the trick is never to let your guard down

There were few places Cihan felt more out of place than within the crowded ale room of a tavern. The closest to such a place he had experienced before was the mess hall where the miners would congregate between shifts for a hearty meal and drink before retreating back into the depths and their work. The hum of conversation among the fellow workers of Nithiri’s mine was comfortable for him, a welcome buzz and noise, but here in this overcrowded tavern in the town outside of Elaris, the noise was deafening and uncomfortable. He had only stopped there because he needed a place to rest after walking through the city for the past couple hours, carrying parcels with scientific journals and manuals he found for sale within a shop of tomes and antiquities, and a few strange scraps of iron and other broken trinkets he’d thought could be used in building his next automaton. His arms were strong from years spent hacking away at stone with a pick axe, but even he needed the respite that a seat and a drink could give.

If he had given himself just a bit more time to weigh his options, Cihan would have continued the walk up to Elaris Keep instead of stopping there. Normally his timid side won out when the option to stop in somewhere brimming with others presented itself, but he also had a side that wanted to push himself to trying new experiences. He would normally never choose the path that came to the tavern’s door, but there he was, alone at a table in the corner, shoulders hiked up towards his ears and slouching over a cup with ale. Dreadful ale. He was not a fan of the drink, but then again he rarely consumed stronger beverages. Anything that could make him lose sense of himself, Cihan typically avoided. In all his thirty years of life, he had never once been drunk. And after one sip had confirmed the suspicion that he did not enjoy the taste, he decided to not pursue drinking more. So why was he still there? Something kept him rooted to the spot, what exactly he wasn’t sure. But it sure as hell was not the drink, and he gently pushed the glass away in favor of dismantling one of the contraptions he found while exploring.

As he sat there, eyes glued to the pieces of a broken toy bird, as well as the other scrap metals he found, he’d almost missed it as a rare familiar face found their way into the ale room as well. “ Lord Tenelith, ” he’d only said the name when the man had ventured close enough to hear, not one to raise his voice above a crowd he was so unfamiliar with. He had known the other lord in the way that he knew of other Vallarions — predominately by name, but with the caveat that they had a few times crossed paths within their hollow. On those rare occasions that Cihan had wandered beyond the borders of House Dagdelen’s domain. In the other he found a personality that had not grated upon his nerves, nor seemed unbearable or uneasy to get along with. And in that moment, where he was so far out of his element, Cihan could not help but find a sliver of relief in seeing a face that was familiar and friendly all at once.

“ Would you join me? ” The invitation was awkward and timid, unpracticed, as he motioned to one of the empty seats surrounding his table. “ I am out of my element, and could use the company. I believe this, ” he motioned around them, “ You are possibly more used to. Perhaps I can learn to be more at ease while in your presence. ” He wouldn’t admit a shortcoming to just anyone, it was a true testament to his being at least a little bit comfortable with Lukesh to make such a comment.

lukesh  nodded  and  offered  cihan  a  bright  smile  before  he  sat  down  at  the  table.  he  extended  himself  along  the  back  of  the  chair  and  motioned  towards  him.  "well,  cihan,  let's  hope  so."  he  said  with  a  smirk. the  heir  leaned  forward  and  clasped  his  hands  together.  "well,  if  you  stick  by  me...  i  can  teach  you  a  few  things."  he  winked  at  the  other  and  glanced  around. lukesh  waved  over  the  one  maning  the  bar  and  smiled  at  them  before  ordering  himself  some  of  the  expensive  liquor.  "here,  this  is  better."  he  explained.  lukesh  stood  suddenly  and  walked  over  to  grab  them  new  drinks.  he  returned  and  put  them  back  on  the  table.  "come  one...  try  this.  it's  more  than  the  ale  and  goes  down  a  bit  easier."  he  replied.  he  picked  up  his  own  and  took  a  long  sip.  "what  do  you  think?"  lukesh  asked.

ah, the heir tenelith. she had seen the younger man from time to time through her days. while death had not visited the liege lords of vyntwist, not yet. there was still the people around and within. they too were given peace in the end and denma was always willing to provide. she tilted her head in response to his slight bow, respect deserved respect in kind as she moved to take a seat on one of the stone benches provided within the area.

her smile stayed soft on her fast as he listed all the ways he would perhaps be the one to bother her. as if that could ever be true. “sometimes all one need do is say what is troubling them out loud,” she offered calmly, shifting her shawl over her shoulders a light tinkling of bells following her movement. the only adornment she allowed herself. only twinkling treasure of her own. “but i would warn you that i am careful with my feelings and those of others. if you are looking for someone to rage with you, you shan’t find them within i.” she did not think he needed to rage, she did not think most would outside of a select few.

however, chances were there was something heavy on his mind. as many seemed to hold with them walking into the warm world of heliophra. denma couldn’t help the soft sigh at his question. safe from what? from scheming? from love? from fear? from death? “if you are looking for safety from death, i fear no where is safe from that. we all will meet our end one day.” she paused in her thoughts, moving her eyes away from where they had strayed to the flora and fauna around them, looking directly into his eyes.

“but that leaves no reason to not try and live anyway. life is meant to be lived..."

lukesh's  eyes  narrowed.  "do  you  think  i  am  capable  of  rage?"  he  asked  curiously.  he  did  not  think  he  could  contain  a  lot  of  rage  but  he  knew  that  perhaps  one  day,  he  could  snap.  lukesh  knew  he  was  horrible  with  processing  his  emotions  and  even  then,  sometimes  his  frustration  came  off  as  rage.  he  hoped  that  those  closest  to  him  knew  that,  or  at  least  tried  to  understand  it.  lukesh  also  hoped  that  strangers  couldn't  easily  read  him  but  he  knew  that  wasn't  probably  the  case.  he  was  incredibly  easy  to  read. he  nodded  as  she  spoke.  he  knew  that  he  could  not  save  himself  from  death,  he  didn't  fear  it  either.  he  just  wished  ...  he  had  more  time.  that  was  something  he  could  never  get,  though.  more  time  with  his  mother,  his  ama,  his  sister.  he  could  never  get  the  time  back.  "i  am  not  looking  for  safety,  lady  denma...  i  know  death  comes  for  us  all."  he  replied. he  shrugged.  "life  is  also  meant  to  give  you  answers,  so  i  hope  i  can  find  them."  he  admitted.

eliza had grown used to stumbling onto others in the library's of the estates they are visiting. it seemed when you traveled and had a limited number of belongings you could bring with you, not many decided to fill those trunks with their own books and tombs. well, in her case she did, but she suspected others used them for clothing, shoes, and any other persona belongings they may deem important enough to haul between hollows. so when she entered the library and saw another sitting with their head in a book, she was not in the least bit surprised. "have you found anything interesting?" she asked, suspecting that most were either using the library books as a distraction from what was currently going on, or as a way to research and investigate it further. she was looking to be blissfully unaware, and hopefully find a good adventure written by an author here in heliophra to keep her mind distracted.

lukesh  rubbed  his  eyes,  the  books  haven't  brought  him  any  answers  and  normally,  he  wouldn't  find  anything  troubling  about  it...  but  with  everything  going  on,  the  idea  of  not  having  answers  made  him  nervous. he  glanced  up  and  noticed  the  kelindorr,  he  offered  a  shrug  before  he  decided  to  respond.  "no,  not  yet."  he  started.  "i  think  you'd  be  the  first  to  know,  though."  lukesh  told  her  honestly.  "i've  been  here  all  day  and  nothing."  he  continued  with  a  sigh.  "how  long  have  you  been  here?"  he  asked  her.  lukesh  hoped  she  hadn't  been  there  as  long  as  he'd  been  and  he  hoped  that  he  didn't  disrespect  anyone  else  if  they  had  come  up  to  him  while  he  was  reading. he  rubbed  his  eyes  again.  "come..."  he  started,  motioning  to  have  her  approach  him.  "show  me  what  books  you've  got."  he  told  her.

slender  finger  flip  through  pages  of  a  book  about  herbs  and  growths  in  heliophra  .  in  truth  ,  she  wasn't  paying  attention  to  the  book  at  all  ,  her  mind  was  filled  with  swirling  confusion  and  worry  .  her  beloved  had  applied  for  the  crown  ,  her  closest  friends  had  betrayed  her  for  made  up  tales  and  she  missed  her  family  more  than  anything  .  leaving  asharok  had  been  difficult  ,  watching  lenore  lie  straight  to  her  face  even  worse  .  life  had  suddenly  began  to  take  turns  she  had  never  believed  they  would  .  yet  ,  she  found  herself  seeing  reason  .  she  would  grow  stronger  ,  pride  herself  upon  her  purity  and  polish  it  into  diamond  ,  make  herself  unmoving  .

lukesh  knew  he  would  find  himself  in  the  library  sooner  or  later.  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  he  made  his  way  there.  he  couldn't  sleep,  not  a  single  second  since  he  arrived.  it  was  starting  to  effect  his  thoughts  and  his  ability  to  think  clearly.  the  thought  crossed  his  mind  that  maybe,  he  could  fall  asleep  reading  a  book.  he  figured  the  library  would  be  empty,  he  was  wrong. when  he  saw  the  light  on,  he  almost  turned  to  leave  but  the  old  sounds  of  the  library  betrayed  him.  he  offered  her  a  smile  and  nodded.  there  was  enough  room  for  two  but  he  didn't  want  to  leave  now,  she  had  already  heard  him.  "thanks,  i  appreciate  it." he  walked  over  to  the  seat  and  pulled  out  his  notes  and  the  book  he  thought  could  put  him  to  sleep.  he  lightly  put  it  all  on  the  table  and  shuffled  it  around  before  he  picked  up  the  book.  he  let  out  a  small  yawn  and  tried  to  cover  his  mouth  with  his  hand.  "i  apologize,  i  haven't  slept  since  i  arrived  here..  i  was  hoping..."  he  let  out  a  laugh.  "i  thought  maybe  being  in  the  library  and  reading  a  childhood  book  would  help  me  sleep."  he  admitted  to  her,  a  little  embarrassed.

lukesh  had  spent  some  of  his  time  wishing  he  was  better  at  gardening.  then  maybe,  he  would  have  a  purpose.  at  least,  something  more  to  do  than  feel  sorry  for  himself.  wandering  through  the  gardens  of  elaris  keep,  he  thought  of  how  different  it  was  from  the  citadel.  he  welcomed  the  change,  though. he  smiled  as  he  passed  by  some  familiar  faces  but  didn't  stop  to  make  small  talk.  he  was  trying  to  find  a  certain  flower  and  had  read  that  it  could  be  found  in  heliophra. he  crossed  his  arms  and  continued  to  search  through  the  gardens  but  when  he  heard  the  voice  he  stopped.  "oh,  yeah."  lukesh  stated,  still  looking  around.  he  offered  the  other  a  smirk.  "i  mean,  i  definitely  think  i'll  be  getting  lost  in  here  for  hours."  he  admitted.  "i  think  i've  been  walking  around  in  a  circle  for  what  seemed  like  hours."  lukesh  continued. at  the  mention  of  where  he  was  from,  the  fire  flashed  before  his  eyes.  she  shrugged  it  off  and  smiled.  "we  have  gardens  but  nothing  like  this.  besides,  i  am  used  to  having  my  nose  stuck  in  a  book."  lukesh  said.  he  shrugged  again.  "or  a  bottle."  he  muttered.

the loss of lady garramoth had been jarring. it was true that death would find all velkynar but there was something in it to denma. something like a pattern dancing across her mind. first the chosen, her own little brother. then the fire. only to be followed by the lady. none of them sat right with her but all she could do pose was questions. hold suspicions. only solace was within her power of providing; in knowing their bodies were taken care of and their souls were finally free of the coil they were living in.

she had not expected a summoning to heliophra so quickly, her mind intrigued simply by the timing and that she was summoned as well. denma’s family was no longer in the running of the chosen. she would never have put her own name in for such a thing. her duties lay beyond a kingdom. beyond a council.

still, she came. even with graveyard dirt on her feet, she stood among a garden. gently viewing plants, she had not seen them in some months. deft fingers carefully tracing lines of petals, her eyes looked over the area with fondness. a soft sigh leaving her at the feeling of a presence nearby.

lukesh  had  made  his  way  to  heliophra  with  his  family,  eager  to  see  his  friends  and  perhaps  some  enemies  again.  he  had  a  lot  on  his  mind  and  while  he  was  wary  of  what  he  said  to  those  around  him  but  with  the  death  of  lady  garramoth,  he  realized  that  death  was  knocking  on  their  doorstep.  he  couldn't  allow  his  family  to  meet  the  same  fate.  he  wanted  to  take  this  opportunity  to  actually  do  something  more  serious...  he  knew  it  would  likely  be  the  hardest  thing  he's  done,  but  he  didn't  care.  the  anxiety  and  the  paranoia  lukesh  felt,  he  could  not  shake. the  gardens  were  beautiful  and  lukesh  needed  a  quiet  place  to  think  and  perhaps  even  form  some  sort  of  plan  of  attack.  he  couldn't  be  sure  yet,  of  course.  he  rarely  came  up  with  plans  on  his  own.  he  didn't  realize  the  gardens  would  have  anyone  in  them,  and  yet. he  bent  to  a  slight  bow  before  speaking.  "my  apologies,  i  was  not  sure  this  area  of  the  gardens  would  have  anyone  in  them."  he  said  honestly.  "i  was  looking  for  a  place  to  examine  my  thoughts."  lukesh  continued.  "so  there  is  no  need  for  good  company  here,  unless  you  are  willing  to  listen  to  a  man  mutter  words  to  himself  until  he  is  sure  it  makes  sense."  he  said  with  a  slight  laugh. he  did  not  want  to  share  his  thoughts  with  denma,  even  though  they  are  one  in  the  same.  an  heir.  lukesh  wished  he  came  a  bit  earlier,  perhaps  he  would  have  missed  her...  but  he  would  not  waste  the  opportunity  to  speak  with  one. lukesh  made  his  way  over  to  the  vacant  seat,  across  from  denma  and  offered  her  a  small,  sad  smile.  "now  tell  me,  do  you  think  we're  safe  here?"  he  asked  cautiously.  "in  heliophra,  i  mean."  he  continued.

.✦ ݁˖ ⸻ At his own insistence, Brannon had made frequent appearances to check on Elowen and her brood. They were one of the many who had been particularly shaken up considering the fire, and Brannon could not blame them, old scars opened anew when it came to the reminder of how final flames could be. Where others could feel trapped and fearful of what had been, Brannon felt simply enraged. It was a rare emotion for the heir who normally floated through life claiming little responsibilities for himself. The one thing he could not stand to witness, however, was the continuous pursuit to destroy what little knowledge they had left of their world, of the past which felt just out of reach. So long, he and Sloane had spent, countless hours and years tallied behind them, in the pursuit of preservation. How quickly such acts could be destroyed in the flicker of a mighty flame.

he  let  out  a  laugh,  of  course  he  had  run  into  brannon.  he  knew  what  others  thought  of  him,  he  made  that  part  of  his  life  well  known.  he  was  not  a  responsible  heir,  he  wasn't  ready.  lukesh  had  heard  all  of  it,  no  matter  who  it  was  coming  from.  he  didn't  even  register  it  anymore.  the  inner  workings  of  his  mind  always  drifted  to  the  thoughts  everyone  made  known  out  loud,  usually  to  his  face. "i  am  not  sprinting  away  from  my  responsibilities."  he  muttered  and  crossed  his  arms.  he  wished  for  a  moment,  he  could  take  his  decisions  back,  decisions  that  wouldn't  lead  to  this  conversation. lukesh  chuckled  and  shook  his  head.  "no,  that's  not  the  case,  lord  caldrithen.  i  am  just  feeling  rather  stuffy  in  the  library  and  wanted  to  get  some  fresh  air,  if  that  is  allowed?"  he  asked  in  a  tone  not  too  polite.  "i  am  waiting  for  the  time  to  pass  until  i  have  to  tend  to  my  mother  and  sister."  he  explained.  "i  had  spend  the  majority  of  the  day  in  our  library,  attempting  to  find  any  sort  of  information  about  the  fire...  if  it  had  happened  before  i  was  born.  perhaps  it  was  one  of  those  creatures  they  speak  about  that  caused  it."  he  said  with  a  shrug.

“My sweet girl.” She could only begin with some demonstration of affection; such was her way. Elowen held a hand to Seren, employing the most benign and tender expression she could muster, to bid her daughter from further crimsoning under duress. “I am sure there is no power here on earth, nor in the heavens above, that would stop you from moving me to another seat should I wish for such; but I am in need only of your company, nothing more.” Pausing a moment, Elowen reached for what she knew would readily distract Seren from the annoyance that had settled upon her humor; even if it would earn her a sharp ama over its impropriety. “A great friend of yours spoke highly of your strength and kindness to me --- he would be well impressed so see you now, as fierce as a lion.” If Seren would demure or protest her words, Elowen would only be capable of producing a girlish grin; she could not help herself. 

Her eyes drifted to Lukesh, his hands now laden with cutlery and plates; the voice she employed in his direction, carried the same air of levity she had directed towards Seren. “Distracted? By which titles, my beloved? I believe Seren has read nearly every book in the library --- you two could discuss what you found.” She would not ruin this gossamer of happiness with further admonishments, but her words were her best tool beyond an open recrimination; here, with her, with his sister, was his rightful place --- whatever else called to him, need wait. “Would you read to us? Or better yet, tell us a story? Maybe about one of your mysterious misadventures, or a tale about whatever fair maiden has captured your attention?” The latter of which would earn a derisive eye roll from Lukesh, but it would grant her a smile upon Seren’s face that mirrored the one she sported now. “I am simply delighted to have you both with me; next time I miss you both, I shall have to have another grave accident."

@moonvcils

she tried to keep the questioning and judgemental stare off her face, but what could lukesh possibly get distracted by in the library? and what brought him there? what ideas or suspicions could he have that had him interested in research? she eyed him as he walked around the room, curiosity getting the better of her. but before she asked, ama spoke, specifically of a friend of hers. looking towards elowen, seren could not help but feel her chest redden as she took in such words. she did not have many friends, especially not many who were male. but there was one who had mentioned inquiring about her mother in the infirmary. "i am sure he was merely trying to lift your spirits, ama." she explained, trying not to think too deeply into it.

suddenly the pillow she was propped up on was pulled out from under her, and seren turned towards lukesh with a glare as he fluffed it. "how kind of you, lukesh." she grunted, grabbing said pillow from his hands and putting it back behind her.

he  smiled  at  his  sister,  he  loved  to  annoy  her.  even  in  the  moments  of  stress,  he  could  always  find  a  way  to  make  himself  and  the  rest  of  his  family  smile.  he  wondered  constantly  if  that  was  all  he  was  good  for.  a  laugh  or  perhaps  this  was  his  chance  to  do  more.  he  wished  he  could  speak  to  both  of  them  about  this...  but  lukesh  was  nervous.  he  wanted  nothing  more  than  to  make  them  proud. lukesh  shook  his  head.  "i  forgot  the  book  in  the  library,  of  course."  he  muttered  quickly.  "but,  i'm  sure  there's  a  book  in  this  room  i  can  read  to  you  both."  he  told  them  with  a  smile.  "the  book  i  was  reading  was  mostly  research  based,  it  wouldn't  be  a  good  read  while  the  both  of  you  are  recovering."  he  explained  with  a  shrug.  "i  haven't  really  been  sleeping  so  the  reading...  it's  been  helping."  he  admitted. he  still  wasn't  sure  what  he  was  going  to  tell  them  if  they  kept  up  the  questions,  he  didn't  like  lying  to  them.  instead  of  waiting  for  another  inquiry  to  come  in,  he  decided  to  walk  towards  the  shelf  and  take  a  quick  look  at  the  titles.  he  wanted  something  light  and  when  he  found  it,  a  smile  stretched  across  his  face.  "perfect,  i  found  a  good  one!  fairytales...  what  do  you  think?"  he  asked  his  mother  and  sister.  "or  would  you  both  like  to  listen  to  me  read  research  books?"  he  continued  with  a  smirk.

"  your  secrets  are  safe  with  me  .  "  he  muses  with  a  calm  tone  ,  his  head  tilting  gently  as  he  watches  him  with  emerald  hues  .  he  listens  to  every  word  ,  his  arms  crossed  over  his  chest  as  he  watches  the  beautiful  man  in  front  of  him  explain  his  own  horrors  and  terrors  .  he  should  feel  some  of  that  as  well  shouldn't  he  ?  the  worries  of  flames  ,  death  and  decay  ?  yet  there  is  relief  within  him  which  overshadows  the  oak  burnt  to  nothing  .  his  family  was  safe  ,  the  dead  were  dead  and  would  always  stay  that  way  and  the  world  kept  spinning  .  perhaps  he  should  be  more  sad  ,  perhaps  he  should  be  heaving  after  his  own  breath  as  well  like  the  tenelith  heir  ,  yet  he  wasn't  .  why  wasn't  he  ?  he'd  been  a  menace  to  those  he  cared  for  ,  to  people  who  did  not  know  him  and  to  people  who  knew  him  too  well  .

a  sigh  escapes  his  lips  at  the  end  of  it  and  as  the  man  he  is  ,  the  charming  and  collected  tethalune  which  would  shine  like  a  gem  to  everyone  who  approach  him  ,  who  did  not  know  of  his  self  centered  way  of  thinking  .  "  there  is  nothing  wrong  with  your  way  of  thinking  lord  tenelith  -  "  he  muses  as  he  steps  are  taken  towards  him  ,  like  a  snake  hypnotized  by  a  tamer  ,  by  something  intriguing  and  interesting  to  the  serpent  .  "  we  all  are  scared  of  something  and  you  have  trauma  just  like  i  should  have  .  "  he  isn't  scared  of  the  flames  ,  he  isn't  too  sad  about  his  tree  or  the  scrolls  and  words  of  old  .  he  was  scared  of  his  family  being  cast  to  nothing  ,  of  his  own  pride  and  wealth  .  what  a  selfish  little  crature  you  are  lathander  ,  he  muses  to  himself  in  his  mind  .

reaching  the  other  he  places  his  palm  upon  his  cheek  ,  feeling  the  stubble  .  "  perhaps  the  fire  behind  your  eyes  ,  just  needs  to  turn  into  something  you  can  control  ,  perhaps  overthinking  the  world  and  it's  mysteries  do  you  nothing  but  harm  ?  "  the  gentle  fingertips  brush  his  cheek  ,  his  thumb  caressing  .  "  let  your  mind  slip  away  ,  perhaps  this  isn't  your  mystery  to  solve  ?  "  a  smile  from  a  selfish  man  appears  .  his  palm  falls  from  the  other  and  smile  turns  to  grin  .  "  drink  with  me  ?  in  celebration  of  being  alive  ?  "

lukesh  nodded  and  ran  his  hands  over  his  face.  lathander  was  right,  he  thought.  everyone  had  their  own  things  to  deal  with  but  for  a  moment,  the  heir  believed  he  didn't  even  deserve  that.  he  had  to  be  strong  for  his  family,  for  the  other  families  who  have  lost  something.  the  stress  of  being  the  heir  to  the  vynetwist  citadel  was  never  ending  and  with  his  inability  to  speak  to  his  closest  friends,  the  stress  had  expanded. the  touch  on  his  cheek  is  welcomed,  for  a  moment,  lukesh  closed  his  eyes  and  let  his  mind  slip  out  of  the  anxiety  and  grief  he  had  been  experiencing  for  days.  just  for  a  moment,  lathander  might  be  right.  this  might  not  br  his  mystery  to  solve,  at  least  for  now.  his  family  was  still  alive,  so  he  would  drink  to  that. he  nodded  then  smiled  at  lathander  before  he  patted  him  on  the  shoulder.  "yes,  i  can  celebrate  that."  he  chuckled.  "i  can  only  stay  for  a  drink,  of  course.  i  am  needed  to  attend  to  my  mother  and  sister  later  but  if  i  am  late,  they  will  probably  assume  the  worst  of  me  anyways."  he  told  the  other  with  a  shrug.

watching  the  panic  cross  the  tenelith's  features  wasn't  something  he'd  intended  to  .  yet  ,  there  was  something  familiar  in  his  gaze  ,  like  foreign  flames  were  seared  into  his  mind  as  well  ,  flames  which  did  nothing  but  take  and  destroy  what  one  loved  and  cared  for  .  the  heir  of  house  tethalune  was  here  on  the  council's  request  .  to  pick  up  some  papers  needed  to  solidify  his  houses  claim  to  their  new  stone  walled  home  .  he'd  miss  the  smell  of  wood  ,  the  sap  which  hadn't  dried  from  the  newest  white  branches  at  the  top  of  the  oak  .  he'd  never  see  or  smell  those  things  again  and  parts  of  him  considered  ,  perhaps  the  old  scrolls  and  books  the  tenelith  had  loved  ,  was  like  his  oak  tree  ?

pushing  himself  off  where  he'd  been  leaning  watching  the  other  ,  a  sly  smirk  placed  upon  his  lips  ,  emerald  hues  falling  from  the  other  .  "  no  ,  your  mothers  have  no  need  for  me  .  "  he  mutters  and  walks  towards  the  other  .  "  the  council  had  me  pick  up  some  scrolls  from  your  never  ending  stacks  of  books  .  "  he  didn't  continue  his  sentence  ,  he  simply  gazed  at  the  other  for  a  while  .  "  to  give  full  claim  of  my  new  home  to  my  last  name  .  "

tilting  his  head  to  the  side  ,  he  frowned  his  brows  lightly  .  letting  his  orbs  look  over  the  other  .  "  you  do  not  look  too  well  lord  tenelith  ,  are  you  alright  ?  "  he  didn't  really  care  much  ,  but  curiosity  would  always  make  the  orange  cat  interested  .  if  even  this  man  was  affected  by  flames  not  even  touching  his  property  ,  would  his  scars  as  well  always  be  tied  to  orange  embers  ?

lukesh  nodded  as  he  spoke,  it  made  sense...  the  reason  the  other  heir  was  here.  the  paperwork  was  necessary,  he  knew  this  as  well.  his  family  would  have  it,  without  a  doubt.  he  just  wished  he  hadn't  seen  him  rush  off,  especially  in  front  of  lathander...  at  least  the  citadel  was  still  standing. he  pushed  the  thoughts  out  of  his  head  when  he  asked  if  he  was  alright.  lukesh's  smile  was  forced,  of  course.  he  had  been  forcing  them  for  weeks.  he  had  to  remain  his  cool  composed  self  for  everyone  to  believe  that  he  was  fine.  he  nodded.  "i'm  fine,  i  just  ..."  he  sighed.  "can  i  possibly  be  candid?"  lukesh  asked. normally,  he  would  never  admit  these  things  to  another  he  wasn't  that  close  to  but  there  was  no  time  like  the  present,  especially  since  he  would  have  to  share  this  chain  of  events  with  his  family  afterwards.  he  smiled  and  placed  his  hands  on  his  hips.  "i  know  your  family  is  grieving  and  this  might  not  be  appropriate,  but  i  cannot  stop  thinking  about  how  similar  the  events  were  at  the  citadel.  the  fire,  i  mean..."  he  paused.  he  was  unsure  if  he  wanted  to  continue  but  he  thought  since  he  had  already  started,  why  stop. he  cleared  his  throat.  "i  cannot  imagine  what  your  family  is  going  through  ...  if  we  had  lost  the  citadel."  he  said  with  a  small  pause.  "i  just  want  to  find  those  who  are  responsibly  for  this..."  he  continued.  "but  every  time  i  close  my  eyes,  all  i  see  is  flames...  the  smoke...  all  i  hear  is  the  sounds  of  the  screams  and  sometimes,  it  hurts  to  even  take  a  breath.  then  i'm  brought  back  to  that  night  and  then  i'm  brought  back  to  the  fire  at  the  citadel."  he  admitted  with  a  sigh.  "it's  stupid,  i  know  this."

when he slowed, she paused and thought quickly on her feet. he could not know she had followed him from his home. rhyaenna breathed through her nose, steady, and rounded the corner of the column, appearing like a vision out of thin air. he would not know she had been hidden there, lying in wait. her hands were kept clasped behind her back as if she was on an early idle stroll. "should i take that as an insult, lord tenelith?" rhyaenna asked with a raised brow, amusement underlying the question. she stepped closer, noticing the bead of sweat upon his brow.

that was very peculiar. it wasn't like he had broken into a full sprint. she revealed the book she had in hand as she explained, "i come only to return this. i borrowed it on my last visit to your family's library." she hadn't. it was plucked from a bookshelf on her way out of that very library only mere moments earlier while visiting with his younger sister. she hadn't even cared for the title, only that she had taken what was seren's. "it was an interesting read,” she mused aloud, feigning interest in what appeared to be poetry. “were you on your way elsewhere?” perhaps that was why he appeared out of breath. he was in a hurry to get to — well, she knew not where. all it seemed like to rhyaenna was him trying to get as far from the citadel as he could. why? she wondered.

lukesh  was  shocked  to  find  her  here,  of  all  places.  rhyaenna  was  not  someone  he  normally  associated  himself  with.  not  out  of  dislike  but  out  of  the  way  she  seemed  to  turn  her  nose  up  at  him.  he  let  out  a  tired  laugh  and  reached  out  towards  the  book. he  took  it  and  flipped  it  over,  a  book  of  poetry...  now  that  was  surprising.  "did  you  borrow  this  from  my  sister?"  he  asked  casually.  he  knew  the  book  was  hers  but  he  wasn't  sure  how  valuable  it  was  to  her.  even  though  he  and  his  sister  had  their  differences,  he  didn't  like  the  idea  of  someone  playing  jokes  on  her  or  stealing  her  personal  items. he  could  feel  the  sweat  dripping  down  his  back  while  the  woman  asked  him  where  he  was  off  too  but  he  did  not  trust  her  to  tell  her  the  full  truth.  he  shrugged.  "i  thought  i  dropped  something  on  my  last  walk  around  the  grounds."  he  said.  "i  wanted  to  see  if  i  could  find  it  before  someone  decided  they  wanted."  he  admitted  to  her.  it  was  a  lie,  lukesh  hadn't  dropped  a  single  thing. he  crossed  his  arms  and  offered  her  a  smirk.  "i  know  what  it  may  seem,  running  away  when  you  were  about  to  approach  me...  trust  me,  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  you,  if  you  were  curious."  he  joked.  lukesh  was  deflecting,  of  course.  he  wanted  to  put  some  space  between  him  and  his  emotions,  fast.  "if  you  had  announced  yourself,  i'm  sure  i  would  have  asked  you  to  join  me  while  i  research  something  for  my  mother."  he  told  her  with  a  wink.

"lukesh should be in here soon, ama," seren murmured, doing her best to ensure the pillow under her mother's ankle was soft. while seren had been injured in the fire, her mother had come out of it with a more serious injury, one she knew would take longer to heal then her swollen throat had. in fact, she had felt completely recovered since she was allowed to leave the infirmary within celembron over a week prior. that did not mean she wasn't going to pretend to feel worse for wear, especially if it meant her brother would be the one to wait on her hand and foot.

at the end of the day, she was still his little sister, which meant she would take any opportunity to irritate him.

when she heard the door to the drawing room open, seren turned to give her brother an impatient look. "you certainly took your time," she chided, motioning to their mother (who was in perfect health), "what if ama needed help moving to a different from the chaise to one of the open seats?" seren would do her best to help her mother cross the room, but lukesh was taller and stronger. "where have you been?" she questioned, curious where he had been. hopefully not one of the numerous taverns he tended to run off to.

lukesh  had  just  finished  cleaning  himself  up  after  he  had  ran  away  from  the  citadel,  knowing  that  he  had  to  return  to  care  for  his  family.  he  pushed  the  door  open  and  was  immediately  met  by  an  agitating  voice,  seren's.  he  sighed  and  rolled  his  eyes.  "i  apologize,  i  was  looking  through  some  things  in  the  library  and  got  distracted."  he  lied.  it  was  mostly  true,  he  was  outside  the  library  before  he  ran  away.  it  took  more  time  getting  back  then  he  thought. he  picked  up  the  empty  trays  and  added  empty  cups  and  plates.  he  scoffed  at  her  comments.  she  was  right  but  lukesh  was  definitely  not  going  let  her  know  that.  "well,  i'm  here  now  and  i'm  not  going  anywhere,  unless  you  both  need  something  to  drink  or  eat."  he  said  with  a  smirk.  "i  could  even  read  to  you  both  if  you  wish."  lukesh  commented. he  continued  to  grab  the  empty  items  and  place  them  near  the  door.  he  walked  over  to  where  seren  was  sitting  and  pulled  the  pillow  out  and  gave  it  a  quick  fluffing.  "see,  i  am  trying  to  be  helpful,  seren."  he  joked.

Archie Renaux

where: castle celembron, vallarion

the injuries on sage's torso were healing in no small part because of lady amarei and the salves & bandages that her soon to be sister had gifted to her, the hospital wing had finally quieted with those who were dealt the worst from the fire slipping away from their fatal wounds or reaching a steady state, the screams from pain didn't echo as loudly within the halls of the castle and so the curiosity that drove sage burned brighter than ever.

she had wandered her way through every room left unlocked in search of records that house caldrithen were known for taking, in hopes of discovering information about the arsonist who had burned down the great white oak as the inferno was no simple accident only it appeared that house caldrithen kept their records under lock and key.

stepping into an unsearched room, she found lukesh tenelith within and a smile brushed her lips as she knew the vynetwist cithadel were once a house built on history before a devasting fire, the similarities were eerie. ❛ strange, isn't it? it seems we have an arsonist in our court or at least someone that wishes to see it burn. ❜

lukesh  had  spent  the  majority  of  his  time  with  his  mother  and  his  sister  but  in  all  of  his  free  time,  he  was  searching.  he  had  only  mentioned  it  to  his  closest  friends  but  sage  seemed  to  have  a  similar  approach.  he  leaned  against  shelf  and  nodded.  "i  would  say  it's  also  strange  to  see  another  person  wandering  around  here...  if  not  for  the  circumstances  we're  in."  he  stated  cooly. he  motioned  towards  the  door.  "i  thought  i  locked  that.  i  guess  not."  the  man  turned  towards  the  book  he  had  pulled.  "have  you  had  any  luck?"  lukesh  asked  her. he  picked  up  the  book,  it  wasn't  as  helpful  as  he  had  hoped  but  it  had  some  information  regarding  fire.  "i've  searched  almost  every  room  twice."  he  admitted  as  he  placed  the  book  in  his  bag.  he  would  return  it  tomorrow  after  he  was  done  reading  it,  of  course.

location ♱ one of many celembron's common rooms .

lukesh  had  just  finished  visiting  with  his  sister  when  he  arrived  in  the  common  room,  exhausted  and  in  need  of  a  drink.  he  didn't  realize  he  was  the  only  other  person  in  the  room  until  he  looked  up  from  his  own  cup.  he  scoffed. "together?"  he  asked.  lukesh  shook  his  head.  "someone  tried  their  very  best  to  make  sure  we  would  all  end  up  like  the  wood  in  that  fire.  burning  up  until  we're  not  longer  useful"  he  gestured  towards  the  logs  burning,  he  glanced  towards  it,  lingering  for  a  moment.  he  took  a  big  sip  of  his  drink  and  let  out  a  sigh. "benign.  i  can  definitely  do  that."  lukesh  admitted  with  a  chuckle.  he  was  thinking  about  his  sister  and  his  friends  but  lukesh  did  love  gossip  and  he  wanted  to  feel  good  for  a  moment  or  too.  he  took  another  sip  of  his  goblet.  it  was  now  empty,  so  he  reached  forward  to  fill  it  up  again.  "tell  me,  what  is  the  best  thing  you've  overheard  since  coming  into  this  common  room?"  he  asked  with  a  smirk. "i'll  tell  you  what  i  overheard  someone  say  while  i  pretended  to  be  asleep  two  hours  ago."  he  offered  them. 

for some reason, the idea of her brother sitting at her bedside had not crossed her mind. and she could not help but think just how sad that was. when had she and lukesh strayed so far from family that she had not thought he would check on her after she had wound up in the hospital? ashamed at herself, she leaned closer to where he was seated.

"my throat hurts," she answered truthfully. it was in no way to gain sympathy, simply just to answer the question he had asked. "but that is to be expected. my head is a bit foggy as well, and i am sore." she took the water he handed and took a long sip, grateful for the way it soothed her throat. "i'm glad to see you're unharmed."

lukesh  shrugged.  he  would  trade  places  with  seren  if  he  had  the  chance,  he  hated  seeing  her  like  this,  in  harms  way.  the  fact  that  something  could  have  happened  to  her  made  him  sick  but  he  would  never  admit  that  aloud. he  smirked  before  he  offered  her  a  reply.  "my  neck  is  fine  thank  you  so  much,  the  best  sleep  i've  had  in  weeks."  he  joked.  he  crossed  his  arms  and  leaned  back  into  the  chair.  he  let  out  a  small  yawn  and  shook  his  head.  "yeah,  not  yet."  he  felt  guilty  about  it.  they  were  with  each  other  before  the  ritual.  "i'm  sure  she'll  find  us  both  in  here  before  i  seek  her  out."  he  told  her  honestly.  "she's  probably  been  in  here  while  you  were  sleeping."  lukesh  said.  "i'm  going  to  find  mother  after  i'm  done  here..."  he  started. he  didn't  want  to  leave  but  if  his  sister  kicked  him  out,  he  would  go.  "i  can  stay...  if  you..."  he  coughed  into  his  hand  and  cleared  his  throat.  this  was  becoming  uncomfortable  for  him.  "i  can  stay."  he  stated.