"Ah, good." Kuno smiled again, though it was less at Theo and more just for the sake of it. It was nice that Theo understood. "We can get better at it together, I guess," He added lightly, turning back to face where he was going. The kitchen was just as busy as it was before, though there was more of an emphasis on dishes than cooking at this point. Food was still out for the stragglers, though– which would have been him, if not for Theo.
"Do you need any help?" Kuno asked as he set his dishes down. The woman he was addressing turned around with a playfully annoyed look on her face.
"Kuno. My dear res-Kuno. You already have enough to do. Go take a break or something if you have spare time." She flicked a bit of water at him, which Kuno artfully dodged. "I mean, cleaning up that whole library by yourself right as taveni-jolu is coming up? I, personally, think you're crazy."
"I'm not doing it alone anymore. The queens found me an assistant." Kuno nodded towards Theo.
"Huh. About time." Ry rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her task. "Get going, rusipol." Kuno sighed and headed towards the door. Ry could be a very interesting person, but talking to her was always difficult, at least for him.
Theo nodded in reply. Together, huh? they thought to themselves as they walked. Well, not for much longer.
Once in the kitchen, he set his dishes down with Kuno's before looking up at the woman. Watching silently, feeling a drop of water fly to his cheek. He merely wiped it away, bowing his head and introducing himself once he was addressed.
He wondered what this taveni-jolu was, but knew it would be a bad idea to ask, so he gave one last nod to the woman before following Kuno. Maybe once he got back to the library, he could find a book that could explain it to him.
Kuno let out a small breath as he walked, glad that Ry had reminded him of the taveni-jolu celebration. It was something he enjoyed, and he was looking forward to it. It was a little bad that it was happening right in the middle of the library project, but now that he had an assistant to help him, it wouldn't be so bad taking one or two days off. And those days off were desperately needed. This taveni-jolu would be different than the other ones though, mostly because… well, there were a lot of people missing. The breakfast usually shared with family would be different. Elia and Lainei had invited him to join them anytime something with family was involved, which he appreciated. They really were the best… Kuno let out a soft laugh and opened the door to the library. He shouldn't think about these sorts of things in front of other people.
Ko started to complaining again, which Theo payed little attention to. She whined that she couldn’t breathe and that they should take the biting ball back, but Theo know she had nostrils to breathe through just fine. And being covered by their sleeve may make the air stuffy, but she wouldn’t be there for long.
He cocked his head as he noticed Kuno’s small laugh. “What is it?” He asked quietly. He stepped cautiously into the library.
"Hmm?" Kuno glanced back, then realized he'd just laughed out loud. "Oh." His eyes dropped to the ground for a second. "I was just thinking about the morning of taveni-jolu. It's going to be different this year. What with all the missing people." He paused. "Do you… do you have someone to celebrate it with? If not, I'm sure you could join us. The queens wouldn't mind. It's been a hard few years for us all," Kuno continued, turning back towards the mess of a library in front of him. "I'm sure they would let anyone without a family join them to make sure no one's alone."
Theo raised a brow, figuring that these missing people were missing because of the war. "Well, I'm not sure if I could really celebrate it with snakes and lizards," he shrugged. Then his gaze on the other man became more focused as he realized what he was offering. Theo suddenly felt very unprepared, unsure how to respond. These queens would invite him, the assumed librarian's assistant, to this event as an actual guest? Mother and father would have never done such a thing, it would've been improper and rather insulting to the more wealthy and powerful guests who were usually invited to a celebration, even if it was in the aftermath of a war. They wanted to decline since it might be rude of them to be there, but then they reminded themself that they were in a different country, it might be ruder to decline than to attend.
"R-really?" he stuttered. "The queens would be so kind?"
As he was distracted, his feet merely wandered in the direction of his piles of books.
"Of course." Kuno nodded, smiling slightly at Theo. "Taveni-jolu is a day to celebrate the summer… though this one will probably just be celebrating the end of the war." He stayed with Theo, half to continue talking with him and half to check on his progress. "If you want to join us, meet me in front of the library the day after tomorrow. You don't have to come, but I'm sure they would love to have you." Kuno glanced around at the piles of books. "I'll leave you to your work." Kuno gave him a nod and headed back to his own area. He hoped that that whole invitation hadn't been too awkward. But the queens really would love to have more people. Something to make it more familiar, and to distract from the many shadows of people long gone.
Theo absentmindedly let Ko slide out of his sleeve and onto one of the bookshelves, taking the cloth ball, suddenly feeling less nervous. He remembered celebrating Jiyo, a similar holiday back in Indri, but it was mostly by himself, or not at all. But at least it sounded familiar. Besides, he didn't know what else he could do when the day came. It's not like he could celebrate Jiyo, as it had a different date.
"Well, perhaps I could do with a bit of change in schedule," they conceded. "I'll think about it."
They returned his nod and went up to his piles of books, beginning to sort them with new vigor. Ko trailed beside them, tasting the air with her tongue.
"If you cause trouble, I'm going to throw you out the window," they said, not looking at her.
The snake hissed with laughter.
"Yeamelo." Kuno gave them a small smile. He just had to tell the queens about it so they could have enough food made, and then everything would be set. The rest of the afternoon settled into a slightly agravating rhythm, at least for Kuno. It would have been nice, except for the fact that he'd started going through the history books in earnest now, and they were all… so, so bad. Absolutely terrible. Book after book found its way into the canyu pile, though they were more thrown than placed. If he'd been alone, he would have been insulting and cursing every one of those books. It would probably have been too much noise for Theo, and he didn't want to interrupt their work. So, he stayed silent and cursed them in his head. Eventually, the sun dipped low enough on the horizon to call it a day. Kuno tried to stand, letting out a quiet curse as his stiff legs caused him to nearly topple over. "You can go, qle-Theo!" He called, leaning on a sturdy-looking pile of books and shaking his legs out. Maybe he should go for a walk that evening to balance out all the sitting around he'd been doing that day.
For Theo, the afternoon merely became a therapeutic routine of sorting books. Sometimes he came across something that disturbed or discomforted him, but he forced himself not to think to hard about it. He found a few more books that he wanted to take a look at later, adding them to his mental list.
Ko was surprisingly well behaved. She was either sleeping or making snarky comments, and that was fine with Theo. At least she wasn’t biting the books or slithering all over him.
Eventually, they managed to get all of the books sorted between fiction and nonfiction. They had been going through the fiction pile, picking out realistic fiction novels and moving them to their respective shelves when they heard Kuno’s call. Looking to the window, they were surprised to find the sun so closed to the horizon. Is the day over already?
He weaved through the shelves, Ko around his shoulders. Finding Kuno shaking out his legs, he asked, “Are you alright?” though he wasn’t sure why.
"Hmm?" Kuno looked up to see Theo had appeared. "Oh, yes. They just get a little stiff if I'm sitting around for too long." He gestured at his legs, though it was probably obvious what he was talking about. "They should be fine now." Kuno stood up fully, glad that he felt a little more stable. He started towards the door to the library. "Thank you for asking, though." Kuno gave Theo a small smile. "Have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow." He pushed open the door, holding it for Theo. He had considered asking what they were doing that evening, but that might be seen as an invitation. Spending time with Theo hadn't proved itself to be terrible yet, but his plan for the evening was finding flowers for the queens– and Theo, maybe– and he doubted they wanted to come along.
Theo returned the small smile, still unsure of what to make of the man before him. Even though, or perhaps because, the day was over, he was still finding it strange to think of Kuno as the one who killed his parents. Surely that must be because he believed that Theo was not an enemy and had no need to show that other side of him. Surely he would kill Theo right now if he knew. It did not matter how he appeared to be. He was responsible, he took them away just when Theo was about to make things right–
They felt their eyes watering. Quickly lowering their gaze and wiping their eyes, they murmured, "Goodnight," gave Kuno a formal head bow, and walked out the door.
Kuno frowned slightly when Theo moved to wipe his eyes but decided that they'd simply gotten something in them. He returned the bow and turned towards the doors. After fumbling around in his menileofe for a few seconds, Kuno extracted a key and locked the library doors. It would be terrible if someone came in during the middle of the night and messed up all their progress, and he knew quite a few people would like to make a bonfire with the canyu books. It wasn't like he didn't also want to, but keeping them, for now, was the best option. Kuno realized halfway to his room that he was, in fact, walking towards his room and not towards the gardens. Around this time, there were a million vendors selling all sorts of different flowers in the market that he could go to. But Kuno figured that it would mean more if he picked the flowers himself. There were so many in the garden, anyhow, that taking a few wouldn't hurt anyone. Kuno changed directions, different flower combinations running through his head.
Why do you have to kill this guy anyway?
Ko was coiled on the bed. She had decided to spend the night with Theo, which he was secretly glad of. He found that snakes were the best creatures to ramble to when he needed it.
They pulled his sleepwear, a long tunic called a tìl, over his head. “I have to. Mother and father would want me to. I have to do it for them.”
Mother and father? Them again?
“It’s a human thing, Ko. You wouldn’t understand.”
She seemed to shrug. Fine. I’m tired. She buried her head underneath her coils. Well, maybe Ko was the exception of snakes he could talk to. Theo stroked her scales before going to the small desk beside the bed and opening up their journal. Their train of thought ran free as he wrote.
He didn’t have anything better to do the day after tomorrow, and it would be better to keep an eye on Kuno if he couldn’t do it in the library. They didn’t feel like celebrating though. Father would probably slap them if he saw them celebrating an Opreian event anyway. It would be interesting to see how it compared to Jiyo, if he was being honest. Perhaps he will go, though not to participate in celebrations.
He set down the quill pen he had been writing with. Why did it feel like father was right behind him, boiling with rage, ready to scream at them? Why was Theo shaking all of a sudden? The image of bloodied bedsheets flashed through their mind. No. Not now. Not now. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I know I have failed you, I know. Just please, give me more time, give me more time. I’ll avenge you, I promise, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, don’t hurt me, please-
Ko’s hiss snapped them back into focus. They had been rocking back and forth in his seat, tears springing in his eyes.
Theo…?
He closed his eyes, trying to breathe. Not now. “Sorry, Ko, I… I should sleep.”
She merely flickered her tongue at them sleepily. He slowly rose from his seat, blew out the candle, and slid under the covers, careful not to get in Ko’s space. Hopefully there would be no nightmares tonight.
Kuno placed the last of the flowers in the vase and stepped back. He could cast a preservation spell on them the next morning. It had taken a little longer than he thought to pick the perfect ones, and it was too late to worry about them now. They could last one night in water, anyhow. He was too tired to bother with much of a nighttime routine, settling with taking off his shoes and coat. He placed his eyepatch next to his bed, ready in case anything happened. Hopefully, this night would be a peaceful one, Kuno thought as he fell asleep. Unfortunately, his prayers weren't answered.
Blood dripped onto the stones beneath his feet. The stones were cold; he could feel the chill shooting up through the soles of his feet and into his heart. At this point, though, the cold couldn’t bother him too much. There were much more important things to worry about now. The sounds of fighting and shouting came echoing down the staircase at the end of the hallway. He limped towards it, leaning heavily against the wall. The smart thing would be to wait until the fighting died down. He was smart, but he was also scared. Scared that they would leave him behind if he didn’t get out there that instant. Everyone thought he was dead, probably, so why would they look for him?
(do you want to time skip?)
(Yeah, sure! Do you want to take it, or should I?)
(I can do it since it's my turn)
Someone was calling their name. They looked around, but there was no one. The castle was dark, only the faint light of candles giving the impression of walls and furnishings around them. The name called again, more desperate this time. A mounting sense of dread. The hiss of a snake. He found a trail of blood and followed it, but a huge shadow soon barred their way. His dread spiked, the dark figure looming over him, its intent unknown.
Theo awoke, softly gasping with fear. The soft light of dawn filtered through the window, almost as if it was sparing him from blindness, unlike some other mornings he woke to. They sat up, trying to steady themself. Had something happened before that sequence in the castle? He thought so, but he couldn’t remember. Ah well, it was better that they didn’t.
Ko was gone. He wasn’t worried by this, it had happened before. Snakes were not overly loyal creatures. Theo slipped out of bed and got dressed with only the soft sounds of cloth rustling punctuating the silence. He went to the kitchen to grab a simple fruit for breakfast, then made their way to the library.
The nightmares woke Kuno up early in the morning. The place where his right eye was supposed to be was burning, and the missing parts of his fingers ached too. Thankfully, it only seemed to be aftereffects from the dreams and faded quickly. He hadn't had nightmares like that in a while, and especially not about… that time. Dreams about that period in his life were almost worse than dreams about the war. He couldn't make himself go back to sleep, so he spent the time until the morning going over books about magic. He might have drifted off a few times, but he always woke up before falling into a deep sleep. By the time dawn arrived, Kuno had found a couple of new spells. He was also very tired, but it was a usual feeling for him at this point. He walked slowly to the kitchen and grabbed some bread and jam to eat. His way to the library was slow as well, though he managed to give everyone he passed a respectful nod. Thankfully, no one batted an eye at his rumpled appearance. An upside of living with people who'd gone through about the same thing he'd gone to– with one very large exception– was that no one really expected anyone to look all that presentable anymore. An impressively messy bun and very wrinkled clothes were nothing new to them. As Kuno approached the library, he started fumbling around for the library key, muttering a few curse words in Oprei as he did. He really needed to reorganize his menileofe at some point.
As they walked, they made sure to look as inconspicuous as possible so no one he passed by would approach him. They kept their gaze to the floor, walking at a brisk pace.
The fruit in his hand was a strange color, yellow fading into gold. It was just a little smaller than their palm, and had a round, oblong shape. Another native flora, he supposed. Looking up, he found himself approaching the doors, with only Kuno in sight. They bit into the fruit. Sweet, with a slight tang. Theo didn’t love it, but he didn’t hate it either.
They swallowed the bite, coming up next to Kuno. “Morning,” was all he said, since it was never pleasant to talk to another human being this early in the day.
Kuno looked up in surprise, hand freezing. "Oh. Um. Morning." He'd completely forgotten that Theo existed for a second there. Well… that was awkward. Kuno quickly fished the key out of his menileofe, wondering if a spell to help with sleeping existed and if so, where he could find it. Maybe he could ask someone, and if not, there had to be a record of one in a book. The trick was just finding the book. Kuno blinked a few times, stifled a yawn, and unlocked the library door. "After you." He waved listlessly towards the inside of the library.
They studied Kuno for a moment. They could tell he was tired, and probably didn’t get a lot of sleep. Theo felt the same, even though he got plenty of sleep the night before. They bit into the fruit again, wondering what he had been doing. They walked through the doors, then looked back at the other man, unsure if he should immediately get to work or not.
Kuno paused on the threshold, taking in the slightly less messy library. Well, at least it looked better than it had the day before. Theo looking back at him pushed him into motion. "Tal bila… just keep with the organizing. I have some, uh, new books for you. I'll get them." He started towards his pile, stared at it for a second, and decided to be lazy. "Zetai con yujie," Kuno whispered, waving a hand at a pile of books. It shuddered for a second, then rose into the air. He moved until he could see Theo's area, then gestured towards it. The pile of books smoothly floated in that direction, settling down gently. "I can move those somewhere else if you want me to," he called, doing the same thing with the next stack of books.
Theo nodded, quickly eating the fruit so he’d have both of his hands free. They watched the new piles of books float to their general workspace with fascination, still chewing on the fruit and moving in the direction of his stacks of books.
Swallowing the food, he replied, “No, here is good,” and bent down to look through the new books, skimming though the titles and authors while he continued eating. A lot of it seemed to be historical volumes, collections of primary sources, and the like. Theo put them in the nonfiction stack as they came, hoping to return to sorting the fiction stack once this was done.
.jpg)
