NIGHT / 晚上

"...and what is it that you think I'm keeping from you, exactly?"

perhaps this is lian's fatal flaw; to always expect the best, even when he should know not to hope. for a door to be opened. for a glance to be exchanged. for a warm hand to take his. he dared to hope, and none of it happened. how foolish is it for him to hope again? that he can break down walls of a decade between them by a single question? no, he shouldn't be disappointed. but he still is. they are perhaps born to tear each other apart; sheng with his apathy for him, and lian with his constant optimism that never gets him anything but pain. even if the disappointment is easy to read on his face, he does not try to hide. it somehow mixes with some anger as well, that despite everything they have been through in the past two months, sheng still takes him a fool. "really? are we going to play this game?" the annoyance seeps into his words, as he crosses his arms in front of him, looking into his brother's dark eyes. a moment passes, then another. a game of chess, a match that asks for patience that lian is known not to have. he stares down at sheng as long as he can before he throws his hands in the air with a huff and much like a petulant child, starts walking back and forth in front of him. "if i knew what exactly, i wouldn't be asking you, would i?" a brief glance back at him, as the elder nuwa stands still. perhaps familiar with lian's antics, even if they are genuine, somehow exaggerated. "i really can't believe you still take me for a fool — after everything! i guess it's my fault to think maybe, just maybe, you don't think i'm an incompetent idiot anymore." it's hard to stop talking once he has gotten into it, mumbling it to himself more than the air in between them. helplessness and fear take an odd shape inside his chest, growing bigger and bigger, threatening to break through his ribcage. "you know something is going on, i know something is going on — and the pragmatic thing would be to tell me so we work on it together, aren't two hands better than one?" pacing seemingly over for now, lian returns back to where he was, right in front of sheng, eyes burning with so much that it is impossible to pin down the exact emotion. what he can pin down, what he has right now, is sheng's presence, and he points at his chest with his index finger, digging into the expensive fabric. crimson-dark eyes meet his. "can you swear on everything you hold dear that you aren't holding a secret? that you aren't scheming something behind closed doors?" a tilt of his head, another step closer. "i am not asking you to enjoy my presence any more than you ever did. i am asking you to let me help you- as the sword that our father raised us to be." and while this is the exact opposite of what his heart yearns for, the idea of leaving sheng alone in this chaos is unberable. despite how much the elder hates him, despite his own wish to leave home one day, he will fight for both of their safety. he will be useful.

there would always be a part of orion that remains a child within their sister's presence, and her soft reply only reminds him of this fact. it is much too easy to be reminded of their youth, of them following her everywhere, wanting to learn more and more about what she studied, what she liked. that part has not changed, but both of them have grown up now, with rocks of burdens filling their shoes, and fire that has taken so much away from them. and while orion cannot manage to forget what has happened, they always feel lighter within their sister's presence, as if everything can and will work out, as long as she's there, safe and well. one sentence in, and they have been read like a book. it's hard to stop the beginnings of a pout that forms on their lips, yet they manage to remain serious. this is a serious matter after all. while one could argue no imminent danger is on the horizon, the matters of the heart are perilous, as they are dependent on the will of someone orion does not know nor trust. it's another question if there is anyone on the face of earth they'd trust with seraphyna's happiness, yet they are wise enough to know it will not be up to them. "i suppose that is fair," they state matter of factly, and if they are told to be whining, they'd deny vehemently. "i know not to listen to winds of gossip..." is an odd way to start, as they focus on her reaction, head tilted. "but my gut tells me it is more than just that." they know perhaps they should ask this with more grace, more decorum. under her gaze, that thought falls apart, and the question comes through in the next breath. "is there someone who holds your heart?"

"  bring  my  belongings  to  the  almara  quarters  .  "  hushed  words  to  the  servant  taking  her  belongings  before  her  dusk  brown  orbs  fell  upon  the  keep  .  she'd  been  here  before  ,  she  didn't  like  it  then  and  she  suspected  she  wouldn't  now  either  .

the night air is welcomingly crisp as the liege sets foot outside, wandering through the courtyard, aiming to visit the outskirts of elaris keep. nature is always more welcome than the games they need to play inside, gauging what is a truth or a lie, which house is scheming, and which one is aimless. it's all crucial for what's the come, haneul's aware — yet it is difficult to stop the calling of the nature. the other side of them itches to be let out, although they almost never do it outside of morkhul. they push it down, and take a deep breath to calm themself. what they don't expect to see is a familiar face arriving, not outside of crowreach, here, now, miles and miles away. for the first time in the last few weeks, they freeze for a few seconds, before taking a step towards her. "lady almara." a brief bow of their head, before their eyes meet kali's. "i did not know you would come."

her hand did not move to her blade, instead she shifted slightly to the left to allow them to stare at the same abyss she had been. to contemplate a world of ancients long forced into memory…

the tides do not follow the expected ebb and flow, as news of all sorts reaches weary ears upon the chaes' arrival. first the death from braxigar, followed by the list of potential crownwearers, some haneul expected, some not at all. the days that follow are a cloud of whispers and rumors, conversations behind closed doors, attempts at last-minute alliances to secure the coveted throne. while they are not the sort of person to change their mind with a single conversation, they know the importance of being up to date with the directions of the wind. so, much to their dismay, they are forced by themself to go out and 'mingle' — get up to date with the events of different hollows and houses. to learn more about who is siding with whom, and talk with the very few friends they have. it's more draining than running through their entire library in one evening, yet they get through it with a steely countenance as they are known to do. it's only a few more days later, and in which they have a break, that they seek solace in the outskirts of elaris keep. they do not expect to find a familiar face there, and move quietly once they realize they have been noticed. their eyes do not meet hers but look at the darkness that stretches on. "lady kaelvorn." the greeting is quiet, as is the world around them. calm despite the threat of a chaos that burns inside the castle walls. "admiring heliophra? or perhaps, missing home?"

being caught here, with a bottle in hand, lying across the cold stone, feels too similar to being caught at home years ago, doing something he shouldn't have been doing. if it were the case, it would bounce off him as soon as it hit his skin — yet this is someone else, and it feels rude to have found solace here amidst all the preparations the altinsoys must have gone through. the embarassment is easy to see on his face as lian sits up straighter now, a hand going to the back of his neck, legs crossed underneath him. "lady altinsoy." the greeting is brief, and he tries not to avert his eyes. "my apologies. this is not a reflection of your hospitality, more of my..." a pause as he tries to find the right words, something that's not too self depricating that it would disturb her, yet still the truth. "aversion to crowds." it's both a truth and a lie, and he wonders if she will question it further. "plus, the view here is phonemonal. heliophra is stunning." the liege gestures towards the open field in front of them, the nature that is so unlike braxigar's. "thank you for hosting us."

finding information amidst this chaos is difficult, if not completely impossible. there are too many whispers going around to believe any of them, not if it's not a friend's word. as the voting for the crownwearer is on the near horizon, everyone tries to get another twist of the story, one of up another or pull someone else down. it's as nerve-wracking as it is confusing, to try to find a needle in the haystack for more information about what happened to them. much to orion's chagrin, lathander was at least right about one thing: everyone seems to be over the events of the fire. when people do not seem to be the answer for more intel, let alone at this particular hour, and when sleep does not take them; they find the answer in heading to the library. they cannot be sure if they'll find much value there, but if they could get their hands on some records, or at least more knowledge about heliophra, it couldn't hurt. they know less than they are comfortable with, especially on foreign soil. it doesn't take them too long to find the library, and much less time to get lost in the amount of books and the way they are organized. too wrapped up in their head as they believe they have found some kind of records — the sound of footsteps reach their ears too late, accompanied by a whisper. it startles them, and it's difficult to fight the urge to roll their eyes. "liege orion tethalune- and you are?" the words are proper nonetheless, as their heart beats fast in the wake of the surprise. "and how do you know i do not have an invite?"

biting  into  the  green  apple  ,  the  tethalune  heir  noticed  his  youngest  sibling  sneak  away  into  their  chambers  .  he  wondered  why  orion  always  seemed  so  up  tight  ,  as  if  they  would  be  anywhere  else  in  the  world  but  where  everything  happened  .  emerald  hues  fell  upon  them  as  he  stood  in  the  door  way  ,  eyeing  his  younger  sibling  who  seemed  annoyed  at  the  slightest  of  things  .  "  i  wouldn't  say  they  were  upon  any  list  ?  horror  befalls  us  all  .  "  he  states  in  a  matter  of  factly  tone  ,  ignoring  the  worry  which  seemed  like  ivy  vines  clinging  to  them  .  "  to  be  quite  frank  -  "  he  says  with  a  chuckle  escaping  him  as  he  walks  closer  to  where  orion  is  laying  upon  the  bed  .  "  i'd  rather  we  are  yesterdays  news  than  todays  gossip  ,  i  prefer  finding  the  gossip  than  being  it  .  "  he  muses  with  a  wicked  grin  upon  his  lips  .  perhaps  he  was  a  masochist  ,  perhaps  he  was  too  greedy  and  selfish  to  realize  that  there  was  a  world  outside  his  periphery  .  "  we  have  a  home  ,  orion  ⸻  somewhere  to  go  back  to  ,  isn't  that  enough  ?  loosen  a  little  up  .  "

the matter of fact tone does not help the mood of the youngest, as they fight the urge to roll their eyes and only half succeed. "what do you mean? you think it's completely random and without a plan?" their voice rises a pitch, and if they were a better man, they'd be able to stop the next words coming from their mouth. "yeah, i guess you would think that." it's under their breath as they dig deeper into the couch, arms crossed in front of their chest, one hand going to pinch the bridge of their nose. lathander's light spirits have the opposite effect on them, as they try to keep calm, and fail miserably. "gossip?" even if it might be all that to some houses who remain unaffected, it feels utterly wrong to chalk it off as that. "that's all this is to you? this death and terror that does not end?" what affects them more than anything else is the brushing off of the loss of their home — they get up in the next blink of an eye, walking up to their brother, eyes fiery. "you're kidding me — your standard for home is 'having somewhere to go to'? that's enough for you?" cerulean eyes look deep into his, seeking to find deception there, afraid to find the truth. "let's just throw a bed in the woods and be done then. less work- should be enough?"

the inn is a much more familiar and comforting place for the young nuwa, much more so than the elaris keep, where everyone seems to be on edge and weighing one another. it isn't as if lian doesn't know why — the times are terrible, to say the least, and with everything changing at the blink of an eye, apprehension spreads like a disease. there is a part of him, however, that is happy to be away from home, anywhere else but home, without the vigilant and overbearing gaze of his parents, without the pressure of who he needs to be. it is only the news of the dead that hinders him from having more light of a heart, mixing in with some guilt that it is lighter than it has been for a while. when the loud voice booms through the crowd, followed by cheers, lian tries to let the good spirits wash over him as well. he can afford to let go a bit — right? at the very least, he knows he needs to, as there might not be many other opportunities to come for a while. he raises his glass with the rest of the clientele, only faltering a little at the speech. it's daunting, a contradiction to the cheer that has accompanied it. with a quick shrug, they take a long sip of their drink, though unable to look away from the lord. "thanks for the drink." he lets out, and raises his glass in a cheer, before taking another long sip. "i don't know if celebrating is the right word —" there is little to be celebrated, his guilt reminds him, and he tries to drown it again with another drink. "trying to get away, i suppose?" in many ways, more than what he would be able to speak into words. "inns are always a good place to let go of things, although sometimes momentarily." the crowd around them is proof of that, able to have joy when there is so much sorrow near them. "what about yourself? what are you celebrating?"