Leviticus kept his eyes low, letting out a sigh that escaped from his lips in a billowy cloud. It had been quite some time since he felt completely at peace. Always tensed up about some chore that needed done or what he was going to do about his brother. Constantly worried if he was making the right choices. “I know.” He buried his face in the collar of his coat, finding comfort in the fur lining and how it smelled like home. “I promise I’ll see if I can take the day off tomorrow and spend some more time with Mordecai.” The stars knew how much he needed that time to catch up with his love. “After I introduce you to Mikhail, of course.”
Fiori laughed quietly. "Of course, because taking a full day away from your work would be far too luxurious." He swung himself up onto his horse as he talked, scratching behind her ears while she rebalanced beneath his weight. His voice was amused. "It would not do for the prince of such an important country to grow so lazy and spoiled. Take your full day, Leviticus, and leave finding your brother to me. It will not be so difficult, I'm sure, and you will have no tasks to burden you for more than a scant few hours." He knew if he let Levi take him to Mikhail, they would talk for a while, and Levi would be reminded of ten other chores, and he wouldn't get the day off he deserved.
Leviticus laughed at Fi’s facetious comment halfheartedly, still caught by the idea of having to be at least somewhat productive. He shifted his weight in the saddle, watching his friend from the corner his his eye. His lips pursed in a tight smile. “Hah, yeah. Deep down I know it would be good for me to take the day. But I can’t be so sure when there’s just so much to do, and especially since I practically had a month’s break from all of my duties.” He drew a hand through his hair, still wet from their little jaunt in the lake, working his fingers through the tangles. “Mordecai would agree with you too. So I guess I better take the day off, hm?”
Fi gave him a wry smile in return, spurring his horse into a gentle walk. “You push yourself very hard, Leviticus. I do not think it is such a radical idea to suggest you get some rest with someone who is important to you.” They began their way back to the castle. The night was colder than before and the sounds of the world around them were lovely, all whispering winds and quiet cricket song. “You were a prisoner when you were with me, and now you are free again, surrounded by the people who love you. Don’t take this time lightly.” He turned back to make sure Levi was following, something soft and slightly sad in his eyes. “Use it to do the things that will make you happy, my friend, while you still have time of your own to spend.”
Levi clicked his tongue for his own horse to follow Fiori, just a few steps behind, close enough to comfortably chat. He’d missed the sounds of his home at night. The steady, predictable atmosphere he’d grown up with. Usigen nights were far different. Though no less beautiful, they never felt so comforting like the ones at home. He met Fi’s eyes with a sentimental look of his own. “You deserve to be surrounded by people who love you too. I’ll take your advice, but don’t hesitate to come and find me if you need a familiar face around. At least more familiar than the ones you’ve met here.”
"You have been very good to me my friend." The nights here were too cold, their sounds too sparse and too unfamiliar, but the stars were the same ones he watched at home. He turned to them for comfort, tracing the paths of familiar constellations and keeping his mind from what worried him most. "So I will take you up on your offer if I ever find myself in need of a companion I remember from home, though it pains me to disturb your privacy when you have so little as is." His other friends might be dead, slain the way Cadmus had been slain, but at least Levi was here. At least one good thing had come from that horrible night, one life had been preserved.
Leviticus followed Fiori’s focus up to the stars. They were important to his religion, studied and given their own stories that connected the ones dwelling on earth and the twinkling spirits elsewhere. They were like tapestries, stitched together in small groups, ultimately making up a broader picture. Fi’s words jerked his attention back down to their conversation. “It won’t bother me. My door is…almost always open. Just knock if I’m in my room.” He’d have to warn Mordecai Fi might be visiting them too. If his lover was prepared, there might be a better opportunity for he and Fi to get along.
Fi laughed quietly, not quite so full of cheer as it normally was. "I will, Leviticus, but I don't expect to need you soon." His gaze found it's way down to earth again, landing warmly on his friend. "You need some privacy, to talk to your beloved, and I will not infringe on that unless I must. You deserve time with him." Gods knew Levi didn't have enough time to himself—when he wasn't doing his princely duties he was helping Fiori navigate the way things worked. "And… I think some time alone will be good for me. There are things that I need to untangle, feelings I need to understand."
“Alright. I’ll savor the privacy tomorrow while I have it.” Levi nodded as soon as Fi could see it. Looking back with the same warmth and deep understanding, a skill he was comfortable with where Johan floundered. “And you should too.” Unless he needed company of course, which had already been addressed. Leviticus struggled to hold his tongue on that subject again. “Of course. I can find someone else to look after my brother for the day if you need. He probably wouldn’t shut up long enough for you to process whatever you need to.”
"I would take you up on the offer, but your brother has not quite been the nightmare I worried he would." He was dangerous, sure, but injured he couldn't do more than threaten Fi from his place in the bed. It didn't exactly strike fear into his heart. Johan was more like a ferret than anything else, angry and fierce but not quite strong enough to do any lasting harm—not yet anyways. "He is loud, certainly, and rude, but it is not hard to carve out a little space for quiet when I need it. We have something of an agreement."
Leviticus lifted his brow at his friend, surprised. “My brother? Not a nightmare?” he mused. “It seems so unlike him.” Maybe having someone that Johan didn’t know look after him helped. “It probably helps the way he’s injured. I’m sure if he was fine and healthy he’d be throwing a lot more tantrums… Speaking of, did he refuse the collar?” Levi had wanted him to wear it, reminiscent of the one he had to wear in Usige, but he didn’t sound so determined on the idea anymore. More curious.
Fiori laughed quietly. "It's easier for me than it is for you." Easier didn't mean easy, exactly, but at least he could care for Johan in some small ways. At least he hadn't had to use his fists just yet. For the most part, while Johan was bedridden, it was a whole lot of conversations that left him feeling a little too empty and not much else, which was endlessly preferable to the alternative. "And… I think he has. He… ah… He hasn't worn it yet, but he'll let me do it tomorrow. It won't have to be a ceremony, will it?"
Levi nodded. “Yes. I would think so. You’re stronger than him, and he obviously can’t push you around like he does to me.” He’d have to have a conversation with his brother eventually, and he wasn’t looking forward to it in the least. Inevitably Johan would make it into an argument, then depending on if he was still bedridden or not, he may get violent. Levi nearly shuddered at the thought until Fiori’s question distracted him. “Oh, no, there’s no ceremony for that. This doesn’t exactly align with our typical set of principles on how to go about discipline.”
Fi would be there when Johan and Levi finally spoke. He would make sure they spoke, instead of screaming at each other, and he would hold Johan back if he got violent. Based on what little he'd seen, it would probably get violent. "We talk sometimes. It isn't amicable, but… we talk. And half the time we laugh, and I think… I think I'm not doing what you would like me to, when it comes to him." The admission came out all thoughtful, though he hadn't meant to let it slip, so he quickly covered it with some thanks instead. "Good. Thank you, I know that your people weren't exactly enthusiastic when they got the details of… this."
Leviticus listened with a mostly neutral expression while Fiori spoke. All except for when he admitted he wasn’t treating Johan like Levi expected him too, and his eyes widened a bit. Oh. He couldn’t be all too surprised, he knew Fiori to be fair and empathetic. Which was exactly why he chose his friend to look after Johan. So Levi couldn’t be angry at him for that either. He was stuck somewhere between disappointment and self-criticism when Fi thankfully changed the subject. He let out another breath, deliberately relaxing his shoulders. “No. No, they weren’t. Luckily most of them seem to be on my side. Apart from the whole…revenge plan. I’ve heard Johan has supporters, and they’re wanting him freed. Saying his sins are cancelled out because of my choice of discipline.”
Fi winced at the disappointment he could read in Levi's eyes, but at least he had said his piece now. At least Levi wouldn't be surprised when he saw little pieces of it later, wouldn't be so angry when he saw them laughing in the hallways or sharing thin smiles. He hated that he was failing his friend. He would hate it even more if that failure caught Levi by surprise. "It was an unconventional choice, but the people will come to understand your decision. This is the same fate he doomed you to. Kinder, even, because you have allowed him to stay in a place that is familiar to him." Johan wouldn't fare well in Usige, not without an owner who thought similarly to Fi. "You made the right decision, my friend. I'm sure that whatever happens, your wisdom will help you see this through."
“I suppose so.” The justification had him perk up a bit. His shoulders straightened, and his eyes squinted from a faint smile. It helped to know he hadn’t been too hard on Johan. No matter what his supporters believed. “And I know exactly what I’m subjecting him to, when he expected the worst for me in Usige.” Leviticus lifted his chin to the stables as they approached. Apart of him disappointed they’d arrived already. He had forgotten how short the ride felt after taking it for so long, especially with a friend by his side and when they hadn’t taken the entire trail. It was the type of familiarity Johan stole from him when he was sent away. The type of familiarity Johan got to keep.
Fi dismounted gracefully, leading his horse back into its stable. Untacking her was a good enough distraction from his worries for the moment so he through himself into it wholeheartedly. Saddle went here, bridal there, and then there was brushing and combing and all the other motions of cleaning for him to get through. For the first time in a long time his mind was presently clear. No worry, no sadness, no anger, only the subtle satisfaction of a job well done. "I'm sure they will come to understand your reasoning." He ran his hand over his horses nose, giving her a wane smile as she leaned into it. "They are shocked now, and afraid, but those feelings will fade and they will know that you have made the right choice."
Leviticus followed suit in getting his horse settled in the stable again. Saddle. Bridle. Blanket. Brushing out the tangles took a bit longer thanks to his’s horse’s longer, thicker hair. And with the onset of autumn, he’d have to use an undercoat rake along with the rest of the grooming. A simple, yet time-consuming routine he’d been performing ever since his father bought him his own horse. A present, and new responsibility. “I sure hope so,” Levi replied, sighing through his nose. “If only my people could be as trusting as our animals.” They were, in a way, but sometimes Levi felt it was all for the wrong reasons.
Fi laughed quietly, running a hand over his horses nose one last time before he pulled away. It had been late when they left but it was truly dark now, the sky gone all inky and black. Usigen nights were never like this. The cold was tempered by the humidity, and little fires blazed in the windows of every home. "You rule a nation of thinkers, my friend, and it is good that you do. They with ponder this long and hard and because they are smart, they will know that you chose correctly when they are finally done."
Leviticus was plenty used to the dark Widonian nights. It was comforting, the blackness acted as a blanket surrounding him rather than feeling so open and exposed. That wasn’t to discredit winter nights, however, when the snow reflected every faint source of light, and in itself was just as comforting. To be swaddled by a hand-woven blanket sitting by the fireplace, looking out at the billows of snow drifting down, down over the frozen garden, past his window. “I’m sure they will. Preferably sooner rather than later. So I suppose in the meantime I’ll just have to worry about keeping my head on straight…and Johan’s.”
Fiori laughed quietly, giving Levi a soft nudge as they made their way down the well worn path to the castle proper. "You have me to do that for you, do not worry about your brother. I will take care of him and you will take care of yourself and everything will turn out for the better." He spoke with a certainty he didn't truly feel, but that was alright. If Levi needed reassurance then he would do his best to provide it, never mind his own worries. Never mind his own creeping doubts, which slunk around the shadows of his head and would not let him be. He was worried Levi would replace him, now that he knew he wasn't so Hard on Johan—worried he would lose the trust and kindness of the one man here he could call a friend. "Just wait, I am certain things will go your way."
Levi smiled at the soft nudge, turning his gaze to the side just to make sure Fi knew he was reassured. “You have no idea how much I appreciate you for this, my friend.” In some way he had to almost thank Johan for what he did, because without his stupidity there might have never been an opportunity to meet Fiori. Let alone get to know how great of a person he was. He glanced back forward once they reached the embellished set of doors, and reached out to push them open. “Please take care of yourself too. You deserve it just as much as I do.”
Fi laughed quietly and when he spoke his tone was soft with relief. "I know, my friend." He helped Levi push the door open, reveling in the warmer temperature of the castle. He might never get used to the cold, even with the borrowed jacket it still managed to cut him to the core. One more thing to get used to, while he stayed here. "You tell me every time I say the same to you. I don't suppose you would take this to Mordecai for me?" The jacket was much drier than the rest of his clothes as he slipped it off, though some of the water had soaked into the lining. "I wouldn't want to bother him so late, and he will have an easier time forgiving you than me."
“Of course.” Levi took the coat from Fi’s hands after it was off. He knew Mordecai wouldn’t mind if he borrowed his jacket, but his lover’s prejudice might make the small inconvenience a larger conflict. Or even just another reason to not like Fiori. He hugged the jacket against himself, but only for a moment until the damp inner lining began leaking into his own clothes. “I’m sure I wouldn’t mind much. It’ll just need to be hung up to dry for a bit before he uses it,” he returned with a laugh. “I want you two to become friends. Or at least friendly with one another. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but… he doesn’t take kindly to Usigens. Especially after what happened with me.”
