#vel post

With one last breath, they push through the doors. “Well you definitely took your sweet time to-” Words die in their throat and whatever excitement they were feeling shatters like a glass pane thrown to the floor.

“That’s the thing about secret lovers, darling. Very few people know what they look like. One of your maids was beside herself with happiness thinking you and this Aodh guy were about to be reunited. I’d have felt bad if getting you to agree to meet me were easier.”

Aislan can hardly respond as they take in the figure in the center of the room. Like the shock of a bucket of water being poured down ones’ back. They can’t move, can’t even think; and the speed in which the heat is practically sucked out of the room would be alarming, temperature quickly dropping. Fae did a lot of word twisting themselves perhaps to be so upset when they were tricked themselves, but to have his name out of any used in such a way....!?

“You.....How dare you!?” The ruler’s hair seems to get paler, ice seemingly splintering across their skin , eyes seemingly blue as the temperature continues to drop.

“I need you to listen to me! Okay, maybe this was a bad tactic on my part, but how am I to talk to you about William Sakurai’s eldest son if you don’t give me the opportunity? Aren’t we practically famil-”

Qrowley’s words get drowned out by ice shards being hurled where the pureblood stands, the vampire practically dancing out of the way as they push off the floor so it misses, tile cracking. Well the floor would need to be redone it seemed.

“First, we think you dead for years, only for you to reappear spewing nonsense about my father’s murderer. But then you lie your way into my court under a name you have no business uttering?!” Aislan throws another shard. Then another. Qrowley uses each step to bring himself closer, shortening the distance between them even as marble floor is being ruined in his wake. 

He almost steps directly in front of the seelie leader too, arm almost able to grasp Aislan’s wrist and stop this wasteful fighting, until cool steel rests at the back of his neck as if out of nowhere.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Qrow utters a curse under his breath as he tilts his head to meet the glowing red one, a rare sight from its normal place beneath a curtain of hair. Vel. Of course. It was stupid of him to not be keeping an ear out.  But perhaps he’s a little desperate, too many of his chess pieces on the board showing resistance. So he has little time to swap pleasantries with the dragon.

“Aislan....Gaius lives. I swear it.”

The seriousness in Qrowley’s voice holds the desired impact as the fight in Aislan seems to drain, monarch almost tiredly walking to drop onto the ornate chair at the head of the room, Vel allowing Qrow to take careful steps behind. 

“If you care for this Aodh person even a fraction as much as I cared for your father...then you’ll understand why I’m working so hard.” 

It’s uncharacteristic of the pureblood to sound so quiet or solemn about anything, so Aislan’s eyes rise to meet the one, waiting.

“Kaede Sakurai is well known as being one outside council life and pureblood society. Not interested as much as his father wishes he were. Though I tried in the past to have correspondence with him regarding his father’s position, I received little more than an anatomy class. But I’ve found his bargaining chip.” And funny to Qrow how Aislan and the Sakurai eldest seemed to have similar weaknesses. “I just want to look through some files in William’s office. If what I get my hands on is not to your satisfaction-” 

“Then you drop this crusade you’re on?”

“Then I drop this ‘crusade’ I’m on.” Qrow echoes. 

Aislan still feels the sting of....what? Heartbreak? Disappointment? Deceit? They don’t know but there’s an ache. Despite it, maybe Qrowley deserves more credit. Or maybe the monarch understands more what the biting loneliness feels like.

And if he’s telling the truth....Gaius lives. That itself brings some of the life back to the fae’s eyes.