'Be disappointed' didn't seem like the type of answer Johan would accept, so Fi shrugged instead. He'd think of a punishment when the time came. For now, it was just nice to be able to trust Johan with the promise and pretend like that was that. "Something you would dislike immensely, I am sure, but you do not intend on breaking it so that is not a discussion we will need to have." He wandered towards the door as he spoke, barely glancing back at Johan as he swung it open.
Johan didn’t watch Fiori leave the room, though he did hear the door open, and glance over briefly. Despite the curiosity gnawing at him Johan intended to keep his promise and stay out of trouble. “Well, I’ll be here,” he murmured his unenthusiastic farewell. Alone, locked in the room, it would be near impossible for him to get anyone else in trouble. Unless someone in the castle decided to visit him, which was also unlikely.
Fiori locked the door behind him and felt a rush of relief and worry so strong he felt dizzy. Johan was taken care of, was trustworthy, and that was so strange, wasn't it? The fact that he actually trusted Johan to keep his promise. It felt like progress, almost, even if the only reason it had been accepted was Johan's dislike of him, and he was surprised to find that there was a smile on his face as he made his way to the kitchens. Progress. Maybe this would go more smoothly than he feared.
Johan closed his eyes once he heard the soft click. Without anything else to do, and no one else to distract him, sleep seemed like the only way to escape from the constant, stinging, ache in his chest. He enjoyed having the entire bed to himself again, just like old times.
“Fiori!” Levi called from one of the adjacent halls roughly halfway to the kitchens. Trotting towards his friend, a giddy smile spread across nearly every inch of his face. Sparkling jeweled studs filled his old piercings, which had previously begun to heal while he was captive in Usige. His hair braided and pinned back out of his face, cheery expression, and general disposition appeared more like his royal self, even compared to that very morning. It also may have had something to do with changing out of his riding clothes into a fresh outfit. A soft cotton button-up shirt, well-fitted pants, and some quite comfortable looking fur-lined house shoes.
Fiori's smile went wide and soft as Leviticus strolled into view. He looked good, royal and free and more at home than he'd ever seemed before. "Leviticus," Fi greeted, voice bright and cheerful. His own clothes weren't half as nice as the prince's, boots worn, pants patched at the knee, but he couldn't quite manage to feel shabby when Levi was so happy to see him too. "You look good, my friend. More sparkly than I remember."
Levi slowed his pace as he approached Fiori’s side, breathing a warm chuckle in reply. “Well, thank you much, my honored guest. I feel good. Especially now that I’m done with work for the day. So what are you up to?” It’d already been a long afternoon of meetings regarding the well-being of the palace, fixing the issues then Prince Regent Johannan created during his time on the throne. He loved the idea of spending time with a good friend, particularly a friend who wouldn’t continuously ask him questions about his enslavement in Usige.
Fi nodded towards the hall that led to the kitchens. "Relaxing, finally. It has been… interesting, to deal with your brother. I did not realize he was so…" What was Johan, really? Impulsive? Erratic? "… himself." He laughed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I have worked something out and so I am going to the kitchens. Would you like to come with me?"
“Oh, yes, he is a bit much at times. A lot of the times actually.” Levi looked away, and then back again with a humored expression. “You deserve something time to relax after dealing with…that all day.” He paused, and shook his head free of thoughts concerning his brother. The two of them, however different in their view of life, inevitably shared some of the same mannerisms. “Anyways, I would like to go with you to the kitchens with you.”
Fi laughed and nodded. "I suppose I do, Leviticus. It will be… good, to spend some time with you as well." He took a step forward, gesturing for Levi to follow him as he finished the walk to the kitchens. "It will help me balance out some, I think. And I miss spending time with you." He knew it was probably a little bit ridiculous to miss Levi when they'd spoken that morning, but he did. Their friendship was the one thing that he could actually rely on here.
Levi quickened his pace to compensate for his shorter legs, determined to stay at Fiori’s side while they walked. “Aw, well, I miss spending time with you too. So much has happened in the last two days. How are you doing with all of this, really?” He furrowed his brow in concern. He couldn’t imagine what kind of whiplash this was for his friend. After all he had been through in such a short amount of time, he began to wonder if Fiori was really as okay as he appeared.
Fi noted the concern in Levi's eyes, the crease in his brow, so he pushed a smile onto his face. "As well as can be expected, I suppose." Ignoring the fact that he'd already almost broken down. Ignoring how alien and wrong he felt all the time here. "Things are… strange for me, and I do not know how to navigate as well as I am used to, but Johannan is not so bad right now and… and I do have you to talk to." He turned to Levi with a small shrug. "So I do not think I can complain."
“You have all the right in the world to complain.” Levi returned the shrug with a smile of his own. “You can talk to me at anytime. It’s the very least I can do for when you listened to me complain in Usige.” While he walked, Levi clasped his hands behind his back comfortably. He glanced forward again as the kitchen doors came into view. “As for Johannan, are you worried about when he’ll start acting troublesome again?”
"Usige was different. I am no slave here, Leviticus, and you have given me the warmest welcome I could possibly hope for." He ran his hands through his hair again, smoothing it down beneath his fingers. He laughed quietly when Johan was brought up. "He is always troublesome, but… I think I could do good work with him, in time." They reached the doors and Fiori swung one open for them, gesturing For Levi to enter first. "He is arrogant and ambitious, but… he is not bad all the way down."
Levi sighed calmly through his nose, only able to bob his head for a few moments before he gathered a verbal reply. “I only wish it could be under different circumstances. Otherwise, you’re most welcome.” Seeing Fiori’s invitation to enter first, he dipped inside. He hadn’t been able to take a good look around the room when he was avoiding Johan earlier. It felt like forever since he was here last, and even then he never visited as much as Johan did when they were younger. “I, personally, find that hard to believe. What kind of sibling does that to his own brother? His family?”
(I feel like if Johan got drunk at some point he would be an amplified version of his impulsive self without any inhibitions, plus very touchy-feely and awkwardly flirtatious. He could impulsively end up trying to flirt with Fi, and then get really embarrassed about it when he sobers up, reacting with either anger or just denying his feelings depending on how far he is into his redemption arc. What do you think?)
(Oh I am a big fan. I love awkward flirting, I love dumb drunks, I love making my dumb sad man attempt to deal with someone who he likes. Plus it's good angst mileage for Johan and you can play it as an "oh shit, do I like you??" moment or an "oh shit I can't like you" moment, both of which are fun to play out)
Fi led him over to the table, taking in his obvious displeasure with a soft frown. "I know you do. For family to do what he has done… it is not something easily forgiven." Unbidden, his thoughts drifted to his uncle. Not the same, maybe, but it was betrayal by a family member and it hurt. He wasn't even close with his uncle and it hurt. "But I do not know him the way you do, and… when we talk, he is… so normal, sometimes, that it is strange to me." He glanced up at Levi, gauging his reaction. "And of course, he goes back to the man he wants to be, but it… it is not who he is, I think."
(Yess perfect!! Either moment would probably depend on if it’s sometime after the dinner where he threatens Levi with a knife, ultimately being punished, or before it)
Levi sank down into a chair at the table. Perching his chin in his upturned palm. He squinted down at the table, having never really thought about his brother being normal. Johan was always just his troublesome and sometimes aggressive brother, but not evil until just recently. “Even if he really is a normal person deep down, I doubt he’ll ever give up the man he wants to be. And I don’t plan on spending any more time with him to find out.”
(Either way could be fun, I say we wait for a bit of a lull in the story and find a way to fit it in there, that way we keep the ball rolling and open up some other stuff to do down the line)
Fi's thumb rubbed up and down over the scar on his palm as he nodded along "I will not fault you that. He has done terrible things to you, Leviticus. It would be absurd to think you could ever see him the same way." He settled back in the chair. "But I am not you, and I have only ever known him as he is now. He is not a static creature, I know he can be changed for the better. I am simply unsure of how."
(Sounds like a good plan. Also, since Johan is going to be on bedrest for about a month and he probably won’t be doing except talking and knitting, should we skip to the end of his healing process? Perhaps just before he starts his labor job? Not now, of course, but when the story comes to a natural transition point)
Levi turned his gaze back over to his friend. He hummed in agreement, “I‘ll have to trust you on that. I wonder if serving other people will do him any good.” As much as he tried to rid Johannan from his mind throughout the day, his brother still frequented his thoughts more than he wished. “The stone masons like to hire prisoners as unpaid employees for large jobs like building new bathhouses and roads. I’m sure one of them might have an opening, but of course it’s your call.”
(Probably a good idea, lol. Before we do we should probably plan out what's going to change between him and Fi b/c knowing somebody for a month tends to shift things in your relationship)
"It will certainly help his humility," Fi replied, a wry smile on his face. He didn't know how accepting Johan would be of the job, but hard labor had a way of stealing the fight from even the strongest men. "If the stone masons are accustomed to working with prisoners, then I think they would be ideal. Johan will need an overseer who knows how to handle disobedience. Do you think there will be openings a month from now?"
(Oh definitely, lol. I think little things, like whether Johan wears the collar or not, will determine how he feels about Fi in a month)
Levi lifted his chin out of his palm and nodded eagerly to Fiori’s first comment. If Johan learned nothing else in his life, a serving of humility would most likely do him the most good. He would need a good overseer to keep him out of trouble, especially with the other prisoners working. “The stone masons almost always have openings. Prisoner groups cycle through every few weeks. Even if there isn’t one in a month, an extra set of hands probably wouldn’t hurt.”
(Yeah, I think it's going to be a lot of like… extrapolating from the details we lay out now to figure out how they change in the future)
"Especially if the one giving them to you is the prince." He met Levi's eyes with a small grin. "Royal life suits you well, Leviticus. You fit the role so naturally, it is a miracle I did not see it before we reached your palace. I only hope the rest of the palace can accept it as quickly as I have." FIori wasn't the only one with settling in to do. Levi had been presumed dead for a month before his miraculous return. You didn't come back from that and find out that nothing changed while you were gone. "Did many people miss you?"
(Yes, absolutely. That makes thle most sense)
“I suppose that’s true. Royalty does have its benefits,” Levi replied with a hearty laugh. Leaning back against his chair while he listened to Fi, bearing a relaxed smile. It felt right to be back in his own palace. Just in the niche he was groomed to fill since he was old enough to have a conversation. His expression abruptly faltered. “Yeah, I’m told pretty much everyone missed me. They had a funeral for me. They, uh, they carried my alleged body through the capital, and then buried ‘me’ next to my father.” He paused to rake his lower lip through his teeth. “Someone else’s body is in my grave, Fiori. Someone my brother killed.”
Fi laughed with him, though his good mood faltered with Levi's expression. He pursed his lips, giving a solemn nod as he tried to find the right words to comfort his friend. "Yes. Perhaps… perhaps you should give him a proper funeral, when you are not so busy. I do not know much about your religion, but… surely it cannot be good fortune to be buried beneath somebody else's headstone." It would certainly prevent his soul from entering the afterlife in the eyes of Fiori's gods. "And… perhaps you should take some time for yourself. You spend every minute with other people, have you even processed what happened yet?"
Leviticus rubbed the back of his neck with a hand, and kept it there for the sake of self-comforting. “I would love to arrange a proper funeral for him, but I don’t know his name. Nobody knows who he is. If everyone thought it was me, he would have to be completely unrecognizable.” Pausing to gather his thoughts, he let his hand fall down to the table. “I haven’t really had the time to process, no. Have you?”
"An unmarked grave is better than a stranger's. Even if it is a small ceremony, something is better than nothing." He reached forward slowly, taking Levi's hand in his and giving it a comforting pat. "Especially because you seem so upset over it. And… I am not so sure I want to process, if I am totally honest. For you, it is… time to reflect. To take stock of yourself, of your home. For me it is a reminder of… all the things I have lost."