Cadmus nodded, giving him a sunny smile. "Good choice!" He'd opened his mouth so say something more, a half-formed comment on the tip of his tongue, when footsteps tromped up behind him and someone set a tanned hand on his shoulder.
He turned with a grin, grabbing Fi by the furry collar around his neck and yanking him down into a sweet kiss. "Hey baby! How'd the fights go, anyone get you too roughed up?"
Fi gave him a fond smile in return, setting his head on Cadmus' shoulder. "I'm alright," he murmured. "Tired. My arms hurt, Elowan hits very hard."
Levi chuckled softly as he watched the sweet scene between the two lovers. His mind flickered back to Mordecai for another fraction of a second, but seeing as that dimmed his spirits again, he buried the thought. Elowan, Elowan… who was that again? He assumed that it was Fiori’s close female friend who appeared nearly equally skilled as Fiori in the arena.
They spent a few more minutes gazing at each other before Cadmus seemed to snap out of it, tapping Fi on the arm to break him from his daze. "We were having a conversation before you got here, sweetling. Levi, d'you remember what we were talking about? Was it boys?"
“Um, yes, pretty much,” he nodded, looking between Cadmus and Fiori. “I was just telling him a bit about Mordecai, and the conversation shifted over to my family. And how my brother’s probably going to be punished. Conversation took a few turns,” he chuckled.
Cadmus ushered Fi down into his seat and then plopped into his lap with a bright smile, nodding along as he spoke. "Oh yeah! We were thinking prison instead of labor camp, that way he can't escape. D'you have any input?"
Fi hummed. "A prison sentence is… a bit light, is it not? Something ore immediate might work better, something more painful."
Levi tilted his head with consideration. “I suppose so, yes. He should still be in prison but…he could be flogged as well,” he shifted his jaw. “Or what suitable punishments does your country have?”
"I would suggest a flogging. Punishment like that is… quick. Brutal. It leaves marks, marks people will not forget." Fi wrapped his arms around Cadmus' waist as he spoke, eyes dark with memory. "And it takes him out of operation for a while, long enough to keep him from scheming while you relocate him."
“I’d hate to do that to my brother,” Levi scratched the corner of his lip. “But… it seems appropriate given what he did.” And clearly Johan didn’t care enough about him. “Oh, and I told Cadmus that I’d give this collar to one of the silversmiths when I got back, to turn into either a pendant or necklet for him to wear.”
Fi hummed, nodding. "The irony is a nice symbolic gesture, though… I am not certain he'll want to take anything from you. Especially if you do choose to have him flogged. You would most likely need to frame it like a gesture of forgiveness after the punishment, but even then… your brother sounds very proud."
“Oh,” Levi looked off to the side. This was true, Johan was quite proud. “The I wouldn’t offer it to him. I would make him wear it in the prison,” he suggested with a loose shrug of his shoulders. “Or, make him a laborer for a number of years, but for a specific person. Like a slave. And eye for an eye kind of deal…” He wasn’t sure how well that would go over in his kingdom, especially since Johan was a prince.
(Oh!!! plot idea, y'know how we want Fi to get sent over to Levi's kingdom? What if he makes Johan his laborer? And that way we can force some bonding??)
Fi considered the new idea quietly while Cadmus loudly and enthusiastically agreed. "Yes! That's… that's so perfect Levi, you're a genius! Give him a taste of what he sentenced you to, make sure the punishment fits the crime! And anyway, I'm sure the poetic justice of it'll go over well with the family, especially since you are the older son."
(Oohh! Ah yess I like that a lot!! That way Fi doesn’t have to keep going down to the dungeons)
Levi bobbed his head again, smiling at how much Cadmus liked his idea. “I’m sure they’ll find it alright… as long as the labor isn’t too cruel. He is my brother, after all. But I doubt that would happen, depending on who he ends up working for.”
(Yes!!! Also, quick question, should Cadmus die before or after the holiday festival. The way I see it, he can either die right before Fi fights his uncle, thus forcing Fi to run away with Levi, or he can die after a beautiful festival night the three of them spend together, increasing sad points)
"Oh I'm sure you can convince them somehow!" Cadmus gave him a knowing smile– a you're the prince and you have the power kind of smile. "Widonians are all so… hereditary, yeah? You get all the power. And anyways, faking your brother's death and then selling him into slavery is… pretty serious. The punishment definitely fits the crime, it's gonna be hard to argue that he doesn't deserve it."
(Oohh, Hmm… I like both those options, but I’m kinda leaning towards the first one. It might add a little more drama/emotion to when Cadmus tells Fiori that Levi’s the prince right before he dies?? What do you think?)
Levi shrank a little bit at Cadmus’ look. He knew, Cadmus definitely knew, unless he was misreading that expression. He swallowed hard, momentarily losing his composed words to running thoughts. “I…Yeah, that would work, then. I could probably convince them. Somehow.”
(I think that sounds great! Maybe they head back downstairs to let Fi get ready for his fight and then boom guards swarm them and it's murder central.)
Cadmus's smile eased back into something bright and half-plastic as he gave a decisive nod. "Good! I'm sure you'll be just fine getting him what he deserves then, and now we can move onto something else. What shops do you wanna hit during the winter festival?"
(Sounds like a plan! Poor Fi, tho)
“This winter festival? Or my winter festival?” Levi tilted his head. Clarification was needed, as he knew exactly what shops he wanted to go to at his winter festival, but not the ones here. He hardly knew what they sold here.
"Yours, obviously." Cadmus rolled his eyes, leaning back against Fi's chest. "The lug says you're gonna be home by next month, and we were talking about your home country anyways." Fi laughed softly so Cadmus set a hand flat on his chest, gently shushing him. "I thought I may as well ask a couple questions, just in case I convince him to visit with me."
“Oh, well sure,” Levi watched the two of them with a humored, rising grin. “I really like ceramic and pottery type shops, cups and plates and vases. That sort of thing. If you buy a mug at one of the vendors, you can get it filled with heated wine to walk around and drink,” he recalled fondly. “And there are plenty of vendors selling unique clothes, jewelry, gloves and hats. I usually don’t buy there, but I love looking at them.”
Cadmus nodded, eating up the description. He loved travelling, did it as often as he could when Fi was available to come with him for protection and companionship. Their trips had been getting less and less frequent lately, but he was sure he could persuade Fi to come to Nord Widonia with him if he got a little time and help from Levi. "Sounds like a great time! What're the clothes like, do you trade in furs?"
“It is,” Levi grinned, remembering how happy he was in the months leading up to the festival, and during the festival. “Our clothes have heavy fabric, heavier than you have here. And we have coats and cloaks lined with fur. Sometimes we trade with furs, but silver and gold coins are more common. Especially among the nobles.”
Cadmus grinned, already imagining a winter festival with the three of them in Widonia. he'd be dragging Fi along, watching Levi show them his favorite places with Mordecai by his side, all of them sipping at mugs of spiced wine and dusted with snow. "I know there's a night time part of the festival, what's that like?"
“Oh,” his eyes brightened. “Every day the festival lasts well into the night. But on the last night, the coldest night of the year, everyone gathers in the central square with candles. Around several small fire pits. For five minutes it’s silent. A vigil and small ceremony for fallen soldiers and our god. The day following there are no punishments for the prisoners in the jails and dungeons.”
Cadmus brightened considerably. "We have that!! It's on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. It stretches on for hours and hours, and we all stay up late into the night until Haplo takes away the last sunrays and the world is dark again."
Fi nodded. "It is called the day of sun. It is for prayer, and also for… renewal. That is the day you will be freed."
“Oh,” Levi perked up a little bit at the mention of being freed. He smiled, “That sounds beautiful, I can’t wait to witness it.” Although he wouldn’t be participating in prayer— at least with their gods.
"It is! When the sun hits the windows of the temple just right, it's… kinda glorious. 'Cause they're made of all these different colors of glass, and they shine these giant murals down onto the ground." Cadmus smiled fondly, leaning back against Fiori's chest. "You're gonna love it."
