forum secrets only the sun knows // O/O // Closed

Started April 23, 2021 by @MarDeColores this is not it kids

tune

The land of Opria had been caught up in a bloody war for almost six years, but it was finally over. The queen and king who had led one side of the battle had been killed, much to the joy of many of the citizens of Opria. Of course, not everyone was glad the king and queen were dead. Their loyal followers, for one, and their heir for another. Although most thought the demise of the old rulers was due to the new queens, a select few knew that it was actually their right-hand man who'd delt the last strike. The old rulers' heir had been able to escape and vowed revenge upon the man who'd killed their parents. After that, they would take their rightful throne back. Their plan was perfect– pose as his assistant, get close to him, and kill him when he least expected it. After that, everything would be easy. The only thing they didn't account for was falling for him. As they got more immersed in this new world, the truth about the country, their parents, and the war slowly came to light. The life they'd know might have been nothing more than a lie all along.

Rules 'n Stuff:

• Ask before you join, please!
• I ask that you be semi-active: that is, respond at least once every three days.
• If you have any questions, either about the plot or the world, ask away!
• If you have any ideas about how something might work out, share it with me and we can try to work it in. This is collaborative, after all! :)
• The level of technology is relatively low– think candles for light and horses/feet for transportation.
• For romance purposes, my character is male and biromantic/asexual.
• I will post a character template once someone joins.
• Let's have fun with this!

(Alright, cool! Here's the template! Feel free to add anything you want to it.)
Name:
Age:
Gender/pronouns:
Sexuality:
Appearance:
Personality:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Talents:
Background:
Other:

Name: Kuno
Age: 21 years
Gender/pronouns: Male, he/him.
Sexuality: Biromantic, asexual. Fine with kissing, but not much more.
Appearance: 6'2" tall and lean. Curly black hair reaching to the middle of his back. Warm brown skin, maroon eyes that look very red in certain lights. He usually has an eyepatch over his right eye, which is just an empty eye socket. The top knuckle of his pinkie and ring finger on both hands is missing. He has a good amount of scars scattered around his body. He normally wears all black, and his typical outfit is a sleeveless shirt and pants with a loose black coat embroidered with gold accents.
Personality: He's usually very cold and puts on a front that he doesn't really care about people (because of ✨the war✨). Deep down, he does care, maybe a little too much. But he was scarred by the enemy and thus doesn't want to show that he cares. He's also very proud and will do almost anything to keep up his appearances. He has a thick face, though, and can handle embarrassment. He just doesn't want to seem weak. He's fascinated by magic, so his interest in that can override all other reactions. He isn't prone to go crazy, but at some point, he will just snap. It's more likely to happen if it has to do with the previous monarchy.
Likes: Fire, old books, soft clothes, the color black, being in control, soft moments in nature.
Dislikes: People sneaking up on him, feeling weak, people abusing their power/other people.
Talents: He's very good at death glares. Quite good at magic, as well. A very strong swimmer, a very good survivalist. Can more than hold his own in a fight. He was (and still is, but he doesn't show it off anymore) a very good swordsman.
Background: He got involved in the start of the war when he was 14, and lost his family to it at 15. Around that time, he was taken under the wing of Laini and Elia, the women leading the side opposing the queen and king. As he grew older, he helped them more and more in the battles until he was the one they trusted most on the battlefield. When he was 19, he saved Laini and a bunch of other soldiers but got captured by the enemy. They locked him up for a year, and he won't tell anyone what happened during that time. But seeing as he came out of it with missing parts of fingers and one less eye, it must have been terrible. After the war was over, he gained the role of librarian.
Other: His magic is based off of belief and trust in Sol, the god of Opria. It is a learned magic and relatively few people bother to learn it.

Name: Prince Theo
Age: 20
Gender/pronouns: male, he/they
Sexuality: ace, homoromantic
Appearance: with a slender, soft yet angular frame, he stands at about 5’11 with a narrow face with prominent cheek bones and an olive complexion. Almond shaped/ mono-lid eyes with warm brown irises that look almost gold in the right lighting. His hair is wavy, swept to the side and raven-colored. They used to wear it short, but recently they’ve been growing it out and wearing it in a short ponytail. A birthmark in the shape of a bird in flight on his right thigh. I imagine he wears something like this https://pin.it/4u6FqsB or this https://pin.it/36sLTW5, frequently combining black or other dark colors with very light, pastel ones. I imagine he is also the type to wear long skirts with ruffles or lace occasionally.
Personality: (annoying bully voice) neeeeerrrrrrddddd! But seriously, once you get past all the walls of good natured indifference, they show that they have a serious, sometimes obsessive, passion for both broad and specific topics. The main ones he’s been interested in for most of his life was forest wildlife, both in general and specifically reptiles and amphibians, horror and murder mystery novels, long-range combat, and how tea is produced. Usually that’s all kept hidden away though, as he is a bit of a solitary soul and a man of few words, and reveals certain sides of himself only when he feels safe or comfortable enough to do so. Though considered a very logical person, or at least employs logic in their actions and thought process, they are also very emotional. However, they rarely make decisions based in emotion. He’ll probably go somewhere by himself to cry or scream into his pillow, but he’ll come back with an entire plan or response in mind. Unfortunately, this also makes him rather useless when he is in an emotional state, often paralyzed by his feelings.
Likes: snakes, geckos, and other reptiles, reading, grilled fish, learning, experimenting with different types of knives, rainy days, tea, etc
Dislikes: being overwhelmed, annoying people- both the verb and the noun, somehow deathly afraid of horses, being unable to think, feeling trapped, etc.
Talents: their specialty is the bow and arrow and throwing knives, and is rather agile with quick reflexes. An inner strategist, able to think far into the future and plan ahead, as well as having a sharp intuition. Also a reasonably good diplomat and has a talent for tea making
Background: Theo was born at time when his parents were anxious for children, as his mother had never been able to get pregnant until then. His parents’ rule had been stained with past mistakes and controversies of all kinds, and they hoped an heir would fix that. Shielded from the rest of the world, Theo was raised to be the perfect son, the perfect prince, inadvertently causing trauma that he isn’t even really aware of… yet. It was a constant fight for his parents’ approval and love, which only got more intense once the war began. Around halfway through the war they were sent away to a castle away from the front lines, which made him feel rather neglected and lonely, sort of believing he had done something wrong. Upon finding their mother and father dead, it became a situation where Theo felt stripped of any hope of being loved in a familial way ever again and the only way to fix that and finally make their parents proud of them was to avenge their deaths.
Other: as a young child he developed the ability to speak to snakes and other reptiles, and made friends with a black mamba and a snub-nosed adder who visit him from time to time. Their names are Vivi and Ko respectively, both female.

The library was a mess. At that point, it couldn't really be called a library. More like… a really large, terribly organized storage room. Kuno didn't think it was too bad– he just needed time, was all. But it was a different story to the queens.
"We got someone to help you." Lainei, the taller of the two queens, burst into the library and nimbly avoided a couple of rather precarious stacks of books.
"You what?" Kuno glanced up from the book he was skimming. "No, that's not necessary. I can–"
"You can, but it would take too long. And it wouldn't be very good for your health, either," Elia, the other queen, interrupted. "Kuno, this project is too big. If we'd known how much of a mess this place would be beforehand, we wouldn't have made it all only your responsibility."
"It's fine, I swear. I can manage," Kuno protested, holding up a hand.
"Well, it's too late. There's already someone. They'll be coming in soon. So…" Lainei waved her hands vaguely. "Figure out a way to explain everything. This place needs help." She spun on her heel and left with the swiftness of someone being chased by something.
"It's for your own good, Kuno. This thing really is too much," Elia said apologetically, giving him a smile before following her wife out. Kuno stared after them, a confused expression on his face.
"Sol help me," He sighed, running a hand over his hair. He really didn't want an assistant, but it would be helpful. It would make things quicker, at least. Kuno stood, giving the mess around him a once-over before glancing at the door. What did Lainei mean by 'soon'?

Theo paced the hall, taking rhythmic breaths and trying to calm his nerves. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous, other than the fact that he was basically on enemy territory. And probably that he was going to face the man at last. That’s probably all it was. Alone in the hall, the dull sunlight casting the space in a grayish yellow light, he could almost feel his parents haunting him.
He sighed. Now wasn’t the time to get distracted by his own mind. He stopped pacing, closing his eyes. For now, all that needed to be done is to report to the library, and begin settling into life here. His eyes flickered open at the sound of a familiar hiss outside the window, and a soft smile graced his lips. At least he wasn’t alone. He continued walking.
For a moment he got turned around and couldn’t find the library, but he quickly got back on the right path. The library doors soon loomed over him, and he gave a quick knock, the nervousness now simmering quietly in the back of his mind.

The sound of knocking almost didn't reach Kuno, as absorbed as he was in his task. For a second, he thought it was just the sound of a stack of books falling over. But he'd heard that sound before, and it wasn't that. Kuno stood, setting the book he was skimming through down, and headed towards the door. Would this be the person the queens had sent, or simply someone not knowing the library was closed? Kuno sincerely hoped it would be the second option, as much as he didn't like telling people that they couldn't come in. It has already been a week, but people still came wondering if they could get a book. He reached the door, pausing for a second before pulling it open.
"Can I help you?" He asked as politely as he could, giving the person what he hoped was a pleasant smile. "If you're here for a book, you're free to go in and try to find it, as long as you don't mess up my piles too much. And don't grab any books marked with 'canyu', for obvious reasons." Kuno let out a sigh. "Canyu" was the Oprei name given to the deceased queen and king, simply to make it easier to refer to them. It also happened to be a rather serious insult, but everyone had agreed that it suited them.

They tilted their head the man, poker-faced. Was this the one who had done the deed? Theo wasn’t sure what they had been expecting, but it was rather hard to imagine a librarian committing assassination. The eyepatch and the scars he could see told him otherwise, however. Something that may have been disbelief flashed through him.
They straightened and cleared their throat. “I’m here as your assistant? Assuming you’re the librarian,” they said softly.

Kuno frowned slightly, his mouth turning down a bit in disappointment despite himself. "Oh. I am. My name is Kuno. I suppose you should come in. Close the door behind you." He turned around and started towards the center of the library. Hopefully, his new assistant would be following. His new assistant which he didn't need. Well, he could just send them off to some corner to do some simple task. Somewhere where they wouldn't disturb him. "Do you have any idea of what you'll be doing, or do you need an explanation, qle?" He glanced over his shoulder, thick braid swaying slightly as he did. Kuno made an attempt to keep a friendly look on his face as he looked back, knowing that immediately getting on the bad side of this person would probably not be a good idea. They didn't need to be friends, but they did need to be somewhat friendly to each other. Even if Kuno wouldn't see much of them.

"… Theo," he introduced himself simply. He obliged, entering and closing the door. He could see Kuno's disappointment, and after getting a good look at the space before him, he wondered why. Clearly, he needed an assistant to help him. Was he too prideful to admit it? Or maybe he wanted the written material in all its glory for himself. Theo wouldn't blame him for that.
"Well, looking at the place, I can get an idea of my purpose here," they said as they followed him. "Although, if you have a preference for where everything is supposed to be organized, I'll need to know that."
The nervousness was fading. It would be easy to settle in as a librarian's assistant, Theo remembered basically living in the library sometimes before the war. The only thing that might be difficult about this would be keeping himself blameless in everyone else's eyes when this was all over.

"Aj, it would be better to give you an explanation anyway." Kuno stopped at where he had been working and turned towards his assistant, Theo. "This library used to belong to the canyu." Although this wasn't their original palace, they had moved here in the middle of the war, since it was more easily defended. "That means there are a lot of…" Kuno trailed off, trying to pick the right words. "A lot of incorrect books here. We're trying to get rid of them all and replace them with ones people would actually want to read." He waved towards the left side of the library. Beyond the mostly empty shelves, one could see a huge pile of books, neatly stacked. "Your job would probably be putting the books we've received into the proper shelves." Kuno gestured for Theo to follow him. "For now, just focus on the Opreian ones. We haven't gotten all the bilingual ones yet, since they take longer to make." He stopped in front of a large stack of books and tapped them. "All of these should go in these shelves there. If you don't have any more questions, I've got to get back to work."

Theo’s eyes narrowed. They knew this was a palace their mother and father had stayed in, though it was after they sent Theo away. But he wondered what Kuno meant by “incorrect.” He could take some guesses, though.
He followed the other man, nodding as he spoke. “I don’t have questions now, but I might have them later. I hope you enjoy working with me, Kuno, and I with you.” He bowed his head, still used to acting formally.
They moved closer to the books, deciding to first quickly go over the titles and authors before sorting them, their finger traveling down the spines. Occasionally he would pick out the ones that would come first in the Opreian alphabet.

"Alright, qle-Theo." Kuno nodded and turned, wondering why Theo was acting so formal. He didn't need all of that. Kuno carefully settled in his spot and picked the book pack up. This one was telling the story of the last taveni-jolu celebration, except it was painting the Gealei people as the instigators and the violent ones, instead of the victims. He had to admit, they shifted the blame very nicely. It was almost an art. That didn't mean it didn't make him very angry. He'd lost friends to that battle, and they were saying that they desurved it. They didn't, not in the least bit– Kuno slammed the book shut and roughly placed it into the correct pile. He couldn't be reading too much of these, or he might scream.

Theo had only looked over about a dozen books before he decided to switch tactics and sort by genre rather than alphabetical order. To him, it was less confusing, and the labels on the shelves seemed to indicate genre location anyway. First, separate nonfiction from fiction. He worked quietly, almost robotically. He didn't really pay too much attention to the titles except to see which group they belonged to, or if it was something that caught his attention– a volume on Opreian forms of long-ranged combat, an encyclopedia on every snake species known to man, a novel that seemed to involve some sort of murder. If mother could see him now, she would knock these books right out of his hands, but his curiosity was too overpowering at the moment. He would read these when he got the chance, even if it was a guilty read.
Eventually, they had three stacks of books surrounding them. The fiction stack, the nonfiction stack, and the original stack he started out with. They wouldn't put anything on the shelves, not yet. Only when everything when all the books were in their respective stacks.

Kuno had gotten through a good chunk of the books in front of him, sorting them into acceptable books, and those that would make basically any person he knew want to set them on fire. There were more acceptable books that he would have guessed, though they were mostly books about the local flora or an innocent children's book. There were also a fair amount of novels, though he was less sure about those. He'd have to put a note on them when they went onto the shelves telling people to let him know if there was anything terrible in them. Kuno stood, picked up the pile of offending books, and headed towards the back of the library to put them with the rest of them. As he was heading back, Kuno heard a loud knock on the door, almost as if someone was kicking it.
"Sol, what is it now?" He muttered, hurrying towards the entrance. He was expecting someone who wanted a book, but it was actually someone delivering another pile of Opreian books. Kuno accepted the pile and thanked them, then headed towards where his assistant was working. "I have some more for you, qle-Theo." He carefully set the stack down, wondering how they were organizing the books. He was doing it rather nicely, at least.

Theo felt his heartbeat spike when he heard the knock, almost dropping the book he was carrying, but he wasn’t sure why. Yes, it was loud and startling, but he thought he felt something like fear when he heard it too, and he didn’t think there was a reason to be afraid. Was there? It was just a book delivery. He pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind, resuming his work as Kuno came over.
They nodded to him. “Ah, thank you. And don’t worry, I’ll have these in their proper place once they’re all sorted out.”