Quirisa smirked as she set Arquis down on the bed. She tugged back the sheet, moved her brother’s legs under, and tucked him in roughly. He rolled onto his side, still very much asleep.
“Never known a bard to be shy about sleeping with someone, but nah, you don’t have to share a bed if you don’t wanna. I can have someone bring up a cot or a chair or something.” She put her hands on her hips and looked them in the eyes, challenging him as she had the night before. “Or you could sleep with me. No one would have to know.”
"I don't sleep with people who are not awake enough to enthusiastically consent." he replied, blinking at her. "And I, ah…see, I really get the feeling sleeping with you would not be a wise choice on my part." he ran a hand through their hair, studying her for a long moment.
(kinda forgot that I put Quirisa as a lesbian on her character sheet and I feel like that definitely doesn’t fit her character anymore so just as a brief update she’s queer/doesn’t have a preference)
Her grin flattened. “I know. I was joking. I’m not, uh, good at stuff like this.” She gestured wildly in the direction of her brother. “You know, like, serious stuff. So I just make jokes.”
Tension hung in the air. She shifted from foot to foot.
“Why would it be a bad choice?” she blurted suddenly. “I mean, you’re stuck here, you’ve got nothing else to do, and we’re both adults. It wouldn’t have to mean anything.”
(lmao alright)
Rin blinked at her, letting her talk. When she asked, he hesitated, considering what to say. "I just…I'm in deep enough trouble with your mother after what's happened to Arquis, and I have a feeling that that would get worse if I hooked up with you." he replied, looking at her calmly.
“She wouldn’t have to know. I could get Marsiquia to cover for you, and we could, well, you know.” Quirisa pulled a hand through her hair before spreading her arms wide. She nervously licked her bottom lip. “Not saying you have to if you don’t wanna. Just saying that we could if you do. Good stress reliever and all that.”
He hesitated again, glancing around the room and then at Quirisa again. "I'm just really not sure that it's a good idea, miss de Vey." he replied slowly, clearing his throat for a moment. Plus, he got the feeling Quirisa only wanted this for stress relief, and to tell the truth, Rin did not want to make things awkward by hooking up with her or stress relief.
“Fine, fine. But if you change your mind, let me know,” she said, turned on her heel, and walked out. She hadn’t sounded particularly angry, just a little disappointed that it hadn’t gone her way.
A couple of minutes after she left, Arquis began to stir. His eyelids opened drowsily; he winced as if the light hurt. It took him a second to adjust to it, and when he did he blinked, surprised.
“Rin?” he mumbled. The pain in his throat hadn’t subsided, and the dull ache in his joints and lymph nodes had grown. He propped himself up on his pillow and pulled the blanket up around himself, trying to stop his shivering. “Why’re you in my room?”
Rin looked up when Arquis awoke, coming over to him. "Your, ah, mother has decided that since I have been around you so much, and you've fallen ill, I have to stay with you until you get better." he replied slowly. He reached over for some water, holding the glass out to Arquis. "Drink some water."
Arquis froze, not taking the glass. He raised a shaky hand over his mouth and took a long, shuddering breath in.
“You… you met Muria?” He clawed away the blanket and struggled to sit up on his knees until he was at eye level with Rinlos. A surge of nerves overwhelmed him. He reached out through blank space until his fingers curled around the musician’s arm. Some of the water splashed out of the cup as he steadied himself.
“She did not…? You are alright?” It sounded like he was begging.
Rin quickly set the cup aside, sitting down on the bed so that Arquis did not have as much space to move through to reach him. "Arquis, I don't know what you're worried about, but I am perfectly fine. I am simply not allowed to leave your side until you get better." they explained, unsure what Arquis was so worried about.
Arquis slumped backwards in relief, falling onto his pillow. His eyes darted around the room. They were also aching in that feverish way; moving them to either side caused little bursts of pain. After he seemingly cleared the space, he looked up at Rinlos.
“You are fine,” he repeated, then again, like he was trying to reassure himself, “you are fine.” A sigh escaped his chapped lips. “She should not have made you stay. It is just a simple infection, after all. I am an adult. I should be able to recover from an infection perfectly well on my own. I have done so plenty of times before.”
He hadn’t stopped shivering. Even pulling the blanket over himself couldn’t warm him, but he didn’t have any more blankets in the room, so he didn’t say anything about it.
Rin shook his head faintly. "That's not…all of it. The doctor lady said something about, ah, some sort of…curse. Or something. This isn't natural." he said slowly, not really sure what to say and how to explain all of this. They shifted faintly, watching Arquis uncertainly. "So. It doesn't make sense that I have to stay, but it's fine."
“Some sort of… someone did this to me?” Arquis looked baffled for a moment, then shook his head. The motion sent a bolt of pain through his brain. “Well, no matter. That is not what this is about. Muria would not care if I was cursed or purposefully infected. No, this is a punishment meant for the both of us. She is trying to show you that I am… I am not worth being around. That I am weak, or helpless, or that my involvement in your life will do nothing but inconvenience you. And for that—for her manipulating you, for my inconveniencing you—I am sorry.”
He hadn’t meant to say any of that. It was all true, of course, and he believed most of it, but he hadn’t meant to say it aloud. His fever had muddled his mind; he was dizzy and rambling and a little incoherent. And cold. Goodness, he was cold. He began to rub his still-gloved hands up and down his arms in a pitiful attempt to heat himself up.
He frowned. "That's…but she's your mother." he said slowly. His mother was no shining paragon of motherhood, but she had never purposefully hurt him. She had used him to get at his father, but that was different. This was different. "And I don't let people's manipulations decide how I feel abuot someone." when he noticed the way Arquis was trying to warm himself up, he stood, going over to the door and opening to see if there was anyone outside he could ask for additional blankets.
(also I uh made a picrew of Rin, here it is)
“She is my mother,” Arquis admitted, sotto voce. His eyes tracked Rinlos as they moved to the door. Then, they went to his gloves. He swore for a second that his gaze pierced through them, that he could see what was underneath. He fought down a swell of nausea with a deep breath, stuffed his hands into the covers, and exhaled.
A maid carrying a stack of blankets and a tray with delicacies on it appeared. She curtsied to the musician as she passed, depositing the items beside Arquis on the bed.
“Miss Marsiquia sent these for you. The drink in the thermoses there is hot cocoa, and the tin has peppermint bark in it.”
She left almost as quick as she’d come, shutting the door behind her. Arquis snatched a blanket and wrapped it about himself. The soft, heavy luxury of it was so comforting that he nearly cried—the fever was doing things to his brain, indeed.
“That was nice of Marsi,” he said. “Poor girl, I imagine she’s probably rather shaken up.”
(omg the picrew is so good)
(thanks!)
"Thank you." he said to the maid, coming over to the bed and taking a thermos. "She is. She wanted a hug from me, and I…did not quite handle it as well as I could have. In my defense, I was worried someone would see and think it was inappropriate of me." they said softly, taking a small sip from the thermos in their hands.
Arquis watched their face curiously. He smiled when they spoke of the hug and, without thinking, reached to touch his shoulder soothingly.
“I am sure you handled it perfectly well. The fact that you are worried about it shows that you meant nothing insidious by it. I actually think it is rather sweet of you to comfort her.” His thumb began to mimic the movement from the trek up the hill, gently tracing circles into their shoulder blade, before he realized what he was doing and immediately pulled away. “My apologies, I should- ah, I should have asked before I did that.”
He looked at the other for a moment, smiling softly. "It's perfectly alright, Arquis. And yes, I did not mean anything insidious by it. Nothing at all. I was only worried, since, well, she is a young teenager and I am…not." he waved a hand vaguely, shaking their head for a moment.
“I understand. On the bright side, for her to ask for a hug means that she trusts you.” He adjusted himself for a moment, fidgeting with the blankets. “I believe that Quirisa does as well. She thanked you back in the study. She doesn’t do that often. I hope she hasn’t given you more trouble.”
Cold sweat beaded on his brow and began to slip down his forehead. He wiped it away with his sleeve, feeling rather disgusted with himself. He assumed he probably looked a mess, or at least unpleasant to be around.
He laughed a little. "Quirisa asked me to hook up with her before you woke up." he responded, picking up the other thermos and holding it out to Arquis. "Drink some of this." he said softly. "It'll help you warm up if you're still feeling chilled."
Arquis burst out laughing. It hurt like crazy due to his raw, ragged throat, but it also felt quite nice. He winced when he stopped, but his grin stayed.
“Goodness gracious, she sure is persistent, isn’t she? I don’t suppose I blame her, you are quite… well. Never mind.” He took the thermos sheepishly and took a long sip, very obviously trying to avoid eye contact. The rich sweetness of the drink was lovely. He swallowed a few more mouthfuls before screwing the lid on. Hoping to distract from what he’d been saying, he gestured to the tin. “Go ahead and eat, if you’d like. I imagine, ah, carrying me up the hill was no easy feat. It might be a good idea to get some energy back.”
Rin raised an eyebrow slightly. "I am quite what?" he asked, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. He did open up the tin, though, taking a piece of peppermint bark. "I would prefer real food over sweets; I may ring for a maid to request some." they commented, eyes flickering to the door. "And to bring in a cot for me to sleep in later."
He wasn’t sure whether it was the brush with death or the fact that Rinlos was directly in front of him, but he suddenly felt rather bold. “Quite attractive. And please do go ahead, they will bring anything you desire. I keep track of the dining schedule, and I believe today’s main lunch is pasta primavera. If that isn’t appealing, there are bound to be pork and shiitake mushroom dumplings as well. They’re heavenly.”
