing but… He felt fond and relaxed and contemplative and kind of warm, especially…

Oh. 

Lupin shifted slightly on the couch he was lounging--leaning against the back, instead of sitting exactly straight up--on. There wasn’t a lot of science on second-hand highs that he knew but…he had been here for a bit, and this room was kind of like a hotbox…

Shit.

“Oooooh, let me down, let me down!” Kaito insisted, wiggling on Nill’s back, trying to break his hold of around his legs. When Nill, smirking a bit, held on, Kaito let himself flop backwards until the weight was too much for Nil to keep a hold of, Kaito falling onto his back with a little crash before scrambling up, hurrying over to the woman with Aster with wide, curious eyes… before he said, “Say more things. Anything. I’m begging ya.”

Nill snickered as he watched Kaito go simp over a pretty accent, before heading over to Lupin, saying aloud as he signed, “Get a few drinks in both of us and find me a pond? I’ll put together a boat and steal you away~” Nill gave Lupin a ‘wink’, before notably looking over Lupin’s hair, “Love the flowers. Gives you more for a forest nymph feel. Running from satyrs these days?”

Kaito, who had been eavesdropping on the flirt, glanced over his shoulder from where he was eagerly listening to the woman, “What’s a satyr?”

“Horny half goat guys.”

“Oooooh,” Kaito said, nodding knowingly, before turning his attention back to the ladies.

The woman burst into a delighted giggle fit as Kaito flomped onto his back, even more tickled by him scampering over. “Laisse-moi t’monter un langue parfait pour que tu puissez les garder en tête cette fois. Ceçaaaa~”

Aster giggled fondly and cuddled with her friend more. “Kaitooooo~ This is my friend Nora. She likes making fun of all of us not knowing Gauçaisi when we get high. But it’s pretty, right?” Cooing fondly, Nora looking exceptionally pleased, Aster told her, “You have such a lovely voice, I could listen to you forever.”

Lupin rolled his eyes a little at Nill running with the bit (though Nill stealing him away did sound appealing…) before loosely crossing his arms over his stomach. He didn’t want to look confrontational, of course, but…maybe bracing his body would take his mind off…things. “You just missed the brains behind the look, if you wanted to give them a compliment.” Nodding to the girl pile, he smiled softly. “It’s interesting seeing what sort of activities people decide they absolutely want to do once they’re high.”

“Oh like you don’t want to do anything!” a slightly slurred voice came, Zinnia’s hands signing broadly as she thrust them up out of the pile. “Nillll, show this damn babysitter some fun, would ya?!”

Blinking dryly, Lupin explained, “Please excuse her, Zinnia just finished an entire bracket of flip-cup before she came over this way.”

“And I fuckin’ whipped their asses!”

“Hi, Nora~” Kaito said, offering his hand, palm up. And, in one of those little moments that reminded people he had actually been raised with royal expectations and training, Kaito’s grip around her hand was gentle when she offered one back, using the hold one was meant to use on high ranking noble ladies he cradled higher towards her wrist, the pull a request for her to guide her hand up as he leaned down to bow his head, placing a quick kiss against the back of her wrist in deferment, before saying with an eerily on point accent, “Enchantée.”

“...” Then he looked up, grinning sheepishly, “That’s the only word I know. I read it in a romance series my husband recommended to me a few months back. He taught me how to pronounce it, and that was as far as we got.”

“Oh, shit, Zin-girl, I didn’t realize you were in that pile!” Nill laughed, before he grinned knowingly at Lupin, “Are you pretending to be the chaperone again? Forget that, all these ladies are grown, and between the three of them they probably have at least one working brain cell left. They’ll be fine. You should come hang on my arm for a bit, I’m prowling the manor collecting hot people, but it’s looking like Aster already claimed all these ladies. I’m gonna need your good looks to draw more people in then just the easy flirts here.”

“I take offense to that accurate remark!” Kaito called over, before he smiled beckoning at Nora, “I am super easy though, if you were wondering…annnnnnnd super married! And exclusive! And forgetting myself, holy shit, your accent took me out for a second.” Kaito suddenly laughed, backing away from her hurriedly. Clearly a little sheepish at himself for letting the blatant come-on leave his tongue without thinking about it. He wasn’t looking to get with anyone, he was just caught up in the fun of the atmosphere. Whoops.

Nora cackled, though there was a flush of surprised delight on her face as Kaito kissed her wrist. “Enchante! Ha! Not a lot of people fire back with anything, your husband really gave you the hook up! Quelle surprise~”

At the phrase, though, Aster started humming a few dissident notes of a song, any words that snuck in more mumbles suggestive of sounds than actual words, Nora joining in between giggles. 

Sighing softly, Lupin explained, “I’m not playing anything and I know Aster, Nora, and Zinnia are more than capable of looking after themselves, even under the influence. I haven’t even been here all night,” he pointed out, almost as a point of pride, which just made the fact that he had to make that point even more glaring in the face of Zinnia’s accusation, “I just came to hang out with my friends, regardless of my abstinence.”

(Which Lupin didn’t really regret, especially in terms of drugs, but…)

(...would it really be so bad to…start something with someone, even if it wouldn’t go anywhere? Breakups weren’t really imperfect, were they?)

A slightly wary look crossed over Lupin’s face, the corners of his mouth tightening, before he said more softly (or at least that’s what it felt like), “...though I probably could use some fresh air. I wouldn’t be thrilled to play wingman for you, but I haven’t seen you yet tonight if you wanted to…talk?”

Breaking from the song, Nora easily waved Kaito off. “I’ve heard all about ton maris from Aster, la plus douce du monde, c’est non probleme. I tend to bat for the other team anyway.” She gave him a wink. 

“God, I could just listen to you say pretty strange words for hours,” Kaito sighed dreamily, giving Aster a highly approving nod. His friend had found herself a catch, he hoped she knew that and was properly fawning. 

Though, if Kaito’s ears could move they would have twitched. Glancing subtly over to Nill and Lupin, Lupin’s tense tone damn near comical when met with Nill’s clearly oblivious grin. Oooooh…

“Ladies, your high little pillow pile fills me with envy and a desire to just sit and watch you all be gorgeous, but,” Kaito said, leaning in closer to whisper, “I hear wingman duties calling me. Do you all know if this place has roof access?”

Aster nodded back, sinking more into the pile as she clumsily laced her fingers with Nora, the two of them only more amused with the struggles. They had both agreed not to have anything serious, just wanting to feel out each other at their own pace without stakes…but other than the shaky start to their friendship? Aster felt just as comfortable sometimes smooching Nora as she did with the rest of their friendship. 

And Nora really did have the most intoxicating voice. 

Zinnia snorted as she passed the joint back to Nora, before leveling an oddly focused look on Kaito, for being so obviously cross-faded. “Not the roof proper, don’t even fuckin’ think about it buck-o. But there is, like, a pissa terraced private balcony type thing from the master bedroom upstairs. Like a whole secret garden. Good luck, if no one’s gone hosie on it, though.”

“Secret garden balcony, upstairs master bedroom. Perfect.” Kaito said, giving the pile a thumbs up as he said to them, “Wish me luck, ladies. I’m gonna go help those two sadsacks out.”

Meanwhile, Nill was chuckling as he signed, feeling chatty, Mr. Anuncul? Come on, help a guy out! You batter those pretty red eyes at anyone here and they’d be wrapped around your little finger, you’d have your pick of the party–

Nill, interrupted from reassuring his friend that there was nothing to be shy about–because that’s what he was assuming Lupin’s reluctance was–startled as Kaito wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Oh! Hey, that was his thing! “Yeah?”

“I heard someone needed some fresh air, so I found the freshest air spot. And since you know this place well, I bet you can lead us there.” Kaito informed Nill, “Tell Lupin I’m putting you in charge of finding the master bedroom!” 

Nill raised an eyebrow, signing everything Kaito was saying to Lupin already, adding in the end Also he wanted me to tell you everything he just said, I don’t think he realizes how quickly I sign. Were you serious about wanting some air? He’s probably talking about the patio upstairs.

(Well, people had their own preferences of course, but…well, flirting couldn’t be that difficult, at least in terms of opening a dialogue with someone. Lupin really could just…ask to spend time with someone. And it didn’t have to be anything more than that. Though it could be more than that, romance could be found in any sort of place and it wouldn’t do to dismiss the possibility of that just because Lupin was approaching the idea from a casual standpoint, but even if he did want a romance with someone, then--)

Lupin looked over in surprise as Kaito came over, splitting his attention just trying to read Kaito’s lips and confirming his words with Nill’s interpretation. “I was serious. It’s not like an absolute haze in here, but I think I’ve definitely been in here long enough to notice. Though…” While he did start to get up--ignoring the tightening in his stomach--Lupin adopted a tentative look. “From what I remember, the various bedrooms of the manor tend to be…occupied.”

For a moment, Lupin’s gaze lingered on Nill’s neck, something about the dip down to his clavicle…enchanting. 

“...in any case, I may just go to get a drink, whatever you decide you wish to do next.” Giving Kaito a nod, Lupin bade, “It’s nice to see you, Kaito.”

Nill shrugged with a nod. Lupin wasn’t wrong, it was certainly a possibility. Night was pretty early still, but that didn’t deter some people. “A drink sounds good to me. I’ll go with you.”

Kaito floundered a bit. Did Nill not feel that leering look on his neck!? Was he playing it cool!? Was he actually oblivious that his friend was undressing him with his eyes!? Kaito couldn’t let them walk off without seeing this through! Hurriedly, he signed Me drink?

Nill smirked, looking to Lupin, “Wanna ditch the royal? If we run I bet he can’t keep up. It’d be super funny.”

Lupin nodded, trying not to…be obvious. About anything. At all. As he took a breath, straightening. Looking back to the pile, he waved, “I’ll catch you guys later, perhaps. Will I see you at home, Zinnia?”

“50-50, pretty boy, don’t stay up for me!”

As long as they were safe… Lupin gave Kaito a slightly quizzical look before huffing out a half-amused laugh to Nill. “You’re certainly welcome to get a drink, Kaito, we wouldn’t be the ones to stop you. Unless you were determined to only move around by piggyback.” (Lupin definitely wouldn’t waste a chance to put his legs around Nill.)

Kaito’s eyes darted back and forth between Lupin and Nill, Nill laughing cheerfully at Lupin’s small joke, while Lupin’s gaze darted, ever so briefly, to Nill’s waist…

…was Lupin potentially the possessive type? Sometimes the best way to wingman was to give a sense of a deadline to the interested party. Shoo the floozy off, claim em sort of thing. 

Suddenly, putting on his most practiced, charming smile, Kaito hurried forward and placed his arm casually around Nill’s waist, who smirked in amusement at him as Kaito said, “If Nill’s willing to carry me around? Worse ways to get around then in a handsome guy’s arms~”

Unlike Kaito, Nill didn’t get bashful or sheepish when people flirted back, instead smoothly signing all of that for Lupin to catch if he ever couldn’t read the words on Kaito’s lips, before snickering. “I’m pretty sure that husband of yours would have me thrown into the firepit if I so much as touched your arm with any sorta intent, but sure, I like to live dangerously. Lupin, you’ll protect me when the fierce Luminary prince comes to strangle me, right?”

“Shuichi the ‘fierce Luminary prince’?” Kaito asked, looking genuinely taken aback by that…before he flushed, eyes going distant, “Oh, that’s a fun way to think about it…”

(Why did you even say anything aaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAA)

Lupin huffed an amused sound as the three of them headed out of the weed lounge, casting one last glance back at his friends. Happy, comfortable, having a good time…and he knew they’d look out for each other. It wasn’t even all that unusual for people to end up crashing overnight at the manor, so even if they couldn’t make it home they’d be alright. 

It was fine. 

“I like to think I stand a chance reasoning against a husband on a rampage, sure. Just depends on what happened previously, if I think you’re worth defending,” Lupin smirked at his friend. “Prince Shuuichi may have a poignant point.”

“Phooey, I only ever do what I’m invited to do. I’m a gentleman like that. I wouldn’t deserve strangulation!”

“Didn’t you say a bunch of stuff about being a pirate earlier?” Kaito asked, taking a breath as they headed out of the room… before giving it a confused look backwards, “Wait, what was that smell? I thought that was incense, but now that we’re outside of it I realize it wasn’t woody enough.”

“Are you serious?” Nill asked, giving Kaito a baffled look, “...do you not know what weed smells like?”

“That was weed!?” Kaito gasped, looking downright scandalized…before patting himself on the face, eyed full of wonder as he asked, “Does that mean I’m high?”

“Um, no? Probably not.” Nill said, his baffled look twisting into a sort of incredulous amusement, “Are you fucking with us? Did you really not know?”

“Weeds super illegal in Luminary.” Kaito said, still looking oddly pleased by the idea that he had been standing in a cloud of it a second ago, “I mean, obviously people still do it, and I’ve smelled it before. But the crowds I hung out with tended to do mostly things like mushrooms, maybe occasionally ecstasy. Little ingestibles, basically. Weed always felt like one of those really bold, loud drugs that announces what you’re doing, it made me too nervous to do it as a public figure since I felt like it’d be really obvious to anyone who didn’t already know.”

“Ecstacy? I’d do weed every day before trying the hard stuff, that sorta shit is how you fuck yourself up.” Nill said, shaking his head disapprovingly. His wariness with hard drugs having kept him more or less safe from Poppies last year. It didn’t mean he’d never try it under any circumstance, but he still treated that sort of thing cautiously. “But weed? That stuff is basically harmless, it just chills your nerves. Right, Lupin?”

Nill looked to his friend, giving him a wink, “Feeling chilled out?”

While he took a fresh breath of non-skunk air, Lupin similarly gave Kaito a startled look (once he put together what the prince was saying). “There…isn’t anything about mushrooms or ecstasy I’d call ‘little’. And aside from the smell, not much about marijuana I’d call ‘bold’.”

Shaking his head a little, Lupin straightened as he got into what Zinnia sometimes called ‘pamphlet mode’. “While the effects of marijuana and cannabis are on the mild side of mind-altering substances, it’s not entirely harmless. It still slows your reaction time, so operating any machinery is ill-advised, and there have been studies that frequent, extended use can have ill effects on your memory, especially if you sleep while high, since it affects your brain’s ability to process the day’s events. However, the same and similar studies show that stopping use for as little as a month can revert those effects.”

“But for the kind of high you get,” Lupin shrugged, relaxing a little again, “yes, they’re not anywhere near the effects of mushrooms or ecstasy. Some strains can have a mild hallucinogenic effect, but mostly people enjoy weed for its relaxation, and sometimes for an increased creative spark.”

Lupin gave Nill a dry look. “...though you know I don’t smoke.”

Nill gave Lupin an equally amused look back, “Course you don’t~”

Kaito glanced between the two as the three of them found a room that was serving more drinks. It was a thrown together speakeasy, essentially, some guests having fun recreating a bar just for the fun of mixing drinks and showing off their bottle and glass flipping skills to each other in the lounge, stealing the ingredients from other setup bar areas within the manor. There was playful swing music playing over the speakers, this room having setup its own music separate from the high energy poppy sound thumping through other areas in the manor, and people were dancing enthusiastically to it in the opened up space in the middle of the lounge couches and seating having been pushed to the wall.

“...man, I don’t know who I want to flirt with more,” Kaito admitted, taking a swing in the hopes of reminding Nill how attractive Lupin was as he said, “You’re a really handsome pair, you know that? Makes it hard to focus on either one of you. You look best together!”

“Pfff. I don’t know how they do it in Luminary, but we’re not putting on a show for ya, Kaito.” Nill said, heading over to the ‘bar’, a white haired boy he recognized smiling at his approach, “Anyone who managed to get their hands on Lupin would be out of their mind to share him. Lupin’s the type to be savored and enjoyed~”

“Hey Nill,” Milo greeted him, mixing and matching some drinks already as he asked, “I have your usual if you want it.”

“Actually, I’m feeling sunny! Give me a Sunshine! Lupin, you want something special? Milo’s a bartender out in Midnight Alley, he’s really good.” Nill said.

Kaito, glancing around, gasped. Wait, was that person dancing…

This was Kaito’s chance. Tangouai hadn’t noticed him yet!! Desperately, Kaito looked around, ducking behind a couch. He had to find the light switches and the music!! He had to issue a challenge!!! 

Lupin looked over the dancers in the room they discovered, deciding after a moment that they were dancing swing. It was…weird. In the rest of the manor, in places he could only assume the music was particularly loud, he could feel a sort of…thumping beat in the air, and he could distantly hear…something. Sound, though it was indistinct enough he couldn’t really describe any of it other than just…noise. 

There was physical evidence he could still notice of sound, but it was still a little bizarre, seeing people fully immersed in something he could barely perceive. 

“You use that reasoning with your husbands too?” Lupin coolly asked, though he soon flushed, struck silent by Nill’s apparent feelings on the matter. Or…well, silent for a moment, before flusteredly mumbling, “I’m not a wine…”

Taking a moment to collect himself, Lupin looked up with some surprise before he smiled at the bartender. “Oh, hello Milo! Been a while, how have you been?”

Milo smiled, nodding at Lupin, signing, “It’s been good. That explosion made things hectic for a while, but thankfully it’s all been stable and predictable since then. How about you?”

“Oh, do you two know each other?” Nill asked, surprised.

“Lupin is part of that group that keeps an eye out for human trafficking,” Milo explained, “He came to check on my partner and his brother after that blast you all were caught in too, so even if I hadn’t already known him I’d have met him that way.”

“Ah, the twins! They around here? Oh, nevermind, I see one of them…what the heck is the prince doing?” Nill asked, watching as Kaito literally crawled across the floor, determinedly heading to the person fussing over the record player. “He’s cute, but that guy’s a bit all over the place. I’m pretty sure he’s trying to push us together, Lupin, but in the weirdest ways.”

“You two?” Milo asked, looking curiously between Lupin and Nill… before smiling sweetly, “Okay, sure, I could see it~ you two would be cute.”

Nill laughed, shrugging, “I’d be so lucky. Nah, Lupin’s not into stuff like that. I gotta content myself on just enjoying the eye candy.” Nill smirked, wrapping his arm around Lupin’s shoulder, mouthing clearly since it was hard to sign that way, “Which still makes for a pretty great day.”

Suddenly, the music stopped and the lights turned off. There was more scurrying sounds on the floor, and just as people were starting to murmur and whine that everything had stopped, the light closest to the door suddenly turned on, and with a helpful recruit working the switches, another light turned on in the center of the room, as Kaito pointed towards one of the twins dramatically, “TANGOUAI!” 

Tangouai looked genuinely gobsmacked, his dance partner stepping away from him as Tangouai seemed to take a second to register Kaito was actually there… before he smirked, “That time again?”

Kaito grinned with all of his teeth, “It’s been too long already. I heard you hurt your leg. Think you can still test your skills against me? Your greatest rival!?”

“Tsk, you think I’m intimidated?” Tangouai cackled, rolling his shoulders before holding a hand out towards Kaito, “I could outdance you in a cast. Don’t hold back on me.”

“Never.” Kaito grinned, before pointing to the record player, where his recruit dutifully ran over and turned on the music on cue. Kaito then ran to Tangouai as the music swelled and, grabbing his hand, the two were off!! 

“...he’s such a freak, I kinda love it.” Nill laughed. “What a weirdo.”

“I’m glad things regained stability,” Lupin smiled softly, “While I wouldn’t expect him to share his whole life story with me, I would hope Kaiden would’ve mentioned if something happened, but I’m glad to hear the all-good from you yourself. I’ve been well myself, one foot in front of the other.”

While he nodded a little to Nill as he asked how they knew each other, Lupin cast a confused glance over to just…whatever Kaito was doing. Aster had told him time and again that the prince was an odd one, but Lupin found he could only truly understand what she meant with every moment he spent around Kaito. A good guy! But bizarre. 

In more than one habit. 

Lupin got another surprised look, both hearing about Kaito…pushing him and Nill together, and Milo running with that as well, and Nill-- Lips turned down as Lupin tried not to just…entirely lean on Nill. “Not into stuff like what, exactly, Nill? While pleasant nonetheless, if resigning yourself to ‘eye candy’ is a second place, maybe you should be a little more specific about what you mean.”

However, before Lupin could continue, everything went dark and against everything in him, Lupin went stiff. 

He wasn’t scared of the dark in the slightest. And Lupin would say he wasn’t even really feeling threatened. But, left in darkness, in an unfamiliar place, he just…became very aware that the only thing left to sense at all was Nill’s arm around his shoulder. 

…and then it was over. A weird scene of Kaito in a spotlight, and Kaiden’s brother…posturing with Kaito, perhaps? And then everything just going back the way it was…

Lupin ignored the hurt ache of loneliness in his chest, even as he glanced over to Nill warily. “...what just happened?”

Nill had been a bit surprised, feeling Lupin push in against him, but at the exact moment had dismissed it as Lupin being mildly startled. But seeing how lost his friend looked as he asked what was going on…

It was kinda difficult to follow, Nill signed, pointing to Kaito as he explained, He screamed Tangouai’s name, and Tango responded with asking if it was that time again, and Kaito responded that it had been too long already. But then he asked about Tangouai’s leg, Tango said that he could beat Kaito in a cast, and then after promising not to hold back on each other they started to dance. It was like watching two swordsman challenge each other to a duel, but instead it was just theater nerds yelling at each other.

Then, looking at Lupin, Nill signed, you alright? You seem down. You said you wanted to talk earlier, wanna find somewhere to talk? Nill paused, before signing, Though I still want my Sunshine drink. It has orange juice in it, that sounds so damn refreshing right now.

“Oh…” 

The sound was soft enough that maybe Lupin hadn’t even meant to say it. It wasn’t actually difficult to follow at all…if you had been able to hear the dialogue. Or, it wouldn’t have been difficult for Lupin. Kaiden had mentioned to Kaito before, when they had walked together, that Kaito and Tangouai had a sort of dance rivalry with each other. Seeing them go at it now? It really seemed like a spectacle, and one the two of them wholly enjoyed. 

It would’ve been perfectly simple to follow…and instead, Lupin had just been left adrift, lost in the dark and then baffled as he watched two people seemingly shout towards each other. At least, shouting was what Lupin figured from the body language. 

Since. You know. He couldn’t hear it. 

However, Lupin pulled himself together as Nill suggested he was down, and he quickly smiled at his friend. “Oh, no, I’m perfectly fine! Please get your drink--they’re really going at it, huh?” he tilted his head towards the dance rivals, “I’m pretty enthralled just seeing it.”

Nill hummed a bit, looking somewhat probingly at Lupin, glancing over at the dancers…before he smirked. Bet we could beat them.

It wasn’t a smirk, but Lupin had a sort of perfectly placid and pleasant look on his face. It was the kind of expression that Zinnia called the Feckin’ Smug Bastard Face, and had incited her to start fights (and, more often later in their friendship, competitions) with Lupin on many occasions. 

“It’s by no means a competition, parties are meant for fun after all,” Lupin said smoothly, “But if you are asking me to dance, Nill? Then I’d graciously accept.”

Nill laughed, grabbing Lupin’s hand and putting it up into the air with his own, marching the two of them further into the lounge as he shouted out, “Hey, theater nerds!”

“Nerds?” Kaito asked, mid-dipping Tangouai, whose leg was kicked into the air, “Who’s that. Us?”

“No way,” Tangouai pouted, “My brother’s a nerd. We’re dorks, easily. What does he want?”

Nill smirked, before flicking his wrist. Lupin, with an elegance that was damn near hypnotic, spun on his toes, his flower-adorned hair swirling around him, before he was snapped back to Nill’s side, who caught him in a lean into his other arm. Both of them look entirely proud of themselves, as Nill called, “Ready to see what dancing actually looks like?”

“Oh shit.” Kaito whispered.

“Don’t let them intimidate you, we’ve got this! Pull me up!” Tangouai insisted, the two readjusting into each others arms, glaring at the new challengers as they pressed against each other, arms out and hands pressed together. “Bring it on!”

Naturally, Lupin had taken dance lessons as a child. While the castle didn’t often throw the kinds of parties or events that would necessitate dancing and a ballroom, it was still proper etiquette to at least know the basics of partner dancing--a little swing, a few waltzes, one or two squares or at least what all the terminology meant, that sort of thing. And, as with everything in his life, Lupin had practiced and practiced until each movement seemed natural and effortless, and he made well sure not to let himself get rusty. 

Dancing without hearing music was…a little more difficult. Since Lupin knew there was music, so it wasn’t like just practicing moves, or something impromptu. However, as Nill decided to take the lead--and Lupin noticed the taps on his wrist, realizing after a moment Nill was giving him the tempo--it was…almost easy. Like imagining a metronome in his head. 

And while Lupin smiled kindly at Kaito and Tangouai, commenting on how fortunate he was to get to see their fabled rivalry in person…you bet your ass Lupin put his all into dancing with Nill. 

Without coming off looking like a tryhard, of course. 

(...or letting his touches linger for too long, or getting caught staring at the way Nill’s hair flounced on turns, or the flex and stretch of his muscles, or fixating on the way Nill’s hands would sometimes come around his waist.)

(Or actually seriously contemplating just leaning in and kissing Nill when they leaned close to each other, though wow those lips looked soft)

Nill had taken the lead for the opposite reason Kaito liked too: he knew Lupin’s flourishes and control as the ‘follower’ were going to look way better than the stiff, jerking movements Nill knew he was capable of. He enjoyed dancing! But Nill knew Lupin was the better dancer, and the absolute best thing he could do was set up Lupin to let him show off over and over again, trusting that whichever way Nill moved or pushed or pulled that Lupin already knew five different moves to react to each one and was just idly choosing which beautiful movement was going to be most fun in that moment. 

Nill was a pole stuck in the ground, tapping out a tune and staying strong as Lupin acted as a stunning ribbon, whipping and flourishing about in the wind. 

Tangouai and Kaito did their best to keep up, and were clearly having a blast doing it. But as the rest of the room–getting into the bit–cheered and gasped at the new moves, after a bit it became pretty clear that there was a clear winner, the music ending with a flourish, and cheers and applause ringing out to Nill and Lupin.

Milo, who had been standing by with drinks they had never collected, wiggled his fingers in the air, which he had learned was a way to cheer for the hard of hearing. Tangouai groaned, seeing even his sort of brother in law cheering for the other guys. “We’ve gotta practice.” Tangouai muttered, he and Kaito panting together.

“...okay, but that’d be fun though.” Kaito whispered. 

As the two whispered back and forth, tentatively discussing getting together to dance more regularly, Nill laughed, taking Lupin’s hand and, with an exaggerated flourish, bowing for the small lounge group. 

Lupin often considered his gratitude these days, and he found he found another for the list--Nill letting him know the song was ending so Lupin could finish up without completely embarrassing himself was something he was very grateful for. And, with a chuckle, he followed his friend’s lead once again with the bow, before giving Nill’s hand (for they hadn’t let go yet) a gentle tug towards Milo and the bar. 

“Thank you for the dance,” Lupin nodded to his partner, actually indulging in a clearly cheeky smile, only not breathing hard through strict controlled breaths, though, alas, Lupin had not yet figured out a way to avoid the flush and perspiration of exertion. One day. 

Nill smirked back, following the tug to the bar, Milo congratulating them both on a great dance-fight as he passed them their drinks. Nill took the drink in hand, but hadn’t given up holding Lupin’s hand yet. 

He knew Lupin wasn’t interested. Not now, not ever. But Nill had eased his attraction to Lupin by flirting with him for years, and as he watched that red flush burn against his skin, and the way little droplets of sweat trailed down his soft skin…

Nill wrapped his arm around Lupin’s waist and, pulling him in close, smirked at him as he mouthed, eye-candy is second place to ravaging you.

Lupin was pretty sure he was reading that right, and if he was…

Maybe it was the way Nill was still holding his hand, even after they got their drinks and had eased away from the bar, letting other people go up for Milo to work his magic. Maybe it was the way that Nill had been constantly letting Lupin know what was happening, all through touch and attention, that made Lupin feel more connected to the world than he had in…a while. (In some aspects, even before he had lost his hearing). 

Maybe it was just the way the heat in his gut flared and the self-satisfied look on Nill’s face. 

But for whatever reason, Lupin leaned in even closer and whispered (he made absolutely sure of that, not wanting to blow Nill’s ears out), “And would you make me do all the work in that too?” 

Nill burst out laughing, even as his face burned a little–the warm breath against his ear sure was, uh, something–leaning his head to the side and drawing his shoulders up a bit as he smoked at Lupin, mouthing, I like giving my partners room to flex.

Lupin playing along was…unusual, sure. He rarely did. But between hotboxing, presumably some drinks, at least one, maybe? Well, something was making Lupin more eager to play along with Nill’s flirting game. It was fun! It was hot. 

It was, not even for a second, a sign to Nill that Lupin actually wanted anything. Lupin just wasn’t the type to sleep around. He wanted his well-thought out relationship, leading clearly to marriage, 2.5 kids, two sets of careers that both partners would be proud of. The most chaotic Lupin’s homelife was ever going to get was the day his kids talked him into getting a dog. It sure as heck wasn’t going to be Nill adding chaos to Lupin’s life. Lupin would never tolerate it.

Still, it was fun, briefly getting to keep his arms around the pretty boy’s waist. Able to feel the strong muscles beneath his grip flex and move a little as Lupin shifted his weight within the hold. It sure made it easy to imagine Lupin twisting around in other ways. Turning his head back to look back at Nill, that same flush to his face, the small beads of sweat…

Fun. Hot. Definitely not leading to anything, even as Nill leered at Lupin from behind his drink. 

Lupin turned slightly, just to snort in amusement and not do that right in Nill’s face. “Spoken like true management.”

(...there was a reason Lupin hadn’t asked Nill out before, past their initial rocky meeting.)

(Nill didn’t just embrace change; from Lupin’s perspective, he was change. An ever-shifting tide of life, and while Lupin liked to think he was adaptable, he knew he…wasn’t that. Everything in Lupin’s life had been pre-planned for stability.)

(There was no future for them, and while Lupin didn’t think that a momentary presence in a life was less meaningful, it…was a concept that he found easier to accept in their friendship and not anything more.)

(Lupin couldn’t sleep around. The more time he spent chasing relationships he knew from the start wouldn’t go anywhere, the less time he had to spend on more productive things, and for all that Lupin sought to perfect, he was well-aware of the limited time he had to do it in. Casual relationships would spark questions, ones about when he’d mature and settle down and get started on children and a stable career and--)

(While it was difficult for Lupin to even recognize, something in his soul screamed in frustration, ENOUGH)

Lupin considered Nill for a moment (eyes flicking down to his lips, especially on the rim of his drink) before asking softly, and without some of the playfulness he’d had before, “Nill, may I kiss you?”

Nill choked on his drink. 

Wiping his mouth quickly on his sleeve, he considered the possibility that he had just misheard that. Music was playing, people were laughing, it was possible. 

But there was something about the look in Lupin’s eyes that suggested he hadn’t. And Nill stared at those eyes for a bit, arm still pressed against his face. 

Somewhere in the back of Nill’s mind, he worried about what this meant. Lupin wasn’t the type to throw caution to the wind, and it probably said something that he wanted to do something like this. Nill wasn’t delusional enough to think what it said was that Nill was just looking particularly good that day.

But, well…Nill was a good guy, in his own ways. If Lupin was about to go around making some choices he’d regret, it was better to do those things with Nill, who wasn’t about to make it a shitty experience for him, and would be there when Lupin was beating himself up about it later, rather than some rando at the party who wouldn’t give a shit. 

And besides, Nill was only human, and Lupin had always been one of the hottest people Nill had ever known. What was he going to do? Say no?

So, Nill wiped his mouth, licked his lower lip lightly, and still staring at Lupin, waiting for something–some moment of hesitation, immediate regret, repulsion–he cupped the side of his face, leaned in, and kissed him. 

Lupin bit back a grimace as Nill choked on his drink, reaching out to check if he was alright. Ah…he really could’ve timed that when Nill wasn’t sipping, huh. A lesson learned. (Though Lupin genuinely couldn’t imagine being in this sort of situation again.)

…it was a little embarrassing, seeing how shocked Nill looked. Sure, even that night he’d claimed to be the expert on Lupin’s non-existent love-life, and how it was that way on purpose, but…was it really that strange? Lupin had liked Nill in…well, a lot of facets for a long time.

Aaaand he’d always reasoned against doing this exact thing, so, yeah, maybe that shock was warranted. 

But Lupin was sure, even if he didn’t entirely know the reasoning of how he got there, and he wasn’t about to back down. So he just…patiently waited for Nill to respond. Giving his friend time to - 

“Mmf.” There was a soft sound from Lupin’s throat, though it wasn’t exactly a sign of his own shock. Honestly, he found it a little funny--maybe his jest about initiative had gotten under Nill’s skin a bit. But other than that, Lupin found he wasn’t really…analyzing anything. 

There were just Nill’s lips against his, a tang of citrus that Lupin somehow could taste, a hand cupping his face, and the heat between their bodies as Lupin leaned closer, placing his own hand on Nill’s waist. 

A presence of connection. Here and now. 

Nill wasn’t sure what he had been expecting.

No, he knew. He had expected for Lupin to push him away. For the reality of the act to snap him out of whatever had made him want to ask in the first place. He had expected to kiss him, be pushed, and then deal with the alarm of Lupin’s response. Maybe follow the guy out of the lounge, if Lupin found he needed air. Frankly, Nill was expecting to be rejected and regretted. 

Which, fine. What were friends for.

Instead, Lupin moved closer. Kept the kiss going. Made a soft little hum sound that Nill wondered if Lupin was even conscious of. 

It was as baffling as it was arousing. This just wasn’t how Lupin was. Not that Lupin couldn’t change, of course. Everything could and did, always. But like this? Now? 

It was hard for Nill to stop analyzing it, turning over this interaction in his head a thousand different ways, looking for some clue as to what on earth had actually happened just now, even as he was in the throes of it. Nill couldn’t really hear the music or the other people anymore, as he mindlessly placed his drink down on some random surface nearby, before wrapping both arms around Lupin’s waist, holding his back to press them closer together. 

Lupin’s lips were thin against his own, and Nill liked the way they pulled around his. It was always a good idea to close your eyes when kissing someone, there was nothing more awkward than catching the person’s your kissings gaze that close up, but Nill kept finding himself opening his eye just a bit, to confirm it was still Lupin there. It felt like Nill had stolen something. Some prized possession, whisked away into a dark corner of a lit up lounge, the music drowning out the small gasps and sighs of the kiss, as Nill steered Lupin against the corner wall. Not consciously, just finding himself moving closer and closer to Lupin until a wall finally stopped his advancement. 

(Over on the other side of the room, Kaito looked over from where he was talking to Tangouai, and gasped…before smirking at Tango, “I totally did that.” he said, pointing to the making out duo in the far corner.)

It wasn’t Lupin’s first kiss. Despite his misgivings about the longevity of relationships and the implications thereof, he had actually gone on a few dates in his latter high school years. It had been his instinct to graciously turn down the few people that had asked him out, but after coming to the realization in the first half of high school that his sole focus on academics made him come off more as ‘creepy’ than ‘focused’ he had rationalized that part of the high school experience was trying out short-lived experiments in relationships and intimacy. 

It wasn’t Lupin’s first kiss, but it was the first that made him stop thinking, making Lupin act on instinct more than he even thought he was capable of. Sighing against the lips pressed to his, looping his arms in kind around a waist he knew for a fact has muscles that would give Lupin a serious challenge, even gently curling the fingers of one hand in the back of Nill’s shirt for a sense of stability. Especially as, without really realizing it, Lupin found himself moved backwards enough to be pressed against a wall. That small moment of realization prompting a pleased little hum from him as he pressed against Nill with renewed vigor. 

A vigor that may have contained a little bit of tongue. 

It was odd. By this point, Nill would probably be littering in some ‘mood’ talk.

But he kind of couldn’t. Couldn’t tell Lupin that he tasted good, or that he felt good against Nill’s hips, or that he looked hot all pressed between Nill’s chest and the wall. He couldn’t tease the ‘pretty boy’ for finally indulging in a little bit of recklessness, or ask how long Lupin’s been wanting to do this, or just call him the sexiest bastard on this side of the earth.

All Nill could do was try to portray just how into Lupin he was purely through touch. And fuck, Nill hoped it was coming through as a thin tongue poked into his mouth. Nill capturing that brief intrusion between his lips, before breathing in deeply through his nose–taking in the whole of Lupin’s scent into him–as he kissed him back in time. His hand trailing up Lupin’s waist and his palm caressing Lupin’s skin. 

Nill was starting to feel overheated in the best way, and briefly he broke the kiss. Mouthing it as clearly as he could between his heavy pants, he asked do you want to get out of here?

Lupin would’ve smirked as Nill captured his tongue, if the sensation hadn’t spurred a low hum instead. Definitely citrus, and a tinge of the bitter tang of alcohol, but also something Lupin couldn’t quite place, and didn’t have any idea of where to start. Nill’s mouth, he supposed, though the experience of that was far less mundane than any sort of distant mental categorization. 

The hand that wasn’t curled into Nill’s shirt had traveled up a bit, caressing a built side. Lupin remembered that Nill had had to get stitches, that he’d had glass in his back, and he found himself wanting to trace along each previously injured spot, fingers and mouth, and appreciate places regardless of being long-since healed. 

In turn, though, the hand that traveled over skin, up under his shirt, left a trail of goosebumps from the incredibly rare sensation. Lupin’s stomach quivered slightly under the touch, almost like a fluttered spasm, as soft, longing sound left his mouth, just in time for Nill to pull back. 

Lupin followed, and nearly didn’t allow his friend to create space as he panted, lidded eyes dark with want. However, he did get the message that Nill was trying to speak with him, and after moments too long of parsing what that actually was…

Finally.

“Zinnia did say she might not be home tonight,” Lupin reminded, his hand tightening a bit in Nill’s shirt. 

There was still a little drumming insistence in the back of Nill’s mind that something was wrong here. In the same way that Change was important to Nill, he knew Lupin had his own little perfectionist beliefs that basically refused the type of change Nill had committed himself to live by. It was one of the reasons Nill had accepted nothing was ever going to happen between the two of them. Their ideologies were too different. 

But that little voice was beating against a reality that was Lupin, pressed up against him and more eager than even Nill’s wildest fantasies (of which he had had many, and most of them had always had a token amount of convincing Lupin this was what he actually wanted. It had felt like a requirement of the daydreams, as otherwise Nill was just mentally playing with a bodypillow, and that wasn’t nearly as enticing.) as Nill grinned at Lupin’s suggestion and the hand in his shirt. 

“Well, sounds like someone’s got an empty place for the night then,” Nill practically purred against Lupin’s ear, pulling him into an embrace so that he could lay little kisses against Lupin’s neck, “Forget the party, your place sounds more fun.”

…

Okay, as much as Lupin liked those kisses--which was quite a bit, to be clear, if the involuntary swallow that followed the motion of Nill’s mouth was any indication--he…did feel vibrations, and hear some sort of…sound that he figured was probably Nill speaking, but…

“...was that a yes, or…?”

There was Lupin. 

Only, for a second, Nill had forgotten. Because that wasn’t Lupin just wanting a really clear answer, that was Lupin wanting, like… literally an answer. Because Nill had hidden his mouth and—ah, dammit.

Nill had forgotten Lupin couldn’t hear him for a second. Dammit.

Wanting to salvage his messup a bit, Nill leaned back, taking Lupin’s hand and, keeping eye contact, kissing up his wrist slowly, before mouthing into his palm yes, nodding as he did so. Before signing at Lupin with a smirk, take me home, I’m all yours.

Oh. Oh that was hot. Nill mouthing words against his skin was… Somewhere in Lupin’s mind, he knew he really couldn’t extrapolate the word from what he felt, but between the context cues and the look Nill was giving him and everything--wow.

Huffing in amusement--though not losing the focused fixation he had on Nill--Lupin took Nill’s hand in turn and started heading towards where he was positive the door was. “I’ll keep that in mind, for the night.”

-

Lupin liked to think they were fairly reasonable walking back to his house, and the chilly air definitely helped. However, he barely got his key in the door and managed to close it behind them before succumbing to the need to touch once more. Taking initiative himself, Lupin captured Nill in a kiss, putting his hands promptly under Nill’s shirt.

(...after having covertly been rubbing them together, trying not to give his friend an ice shock.)

Nill didn’t mind the small shock of cold anyway, felt not in Lupin’s hands but in his kiss, his flushed red face still combating against the cold of winter outside. It took some of the buzz from the alcohol away, both the walk and the jolt, and honestly Nill liked being present and aware for this part of things. Drinking was fun for dancing and talking nonsense and dumb games that made people laugh until they were falling over. For sex? It was mostly just in the way. Nill loved being extremely aware of how Lupin felt leaning in against him. His weight reassuringly real and heavy against Nill’s torso and chest, but the way he moved on his feet as Nill kissed back, guiding him backwards, almost making Lupin feel light as air in his easy movement. 

The fingers climbing Nill’s stomach and sides, pushing his shirt up instantly, was also a lot of fun as Nill laughed into Lupin’s lips. Give him a second! He had to shrug himself out of this jacket! The shirt wasn’t going anywhere while the jacket was on! 

Shrugging out of one arm successfully, managing to keep kissing against Lupin as he escaped the second arm, Nill had to stop Lupin in their steps backward before he hit a table, Nill smirking at him a bit before finally pulling his shirt off over his own head, tossing it aside. Nill than looked Lupin over, trying to decide the best way to get him out of his clothes… before signing, I almost don’t want to touch you too much. You look perfect. Like touching a painting that’s still wet.

Lupin smirked a little as he felt Nill’s laugh and contortionist routine to try and shed his clothes. He hadn’t exactly been trying to undress Nill, though he did want that to be an eventual plan. He just…wanted to touch. Prove again and again that…they were there. That Nill was in front of him and Lupin could reach out and touch him and it’d matter. 

He was thankful for the pause to keep him from running into a table, though. 

Flashing Nill a mildly embarrassed look, Lupin had to nearly double take, his heart speeding up as Nill called him…

(The fire in his stomach flared, and it was only the barest threads of sense that kept Lupin from pouncing back upon Nill then and there)

But it was with a heated look that Lupin deliberately reached out, putting a hand on Nill’s shoulder, drawing him a little closer, before--checking Nill’s reaction carefully--he traced a hand down Nill’s bare torso, caressing every inch. “I may be wrong that artistic debate isn’t the best bedroom talk…but we haven’t made it to my bedroom yet,” he smirked, “So…”

Parting from Nill for just a moment, Lupin started shrugging out of his jacket and shirt, unbuckling his belt in the same motions. “I’ll merely say: I don’t think any addition of yours would detract from perfection, so--”

Lupin’s trousers dropped as he took a step back towards Nill, kissing him briefly again. “Touch as much as you’d like,” he whispered.

There was a very sincere part of Nill that didn’t believe that. 

But damn, it was nice to be told otherwise, Nill’s eyes dipping down, practically following just the sound of the folding fabric, before letting his eyes drift back upwards. Lupin was perfect, again. A strong body with a healthy amount of weight, and little blemishes on his skin that seemed to just accent and show off how smooth and fair he was everywhere else. 

But it was staring into Lupin’s face that really got Nill to where he needed to be. His hair still littered in those carefully interwoven, messy flowers. Lupin’s small, slightly smug–did he know how self-satisfied he looked in that moment? It was the sexiest Nill I had ever seen him, and he thought Lupin was sexy a lot–smile drawing attention up to those sharp, maroon eyes…

Nill had never been in Lupin’s room himself, but he knew the direction it was. A part of him wanted to just push Lupin back on the table behind him, unwilling to wait and wanting to push forward, but Lupin wasn’t a rowdy fuck that Nill was only going to half-remember tomorrow. This was still probably a one night stand, but fuck it, Lupin was getting anything he wanted that night anyway. And he’d probably want a bed. 

All of that flashed through Nill’s mind in an instance, as he grabbed Lupin’s hips and pulled him into another kiss, before placing his hands against the back of Lupin’s legs, encouraging him to jump up against his hips. Intending to walk him to his bedroom. 

As backwards as it seemed sometimes, with the strict routine Lupin adhered to, Lupin was actually rather confident and proud in his body. From the muscle he’d only managed to start putting on in his late teens, to the thin scars on his chest, from the riding physique he knew filled out his thighs, Lupin was happy with the body he was in. 

And…right now? He wanted to share it with another person, long-term reckoning of what relationships meant be damned. And if there was anyone he was comfortable casting off those anxieties with, it was Nill. 

Laughing a little at the nudges on his legs, Lupin challenged, “You sure you’re up for that?”

“Tsk,” Nill chuckled, before mouthing at him as clearly as he could, “Why does every one doubt my abilities today?” Before, grasping the back of Lupin’s thighs tightly, he hefted him into the air and up onto his hips…only grunting in effort a little, but that was because it was an unusual angle and nothing more! 

Cupping under Lupin’s butt, Nill leaned in for a few more kisses as he headed into the direction he knew Lupin’s room was. Managing to jimmy the knob open just enough to let him kick the door open, he headed to the bed, flopping the two of them down against it as he kissed Lupin some more…before glancing around. Making sure he actually had taken them to Lupin’s room. 

A little breathy groaning sound left Lupin as he was suddenly hefted in the air. It wasn’t a surprising sort of sudden, Nill had telegraphed everything just fine, so Lupin wasn’t left scrambling, but…he didn’t know. Suddenly having his thighs spread around Nill’s waist, suddenly feeling the heat of their torsos being skin-to-skin, Nill being at a kissing height that wouldn’t require Lupin to tilt his head up…

Lupin practically whined as he kissed Nill back, the ache that had started up between his legs what seemed like hours ago making him feel both needy and a little overwhelmed. Though, he indulged the former much more as he was dropped on his bed, still wrapping his legs around Nill’s hips as he kissed around his friend’s jaw. 

When he had moved out of his parents’ home, there wasn’t actually that much Lupin had taken. Many of his trophies and accolades were still displayed in the Anuncul home, and Lupin only had a few keepsakes to bring with him along with the basics. However, the months of…well, relative independence had started to warm the otherwise hotel-esque decor. 

There were a bunch of textbooks and reference books on history and management and basically anything Lupin had ever gotten for school or had figured would be helpful, along with quite a few medical reference books for his endeavors in helping out Aster. Untouched for a bit were some architecture and maintenance books from when he tried to do the same for Zinnia, before she made quite clear that his ‘help’ wasn’t actually that. There was a small selection of home exercise equipment under a lovingly painted wall-scroll of an expanse of sky, and nearby on the wall was a corkboard, every item evenly aligned. A list of classes, seemingly for the degrees Lupin was pursuing, a handwritten set of schedules, some amateur drawings of himself, Zinnia, and Aster, and two more professional-looking ones, one of himself in formalwear, and then another with the girls in it. The room was impeccably clean, but there were definite signs of life. 

Not least of which were the sounds of the owner on his bed. 

Okay, yeah, definitely Lupin’s room. 

Content that he had set them up in the right spot to actually relax, Nill focused back on Lupin. He could practically feel his eyes dilating as Lupin whined and groaned into his ear, this a side of his friend he had never seen before. 

Now, don’t get Nill wrong, Lupin wasn’t only the perfectionist goody-two-shoes sci-fi robot that his parents seemed absolutely determined to see him become. Nill would have lost interest in Lupin a long time ago if that was the case. There had always been a sense of humor to the guy that Nill had found himself drawn too. His small chastising of Nill and his lifestyle feeling more like banter, like a game, that they were both happily indulging in. Nill always lightly pulling him into places and situations he found fun, Lupin usually stopping him before they got too far into it, but mostly the two of them just chatting over the line, sharing pieces of their world together. Lupin’s rigid, perfect plan just as much a background to Lupin as Nill’s wild, change reinforced, spur of the moment adventures were a background to him, neither of those things really touching or heavily important when it was just the two of them, hanging out. 

Lupin, without all the perfection and plans and status-quo he had to uphold, was just…kind of a funny, cool dude. Who made Nill feel things. Mostly fond amusement, or even a little protective. Definitely a little teasing, maybe even a tad challenged. 

And, yes, Lupin had always been hot and Nill had always been absolutely down to fuck all the smarts and perfection out of him.

But this was a different type of aroused, seeing Lupin, feeling Lupin, pressed beneath him and whining for more, legs tight around Nill’s waist. This created an urgency in that lust that Nill hadn’t been dealing with before, his cock more urgently nodding to life beneath his pants. 

Nill had, admittedly, been partly keeping his pants on just in case Lupin wanted to back out last minute. Nill would stop if Lupin wanted to. He’d stop with probably a laugh and an insistence that if they weren’t going to fuck then dammit Lupin owed him some drinks at least, and they’d drink until Nill couldn’t have possibly gotten his whiskey-dick up anyway, laughing about what they almost did. 

But now, change, Nill wanted it. Nill…needed to grab a condom out of his pockets first, which he did, pulling one out and tossing it onto the bed, noting idly that the packet hadn’t ripped and he had actually pulled out a handful. That was alright, they all landed on the blanket near Lupin’s shoulder anyway, as Nill coaxed Lupin’s legs off him so that he could get down to his belt, pulling it off and tossing it aside, kicking his pants down with his toes and urgent shakes of his knees as he ran his hands up Lupin’s sides and grazing over his chest, kissing him. 

Perfect, he mouthed into Lupin’s lips, before capturing his tongue again. He doubted Lupin understood. He just wanted to say it anyway, as he crawled further onto the bed, free of his pants.

It was less startling than Lupin had thought (occasionally, privately) to feel the front of Nill’s pants start to bulge. Really, more than anything, he just felt hotter, knowing that Nill was just as into this as he was. 

…though that did present a…not issue, per se… More of a back of the mind consideration, maybe, about the fact that, yes, Lupin had experimented physically and romantically in the past. But never more than, well, the experimentation and exploration of a teen. 

Lupin was all about learning experiences! But, er, usually not in front of other people. If the tediously early mornings and extended hikes out onto less-trodden paths were any indication. 

Still, he wasn’t flying completely blind, and Lupin reached out to search for his nightstand drawer…only to notice Nill pull something from his pocket and-- “Heh. On the same page,” he murmured, laughing a little as Nill shimmied his own pants off. 

Left to admire, Lupin took advantage for the moments he could, before locking his lips with Nill once again, a little shiver going through him as hands slid up his sides. Wrapping his own arms around Nill again, Lupin carded one hand’s fingers through Nill’s hair as he hooked one leg back around one of Nill’s encouraging him to get close again, his other leg parting a little more as he felt Nill come flush with his hips. 

Nill felt a thrill of arousal as he felt Lupin’s hand go through his hair, the curls there immediately tugging a bit as he felt short, perfectly manicured fingernails graze at his scalp, adjusting around the string of the eyepatch. Sometimes Nill liked to take the eyepatch off for stuff like this just because it tended to collect sweat, but while Lupin had seen his dead-white eye before–Nill had proudly showed it off to him once, an illness from his youth having taken it and leaving behind an unscarred, still, milky-white eye–and sometimes Nill’s partners were into it. But enough of them had been not into it to make Nill wary of just randomly adding that in. 

(Maybe something to talk about for…)

(...next time?)

Nill was rougher just in the act of skin grazing on skin than Lupin was. For one, Lupin actually moisturized, which Nill only ever remembered to do once he saw literal fragments of his skin start to peel away. And even then, sometimes he didn’t really care. Plus, the white hair that littered around Nill’s body, obvious against his dark complexion, was coarser than the thin hair Nill didn’t entirely realize was there until his hand or thigh or stomach brushed against it. Lupin’s hair would have probably been more obvious in the light, but the shaded light of the lamp Nill had managed to get on in their heft into the room made his skin more of an exploration of touch, new patches discovered beneath Nill’s fingertips. 

Already, Nill found himself loving the small streaks of red that were briefly–and sometimes not so briefly–left behind by his hands and fingernails pressing into Lupin’s skin. Nill able to look over all the little red marks appreciatively–damn, even some areas he was kissing were lighting up red, showing a trail of where Nill had pressed his lips down Lupin’s neck and towards his chest–as he straightened up, grabbing one of the condoms and ripping it from its joint packaging, breaking the top with his teeth before rolling it over his length. 

Then, glancing down at Lupin’s folds, Nill realized there was certain difficulties with both dirty talk and subtle questions about where and when to touch… so, doing his best to convey his point, Nill looked up at Lupin, raised a questioning eyebrow, before bringing up two fingers in a v-shape and sticking his tongue between them with a small smirk.  

Something that Lupin hadn’t known, and still didn’t even now, was that apparently he was pretty noisy in bed. Not loud, not putting on a pornstar-worthy performance, but just…making sounds. Little audible hitches in breath as parts of his and Nill’s body pressed or shifted together, sighs when they parted from kisses, small non-sounds from his throat as he shuddered under light, grazing trails that pushed the boundaries of overstimulation and made Lupin touch and press up with even more gusto. 

Again, it was hard to not be in the moment, but there was a part of Lupin that hoped it wasn’t painfully obvious that he was just…making up a lot as he went. 

Having been caressing Nill’s chest, kissing down his neck, Lupin reluctantly backed off as Nill straightened up, though seeing what he was doing, and the question posed… Lupin huffed, red-faced and heavily breathing. 

“You really had to ask in the most vulgar way possible,” he teasingly grouched, before reaching for, and opening his nightstand drawer this time. Trying just…not to think about how obviously wet he’d gotten, and how it was…likely obvious with his legs open around Nill’s knees. “Yes, but even if I know I’m clean, only with a dental dam.”

Lupin picked out one from his drawer, working to open it. 

Be lucky my hands are busy, or I’d be calling you all sorts of embarrassing things, Nill ‘winked’ at Lupin, signing each individual letter with one hand quickly, baby. 

Because while the observation/warning was accurate, Nill would rather chop his dick off then try to integrate the hand motion for ‘baby’ into sexy talk. Figuring out new avenues for dumb, dirty talk was already proving to be an interesting challenge with Lupin. One Nill was having fun with, as he chuckled at the little package Lupin had pulled out. Fair enough, fair enough, Nill wasn’t exactly celibate before this. Better safe than passing some gunk around.

Still, Nill was going to get some lewd buffoonery into this however he could, as he leaned forward and grasped the package Lupin was working on with his teeth, before bringing the other side of it Lupin’s mouth, smirking down at him as he waited for his friend to realize Nill wanted him to bite the other side of it after poking it between Lupin’s lips a few times.

Ripping the package apart, Nill let it fall between them before crashing in for another kiss, feeling excited and just wanting to be close to him again. His hips grinding up between Lupin’s legs, a smear of wet coating up his cock as he did so. 

An almost sputtering, snort-like exhalation came from Lupin at that, catching what Nill had spelled before he laughed. “Even with that stipulation, sweetheart, I’m not sure I’d consider myself lucky,” Lupin mused, before his voice softened a little. “It’s kind of…weird. How quiet you are.”

And silence fell for all of two seconds before Lupin quickly clarified, “Not that I’m saying that anything you’re doing is odd, it’s just that I’m used to you talking so much that, with your hands occupied, it’s not the norm.”

Thankfully Nill quickly gave Lupin a reason to stop talking himself, and with a flustered look he helped tear open the dam package. And the kiss that followed was an even better excuse, even if he managed to sneak in gasping groans as his hips ground Nill’s back, thighs subconsciously squeezing Nill a bit. 

Nill also felt a bit weirdly quiet, but that was even more reason to make sure actions spoke louder than words anyway. Again, his usual dirty talk–which would have been a bit odd with Lupin anyway, though Nill would have given it the ol’ college he had never gone to try–was a bit of a non-starter here. But still, there was something fun in the challenge of it. 

Especially when Lupin was ooooh so rewarding~ Nill gasping a little as their hips ground together, a sudden reminder to the man that damn he needed to move things along if he wanted to take some of that tight wet for himself. 

Kissing down Lupin’s chest, then his stomach–testing for a moment how sensitive Lupin’s stomach might be as he ran a tongue heavily along his naval–before continuing his trek down, Nill tapped Lupin’s thighs to get his attention, before tapping his own shoulders, letting him know where he wanted them, before putting out his hand, palm up, waiting patiently for Lupin to hand him the dam from where he was waiting between Lupin’s legs. He gave an exaggeratedly mouthed thank you when the item was handed to him, finishing unfolding it from its packaging.

Warming it against his palm for a moment first, because he was a gentleman in some respects, at least, Nill was careful as he placed both the dam and his palm against Lupin’s folds. That initial touch to somewhere so private not something Nill always thought to offer to everyone, but for Lupin? There was a brief moment of letting Lupin get used to the feel of his hand there, gently rubbing his thumb along the smooth lining of the dam, searching–and easily finding, damn–for the small budding head of the clit. 

Once he was sure Lupin knew he was there? Was ready for him? Nill gasped his thighs and dipped his head down, readily digging in. 

-

Tsar Niklaas of Saiph, in the privacy of his personal office, let out a sigh as he relaxed his grip on the letter, letting it lay back on his desk. It was not that long ago at all they had received notice from the Principality of Eslley, and declared official recognition of the country--the recently reclaimed country--and now here they were, inviting all the royalty in the lands to… Niklaas gave the letter a dry look. A marriage contest, essentially. A bidding war for a young prince’s hand…though the implication that Prince Ingo Dianthe would be leaving for his betrothed’s country was a spin on the initially ego-blown concept, Niklaas had to admit. 

Eslley… They had recently won a war with a powerhouse neighbor, basically from nothing but grit and pride. That took skill, strategy. More luck than a claim of a god’s blessing could really affect. Loyalty, not just for the royals’ belief in their goddess-claimed land, but their people in their leaders, and while it wasn’t always true…people didn’t tend to follow into their own demises, especially from the state Eslley had been in before… 

Likely not a lot of wealth, other than culture. However, Niklaas recalled that the initial trade agreements they had made with Eslley didn’t feel like a country in poverty bargaining for scraps in the world market. So they likely knew how to sell what they had in a clever way… 

Niklaas sighed again, rubbing his temple as he felt a headache start to come on, and his attention was diverted from the letter to a flower on his desk. His expression softened. 

…he was not about to sell his daughter, or her happiness. Despite the politics that, realistically, they did need to consider, Niklaas was determined to ensure that Madeline could cut her own path into the future. 

…Eir would love the idea of an international ball. It had been some time since they had been able to dance on a grand floor in that manner, and that was a travesty he could not stand for. 

It would benefit them to be able to network face-to-face with the known world. 

Madeline would not have to marry anyone she did not wish to, nor debase herself currying favor for a man she had never heard of…but a vacation was not a bad idea. 

…

Niklaas gave the letter another look. He’d never heard of the people mentioned, but he could easily put the word out for them. It was the least he could do, hoping others would do the same for Conductor Shamal. 

-

Princess Madeline–though please, call her Maddie!--was just finished smoothing out her petticoat and straightening out her cropped jackets. Putting on her little white gloves, ensuring her flowers were pinned into her single wrapped braid just right, she gave herself one last look over after stepping into her little wedge-heeled shoes. Her outfit’s tight, stylized lines and knitted swirls shimmering slightly in the sunlight her large, open window let in. 

She smiled brightly at herself in the mirror. The smile was perfect. 

“Now to just grab my bag!” she said, her heels clicking lightly as she headed into her closet. Inside were dozens of tiny, tiny purses. All of which would be impractical for a busy school day! It was nice to be fashionable, but not at the cost of convenience, silly!

So she got one of her tiny, tiny backpacks and, ensuring that there were a fresh pencil carrying-case inside–as that was literally the only thing that could have possibly fit inside the tiny backpack–she shouldered it on and gave herself another bright smile in the mirror. Ready to go! 

She was going to have A Good Day Today.

…same as every day! Teehee~

Giving herself a determined look–A Good Day. A Good Day!--she headed off downstairs, where attendants were waiting with her carriage. Keeping the mantra going strong in her head–A Good Day! A Good Day!--she waited for the carriage to stop and for the door to be opened for her, stepping out onto a little stairway placed in front of the door and guided out gently by the hand by one of the carriage attendants, she wished the drivers a good day with a little wave, before heading into the school. 

It had been Madeline’s insistence that she be allowed to attend the capital school, as the other noble-born children were allowed. She hadn’t started until the start of high school because of the…incidents. But it had been four years now and Madeline had been on her Best Behavior! Nothing but Good Days! 

She waved and greeted with a near squeaky enthusiasm all the other students as she passed by on the way to her locker, where her books and school supplies would actually be. Madeline felt very proud of herself that she had been able to convince Mummy and Papa that she did not, in fact, need a full-time servant at the school to carry her things for her. She could carry her own things! And do all sorts of things!

And still have A. Good. Day.

Smiling brightly, she headed into class.

It was a Strange Day, since for once Levi was actually in class, and not just lounging on the roof or in one of the clubrooms or in some ‘shadowy, degenerate corner plotting to take advantage of respectable, well-meaning students’...whatever that meant. But he’d actually woken up without a headache, and O Night was away, so Levi had thought, hey! Let’s go see what people are up to in class! 

So he was lounged forward over his desk, two boxes of snacks already open, tail swaying lightly out of the back of his chair when he saw Miss Princess herself walk in, looking brighter than a sunny day. 

Giving a lazy wave, he greeted, “Hey, Maddie. You see any flames walkin’ around out there? Must be unseasonably warm if I made it to class before you.”

“Oh~” Madeline squeaked happily, her little heels click-clack-clicking across the floor as she hurried over to Levi, smiling brightly at him. “Levi! Did you finally thaw from whatever cave you were frozen in, then?” Madeline asked, squeaking a little giggle as she hid her mouth behind her hand for a moment, before saying brightly to him, “Of course I just tease! It is delightful to see you again! It’s been nearly two weeks this time! That’s very near a record for you~”

Levi smiled lazily, his eyes making little ‘u’s as a quiet laugh rumbled somewhere deep in his chest. “What can I say, I just keep setting higher and higher expectations. We could only hope for a proper freeze, though,” he sighed longingly. “Not even a flake of snow yet, could make a guy cry.”

“But for the normies, it’s been a nice time, I imagine,” he shrugged, giving Madeline a small grin. “I miss anything neat, besides your daily life? Dear grand leader Papa make some speech about…” Levi drawled off, spinning a finger in the air like it was the center of a wheel. “The dangers of proletariat air, and how he’s gonna requisition some new respirator for his darling daughter to wear to school?”

“Teehee~ Oh silly, you’re such a tease! No!” Madeline giggled…before admitting somewhat sheepishly, “Papa did kindly ask the school remove and replace the rose bushes within the school labyrinth garden though. Silly me, I may have caught my petticoat in them when I was exploring with Saralynn and Katelinne…which caused me to accidentally catch my panty-hose on them when I was attempting to free myself…which caused me to fall in and oh wasn’t that a whole event by itself…”

She smiled brightly. “But beyond that! Nothing has happened at all, thank you very much, you tease~ How about you? Any daring adventures from our local bad boy? Oh, Sara, Katie, hello girls!” Madeline greeted, seeing her two friends–both dressed quite a bit like Madeline herself, though with different little styling choices and color pallets–come in and gave them a wave, before returning her attention to Levi.  

That low rumble of a laugh vibrated again as Levi snickered at Madeline’s story, Levi shaking his head in amusement before popping a chocolate cream cookie in his mouth. “Tsar Niklaas doing a service to the country again, getting rid of foul rose bushes. Who knows what could happen next, as if you falling into a thorn party wasn’t bad enough. Talk about an ouch-fest.” He winced sympathetically. 

Before gasping an affront. “Me? A bad boy? Maddie, what have I ever done but try to look out for my fellow man?” His tail flicked before he shrugged lackadaisically and rotated a hand at the wrist. “Term all-encompassing.”

Following Madeline’s gaze and giving a half-hearted wave to the two girls, Levi propped his chin up on his desk and hummed lowly. “Same old, same old, you know it. O Night and I trained with some Spawn that wanted a tussle, did some sightseeing over the sea. Looks like some of the smoke in the sky has cleared up so…that probably means something.” 

…not that Levi had gone to check. More than just his grandfather forbidding him to wander off into other continents, it was just too much work to do it. Though O Night had been a little worried about the lack of ships in the southern sea lately…

While once Madeline had been a bit worried about Levi actually seeking out Spawn to ‘tussle with’, after a few years of knowing him Madeline had learned to let go of her fear for him in that regard. Everyone else was strongly encouraged to just let the Coordinators handle the Kyu-Spawn, and while Levi was in training, well!! Training was what Levi was! Not a Coordinator just yet, young mister!! 

…but then Levi had been very courageous and saved Madeline from some spawns during a field trip where she, perhaps, may have wandered a little too far from the group. But how could she not!!! The Lava Cat had just been soooo precious~~~ And polite!! Madeline had been quite taken in by the little feline, and had wanted to continue their conversation for some time before a spawn oh so rudely interrupted them!! 

And nearly took Madeline’s head off, until Levi had chased it off. 

Since then, Madeline had stopped waving Levi off as a wannabe coordinator, and was now a ‘Trainee with Potential’. And also someone Madeline felt quite content to be quite friendly with! Despite his otherwise degenerate behavior~~~<3

“Oh, I simply tremble with envy, knowing you have seen O Night with some regularity! I miss him.” Madeline pouted. “He does give the best, furriest little hugs~! Does he miss me? I bet he does. I also give the best hugs.”

“Princess,” the professor said, entering the classroom and seeing Madeline was the last student to have not claimed her seat yet, “If we may all begin soon? I’m certain your fellow students are chomping at the bit to hear more about how continental shifts created our esteemed home.”

“Eep! Apologies!” Madeline squeaked, looking genuinely aghast to have kept her fellow students literally less than two seconds from a geology lesson literally none of them wanted to hear. Looking back to Levi, she smiled brightly at him, before hurrying off to her seat, with the other Lynn/Line/Linn’s.

“Ha, hey, you know that ol’ softy misses ya,” Levi chuckled. “You know he’ll be around sooner or later, you both can get your hugs in then. I’ll pull out the puppy-dog eyes if he seems antsy to fly off again. Anything for you.” 

With a playful wink, Levi’s gold gaze drifted over to their teacher, relaxing over his desk more as his dues begged to be paid. With a yawn, he popped another cookie in his mouth, and settled in to actually listen to a lecture for once. Mostly. He was present, at least. 

-

…okay, he lasted until lunch. Which, with how things had been going lately, was a pretty good show of effort from Levi! It was just, after they all dispersed for lunch, he’d gone up to the school roof to enjoy the chill of the day and give O Night a nice place to land if he was gonna show up, and it was just…so nice…

Levi peeked an eye open from his light doze, though, hearing the familiar sound of flapping wings. Grinning, he gave his friend a lazy wave, always happy to see the large, cuddly Kyu-Spawn. “Heyyyy, bud~ Whatcha got there?”

It wasn’t so unusual for O Night to bring back interesting things from his seafaring excursions if Levi hadn’t gone with him, but the small burlap sack, and the tender, worried way O Night handled it piqued Levi’s interest. Sitting up with a stretch, Levi took the bag with the same care and peeked inside, before frowning a little at the words his friend drew in the air. 

“Shit… A mail-ship? Do you - oh. I mean, I guess natural causes is better than someone trying to sabotage the mail,” Levi mused. Pulling out a letter, he regarded the torn edges and bled ink, before looking back up at his friend with a cool amusement. “Guess we’re putting these back together as the day’s activities, huh, bud?”

Look, Madeline knew Levi was absent more than he was present, and she knew that if anyone was going to get Levi to come to school, it wasn’t going to be her. Madeline was known for being a bit of a, well… goody-two shoes. Stick in the mud, as one classmate had put it once. Buzzkill, as that same student had put it at a different point in time. 

(Jennibelle could be a bit mean, sometimes. Madeline assured herself she probably just had a difficult homelife and was secretly a delightful person.)

(Deep down.)

(Deeeeeeeep in her horrid little soul~)

But! Levi was actually, physically, in the school somewhere! And still not in class!!! That was just silly, and Madeline really couldn’t abide it. If he was going to make the effort of coming all the way to the school, certainly the extra step of going to class is the smallest of efforts! Levi!!!

So, harrumphing in class, Madeline requested to use the bathroom–Madeline still requested things, like anyone would ever deny her anything, because it felt very impolite to just assume–before hurrying around the school, looking for Levi in some of The Spots. The hoodlum spots! Where people went to skip! Or hide items that would otherwise get confiscated by the professors! Or perhaps the most shocking activity, kiss. Scandalous!!! 

Madeline peeked in some of the spots, was mildly disappointed to not spy anyone doing anything nefarious–drama was fun, if at least to watch at a distance–before finally checking the roof and— “Levi! Levi, I must insist, you’re already here and–GASP! O NIGHT!!”

Madeline squeaked in joy, hurrying over to the kyu-spawn, opening her arms wide for a hug.

Levi looked up, a little surprised, a stack of fresh paper under his knee and his fingers covered in strips of tape, before he grinned a little. Amused, as the 7-foot Spawn opened his arms, fluffy tail swaying, and wholly embraced the princess. Sure, Levi had found that most Kyu-Spawn were pretty cuddly if they weren’t pissed off, but not a lot of people had that perspective. So seeing Madeline bee-line towards O Night was always a funny sight. 

Chuckling as he carefully taped up one of the rips in the letter he was currently working on, Levi hummed knowingly. “Pretty good reason not to come back to class, huh?”

Madeline cheerfully rubbed her face into O Night’s fur–so soft!!!--before she looked down to see what Levi was doing…only to not entirely understand what Levi was doing. “Levi?? Are you taping together trash? What on earth for?”

“Hey, I think a lot of these people’d object to you calling these ‘trash’, Maddie.” Levi glanced down at some of the letters he’d sifted through. “Though some are. Don’t think people getting debt notifications would mind if those were just lost to the elements.”

‘A mail-ship to the west capsized,’ O Night sadly explained to Madeline, gently patting around the flowers in her hair. ‘Levi’s salvaging the letters he can so we can get as many as we can to their recipients.’ 

“Gasp!” Madeline said aloud, placing her gloved hands to her mouth in shock as she looked down at the ripped papers with new alarm, “Not ripped letters!!! The last words of someone’s great-great-great-grandmama might be in there! Waiting to be heard by her youngest doting, but distant, grandchild!” Madeline grasped her hands together, looking down in despair as she said, “They wanted to be at her bedside during the worst of it, but the family worked so hard to get them to the Capital Academia that great-great-great-granny made them swear not to skip any school days, not even for this… a sacrifice of love on both sides… so sad… we must get these letters to them!!”

Plopping down, Madeline huffed. “Pass me a pile!” she demanded.

Laughing that rumbling sound, Levi, as demanded (hey, couldn’t say no to a royal, could he?), passed Madeline a pile. “Exactly, you get it. Can’t disappoint a grandchild with something that heartfelt, what am I, a jerk?” Levi shrugged a little, nodding to the stack of papers under his knee. “You might be more successful than me. Some of the addresses got warped and I’ve been trying to copy down a cleaner version just to make things easier on the mail folks…but some of it I just can’t make heads or tails of. If you crack the code, feel free to take initiative.”

“Well, I don’t know how good at this I’m going to be yet. I’ve done a puzzle or two in my day, but this is certainly its own sort of challenge–OH I FIGURED ONE OUT!” Madeline gasped, biting her tongue in concentration as she started hurriedly putting some of the pieces together.

They continued on like that for a bit, before Madeline noticed, “Quite a lot of these aren’t to here, have you noticed? I think everything I’ve put together so far might actually be going to Dicea. Isn’t that strange?”

Levi grinned in amusement at Madeline’s vigor before setting himself back to work. He was doing a public service, sure, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t curious, and as he carefully stitched back together what letters he could…sure, he took a few peeks. Like he’d said, the notices of debt were better off lost at sea, but others… All sorts of things, from descriptions of vacations to what he could only assume were notices of travel to a government, to check-ins after a move. It was interesting, seeing the little glimpses of other people’s lives, snapshots in a single, contextless letter. 

Just like this one, for example. It had actually taken Levi a second to realize that it was a letter from mother to son, just by the matter-of-fact language it was written in. The mother was some sort of…researcher, or adventurer…or smuggler, maybe, informing the son of upcoming parcels, which was the majority of the letter, though there were still more personal things; an acknowledgement of a birthday, for one. 

…

Levi’s eyes lowered a bit as he read through the letter. 

…

Grief didn’t just disappear because you accepted it. Just because he’d decided to let go of the hope that was driving his uncle insane didn’t mean it didn’t still…hurt. Even if it was borderline impersonal…gods, what Levi would do for a letter…

“...hm?” He blinked, looking back up at Madeline, before tilting his head a little. “That is pretty weird… O Night, you did say the western sea, right?” Getting a confirming nod, Levi scratched the back of his neck as he thought. “...weird. I’ve barely even seen the coast of Danganronpa on the horizon, and Dicea’s on the whole other side of that continent, isn’t it? I wonder what a mail-ship was doing all the way out here…”

“I couldn’t imagine,” Madeline said, tilting her head at one of the addresses, “...unless the ship was caught in a whirlpool, submerged, and then was caught by the kraken? But the kraken wasn’t feeling peckish, and so just carried it along for a bit until it reammerged at our coastlines? And while the ship was submerged,” Madeline suddenly gasped, eyes wide with wonder, “The mermaids took the drowning crew and made them their peers… or pets… OR MEALS! OH NO!!!”

Madeline grasped the letter, lips tight together as she considered this tragic possibility…before bowing her head. “Rest in peace, undead mermaid pet and emergency food supply crew. I swear. We WILL finish your last mission!! Or at least move these letters along to another ship,” Madeline compromised, looking through the letter, before wrinkling her nose, “This one’s a receipt or a shipment that was supposed to arrive with the ship. Sort of seems superfluous now, with the equipment at the bottom of the sea. Well, maybe their accountants need it.” She shrugged, continuing to repair it.

Levi listened to the sordid tale of the doomed crew with an amused grin on his face, before he shook his head with a rumble. “I highly doubt there’s anything you couldn’t imagine even a little of. Who knows? There’s a chance that could’ve happened. You even do hear stories of mermaids eating castaways, so there’s a basis.”

Getting back to work, Levi applied a few more pieces of tape before pausing, looking at the mother’s letter to her son again. And then he took a full piece of paper from the stack, getting out a pen and starting to write. 

Mr. Arven the recently birthday boy~

Sorry about snooping through your mail, bud, I know it’s not cool. Unfortunately there was a bit of a mishap in the delivery process, and like the gods-destined blessed I am, the Levster is making sure it gets right to ya anyway--though that means being a little nosy as I tape it back together. You win some, you lose some.

Your mother’s letter just caught my eye--you want me to hold onto the sent address to tell her she needs work on her bedside manner? ;) Ha, just kidding. Hope your birthday was cool, and that the package you’re getting from her shows up alright, though I don’t know how it could possibly compare to a confusing ‘how do you do’ from a complete stranger.

Hey, if you’re bored to death, I am curious about your stretch of the world and I could use a penpal. Give it a thought!

Hope this made it to you,

Levi of Opelucid

…

…he should really go visit his mom soon. Maybe after school. 

Madeline wasn’t a snoop… but she still snooped a bit, peering over at Levi’s letter. She was quite adept at reading lettering upside down, actually!! Not that that’s a skill she cultivated. That’d be quite rude!! She just practiced it for a while! For fun!!! Which was an entirely different thing!!! 

“Oh!” She squeaked, scooting closer to read his letter more clearly. “Are you making friends? I want to make friends!! Put me in the footnote, make me a P.S., say…” Madeline paused, considering it, before smiling brightly, “P.S.!!! Maddie says hello!! And that she hopes you’re having a very nice day~~~”

“My, Princess, leaving evidence you’ve been snooping through someone’s mail? Scandalous~” Levi teased, though he wrote in the post-script, thinking to add in a little doodle of O Night at the bottom as well. If they were all going to go in on this, then he’d represent them all. 

Folding his own letter to fit in an envelope, he gave Madeline a small shrug. “I dunno, you ever just get a good vibe about someone? Through someone else’s words,” he rolled his eyes a little, “If it’s too weird, I guess he could just throw it out, so no harm done. And it’d be interesting if he wrote back, don’t you think? Don’t get a lot of word about Dicea out here.”

“Well, they’re from Basacta, and, well, you knooooow~~~” Madeline smiled, shrugging a little sheepishly…before giggling, “They’re a little backwards there. You know they haven’t even figured out magnetic rails? They don’t have rails, but they invented magnetic communication! It’s so bizarre, like in some respects they’re still living in the stone age, and then if you read up on them those continents have just these random bursts of brilliance. Did you know the concept of ‘0’ came from that continent? In fact, a good portion of our mathematical language is actually adopted from that continent. Which is impressive! Which just makes it sooooo silly how behind they are!” 

Madeline giggled again…before suddenly looking shamefaced. “Should I laugh at that? I’m starting to feel a little mean. Even if it is very silly. Oh! Ask your penpal if he’s very good at maths!!”