Arquis jerked away from Rin as soon as he felt their touch. Just moments prior, those gentle hands had formed a vice around his throat. Those soft eyes had watched him strain for a single breath. Thinking logically, he knew that dream-Rin and the real Rin were not the same person. His partner hadn't actually choked him for minutes on end. That didn't stop him from scrambling straight off the bed. He fell hard onto the ground. One of his legs had gotten tangled up in the sheets, and he pulled it free as he dragged himself backwards.
"Tell me something you would know!" he blurted, his voice scratchy and raw from sleep. "Tell me something that only you would know, and no one else!"
——
Kit was blushing as well. She did an awkward little hand motion and said something about tea before dashing away. Several other customers, who'd been watching curiously, tore their gazes away. One or two looked particularly embarrassed.
"I'm never gonna recover from that," Honey wheezed, face still buried in his palms. "Who knew the secret to free food was- I can't even say it. I'll start laughing again. Lovey will never believe me."
Rin watched, frozen in place. "I, uhm, I…" there were plenty of things that only he knew, but not ones that Arquis would know as well. "You get very shy whenever I talk about sex." he blurted. "And you fidget with your gloves when you get nervous." they didn't know what to say; he didn't know why he was being asked this, either, but he hoped that answering would help calm his partner down.
Ari grinned over at Honey, his face still pink with a blush. "I, uhm, yeah." he said slowly. "But…free scones!" he picked one up, taking a bite of it. "And they're delicious." he spoke after he finished chewing, still smiling as he looked over at Honey.
The answers they'd given had apparently been adequate, as Arquis let out a deep sigh of relief. That panicked look morphed into one of regret. He tried to stand, found himself unable, and moved on his knees until he was close to the bed. As if he was getting out of a pool, he planted his hands firmly on its edge and pulled himself back onto the comforter. The action exhausted him. He settled down a couple inches away from his lover, not quite touching.
"Sorry, love. Sorry. I had to make sure. I just had to." He swallowed thickly and stroked his palm over the fabric of the sweater. It was mostly just to steady himself. "Did I startle you?"
——
Honey finally dropped his hands to see what Ari was eating. He'd lied about not being hungry. Running always left him starving. He reached out for a scone of his own and hesitated. There were so many types. Kit hadn't labeled any of them. He could guess, but that was a dangerous game. What if he got one he didn't like?
"What kind was that one?" he asked curiously. His fingers dipped to pick up a scone with some sort of reddish topping. There was a pretty high chance it was red velvet, but he had no way of knowing for certain. He broke off a corner and popped it into his mouth. It wasn't red velvet. He wasn't sure what it was, but it tasted phenomenal.
Rin nodded a little. "You, uhm, did startle me a bit." he admitted. "Are you alright, though?" they reached out cautiously, hand settling on Arquis's shoulder. "You…you seemed rather frantic." he hated that not even Arquis's sleep was safe for him, especially when Arquis was so weak and in need of rest and nutrition. "Was it a nightmare?" he could already assume that it had been, but he wanted to check with Arquis.
"I don't know, but it's delicious." he replied, laughing a little bit as he finished it off. "Very delicious. Kit is a very kind waitress." she really was, especially considering that Ari had turned her down. Sure, he had done so as kindly as possible, but he had still turned her down. He was gay, a relationship had no chance of happening.
Arquis felt his last remaining bits of composure crumble, and he quickly closed the gap between them. His arms went around them; he pulled him in close. There was no sign that Rin was going to hurt him. The nobleman was as safe as he’d been earlier. He wished that fact would wash away his fear, but he was still pretty anxious and shaken.
"A horrible nightmare," he confirmed quietly. Talking probably wouldn't help in this case. He hoped they realized that and wouldn't push him for details. "I was really hoping that I would not have another. I have had so many as of late. Dreadful things."
——
"Aw, thank you!" Kit chirped. Honey burst into laughter. Sometime in the midst of them talking, the waitress had apparently snuck back over. She poured Ari a cup of tea, then filled one for Honey. "I try to be as nice as possible. A place like this deserves a staff that treats their customers well. But you should both know that these scones weren't really my idea. A lot of people really did pitch in and pay for them. And speaking of a lot of people, I've been asked to give you guys tons of addresses and stuff."
Out of another one of her pockets came a notepad. Written on top were the names and addresses of at least seven different people, Kit not included. Honey accepted the notepad.
Rin held onto Arquis, their arms wrapping around their partner. "I…" he trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I am sorry, darling." he whispered. "I wish there was a way I could help you sleep better." but they couldn't. There was nothing they could do to help Arquis but to hold him and comfort him as best as they could. He oculdn't do a thing to chase the nightmares away.
Ari laughed a little at Kit's interruption, looking up at her and then at the notepad. "What are the, uhm, addresses…for?" he asked slowly, a bit unsure why the other patrons would have given him and Honey their addresses and names. What were they expecting from the two young men?
"It is alright, love. Do not apologize." Arquis blew out a breath and rubbed his weary eyes. "I had a feeling that this would happen. At least I could rest for a bit, even if that rest was not peaceful."
There was no way at this point that he could go back to sleep. Even if he agreed to try, he was too jittery for an attempt to succeed. He was still shaking off the memories of their knuckles bruising his jaw, their fingers crushing his windpipe. It wasn't the worst dream he'd ever had, but it'd still been pretty jarring.
"Today has been an absolute nightmare," he sighed softly. His lips quirked in a very soft, small smile. "Well. Not all of today. Our earlier activities were quite pleasant."
——
Kit blushed all the way to the tips of her ears, notably avoiding Ari's gaze. "Oh, it's just for, like, if you wanted to write a letter or something! Or come by and visit them, to, you know, ask them out. It's not for anything else! I mean, maybe it could be, but that's not really, um, expected."
Honey had just taken a big sip of his tea, and he nearly spat it onto the table. What had Ari been expecting, for them to do house calls? He'd worked in the industry for a long time, yet he'd never actually gone to someone's house. They'd always had to come to him.
Rin nodded slightly. "Our earlier activities were very pleasant indeed." he said in agreement, kissing Arquis's cheek softly. "And, ah…I'm going to go get some food, I think. I'm hungry, and…you should eat something." he cleared his throat faintly, knowing that their words might upset their partner. "I'm sorry, darling. But you really should eat something." they gave him a quick, soft smile.
Ari blinked at her, then raised his eyebrows at Honey's reaction. Had he missed something? Maybe? His gaze flickered between the two, and he cleared his throat. "Well, uhm, alright." he replied slowly, running his hands through his hair and then taking a sip of his tea.
Arquis felt a wave of guilt wash over him, and he lovingly caressed his partner's chest. Their shirt felt soft under his palm. Not as soft as the sweater he'd given him, but still rather nice. He pet it for a few moments before nodding almost imperceptibly. While he didn't have an appetite, he knew that he needed to eat. It would help calm Rin and maybe clear his head.
"What are you going to get?" he asked, afraid of his answer. That was another way he knew it'd gotten bad. No matter what they said, if it wasn't nothing, it wouldn't be good enough. His mind was already preparing ways to cut down on calories. Substitutions. No dressing. Blotting butter or oil with a napkin. Cutting off the crusts.
——
Kit let out one more high pitched, embarrassed laugh before leaving again. Honey sort of wished he could follow her and disappear into the staff room, though that wouldn't really help. Apparently, they had admirers everywhere. He found that the thought made him both pleased and a little anxious. Admiration meant the potential for jealousy, which could then lead to possessiveness. He tried to drown that thought with tea.
"Man. Plain tea is pretty gross," he commented. There also definitely wasn't enough of it. The race had made him thirsty, and he'd got a small cup. He was practically already to the dregs. "Maybe I should've stuck to water or something. How's yours?"
Rin shrugged. "I don't know yet, I was just planning on seeing what the kitchen has available." he replied, holding onto Arquis. He was reluctant to let go, but knew that they needed to in order to leave. He couldn't stay here and get food at the same time. So, after a long moment of laying still, he release Arquis and sat up on the bed, stretching. "I'll go get that. Will you be alright by yourself?" he didn't know if Arquis was still feeling prone to fainting or sickness, and he didn't want to leave if their partner was still feeling like that.
Ari watched her go, then looked over at Honey. "Mine's good. Black tea can be gross, yeah. It usually needs some sort of cream or sugar to help with the taste." he replied, taking anothe rsip of his tea. "I just got mint, which is good on its own without anything else."
Arquis really, truly didn't want Rin to go, but it would be selfish of him to keep him there. They'd admitted to being hungry, and the last thing the nobleman wanted to do was make him wait. He hugged his sweater tight and offered up a weak smile.
"Perfectly alright, yes. Actually, I might be well enough to join you." He inched over so that his legs hung off the side of the bed. Using what looked like a considerable amount of effort, he pushed himself into a standing position. He grinned triumphantly. His knees weren't even wobbling. Maybe the doctor had been wrong. Maybe he wasn't getting worse at all. Maybe he'd just had a dizzy spell and there was some other explanation for the hair loss. Feeling confident, he took a couple of steps closer to the door, and then yelped as he stumbled. If the side table hadn't been nearby for him to grab onto, he might've fallen like before.
"I seem to have been wrong," he half-joked, half-groaned.
——
"Yeah. I'm gonna dump a boatload of cream and stuff in here. Don't have much left, but hey, why not make those last sips better?" Honey turned to the rack of jars, then paused. Of course they wouldn't keep cream or milk in a lukewarm environment. It was too bad that Kit had run off somewhere. He pulled a face and downed the rest of his tea in one go.
"What're we gonna do with all these scones?" he asked once he bitter taste in his mouth had faded. There were a lot of scones left, and he could only eat so many. "Maybe we could bring 'em back to share with people. You haven't seen hot stuff much lately, have you? Think he or dreamboat might want something to eat?"
Rin reached out to try and catch his partner, inhaling sharply. "Darling, let's…let's get you back to bed, lovely." he said softly, reaching out and holding onto Arquis, supporting him as they helped him back to the bed. "You're too weak for this. You need to eat, love. Let me get some food for us." their voice was gentle, but this was so difficult. Watching Arquis struggle like this.
He laughed a little, watching Honey and then shrugging at the questions. "We should definitely bring some back for Rin and Arquis; I have not seen them since…yesterday, I believe. They might appreciate the scones." though privately, he wasn't sure if Arquis would eat any; from what he had seen, the nobleman struggld with food.
Arquis let Rin walk him back to the bed, but he seemed distressed. His eyes shone with hurt. He wasn't mad at them in the slightest, yet he couldn't stop turning his words over in his head. Weak. They thought he was weak. And who could blame them, with the way he'd been acting? Stumbling and shaking and swaying while standing. Still, the remark hurt in a deep, unsettling way, like he'd taken a blow straight to his heart.
"I just feel so…" His shoulders sagged in defeat as he tried to find the right words. "I never meant for it to go this far. I never thought it would be this bad. I am sorry, love. For all of this."
——
"They might." Honey hesitated. "I don't know how to say this, or even what to say. It's not any of my business, really. I just worry about the two of them. They seem to have a lot going on. And I know everybody does, in a way, but, y'know, I can just tell something's up."
He thought back to everything he'd heard about Arquis before meeting him. The nobleman didn't seem like a bad person at all, but there had to be some truth to at least a few of the rumors, didn't there? Maybe he had a secret violent streak, buried deep in him. Or maybe he came from a family of vampires. That one definitely wasn't true, but that didn't mean none of them were.
Rin gently helped him sit down on the bed again. "I know, darling." he said softly. "I know you didn't. But it is this bad, and…and we have to try and fix this." he kissed Arquis's cheek, giving him a faint smile as he tried to reassure their partner. "It's going to be okay, Arquis. I'll go get us some food." he slowly let go of Arquis again, gaze flicking to the door.
Ari nodded a little. "Yeah. I don't know what Arquis is going through, but…Rin has their share of issues to work through." he did not go into detail. It was not his place. Rin's secrets were their own to keep, even if Ari knew many of them. He was not going to betray his friend's trust and spill the beans to Honey about everything that had happened.
Arquis didn't say anything this time around. Didn't try to join them, didn't try to convince him not to go. He just pulled the blankets around himself in a cocoon. Sleeping in Rin's arms had staved off the cold for a while, but it'd returned in full force. It felt like it was coming from within. The comforter only helped a little, but he wasn't going to complain anymore.
If it were another day, a better day, he might've taken a nap while they were out. Instead, he kept himself awake by twisting his hands together. His old scars were acting up. Older people often said that their bones ached when it was going to rain, but for Arquis, it was his scars. He wondered if it would snow again. Hopefully if it did, it wouldn't be like last time. Getting locked in this time around could be dangerous for his health.
——
"Yeah. I know. Kinda." Honey realized that he'd been slowly peeling apart a lemon scone. Crumbs were scattered all over his plate. He stuffed the rest of it into his mouth and waited until he'd finished chewing to speak again.
"But, uh, I also think there's something big going on. I heard someone talking just the other day, when I was working the front desk." He'd stuffed the memory of it down somewhere, deciding that it was nothing but harmless small talk. But he felt it might be worth mentioning. "They said a rich kid had gone missing and that someone was offering a reward for him. They kinda laughed it off after that, so I didn't think it was super serious, but, well, I'm not so sure. The two of them could be in some sort of trouble."
Rin slipped from the room and headed down towards the kitchen. He felt…tired. Worn out. He was not going to break up with Arquis, but this was hard. He had not wanted to have to watch as Arquis destroyed himself, and yet he had. Arquis had collapsed and RIn had had ot fetch a doctor. Maybe now it would get better, now that a medical professional had told Arquis just how bad this had gotten, but he didn't know. They didn't want to be the bad guy, but if they had to be, they would be. If they had to force Arquis to eat a full meal, then they would.
Ari took a deep breath. "I…yeah. Maybe don't talk about that too much. I'm sure Rinlos and Arquis have their reasons for being here, and that is their business. If it is Arquis that they are looking for, well…I think it would be best that we didn't say anything." sure, he didn't know Arquis well, but someone searching for him wasn't a good thing.
Gradually, the nobleman's thoughts drifted from the weather to his situation. The more time that passed, the more anxious he got. Cutting communication off completely had been both an excellent and horrible idea. On the one hand, it decreased their likelihood of being found. On the other, he had no idea what was happening at the Palace. Muria could've turned everyone against him using some elaborate lie. Quirisa and Marsiquia had likely been shoved into the spotlight because of his disappearance. Drama drew a lot of attention, and with attention came pressure. Who knew how they were faring.
The matter of his disorder would complicate things as well. Even if everything went to plan—if Muria was successfully locked away somewhere for attempting to poison him—there was no guarantee that he'd be well enough to travel. And what about the specialist, the woman Doctor Lavin had mentioned? She wouldn't be able to come all the way out to the Palace on a regular basis. He might just continue to get worse. If that was the case, then Rin might be forced into breaking up with him before he could sell the building and move with them to Kevra.
——
Honey's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah, of course. I'm not gonna tell anyone about it. I only told you 'cause you're Rin's friend, and they trust you. I was kinda just, uh, well. Listen. If it was Arquis they were talking about, then someone might find and bring him in at any moment. Rin could be labeled an accomplice of some sort. I don't wanna watch either of them get into trouble, but if it comes down to it, I'd rather not watch the bard be dragged into something that he's not a part of. I'm willing to bet that you don't want that, either."
The way he was saying it made it sound bad. Really, he didn't want to see either of them hurt. But whatever was going on with Arquis probably didn't involve Rin. It sounded like a family matter.
"If Arquis does get taken in for the reward," he added softly, "then Rin's gonna be in a bad place. Maybe we could agree to look out for them somehow."
Rin eventually arrived at the kitchen, and spoke with the cook for a bit. She helped him with putting together a tray with a good balance between lighter foods and more nourishing ones; he figured he would have Arquis eat a good mix of the two, since Arquis would naturally gravitate towards the lighter ones. He wasn't sure how they were going to do that, yet, but he knew that they could not let Arquis get away with only eating some pieces of bread. That was not enough, in any sense of the word.
"Rin would be…fine. He has more methods for getting out of trouble than you think." Ari replied, knowing that Rin could always pull the diplomatic immunity card if they had to; it would be a pain in the ass, but they could do it and it would protect them. "But yeah, that's a good idea. He'll need some help, if it comes down to it."
Arquis started to wonder what Quirisa would do if she was in his shoes. The simple answer was that she wouldn't be. She was fiercely stubborn and quick to anger. If anyone tried to poison her, she'd get her revenge swiftly. She wouldn't wait out in a small inn and starve half to death. She'd be out there, tracking down information and interrogating potential assets to her case. Maybe that's what she was doing in reality. She had a knack for digging up the truth; it was possible she hadn't written any letters because she was actively trying to clear his name. He hoped that was the case.
Marsiquia was probably pretty distraught. If she and Carsui were still together, then he prayed the young man was taking care of her. She was prone to overthinking and panicking, just like her older brother.
——
Honey didn't really understand what Ari meant by that first part, but he nodded as if he did. He didn't know much about the bard's past. Unless they wished to share details themself, then he wouldn't ask. Some things were meant to be kept private.
"Yeah. If he's got a way out of legal stuff, then that's cool. I'd just be glad to help with the emotional side of things. He and dreamboat seem to really like each other, and I worry they'd be crushed if anything bad happened to him. I wanna be there if they need me, that's all."
Rin thanked the cook and started back up towards their room, still trying to think of how to get Arquis to eat enough. They didn't know if they could. Maybe, since Arquis had ahd a cold dose of reality, he would be more willing to eat more of his own volition, but Rin wasn't sure. Hopefully, though, they would be able to encourage their partner into eating enough. Even if it meant being the bad guy and making Arquis cry.
Ari nodded. "Yeah, they seem very attached to him, and I'm sure they would be glad for emotional support if that happens. I…hope it will not, but I suppose we'll have to wait and see." Arquis was conspicuous, sometimes, and not in a good way. Ari and Rin were conspicuous for being from Kevra, but nothing else was too out-of-place about them. Arquis, though…he looked like a fish out of water half the time, and it drew attention.
(forever laughing at "Arquis was conspicuous")
Arquis shifted his position in the sheets and propped himself on his forearms. Rin should be back any moment, unless there'd been an issue in the kitchen. An unwanted third option popped into his mind: they'd left him for good. He shook it away instantly. His lover had promised that he wasn't going to break up with him. They weren't the type to just abandon him, even when things got rough. He trusted them. As foolish as that was, he really did. He stubbornly crossed one leg over the other and waited for his lover's return.
——
Honey nodded again. He stuffed another half of a scone into his mouth, then licked the honey from it off his lips. Whoever had baked this batch had done an excellent job. He wondered how they'd get them back to the inn. There was at least a dozen or so left. It wasn't like they could just carry them openly on the plate. With how windy and rainy it was turning out to be, the treats would be completely ruined. Maybe they could ask Kit for some sort of tray or something.
"You gonna get a refill on the tea?" he asked, gesturing to Ari's cup with his chin. "I think I'm good, personally. Like we said, mine was kinda gross.”
(djkgbkjfbh good lol)
Rin got back to their room, opening the door and greeting Arquis with a smile. "Hello, darling." he said, bringing the tray over to the nobleman's bed. "I brought us some food." he set it down on the side table, and sat down on the bed. "But, darling…you can't just eat some bread and call it done. I need…you need to eat a full plate today, and it needs to have more than plain bread on it."
Ari shrugged a shoulder. "I might, yeah. Mine was pretty good." he ate another scone, humming very faintly for a moment. "If I do, you can try a sip, if you like." he set half of his scone down, glancing at where his empty cup sits, from his tea. He cleared his throat softly, then finished his scone.
Arquis sat up when Rin walked in. For a moment, his expression was one of soft joy, but it soured when they continued to speak. There was no getting away from it this time. He couldn't make any sort of excuse, couldn't leave the room or offer a distraction. He'd have to eat. The though alone was overwhelming. On a good day, he could handle a full plate. But that day was not a good day.
"I know I should, but, ah, I really am not all that hungry. I will agree to more than bread, but perhaps we can still start small? Something manageable." He stared at what he'd brought. A crease formed in his brow. "You may choose what you want first. Whatever you would like, go ahead and take it."
——
"I might. Mint's not usually my thing. It's okay sometimes. Like, if it's in ice cream or something, that's okay. But it can be a little strong, y'know?"
Kit came over from a different table. For someone wearing such a heavy skirt, she was surprisingly light on her feet. She held up a kettle of tea and refilled Ari's cup. When she offered to get Honey a refill, he declined, smiling politely. Before she could leave, he quickly asked about some sort of box or case to carry the scones in.
"Hm, let me think. We might have an basket somewhere, from back when we used to have a more picnic-y theme. Let me see if I can dig that up for you two."
Rin shook his head a little bit. "Not yet." he replied. He grabbed some food, and set it on a plate. He did put some bread, but also some other foods as well. Foods that had more protein, foods that would fill Arquis more. The plate wasn't heavily laden, but it was still more than Arquis would likely have chosen on his own. He set it down in front of his partner. "I want you to eat this." he said softly, looking up at him. "Please."
Ari thanked her for the refill, sipping at his tea and thanking her again for offering to find them a basket. "Thank you, Kit. You've been very helpful." his words were soft and sincere, and his smile was gentle.
Arquis swallowed. The portions on the plate were so much larger than he was used to. He knew that was the point, but it made him feel nauseous. Surely that was too much food for someone like him. He wasn't that tall, and he didn't do that much exercise. There was no way that amount was reasonable.
"All of it?" he finally asked in a small voice. "I am not sure that is a wise idea, my heart. If I eat too much, it might make me ill. What if I just have some?"
——
"Yeah, of course!" Kit beamed at him for several seconds before seeming to remember herself. She scoffed at herself and then laughed. "Oh, waffles, there I go again! Staring at you like that, getting all flustered. Sorry! It’s just that you're super cute! You're so lucky!"
Honey made a choked sound in the back of his throat. That last remark had been directed at him. He agreed, saying, "Yeah. Super lucky. You're pretty damn hot, aren't you, handsome?"
