the guile

who? @kajalx where? Eterna, Lysara when? Progress Day Celebration notes: I said I would give you Progress day starters, and by the gods you should get at least one!!! If you don’t want it though, I can edit it when I come back to make it post Last Night in Aventia

Sinaria was supposedly looking like a hot girl summer this time of year. Kajal had been considering a change of scenery, for a while – where could they go that the Kossith wouldn't get their horned claws on? He'd have to discuss it with the gladiator, but his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a familiar voice. Kajal didn't usually remain in touch with those from the Tower. They all held some air of superiority from "graduating" with a fancy ring. Kajal had stolen plenty of those rings in his time. He could wear one too. Still, the other was a friendly face, "Too long or not long enough?" he deadpanned, turning to give the Legionnaire a small smile. "Sorry about your luck – the Legion and all that. Hear they're really busy lately and the pay sucks."

"No, that wouldn't be fair to you." It's a second of true sincerity in an otherwise utterly bizarre moment. He didn't think they'd get this fair, never thought he'd ever find the other person on the end of the thread when it'd fallen into his lap. But Kay did know that he wouldn't subject them to any of the family baggage. Morbidly, the worst parts of it were in the past, his mother dead and father off doing who knew what. What was left of his family was just his sisters and himself, though he's sure his mother's side of the family is taking care of his siblings. It didn't matter if they were or not, Kay was on his own, he'd been on his own for nearly a decade. "Now it's up to us." His shoulders raise in a shrug, his hands back in the pockets of his coat. "I imagine we're supposed to hug and cry and have this big revelation, but," Raising a brow he nods towards Kajal and then himself, it's just not like them and it's not that type of situation. "I don't know. We hang around more? If you have any questions, I'll answer."

This entire situation infringed on most parts of his meticulously crafted life. Everything was a choice, a consequence that followed – that's what Kajal knew well. His choices that led him getting kicked out of the Tower, the fact that he'd started from nothing, had a chance to get better, and then just never did? Well, that was also a consequence. But it'd led him somewhere new – to the guild, to his art collection, to his gladiator – but he could see that Kay hadn't thought about that. What this information would do to blow up Kajal's life even further. Though no one ever thought that far ahead, did they? "I should go. Actually, I have to go. I'll...I'll see you around."

There were many wicked ways he could use Emre in bed, "Hostage? You and I both like silk for our very delicate skin," he teased, still playing with the gladiator's hair. These little moments were saved for them, ones that the thief would keep locked away. He'd wanted Emre's heart, somehow he'd taken it for himself, and he wasn't going to give it up without a fight. Kajal wasn't known for being easy to work with, he was notoriously difficult which is why he did everything alone, except wake up in the morning. Emre was the perfect fit.

Emre groaned dramatically, flopping back against the pillows like Kajal had just delivered a mortal wound. “Cruel. Absolutely ruthless,” he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face before peeking at Kajal through his fingers. “Making a man wait for food. You truly have no heart.”

Emre cracked one eye open, lips twitching into a lazy grin. “You make it sound like I’m holding you hostage,” he murmured, voice thick with sleep. His arm looped around Kajal’s waist, pulling him just a fraction closer, as if to test the idea. “Not that I’d mind keeping you here forever, but I’d need some guarantees. Like breakfast in bed. And unlimited head scratches.”

There were many wicked ways he could use Emre in bed, "Hostage? You and I both like silk for our very delicate skin," he teased, still playing with the gladiator's hair. These little moments were saved for them, ones that the thief would keep locked away. He'd wanted Emre's heart, somehow he'd taken it for himself, and he wasn't going to give it up without a fight. Kajal wasn't known for being easy to work with, he was notoriously difficult which is why he did everything alone, except wake up in the morning. Emre was the perfect fit.

Kay sucks in a breath and now he has to open an entirely new can of worms, a different volume of issues than his mother. His father, their father, had been someone he'd looked up to once upon a time. Clever, sarcastic, though compliant to the hoops the Lysaran nobility put a family through. "He was deeply unhappy." His tone is quieter, more reserved as he thinks about it. A man caged by what had turned out to be a loveless marriage, one that had perhaps caved under the weight of responsibility, or perhaps he'd simply just been too cowardly to leave. "I set his study on fire before I left, if that makes you feel any better. Last I heard he was somewhere rubbing elbows with pirates." And if it was a like father like son situation, Kay had no doubt the man was drinking himself into a stupor. "So you're right, he was both a shitty guy and having an uneventful time."

It didn't. Other people's downfall – unless they were filthy rich – didn't exactly make Kajal giddy with excitement. Kay's problem with their father and burning down a study? Well, that was all him. "No shit, right? Whatever. It's not my problem. And if you're not going to tell the rest of your family, then I'm not getting involved in any drama if they find out. We clear? I don't need drama. I'm drama freee." Also fake, but he had a diva reputation to uphold. He couldn't have anyone infringing on that. His multiple personalities were plenty for Emre. "Right. So now what?"

This was the harder part of this and Kay actually hadn't quite thought he'd get this far. The good news was that Kajal wasn't really included in all of the family baggage, their father had spared them that much. "No, they haven't really spoken to me in the last year and before that we weren't exactly meeting up for tea." And he couldn't really blame them, it'd been one thing to be kicked out of the house and cut off, it was another thing entirely to get called home to discuss a matter of estate and try to bring their dead mother back. And light the garden on fire. Hands up in surrender, Kay offered Kajal a shake of his head. "This is just between you and I, I'm not telling them, it's none of their business." If they wanted to find out, they should have been pouring over those journals and tracking Ikaros down. "I'm not dragging you home to the Lake of Sighs with me, I just wanted to clear up a loose end. I just figured you should know." It's a way to put the ball back in Kajal's court, he figured finding out your father had a miserable family was a bigger blow than him finding out he had another sibling. "It doesn't have to change anything. I haven't gotten a chance to process it myself yet."

"I mean it is kinda their business, isn't it," he deadpanned, giving Kay a look as they stood there, two dumb of asses. Kajal sighed, unsure where exactly to go with the rest of this information. More siblings, people who wouldn't ever probably know about this, and it was clear that Kay had been the one to put in the time and effort to figure this out. But the wheel had weaved to put them together anyway. "The Lake of Sighs? Of course." He was a Nightingale, he'd been there plenty of times, but not knowing he was in proximity to...partial family. Anyway, that no longer mattered.

Wink wonk honky tonk, Kajal got the bone.

The gladiator's skin was smooth, save for the raises of even smoother skin that signified scars from past rounds in the arena. They didn't talk about it too often, what it meant for the cambion. But they were closed, and it meant the other had more time to sleep in and give the poor new gladiators a break from his fist and the excess drinking. But still, Kajal gave a wicked smile to break the holy light of the midday sun that shone through the window. "Five more turns to ten, ten turns into, just one more round...then we never leave, and my precious, precious painting gets mailed off to Sinaria. And then what? Then I cry, and nothing ever makes me happy again."

He stands and he watches, hands in his pockets and Kajal poses some really good questions that he has half answers for. Because what did he want with this now that he knew? That somewhat depended on how Kajal took it all, he figured, it wasn't up to him. "Because she died a year ago, I started going through all her stuff. We were....Estranged." Kay actually can't think about it, he just states facts and leaves it at that because if he starts thinking about it too much the guilt eats away at him. "My older sister and I figured he was stepping out at some point, wasn't much either of us could do about it. Kept it from the youngest though, she knew dad the most, apparently they still talk quite a bit and we didn't want to ruin that for her." So Kajal is a secret, one only Kay has figured out and he didn't talk to his sisters enough anymore to get them involved.

This wasn't doing Kajal any sort of favors. He was the loner sorts. Always had been. His mother had somewhat raised him, if one could call it that. But family? They didn't want it. They had Emre, and that was enough. The gladiator was more than enough. But still, here was Kay, presenting him with proof that the other was his half brother. A father who got around, stepped out on whatever family Kay had, and his – sisters? That was too much. Kajal put a hand up, "Woah, woah, okay. Do they know about this?" His whole life was being invaded, and while Kay was already a friend, already integrated, adding anyone else? Kajal was far too selfish. That had to be obvious.

"Me?" There was a characteristic twinkle in his eye as he held Kajal's gaze. "I'm shy." An obvious lie but he liked to play into Kajal's hands and wherever the witch would let him go. "You going to tie me down again?" Emre pressed, lips parting slightly as Kajal grabbed his jaw. "I hated that." Another lie but they both knew that much, if the faint smile wasn't enough of an indicator then his reaction the last time Kajal had busted out the ribbons probably said it all. He smiled against Kajal's lips, "I've been known to go a few rounds."

Kajal could only smile. It wasn't often that the thief thought about how much of a wreck their lives were, but Emre sure did like to remind him. The cambion seemed to feel like he was broken, when Kajal simply saw art in another form. Kajal's own past seemed to be wanting to rear its head, and while he knew that it would be something he'd have to face, right now, all he could think about was tying Emre down. Again.

He's got two options here and they are to either be outright with it or keep pretending he's not fishing for information. Playing dumb is something he loves to do, but that's reserved more for people he wishes to bother, Kajal isn't one of those people. Well, not beyond getting into their business while he was bored, he didn't think getting on the bad side of his maybe brother was a good idea. Lips pursed, Kay took out a piece of paper from the inside of his coat. His mother's journal entry, with what Ikaros had said scribbled haphazardly on the back of it. "Because I think you know my father, because he's your father too." There's none of the usual playful lilt to his tone but he's looking sideways at Kajal as they walk and he passes the little piece of paper over to him so he can put two and two together themself.

This was exactly why Kajal never showed up to family parties. Granted, he liked going to other's – because it meant he could gossip with the aunties. Instead, here he was, about to be that auntie at a family party. He takes the piece of paper, no time to waste as he scans what it says. The witch has stopped walking now, in his mind wondering what this was all to accomplish. Well – they knew exactly what Kay wanted, but Kajal wanted to hear it. "What made you so intent on looking for this?" he finally said, though it seemed like Kay was just finishing what his – their – dad had started. Kajal held the paper back out for Kay to take. There were plenty of emotions going through the witch's chest, one being how fucked up his life had truly become. "And your mom? The rest of your family? They know he was a thrill seeker elsewhere?"

It's not entirely like he had to work to find signs, Ikaros had practically told him everything but a name. There could always be a chance he's just sort of following wishful thinking and he's not really a believer of fate, but he is an artist. Well, of a written medium, but that kind of thing, strings of fate and all that symbolism did make sense to him and Kay couldn't say he didn't dissect every detail of most things to be some kind of sign. Usually as some kind of mechanism to self sabotage, but still. There was something in his gut that just knew, they got on well, they could go toe to toe when it came to bantering, if he took time to really study the other witch's face, he swore he could see the same glint of intensity his own father used to get when the man hadn't seemed miserable. "She ever say anything about him?" He asks casually, hands in the pockets of his coat as he waits for this mystery to just sort of unravel.

"Why are you so interested?" Kajal snapped, but it took another moment for them to regain their composure. He never lost it, not usually – there was so little that bothered the thief, he felt like he was constantly riding the wave of disappointment. His mother's words were in the back of his mind: there was no such thing as a broken home, only broken people. She'd meant Kajal, had always meant Kajal, despite the wave of her hand whenever her child would ask questions, that was all she could ever muster. "He was a witch, hence why I am. My mother wasn't. Getting into the tower was getting out of her hair. I'm not bothered about it. They got what they wanted from each other, and it wasn't me, which is fine. I have my own life now. I'm not fucking curious about him."