NIGHT / 晚上

i. nuwa lian, braxigar. liege of perrelor keep, thirty, he/them. -— intro. visage. threads. board. ii. chae haneul, morkhul. liege of greenspire, thirty-six, they/them. -— intro. visage. threads. board. ii. orion tethalune, vallarion. liege of kal'thera coven, twenty-six, they/him. -— intro. visage. threads. board.

while orion has gotten used to the harrowing feeling of missing home, being in another hollow almost makes him forget that there is no home to go back to. for the briefest of moments, he can pretend that the fire did not happen, that they are in heliophra for a visit, nothing more. then the dream ends. it's somehow more painful for memory to wash back over, to be reminded of what happened, the smoke filling all of his senses, the fire that destroyed everything. it's impossible to forget for more than a few seconds. so, he tries to make himself busy. to try to learn more about the happenings of the hollows, with his ultimate goal being to learn more about whoever's behind this tragedy in the first place. the latter is not an easy task, but the first is simpler, and as he sees a face he has only seen a couple of times, and with ample time on his hands, he makes his way to her. a kind bow of his head once within sight, he greets with a small smile. "lady tripathi." the bow lasts for a few seconds before the liege straigthens himself. "would you happen to have some time to have tea together? i would treasure your company if you are not busy."

worry turns into stone, sinking deep into his stomach. from the moment the news reaches the liege's ears, it's impossible not to stop thinking about it. about his friend, how heartbroken he must be. upon arrival, a lot of whispers reverberate through the hall, the lighthearted nature of newcomers growing somber as they hear what has happened. it is difficult to stop his impulsive nature, to go to where he is to hug him close — but lian knows that strutting into the garramoth chambers, so soon after what happened, is not a good idea. thus, he tries to see his friend, catch glimpses of him- yet the moment does not arise, no matter how much he tries. it's days later, when he cannot wait more- that he decides that he will take his shot at seeing if cian's at his chambers. worst case would be kaelen being there- lian is sure he would be unwelcome, but even then, he knows he will be told to leave. in the grand scheme of things, it cannot even be classified as a risk. gentle hands knock against the wood of their door, shifting from one foot to another, worry palpable in his stature. when the door finally opens, words fall one after another in a rush. "cian! i'm sorry it took me so long — i just couldn't catch you..." guilt soaks into his tone, large eyes focused on the other- how he looks, how he must feel. "do you have some time now?"

while the seeds of suspicion were planted long before their arrival in elaris keep, the news that followed only made it grow faster. the uneasy feeling in the youngest nuwa grew, taking more and more place within his lungs, threatening to break through his ribs. before hearing about the death of the ruling lady, before knowing the name that had been on the list, there was much to be happy about, it was easy to ignore the nagging feeling. for once in what felt like decades, their relationship had felt lighter, in the wake of their spar and matching bruises that ached, yet left them laughing as if they were young again. then, the glee of being able to leave braxigar had come, and made any speculations unimportant. but now, as the young nuwa paces around in their room, waiting for the elder to come out, he is left with a feeling he cannot begin to describe. within his grasp, there are pieces of a puzzle that do not fit one another. whispers that were barely heard, sheng ushering people out of rooms, something happening at the corner of lian's eyes, yet never fully visible. by all rational capacities, it's paranoia. another manifestation of his fear of being left out- of being abandoned, this time in knowledge, not in presence. he could very well ignore this, add it to his list of shortcomings, yet he is nothing if not impulsive, and it only tends to get worse when his emotions run amok. once the other is within grasp, lian walks quickly up to him, expression serious, hiding the distress underneath. "sheng." lian starts, and the words threaten to burst out of him, after having been ricocheting inside his skull for too long - at least by his own standards. "i need to talk to you." a pause to take a deep breath. "back in vallarion, do you remember you told me to come to you when i feel if something is amiss? if anything feels wrong?" another step forward, crimson hues meeting those that should be familiar. lian doesn't know if they are. "i think something's wrong." the pin drops. "and you are keeping it from me."

it's an odd hour for people to be awake, let alone go sightseeing through the house of elaris keep. perhaps that guess is the mere reason why lian feels confident in his plan that he wouldn't be caught in this particular endeavor. lying across the floor in a wide balcony, overlooking the city, and most importantly, the sky. he has in his hand the neck of a bottle, and takes a swig occasionally. earlier today, the young nuwa didn't even attempt to sleep, knowing it wouldn't come easily, not after what they learned, not with what's to come. his trust in this nonsensical belief makes him feel comfortable as he lies on the cold ground, so at ease that the sound of footsteps reaches his ears later than it should, startling him to sit up. akin to a deer caught in the forest, he turns his attention on the newcomer, expression morphing into something sheepish. "hey — didn't think this would be a popular attraction." lian muses, and knows it too late to hide the bottle in his grasp. "i can share if you don't mind... sharing." he holds it up in the air, and shakes it a little. "i don't know if we are allowed to bring drinks here, but i don't think anyone will care."

dark robes hang across wide shoulders, draping across the sofa, ends of the fabric reaching the floor. haneul sits near one of the arms, legs crossed over one another; a book lies across their lap, a hand idly playing with the corner of a page. their attention is not fully there, yet there is somewhat of an attempt to take in the information at their fingertips. another book about heliophra and its nature, something they know they should know more about, but there are many thoughts that cloud their mind to focus. one particular thought stands at the center of it, one shaped in the form of their young brother, and they wait until the younger is done preparing, settling in, dressing up — before entering the main room. "baeksa." they start, before they look up, words flat, void of any embellishment. their finger on the book pauses its movements, and closes the book shut. only then they look up, eyes dark, searching. there is an answer they await, something they wish would come unprompted. but as it stands, through the long journey that was made and in the month before, not spoken into the space between them. they know it to be foolish to assume it will come now, after all this time, yet they give the younger another opportunity to talk to them, before they do. "now that all hollows have reunited..." a tilt of their head, eyes focused on the younger, taking in their reaction. "anything you wish to talk about?"

arriving at heliophra is a busy affair, with many people beginning to mingle once they arrive, whispering from one ear to another, catching up on what has happened, and a very few boisterous laughs. it seems that what little laughter and glee left of velkynar dims as news of the dead reaches their ears, turning excitement into fear and apprehension. as many settle within their rooms, haneul returns to the hall, waiting for a particular royal to finish packing and come to the main hall. once dark eyes find what they have been looking for, perhaps luckily so, they seek time until she is free to speak. after not too long, when there is a gap between the greetings and conversations, they walk through the crowd, to stand next to her. "lady verathorm." a low voice begins, and as they are not away from prying ears, they speak quietly. "i believe congratulations are in order." the slightest tilt of their mouth into a smile, they clear their throat. eyes looking around, they find the environment much too crowded to speak freely. "would you happen to have a quick moment to chat in private?"

the liege stands underneath one of the golden-hued trees, head raised, looking through the leaves, up into the dark sky. the moonlight shines in shards of light upon a forlorn face, deep in thought. the nature of heliophora is different than morkhul's, which is as stark as day and night. the peaceful maroon colors that shine across the trees, the comfort of knowing the beings within — is replaced by a brightness that's unfamiliar, unwelcome to the liege. their arrival had come with similar news, of another death, and yet another unknown. when the sounds of footsteps are heard nearby, they do not turn around to look. not for another moment, as if the secret to their world is hidden between these branches and they could reach it if they tried. a hum leaves their throat, voice hard and rough against the gentleness of the world around them. "are you also here to admire the scenery?" they speak, before taking a step back, to turn to the other. "it seems there is a lot more for it to unravel. yet it doesn't seem like it ever will." a hand reaches out to touch one of the fruits that hang low, not mature enough to be picked. "is it different from where you hail from?"

the welcoming at elaris keep is as well organized as it comes, preparations clearly having been made for some time to accept houses from all five hollows. orion tries to ignore the bone-deep exhaustion and greets their hosts properly with a hint of warmth that's hard to muster, and makes their way to the tethalune chambers. some of their bags are already in their rooms, and the urge to just lie down on the bed is difficult to fight. they walk through the main room and lounge over one of the large sofas, a hand going up to pinch the bridge of their nose. there is a lot to do, and so much that's unclear. the sounds of footsteps reach their ears, and it doesn't take a detective to know who it is without needing to look up. when the eldest tethalune walks into the room, orion looks up. a second of silence passes between them before they speak, words carefully chosen at first. "it seems chaos has struck already, hasn't it?" news of the dead coming as soon as they arrived, another royal murdered, with no answers about the perpetrators. it's jarring, although there is a bitterness inside orion that comes from grief of their lost home, that it's yesterday's news already. "garramoth's were next on the list. after us, i suppose." their facade begins to crack; in a way that it tends to falter around their brother, something raw and uncomfortable between them. "i would say please be careful, but i assume you won't listen?"

the hues of the trees around them carry unfamiliar golden light, void of orange and reds back home. the scenery feels out-of-body in some ways, heart wary with some of what awaits them, and more with the grief of what happened before. every terrible thing that happened in the reunion last month might have been a distant memory to some, but not to the tethalunes. even many nights after, orion finds it impossible to forget the smell of burning wood, the flashes of embers flying into the night. what they will never get back. it takes them considerable effort to pull their gaze away from the scenery outside their carriage and look back at their sister. there are some things that continue to eat away at the corner of their mind, something more present than the loss they have all gone through. what some might call gossip, but orion would vehemently disagree. after all, when their sister's happiness and safety are concerned, orion would not let anything get in the way. they start with clearing their throat, in a telltale manner that will surely give her some clue they are going to say something naughty. "nana-" their voice is gentler than it is with anyone else, and the nickname is uttered in private with no foreign ears to hear. "i will ask you something, and i would like you to be honest with me."