As Azaiah came down from the misery of a bruised ego, he’d pray for their safe journey. A safe journey for his sister, Saria, and a safe journey for wife, Alexandria.

A safe journey even for the thief. 

Added blood to the altar, spilled by the athame. Azaiah had no coins on him to give, but he hoped his misery and repeated scripture was enough.

When Azaiah returned, he jogged back. If he was going to lie, it would have to be to even the entry guards. All they needed to know was that Azaiah had been on a late evening jog. If he kept a poker face and they did not catch the sadness in his eyes, there would be no questions. 

In the morning when Alexandria did not show up for breakfast, eyebrows would be raised. By lunch, they would look for her and the fallout would begin.

Azaiah had to keep his nerve. He couldn’t be such a coward…

In the morning he saw a certain glint in Xaviers eye. A certain… knowing that flicked something in his intuition. Az looked at him and his brother passed him with a lingering glance.

Did he know too..?

Azaiah gave his wife a nervous glance before kneeling before Rryme and pulling some coins from a purse. He placed five in an arch, then took the athame from Rrymes mouth.

He sliced into the meat of his left thumb and let out a breathy cry.

He let the blood leak upon the coins before stacking them in a neat pile with the others. This was a common prayer for an Ishidan man, whose recitements and offerings differed from that of women.

He smeared his hand upon her face, sighing and whispering a quick prayer. It was meant to be spoken in the language of the Luminary, but he had fallen behind in those lessons long ago. Zachariah raged when he found out his son was speaking an Ishidan tongue.

When Azaiah was done, he placed the blade back where it belonged after wiping the edge clean on the inside of his cloak. He got up to crouch at the shore where he washed his hand clean in the brine and held the wound until it stopped bleeding and stinging hard enough to make Azaiah cringe.

Alexandria starred in utter disbelief. Az was a loyal Midonian who prayed to Cextos and honored their book. To see him performing such forbidden magic… It seemed absurd.

“Why?” she asked plainly, shaking her head and crossing her arms to protect herself from the cold.

“I'm letting The Goddess know I'm here. I'm letting her taste my sin. If she tastes my blood, if she decides I am no good… then she will pass her judgment alongside the Lord.”

Alex gave him a long, hard look.

“Pick one. You really should make up your mind soon, Azaiah. You can't have both Rryme and Cextos… in the end it's one or the other.”

Azaiah stood up slowly, sighing and staring out into the sprawling, swirling dark ocean.

“Is that right?”

“Do you choose Ishida, or do you choose Zachariah?”

Azaiah turned from the ocean, pulling his cloak off and pulling it over her shoulders.

“It really doesn’t need to be one or the other. Honestly, I'm not interested in a theological debate. I brought you here to show you that I'm willing to trust you… I know you think I'm my fathers son. My mother thinks it, your mother thinks it, Bardhanna thinks it. Really though, at this point in my life the only ones who can really judge me are the Gods. When they deem me as evil as him, my punishment will come down hard and heavy for whatever lines I crossed.”

“There’s no DEBATE, Azaiah. Just-” she shook her head at him again, approaching with a scrunched nose and furrowed brows. “Just look at our mothers.”

Azaiah glanced back towards her, tightening his own expression, "What about our mothers? You clearly have plenty to say about the subject. Go on, say your piece."

"They tried to have both, you know this. They tried to have Rryme for themselves and Cextos to appease that monster. But in the end, they had to choose. They all chose Rryme. Cextos has none of their love."

"I'm not choosing Cextos out of survival. I worship both with my whole heart, this is a completely different set of circumstances."

"... Right. Of course it is. Because you're Daddy's special boy, aren't you? You can have the world and no one can deny you it."

Azaiah shifted his feet and turned his body fully towards her finally. He frowned down at her, his voice dropping into a harsher tone.

"I don't want an argument. I wanted to show you something I thought would bring you some peace, I wanted to show you a vulnerability and you're turning this against me."

Narrowing her eyes back at him, the corner of her mouth twitched

"Whatever, daddy's boy. Your vulnerability is meaningless at the end of the day. You will never truly know life the way Xavier, Mom, Sibora... Bardhanna- even me- know it. You are an outsider looking in on us like we are... some sort of animals in cages. Go back to daddy, then. Go back and plot your guys' next big scheme. Maybe you could out Xavier next? Perhaps then daddy would consider you for the throne? Oh, or- No, nevermind. You would never."

Aza gave her a long, long stare. His mothers eyes, and his fathers coldness.

"Huh, Dad was right... I *have* been doing a great disservice to you. I *have* been letting you stray way too far."

“Oh? Did daddy say that, special boy?” Taking a step towards him, hands on her hips. Turning her cheek to him. Az took a quick step back, recoiling.

 “Then do something about it. Make daddy happy, special boy. Give me a good hit, then you can go crawl on his lap, suck your thumb and tell him all about how big and strong you are.”

Clenching his fists at his side, Az stammered,  "I-..."  

He stared down at her, opening his mouth to say something else and then closing it again. He hesitated for an awkward long few moments then grit his teeth before raising his hand, taking a step back forward and bringing an open palm down on her hard and swift.

It echoed through the cave.

Alexandria’s eyes and jaw clenched shut as she was slapped, flinching but not making a single sound. She did not move her hands, not even to hold the reddening, swelling skin.

She opened her eyes slowly as she powered through the pain, glaring up at him and looking as if she could jump at him and tear his throat out at any moment. She shifted her jaw then spat at his feet. A ball of phlegm streaked pink from cutting her lip on her teeth.

 “Good boy. Daddy’ll be real proud of you, special boy.” 

“"You think I'm some monster, I can't change your mind, so sure! I'll be my dad. I'll be the son of Zachariah-Fucking-Cane and tighten your leash you bitch.”

She turned away from him to start walking out of the cave.

Shivering in anger, Azaiah took a deep breath and watched her leave.

Turning his head to the shrine of Rryme he suddenly felt so, so much worse.

Cursing himself, he internally lamented.

How could I have done that here of all places?

Taking a few deep breaths he went to follow her out, holding his arms and keeping his head down. He picked his cloak off the beach sand, his wife had discarded it like trash. He brushed off the sand that clung to the fabric and pulled it back over his shoulders.

When he caught up he didn’t say anything but the guilt on his face said plenty. Plenty, but hardly enough. Alexandria did not speak a word to him either. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm as they made their way back up the sandbar and towards the castle. She barely even cast a glance his way the whole time, rage palpable in the air from both sides.

Azaiah gave her a long few steps of space away from her and she pulled herself up the boardwalk before Azaiah could even offer help.

Alexandria only turned to look at him as they arrived at the castle gates. Really, she looked past him as she opened her mouth to speak. She decided against it though and just scoffed and shook her head.

She retreated to their mothers, and Azaiah would slink to his room to mope and hope nobody would disturb him.