forum The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

Honey nodded and actually nuzzled into Ari's shoulder. Now that they were in a relatively private, open space, he didn't mind displays of affection. He walked with him down the hall and showed him to his room. When they got there, he paused, his lips curving into a frown.

"Oh. I didn't think that, uh, I left my door open."

As soon as he said it, his heart began to pound. The scene wasn't right at all. He didn't leave his room unlocked. Ever. It was one of his only safe havens, and he guarded it like it was sacred ground or a treasure trove. Only people he really trusted were allowed in there, and only Lovey was given access to go in when he was away. But she would always ask permission before he left.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered, lowering his voice and giving Ari a nervous look. Suddenly, he felt chills all over, and it wasn't because of his wet dress.

Arquis looked at himself again in the mirror, trying to see what Rin saw. Sure, it was big. He'd noticed that. It didn't fit perfectly. But it wasn't so big that it was an issue, was it? He could still wear it. Wasn't that wonderful news? He tore his gaze away from himself. No. No, it wasn't wonderful. His partner was, though, and he cuddled closer to Rin.

"Alright. You are correct. I will fit into it someday." He smiled and gesture towards their stack. "Do you want to try another? I think I might be done for a while, but I would love to watch you model.”

Ari stiffened a bit, grip tightening around Honey for a moment. "I'll go in first." he said. "Wait out here." he hoped that maybe it was just Lovey, since he knew that she had watned to talk to Honey. But he still wanted to make sure that everything was safe. He let go of the blond and cautiously entered the bedroom, gaze moving around quickly as he tried to ensure that there was no one who was going to jump out and try to hurt either of them.

Rin smiled a little, and gave Arquis's cheek another kiss. "You will. And, ah, sure." he moved over to the pile of dresses, picking through them to find another that would fit. The next he tried on was a pale, shimmery grey, a slip of a dress, really, with pale, silver stars and crescent moons along it. The sleeves were translucent and long, and the dress had a sweetheart neckline. The length went all the way to the floor in soft, draping length.

Honey called out to Ari, reaching for his arm to stop him, but he didn't manage to catch him in time. He felt his posture stiffen. There was something off about the door. Some of the paint along the frame was torn, and the silver strike plate was scuffed. The blond couldn't remember if that had all been there before, but he doubted it. He would've noticed something like that. Which made it very likely that someone had broken in, either by shoving the door until the lock gave or jamming a card into the slot.

Nobody was inside the room, but there was something obviously wrong. It was a mess. Drawings had been ripped from the walls, crumpled, and scattered around the floor. One of his wardrobe doors was hanging at an odd angle. Clothes with huge tears and gashes were strewn absolutely everywhere, and the comforter on the bed was wadded up in the corner of the room. The vanity mirror was shattered, like someone had put their fist through it. Splotches of nail polish and broken bits of glass surrounded it. The whole scene was ghastly, but what was worst was the inescapable odor of smoke. There were handprints burnt into the mattress and footprints scorched into the carpet.

Honey crept into the room behind Ari. His eyes went wide, and he put a hand over his mouth. There was no doubting who did this. The hand marks were all too familiar. And as he walked further into the space—his private haven—he found a picture on the bed. One of his self-portraits from long ago. There was a hole burnt through his right eye. He flipped it over and found something underneath. It was the ring Myr had given Honey when he was with Rin.

"Ari?" Honey whispered, and then he was staggering backwards, right into the other man. And then he was falling to his knees. The only thing keeping him up was the fact that his arm was around Ari's shoulders. He buried his face in the young man's neck. "Need- I need Lovey. Please, I gotta- she could be hurt, I- I need to- she's gotta be okay, I-"

Arquis sat in a chair while he waited for his partner to change, and when he saw the new dress, he audibly gasped. "That one is gorgeous! Oh, love, I adore it. Look at the stars! And the color!" He clapped his hands together excitedly and looked up at his partner's face. "Do you like it? I think it is beautiful."

Ari stared around the room in horror, wrapping his arms around Honey. "Alright, alright." he whispered, holding tightly to the blond. "I've got you. Come on, let's…let's get out of here." this carnage, this level of destruction…and then he remembered the burn print on Honey's side and knew it was the same man. "Scumbag." the word was not directed at Honey at all, but at the man who had done this. Who was so pissed about being told no. "Let's go to Lovey's room. I'm sure she's fine." Pretty would have protected her. Sugar would have protected her. He hoped she wasn't hurt; if she had been, with how early the pregnancy was…she could lose the baby.

Rin spun about, looking at himself in the mirror. He laughed softly, smoothing his hands over the skirt. "I look very witch-like, don't I?" he replied, grinning as he looked over at Arquis. "It is very lovely, though." he did love it. It was silky beneath his fingertips, beautiful and long and lovely.

Honey couldn't even cry. He was just in shock. Myr had always had anger issues, but they'd never been this bad before. The worst he'd ever done when he'd first started seeing Honey is demand the blond's obedience and threaten other men. But then he'd leave for gaps of time, and everything would be alright. As he gave one last over-the-shoulder glance at the bedroom before they left, Honey realized that things had been escalating for a while. It wasn't Rin's fault in any way, but that lie about them dating had only exacerbated Myr's jealousy.

Lovey's room wasn't that far. The whole way, Honey clung to his date, shaking all over. He was terrified at what would happen if they ran into Myr in the hallway. He didn't want anything to happen to Ari. That would be unbearable. Luckily, the man didn't show. Maybe he'd crashed in his own room after his rampage, or maybe he'd stormed off somewhere. Honey was just glad that his sister answered her door unharmed.

"Honey? What happened?" she asked softly when she saw him, the smile vanishing from her face. He shook his head in response. She gave Ari a worried glance, then ushered them both inside. "Here, come on, come inside."

Pretty was standing by Lovey's bed. Sugar was tucked under her arm, whining in concern. The young lady gave the dog a comforting pet, then repeated Lovey's earlier question. She added a second, quieter, "Are you hurt?" that Honey didn't answer, either.

Arquis laughed. "Witch-like? I am not sure about that. But bewitching, certainly."

They really did look almost magical in it. He watched as he touched the fabric, then got up to feel it for himself. It was quite a nice material. He wondered how they'd got it so light and soft.

"It is almost as if it is made of moonlight," he mused, giving his partner a kiss on the temple.

Ari took a deep breath. "Someone…trashed his room. While we were out. It's…everything is burned and destroyed." he said. "We're both physically fine." he kept his arms around Honey, rubbing his back and shoulders gently to try and soothe the blond man. "It was just…it was scary to come back to, and he was worried that you had been hurt."

He took a deep breath, spinning about again and looking over at Arquis. "It's certainly lovely, whatever else it may be." he replied, smiling happily at his lover. "It feels wonderful, too."

"What? Someone broke into your room?" Lovey looked alarmed, and then incredibly guilty. "Oh, no, I'm so sorry, I- we should've caught that, but we were just so busy. Alright. Um, okay. Do you know who it was, or was it just a burglary? We haven't had any other reports of break-ins, so, um, I'm not sure-"

"Yeah." The word had gotten stuck in Honey's throat, and he'd felt like he'd had to shove it out. "Yeah, I know who did it."

Pretty passed Sugar to Lovey and crossed the room. One of her swords was in an umbrella stand by the door. She took it out and attached it to her hip. Her expression was deadly, and she gave Honey a nod, clearly ready to go get the guy. Lovey tilted her head patiently, though it was equally obvious that she wanted to know the culprit's name.

Honey froze. Into Ari's ear, he whispered, "I didn't tell them about yesterday. About- about the- on my side, I haven't told her."

"We should get it. If it makes you happy, then I see no reason not to." Arquis came over and wrapped himself around his partner, snuggling his arms about their waist. "Mm, how did I end up so lucky? You are absolutely stunning, my love. Just radiant."

Ari took a deep breath, and then whispered back, "You don't have to tell her, but, ah, you should tell her who did this." he kept holding Honey, still trying to give him some form of comfort. Trying just to comfort Honey and keep him from growing overwhelmed and upset about this. Honey of course had every right to be upset, but it was still something Ari wanted to try and avoid.

Rin leaned into his lover, smiling as they did so. "Mm, thank you." he replied. "And, ah, which of your dresses would you like to get? Because we should be leaving soon, the shop will probably be closing pretty close to now." he wasn't sure, but it was likely, and he didn't want to upset the young woman working there.

Honey clung onto Ari for just a little longer, mulling over his words. Finally, he turned to Pretty and his sister, but he didn't look at either of them. He didn't want them to see how brittle he felt. For so long, it had been his role to protect and help Lovey; he didn't want to feel weak in front of her.

"His name is Myr." His sister clearly recognized the name. Her cheeks drained of color, but she nodded, lifting her hands to her hair and pulling it into a ponytail. That was her tell that she was serious. He told her Myr's room number, but he honestly didn't know if he'd be in there or not.

"Be careful," he pleaded. "He's really dangerous. His thing is fire. It's not that strong, but it could still hurt you. Please, please be careful, I-"

"I understand. I'll get him out of here." Pretty gave him a quick, reassuring nod before leaving.

While she was gone, Lovey guided her brother and Ari to her bed. She gave Ari a thankful yet sad smile. Before she could speak, however, Honey asked, "Did I interrupt you guys? You said you were busy, and- and I didn't wanna be a bother, I just-"

"Oh. Oh, that. No, Honey, no, you're not a bother. We were just talking about some things." She glanced at Ari again. "We have some news, but I'm not sure that it's the right time to tell you."

Arquis glanced back at his dresses, debating the pros and cons of each. "Well, that last one was alright. And the pink floral one, I thought that was lovely. Perhaps the black one, too. I know that you like that," he said teasingly, "though I enjoyed it as well. What about you, love? Any others that you have your eye on?"

Ari returned Lovey's faint smile, sitting down beside Honey and rubbing his back gently. "Ah…if you feel it's right to tell him now, then go ahead. It's not my, ah, place to tell you what to do." he gave Lovey another quick smile, taking a deep breath and still just trying to help Honey to be calm and at peace. Even if that might be a bit difficult.

"I think I like this last one, and the first one." he replied, smiling. After a moment, he got changed into his own clothes. "The second one was nice, but I didn't really like it quite as much as these other two." he ran his hands through his hair, looking over at their lover.

Honey's gaze flickered back and forth between Lovey and Ari. He looked gutted. After bracing himself, he hesitantly whispered, "Bad news? I don't know if I can take much more right now."

"No, Honey, it's really, really good news. Let's wait for Pretty to get back, and then we'll tell you, okay?"

"Okay." He tipped his head onto his date's shoulder and took a deep breath. All he could think about was his room. Everything he'd worked so hard for was gone. His makeup palettes were upturned, the beads on his bracelets were scattered, and his art was destroyed. Ruined. It was all ruined. He'd never get any of that back, at least not in the same condition. He felt like curling up somewhere dark and private and crying until his eyes stung, but he didn't have anywhere private anymore. His door was busted.

"He would've killed me," he said softly, and he was surprised to find that he was crying. He hadn't even noticed. "If I had been in there. He would've killed me."

"Oh, Henri," Lovey murmured. She soothingly patted his shoulder. "We're gonna get him out of here."

Arquis nodded at Rin. "Alright. Let us get those, then, and I will buy these three. Ah, I suppose I should change out of this, first. One moment."

He did as he'd said, then slung the dress over his arm. On top of it, he layered the other two dresses, the black one and the longer pink number. There was a faint blush in his face. He couldn't believe he was actually buying dresses. Muria would have been furious. She would've killed him. Then again, she apparently would have done that anyways.

Ari held Honey close, rubbing his back gently. "It's going to be alright. He didn't kill you. Pretty is going to make him leave, and he's never going to be able to hurt you again. I promise. You're going to be alright. It's going to be alright." he was just trying to soothe Honey, knowing how heartbroken the young man was. "If you want, you can stay in my room tonight. Or! Uhm, if that's not…if that makes you uncomfortable, you could probably stay here with Lovey? Or with Rin and Arquis? But I know that, ah, sleeping in my room might be uncomfortable for you. If you did, I promise we wouldn't…do anything. Not like, uh, that." he cut himself off when he realized he had started to babble, clearing his throat.

Rin nodded a bit, picking up the two that he had selected. "Perfect." he said, smiling over at Arquis and heading towards the exit of the stall. He was glad for these dresses, even though he wasn't sure where he was going to store them on his travels.

Honey laughed humorlessly, sniffled, and gave his head a slow shake. When he spoke, it was in a sad croak, like his throat was raw from crying. "Nah, I've bothered everyone enough, I can't- I can't do that to you, or to them, or- or to-"

"Henri, really, you're not bothering us. I told you that," Lovey insisted. She sent Ari an appreciative look, then paused. "Oh. Um. Honey. That's what I said. Honey. Not anything else that you might've heard. Okay? Okay. Great. Glad we're all settled."

Before Honey could respond and tell her that Ari already knew his name, he heard a loud, angry voice outside of the room. His heart leapt into his throat. He knew that tone, that cadence, that haughty hint of an accent. Instinctively, he started to pull Ari and Lovey behind him on the bed. The voice grew nearer. And then nearer. And then Myr was standing in the doorway, eyes ablaze with fury, and then he wasn't standing at all. Pretty had knocked him to the ground in one swift, expert movement. Her boot was planted on his stomach, the tip of it pushing into his rib cage. There was a wild, disgusted look in her eyes and a sheen of sweat on her forehead. She placed the end of her sword right under his chin.

"Sorry. He made a break for it," she panted. "Burned the crap out of my fingers."

Myr snarled and twisted under her. His gaze landed on Honey. He sneered. "You get my gift, baby? No need to send your guard dog after me. We could've talked it out like real men."

Arquis followed his partner with an adoring smile. They'd looked so pretty, especially in that last dress. The silver one was just ethereal. He watched it sway in his arms as they approached the shop worker's desk. She grinned and hopped to her feet to calculate their totals. Once she'd gotten them ready, he paid for his, though he didn't write his name on the receipt. Leaving a paper trail was probably a bad idea.

Ari knew Honey's birth name, but Honey had asked him not to use it now, so he wasn't going to. So he pretended that he hadn't heard Lovey. What? Had she said a name other than Honey? But when they all heard that voice, and Honey started to try and protect hi and Lovey, he placd a hand on Honey's shoulder, gaze boring into Myr. "Fuck off." he said, voice crisp and cold and still carrying that Kevran accent. "You are a disgusting, dirty excuse of a man, and it is men like you that give the rest of us a bad reputation. You have proven that you cannot be trusted to talk it out like a, "real man", and must instead be treated like a dog, as that is the only language you understand." he had no idea where this was coming from, but Myr deserved it for what he had done to Honey in even just these past few days, much less in the past few years. "You are not worth the dirt on Honey's heels or the mud beneath my fingernails." there was no mud under his fingernails just now, but there often was from being out in the garden, digging in the soil.

Rin also paid for his dresses, though he simply initialed the paper, R.T.. That was all. He didn't write any more than that, and thanked the worker as she bagged their dresses. He took his bag and headed for the exit, then paused in dismay. "Oh dear." he looked over at Arquis, then out the window. It was still raining, and pretty hard, too.

Honey stared at Ari in awe. He hadn't been expecting that in the slightest, and it made him feel all warm and soft on the inside. It wasn't often that people actually stood up for him. Usually, it was the other way around. The fact that he had spoken so boldly without any apparent fear of repercussions was incredible. The blond wiped away the last of his tears and gave his date's hand a squeeze, genuinely honored by their willingness to defend him.

Myr hadn't found it as impressive. He spat at Pretty's ankle and scrabbled at the ground with his nails, tearing off a few strings of carpet. His jaw was clenched so tightly that veins stood out on his neck.

"What, got yourself another damn pet, brat? Another little boyfriend? The last break up with you already?" he hissed. "Don't blame him for leaving. You're such a coward. Couldn't even face me yourself. Had to run off and cry. Tell me, baby, he treat you good? Treat you right?"

"Leave us alone," Honey demanded, but it lacked real bite. Myr grinned like a shark.

"Aw, baby, c'mon. Call your friend here off, and send your boy toy away. Let's talk, just you and I. I know I've been mean. But I'm willing to make up for it. Be real sweet on you. I'll buy you anything you want. Fix up your room, even better than before." He wiggled under Pretty's shoe and winked at Honey. "Won't even be mad at you for this. You know I like it rough."

Arquis gathered his bags and joined them, humming in concern. "I am not sure that it is safe to travel far in that. The weather is terrible. Perhaps we could stay here? Not here, as in the store. But the village is a possibility. Do you think Ophia might allow us to stay the night again? It does not look as if it will let up soon."

Ari's gaze on Myr was the bored, disgusted expression you might expect from a man who had discovered he had tracked mud on a carpet. "You disgust me." he said. "Even now, you behave like an animal. Or worse, actually. I've met dogs better behaved than you. He said no. Now get the fuck out of here." he wrapped his arms around Honey's shoulders, holding him close and keeping his gaze fixed on Myr. "You can go willingly, or Pretty can drag your ugly ass out of here."

Rin stared at the rain, grimacing a little. "We could ask, but…I don't want to impose upon her kindness again, when she doesn't hardly know us, but…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "I don't know if we have a choice, really."

As if to emphasize Ari's point, Sugar barked from Lovey's grip. She growled and barked again, the sound echoing in the room. The young blonde held her dog closer to herself and nodded at Pretty. Before Myr could launch into his next tirade, he was lifted into the air and carried out of the room. His head cracked against the doorway, and he yelped. Pretty backed up, then went through once more. His skull thudded on the frame. There was a trickle of blood coming from his nose. It was only visible for a second before he was pulled out of sight.

Honey stayed quiet. He was exhausted. He sighed and relaxed into Ari's embrace, going practically boneless. Seeing Myr always took a lot out of him. Any energy he'd had left after their date was sapped.

Pretty returned after a moment, clapping her hands once as if to rid them of dust. They were streaked with red. Apparently, she'd done more to Myr out of their view. Honey wondered if he was alright, then realized he didn't care. Part of him hoped she'd killed him. He watched as she went to rinse the blood off, then returned, locked the door, and sat by Lovey. She placed a tentative hand on Honey's shoulder.

"He won't be coming back. I made sure of it."

"Thanks. All of you, thank you so much. I didn't- I really didn't want you to have to see that. But you all did so well." Honey was especially grateful for Ari, who'd handled the horrifying situation with surprising eloquence. He curled up in his arms and looked at Lovey. "Do I still get to hear the good news? Or- or, um, was that too much?"

"Let's take a breather first, okay? Why don't you get changed into some warm pajamas in the bathroom? I've got some spares in the bottom cabinet. Ari, Pretty, and I can talk while you're gone."

The blond pushed himself up on shaky hands and went to be bathroom. He was afraid of what they'd talk about while he was gone, but, well, he was wet and cold and tired and miserable, and he desperately needed a change of clothes. Things would feel less bad if he was in something soft. So he went, leaving the three of them behind.

Arquis sighed, rubbing his knuckles across his forehead. "Such a shame. I was hoping I might, ah, get to try on that dress again tonight. The black one." He blushed, hoping Rin had gotten the message, and glanced back out at the rain. "But we do need shelter for the night, and Ophia seems nice enough to provide it. I could pay her, if necessary."

Ari let go of Honey so that the blond could go change, looking over at Pretty and Lovey. "I, uhm, I didn't tell him." he said to Lovey. "By the way. So he shouldn't know anything about it." he didn't know what to say about what had just happened. Had he overstepped a boundary by speaking to Myr the way he had? Were any of them mad at him about it? He hoped he hadn't, but maybe he had.

Rin smirked a little bit. "Yes, that was lovely." he replied. "And, ah, I suppose we don't really have any other choice than to ask her." they ran a hand through their hair, shrugging. "So…we should find her house?" he looked out at the rain, grimacing when they realized they'd have to go out in that cold, rainy weather.

Lovey shook her head adamantly, and before Pretty could stop her, swept Ari into a hug. She blurted out a long string of teary thank-you's mixed with apologies. It took her a bit to compose herself. When she finally did, she moved back on the comforter. Her girlfriend took her into her arms and kissed the top of her head.

"Sorry about that," the blonde said softly, though her eyes were shining with gratitude. "I just, um, really want you to know that you've been such a big help. Thank you for being with him when we weren't. I can tell that what he saw was hard for him, and I'm just really, really glad that you were there. Thank you for keeping him safe and bringing him here, and also for everything you said."

Pretty nodded. There was a hint of admiration breaking through the solemn coolness of her gaze. “Yes. Thank you for trying to calm him as well.”

"I suppose we should," Arquis sighed reluctantly. Just as he was about to open the door, the friendly shopkeep hurried over. She handed him an umbrella. When he tried to protest, she gave him a bright smile and told him that it was on the house. She also said something about not getting a lot of non feminine customers and it being an honor to dress them. Before he could comment on that, however, she flushed, waved, and scurried off.

"How sweet of her. This will definitely help. Do you remember the way there, my love?" The nobleman opened the umbrella and held it over them both. "I cannot quite recall the direction."

Ari returned the hug carefully, letting go of Lovey when she moved away again. "It's alright. I…I'm glad that I've been able to be here for him." he replied, shifting a little bit. His clothing was still damp from the rain, and it was starting to be a bit chilly, but he didn't breathe a word of complaint about it. "His, uh, room is in really bad shape, though, so he probably won't be able to sleep there tonight."

Rin gave the shopkeep a grateful smile, sticking close to Arquis so that they were both beneath the umbrella. "Uhm…I believe so?" he replied slowly, eyes flickering down the street. "Yeah. I know where her house is, I think." he wasn't completely sure, but he was pretty sure.

Lovey sighed. "It really is that bad, then? Not that I doubted you two, I was just hoping that maybe shock had, um, like, amplified the experience. Made it worse than it actually was?"

"I stopped by when I was gone, just to see the damage. He should not stay there. Not for a while." Pretty's jaw tightened, and she glanced at the door as if expecting someone to burst through. Her brow lowered. She looked incredibly angry, at least until Lovey gently cupped her face. The fire in her eyes dimmed to smoldering embers. "We'll have to go by in the morning and sort through what's left."

The bathroom door opened slowly, and Honey slowly walked out. He was now wearing fluffy, light blue pajama bottoms with a plain white shirt. His hair was still very messy, and his eyes were redder than before. He'd been crying in there; that was the only explanation. Though he tried to act calm as he came over, it was clear that he was really shaken by it all.

"I saw some more clean clothes in there," he mumbled to Ari. "You're still soaked through."

“Yeah, you can have them, if you’d like. They’re extras for the inn. Never been worn before,” Lovey promised.

"Alright," the nobleman responded. "Let us go, then."

Arquis pushed open the door with his elbow, keeping his bag of dresses close to his body. The wind immediately began to whip at the umbrella. He had to increase his grip on it to keep it from flying off. It was nice to have, but really, it didn't provide that much protection. His shirt was wet in mere moments. He wrapped his free arm around Rin's waist and tipped his head, encouraging them to lead the way to Ophia's house. If it were up to him, they'd be completely lost in the storm. Hopefully his partner knew the route better than him.

Ari nodded a little bit. "I'll go change, then." he said, standing up from the bed and going into the bathroom. He came back out after just a few minutes, sitting down beside Honey but not touching him. He didn't want to touch Honey when he didn't know what headspace Honey was in right now. Better to let the blond be the one to initiate contact and decide whether or not he wanted to be touched.

Rin squinted against the wind and the rain, leading Arquis down the street with his bag held close to himself as he tried to protect it from the rain. He didn't speak, just held onto Arquis and did his best to make his way through the rain. He wasn't quite sure where Ophia's house was, but he had a vague idea as to where it was located.

Honey fidgeted for a minute as he thought about the evening. He didn't want to cry again, but every time he remembered the state of his room, he got pretty close. The problem wasn't that he'd lost material possessions. He could replace his vanity mirror, buy a new mattress, and even repair the carpet with enough time and dedication. Everything could be physically fixed. But Myr had convinced him that his room was no longer a safe space. It wasn't impenetrable. All of the negativity that he'd worked so hard to keep out had made its way in. How could he rest there knowing that his abuser's hands had scorched his sheets? How could he relax with the knowledge that his door could be bust down at any moment? The simple answer was that he couldn't. Nowhere was secure.

"Honey?" Lovey's hand was on his shoulder. He broke out of his thoughts and gave her a watery smile. She looked so worried. He hated that expression on her. She shouldn't have to be so anxious, not over him.

"Sorry. Got stuck in my head." He realized that Ari was beside him and shifted nearer, seeking comfort but not willing to ask. "So. Good news?"

"Yeah. Of course." His sister drew in a nervous breath. Pretty passed her a light yellow gift bag from the floor. Sugar nibbled at the ribbon on the handles as she handed it to Honey. The blond didn't open it yet. He just looked confused.

Arquis battled the bad weather with his partner, struggling his way down the rain-slicked street. Every step had the force of a kick, yet he still felt as if they were losing ground. None of the houses looked familiar to him. He found himself wishing that Honey was there to guide them. Maybe he would've known a shortcut. The nobleman felt terribly lost. He'd never been that great at directions, especially not in new places. Then again, when he'd traveled, he'd always followed his father around. He'd never needed to navigate for himself.

Ari eventually wrapped an arm around Honey's shoulders, waiting quietly for Honey to open the bag. He hoped that Honey was happy about this news; he was pretty sure that Honey would be, but he wasn't one hundred percent. Lovey thought he would, though, so that had to count for something. He let out a faint breath, glad to be warming up, even if what had happened was horrible.

It took a little longer before Rin found Opha's, and knocked on the door to the older woman's house. "Hopefully she's, ah, home." he said, shivering a little bit now, his clothes soaked with water and the brisk wind certainly not helping anything. He pressed closer to Arquis, letting out a faint breath and still holding onto the bag with his dress. He was glad that they had found the place, but there was still the matter of whether or not Ophia was even home, and whether or not she would let them stay.

"Getting a lot of gifts today," Honey joked, though there was a slightly bitter note in his tone. He really appreciated the music box that Ari had gotten him, but he couldn't stop thinking about the way Myr had described what he'd done. He'd called the carnage a gift. Remembering that made Honey's knees feel weak and rubbery. It was good that he wasn't standing.

The blond eventually undid the ribbon and opened the bag. There was so much tissue paper packed into it that he had a hard time finding what was inside. After some rummaging, however, he successfully pulled out an object. It was a tiny yellow baby onesie embroidered with adorable bees.

"I think it's a little small for me," he teased, and then it hit him. His eyes grew wide, but he didn't speak. He couldn't possibly form a coherent sentence. Instead, he clutched the little onesie to his heart, then burst into tears. Lovey and Pretty were instantly panicked. They both reached out for him, but he gave them a look that stopped them in their tracks.

"This isn't a joke?" he whimpered. "You're really- you-"

"Nope, not a joke. We just found out recently," Lovey confirmed, a small smile forming on her lips.

Honey started crying harder, so much so that it was difficult to hear what he said next. "I'm gonna be an uncle?"

"Yeah. Are you okay with that?"

"I'm so happy," he sobbed, then buried his face in Ari's shoulder. His entire body was shaking. It was overwhelming news to say the least, and he wasn't reacting in the way he wanted to, but he was just so excited.

Ophia opened the door rather quickly. When she saw the two of them, she immediately started swearing so vigorously that her glasses fell down her nose. She pushed them up and gestured for the two to get inside as fast as possible. Arquis did as she requested, shutting the umbrella and leaving it by the door to try. The older woman closed and locked the door behind them.

"What in the world were you two thinking, going out in that? Were you trying to get hurt? Do you know how many people are injured in storms like this every day? Too many! You could've broken an ankle! Or, like, any other bone! Or multiple!"