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

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

(sorry! College started up and I got a little swamped)

Rin grimaced at Lovey's words. "He's a good person, and he wouldn't…" he trailed off as Honey came in and started speaking. "I…I want to go." they managed, scrubbing at their face with a hand to try and wipe away the tear traces that clung to his cheeks. His eyes were red and still visibly teary, and that wouldn't be going away just yet. "I… where's Ari?" they asked, voice a bit quiet.

Ari came into view after just a few moments longer, coming straight over to Rin and wrapping his friend up in his arms. "Right here. Come on, let's get your stuff and go. We can talk about this on the way." he pulled Rinlos to their feet, steadying them until Rin was stable enough to stand without his help. "You're still mostly packed up, right?"

Rin nodded faintly. "I just…just need to grab some stuff from…we should bring Arquis's sketchbook." he managed, leaning into Ari. They were still overwhelmed, still terrified and unsure what to do. "He… we need to bring it." if they could think of where to find it. Gods. They couldn't think right now.

(you're good!)

Lovey glanced between the three of them rapidly and chewed her lip. She waited until Rin was done talking to interject, then did so, her voice uneven from nerves.

"Wait! You're not thinking about this—none of you are! This isn't a good idea!" She seized Honey, who'd begun to look around for the sketchbook, by the shoulder. "You're all moving too fast. I get it, he's your friend," her eyes caught on Rin, "and more. But you haven't had time to think this through. You don't know what's going to happen at that trial. You don't know what'll get revealed or how he'll respond to all of the stress. And even if he does fine and wins, and it turns out he's innocent—which I hope he is, by the way, I'm not rooting for his downfall—you don't know what'll be left of him."

"None of that matters," Honey said dismissively, shaking her hand off. "Rin loves him. They'll be there for him, and it’ll all be fine. We just need to get Rin’s stuff packed and loaded into the carriage. It won’t take long.”

"You're still not listening. Honey, I heard you ramble about these trials once. They're public. Very, very public, and very, very difficult. And, no offense, Rin, but your partner already doesn't seem like he's in the best of health. Too much pressure could break him, and I'm not sure he'd want you all there to see that."

(sorry againn, college is. beating me lmao)

Rin swallowed faintly, shaking his head a little bit. "I don't… I don't care. I need to see him. I…" he couldn't think right now, and he knew that Lovey was probably right on some level, but he just didn't care. This was Arquis, and he could die. He could die. And Rin wanted to be there for the trial, to try and offer some level of support. Even if that meant just being there. Maybe he could testify? But he wasn't sure, hoesntly. He just knew he needed to be there.

Ari gently rubbed Rin's back, looking over at Lovey. "To hells with that, we're going to the trial." he said, not angrily, but definitely firmly. He knew that Rin needed his support now, and he was going to make sure that Rinlos got it.

(you're good! you'll get more used to it in time, in the meantime just take some breaks where you can!)

"Then I'm going, too," Lovey insisted. When Honey started to respond, telling her that she didn't have to come, she raised a hand to silence him. "Look, I know what you're going to say. I don't know him as well as any of you. I don't know this situation that well, and I don't know his past. But that's not important. I'm not going for him, I'm going for you. If this…" Her determination ebbed, and she looked down at the floor. "If this doesn't go well, and you all are stuck with the fallout and all that public attention, then you're going to need someone there to make sure you're taking care of yourselves."

"Lovey, we've got that covered," Honey responded. "Really, you should stay here. You've got enough on your plate already."

"Nope, sorry, I've decided! If you're all dead set on going, then so am I." She clapped her hands and began to look around. Arquis's suitcase was open on the floor. She started grabbing some of his stuff that was lying around—a pair of gloves gloves, socks, a shirt—and shoving it into the suitcase. Honey watched for a minute, decided it was pointless to intervene, and patted Rin on the shoulder.

"I'm going to go see if Ophia'll loan us that carriage I was talking about. Ari, you help Rin and Lovey pack, and then you all meet me outside in, like, half an hour, okay?"

(yeahh it's just roughh)

Rin still seemed a bit overwhelmed and lost, staying close to Ari as the young man held onto them. They leaned their forehead against Ari's shoulder, taking a deep breath. "I don't know what to do." they mumbled, and Ari wrapped an arm around Rinlos, holding him close.

"Alright, well, let me tell you. We're just going to get you all packed, okay?" Ari replied softly, nodding in recognition of Honey's words and giving him a quick wave, before refocusing his attention on the young person leaning against him. "Let's get you packed first, and then worry about everything else." he gently turned Rin towards where their suitcase was, leading them over. "Start folding the clean clothes, and then hand them to me, and I'll pack it up for you." he guided Rin, who moved with him.

Rin was quiet, tear tracks still on their face, and they sniffled as they sat down on the floor and began to work on folding the clothes, handing them to Ari as he finished. Ari quietly and efficiently packed the clothes into the suitcase, keeping a close and careful eye on Rinlos.

Lovey was a quick worker. She swept into the bathroom and packed all of the items they'd brought, like brushes and toothpaste, then went into the bedroom to get anything that Ari and Rin hadn't already found. Once she was done, she closed Arquis’s suitcase and placed it by the door. She pretended like she wasn't watching Rin, but every now and then her gaze would flicker to him.

Minutes ticked by slowly. Lovey kept fidgeting with the suitcase handle. Finally, she glanced at the clock, and about half an hour had passed. She gathered the suitcase into her arms and went to check a window. Sure enough, Honey was outside with a carriage. He hadn't driven it, much to Lovey's relief, but was rather standing next to it with Ophia. Doctor Lavin was there as well, though he was in the driver's seat, not outside the carriage with the two of them.

"Looks like they're here," Lovey announced, entering the bedroom. "Let's get everything loaded, and then we can- oh!"

Pretty had come up on her from behind and tapped her on the shoulder. In shock, Lovey dropped the suitcase she'd been carrying. Pretty kissed her girlfriend on the head and nodded at Rin and Ari.

"Figured Lovey would end up going with you, so I packed our stuff, too. Including," she held up a cute carrying case, "Sugar. She's got her food tucked away in there, so she's all ready to travel."

"I don't know if the Palace allows dogs," Lovey fretted. "Rin, what do you think?"

(Awesome! Thank you for being so patient with me :') )

Rin was well aware that everyone's eyes kept coming back to them, but they didn't say a word about it. This situation was tense enough without him blowing up about something that wasn't even a big deal, all things considered. At the question about dogs, he grimaced faintly. "I… I don't know. I think… i know Arquis's father used to keep dogs there." hadn't Arquis told him that? Wasn't that where Arquis's fear of dogs had come from? "So… I don't really know, but I would think so. And, honestly, fuck them. We'll bring Sugar, and his mother will just have to deal with it."

Ari cleared his throat, looking at his best friend carefully. "Rinlos, tread carefully." he said in a soft voice. "You should not antagonize the woman any more than she is already likely to be." the two Kevran's made eye contact for a long moment and, again, there was that unspoken communication between the two, secrets that only they knew that they did not dare speak aloud here, with others around.

Rin was the first to look away, but it didn't seem that his mind was at all changed. "We'll bring Sugar." he repeated. "And if the Palace won't allow her, then there should be an inn in the town nearby that would let some of us stay there with her."

(yeah, no problem!)

Lovey, sensing some unspoken tension between the two, plastered on a bright smile. "Yeah! I'm sure we can work something out. Besides, she'll probably be so busy with the whole trial that she won't even notice. We'll keep her in our room for most of it."

"Ready to go, then?" Pretty asked. She picked up remaining luggage that was lying around with ease. Sugar yipped in her little case, most likely annoyed at the sudden movement, and Lovey shushed her. "I don't know if we'll be making a straight trip there, it's kind of far. We might have to stop to let the horses rest and get some food for ourselves. We'll still get there before the trial starts, though."

"Well, the sooner we get on the road, the better," her girlfriend responded.

"I guess we're finally quitting for good, then." Pretty said. Lovey flushed and looked at her, startled, the thought not having crossed her mind. "They're not going to let us take however many days off on this short of a notice. We've got a house we're going to move into. We've got some money saved. We'll work it out when we get back, find ourselves some new jobs."

"Right. Right, yeah, we'll make it work. But wait, what about Honey? I don't think he's ready to quit just yet, but he's set on going."

Pretty glanced at Rin and Ari, then back to Lovey. "Let's talk about this on the way down. Like you said, the sooner we get going, the better."

She and Lovey went out into the hall, speaking to each other in hushed, yet urgent, tones, and leaving Rin and Ari alone.

When Rin and Ari were alone, Ari turned to Rin, gaze focused and intense as he looked at his friend. "Rinlos, you can't go in there acting like you're invincible." he said, voice hushed so that it wouldn't carry outside of the room. "We don't… we can't really just assume that we are protected just on the basis of being foreign, and… revealing your status could get us into an even worse situation. Sure, it would protect you, but at what cost?"

Rin grimaced, but nodded. "I know. I just… I'm worried about him, Ari, and… and it feels like everyone is keeping secrets. And I know that I am too, so maybe this is hypocritical of me, but… I don't know. It's just all so frustrating, when I can't figure out anything that's happening or what to do about it."

"I know, Rin, but we have to tread carefully here. It's not safe." Ari's voice was calming and easy, just trying to help Rinlos keep a level head and consider things carefully, rather than rushing into everything.

Outside of the inn, Lovey, Honey, Pretty, and Ophia worked on loading the carriage. Doctor Lavin got out to help, but he stumbled, his knee brace bending wrong. Ophia helped him upright and into the passenger's seat. They exchanged quiet words while the younger adults finished their task. When they'd finished, Ophia took the reigns to the horses and waited for Rin and Ari to come out.

"I'm kinda worried," Honey muttered to his sister as he settled into the back seat. There were two parts to the carriage. Ophia and Doctor Lavin were in the front, which was separated by a divider that had a sliding window. The back was small to the point of being cramped. There was a ring of seats that were so close together that Honey's knees touched Lovey's when they sat across from each other.

Lovey hummed softly. "About Rin or Arquis?"

"About this whole thing." He didn't go beyond that, instead leaning over to look out the window for Rin and Ari.

"Let's go." Ari said, leading Rinlos out of the room and down the stairs, out to the waiting carriage, and then they both got in, squeezing into those little seats with all the others. "Alright. How long will this carriage ride take?" he asked, looking over at Lovey, Honey, and Pretty.

Rin was quiet, his face drawn and tense. It was clear in every line of his body just how worried they were for their partner, anddespite doing his best to try and relax, he just wasn't able to, still too consumed with worry about what was going to happen to Arquis. What if the carriage ride took tooo long? WHat if the trial had already started before they could arrive? WHat then? What could he do then? They ran their hands through their hair, closing their eyes for just a moment as he listened to hear about how long this was going to take. He really just wanted to know wht was going to happen.

(I'm assuming we don't want to play out the whole carriage trip lol)

Lovey shrugged. She'd travelled outside of the inn before, but not frequently enough by carriage to know the trip's length in time. Her guess would probably be about as good as Ari's, so she stayed quiet, eyes drifting to Pretty.

"I don't know, I'd guess maybe a day and a half if we go fast and don't take a lot of breaks. Maybe closer to two days, unless we get lucky. I can't give you a better guess than that. It's not, like, three hours away, even with the horses." She seemed frustrated. Unlike Honey or Rin, she didn't really know much about Arquis, other than that he could be a potential danger. She didn't like not having intel. It felt like walking onto a battlefield without a shield. Worse than that, even. It was like walking onto a battlefield without armor while the enemy was posed to attack. She slumped miserably back against the seat and traced her fingertips along her sword, which was strapped in its sheath to her back.

"We'll have to take some breaks, but maybe if we go quick, I don't know," Lovey piped up.

Honey reached over and took one of Rin's hands. He gave it a comforting squeeze. "We'll get there. It'll be fine. But while we're waiting, everyone should probably think about what they're going to say if they're called on to speak."

(nah lol I think that that would get repetitive haha. DO you wanna handle the skip, tho, or do you want me to?)

Rin looked over at Honey, soft concern in their eyes as Honey spoke. "I… yeah, i guess you're right. I'm just worried about him." still, still, worried about him. They had a feeling that they would be worried about Arquis until the trial finally ended. Hopefully with Arquis as the winner. He… wasn't sure what he would do if Arquis lost this trial and died. Sure, maybe he hadn't known Arquis all that long, but he still, well, loved him. And he really, really didn't want to lose him, either way.

Ari reached out to gently squeeze Rin's shoulder, also trying to comfort his best friend. "We're all going to be here for you. For both of you. It's going to be okay, alright?"

(nah, I got it! also sorry in advance this is kind of long lol)

Honey joined Ari in comforting Rin by giving them what he hoped was a confident smile. As he adjusted to make a little more room for everyone, the carriage began to rattle down the road. Honey sighed softly, closed his eyes, and, despite what he'd said, tried not to think about what was to come.

[Day Eighteen]

The carriage ride took longer than Pretty had predicted. They rode on through the rest of the day, stopping just before nightfall to let the horses rest. Early in the morning, long before dawn had broken, they'd begun again. They'd gone for only about half of that day before having to stop due a hazard in the path. It'd taken over an hour to clear it, even with multiple people helping.

The next morning, a sudden storm caused another unexpected delay. It passed quickly, but they still got on the path late. It was late evening by the time they reached the Palace. Honey poked his head out of the carriage window, marveling at not only the size and beauty of the Palace but also the amount of carriages being ushered to the back. He'd forgotten that High Court trials could be so public. Thjs one would probably be the subject of gossip for Anvillean nobles for weeks.

A harried-looking servant helped them all out of the carriage while another went to unpack their bags. As this was happening, someone came striding forward. She was wearing a dark gray dress with a high neck and garnet earrings, and her black hair was tied back in a neat bun. It took Honey a moment, but he assumed she was probably Quirisa de Vey and not Muria. This woman was young, no older than twenty, though she looked exhausted.

"Hello, and welcome to-" Her voice caught when she saw Rin. She stepped forward, hand outstretched but not touching them, uncertainty, confusion, and relief all warring in her gaze. "Wait. Wait a damn minute. Bard? Is that you?"

An even younger girl, who Honey figured was Marsiquia, came up behind her. Her eyes widened when she saw Rin, and she lunged forward, forgetting all about social norms and good manners.

"It's so bad," she whispered into his shirt, shaking visibly. "It's so, so bad. They won't let us see him. We can't even talk to him. I don't know what to do. I saw them drag him in. He wasn't moving. I'm so scared."

"Marsi," Quirisa commanded, confirming Honey's guess, "give him some room. We don’t know why he’s here.”

She didn't move, just looked up at them, her blue eyes huge in her small, pale face. "I'm so scared," she repeated, voice trembling just as badly as the rest of her.

(all good!)

Rinlos wrapped an arm gently around Marsi, letting her hold onto them for stability as he looked between the two sisters. "It's me." he confirmed to Quirisa, watching her quietly. "I… came to try and help Arquis, in… whatever way that I can." he didn't know quite what else to say, what else he could possibly even do about this. Nothing, almost. God. Was there anything he could do, other than show up and be there?

Ari was quiet, standing beside his friend and watching Arquis's two sisters. He could see the resemblance there, could see it in the way that they interacted and the way their appearances were. He put a hand on Rin's shoulder, but still remained quiet so that Rinlos could handle the introductions.

"Ah- Quirisa, these are some… friends. Ari, one of my best friends that i've known for a long time, and then Honey, Lovey, and Pretty are all, ah, new friends. Arquis has met them all, so…" Rin trailed off after a moment, shrugging a shoulder as he looked over at Quirisa, one arm still holding Marsi gently. That arm was very gentle, not at all holding Marsi too tightly. The young girl could have pulled away in an instant, should she choose to, and Rin would let her go. After everything he had gone through, he wasn't going to run any risk of making someone uncomfortable through his own actions.

Marsiquia continued to cling to Rin, even when Quirisa tapped her on the shoulder. With a sigh, she gently pried her off of them. Marsiquia took a small step back and clasped her hands together to stop from fidgeting.

"Nice to meet you all," Quirisa said. She glanced meaningfully at Marsiquia, but the younger girl didn't say anything, just kept staring sadly at the ground.

"Sorry if things are crazy here. It's not the nicest time for a visit. We heard there was going to be a trial and people just started showing up. They're treating it like it's a show." Quirisa rolled her eyes. She'd been aiming for nonchalant, but she knew it'd probably come off as bitter. She'd been living in a nightmare since Arquis had left. Those long days had weighed on her. She couldn't help but resent the situation they'd been left with.

"Everyone keeps saying Arquis is going to lose. I don't want him to die," Marsiquia whispered. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."

From behind Rin and Ari, Honey, Lovey, and Pretty all exchanged heartbroken looks. At barely fifteen years old, Marsiquia was the youngest one there. She was clearly having a hard time processing the fact that by the end of the trial, either her mother or her brother was going to be dead.

"You said that they wouldn't let you see him?" Lovey asked.

Quirisa nodded and let out a heavy sigh. "Not until the night before the trial. They're scared he'll plan something and sneak out of here, just like he did before. They're keeping him locked in a room. We haven't seen him since he got here earlier today."

"He wasn't moving," Marsiquia repeated, seeming to shrink in on herself, her shoulders slouching and head ducking down. "When they brought him in, he wasn't moving at all. I just saw him for a bit. But I called his name, and he didn't look up or anything.”

Rin grimaced. "He…" he trailed off. What could they even say, to try and soothe Marsiquia's worry? He didn't know anymore. "I don't know what to do, but I know that… that i should be here." even if Arquis had not wanted them to come, he knew that this was important. And… well, if Arquis lost, then Rinlos could not bear the thought of not seeing him one last time. "For him. I… needed to be here for him." he looked at Arquis's sisters, at the worry that was clear on their faces, and they took a deep breath. "I hope there is room for the five of us to stay here. Even if some of us must share a room? Pretty and Lovey," he gestured to the two women, "could stay together, and… I don't know. The rest of us can stay wherever there is room. If there is not, then… then we can stay in the village nearby, at the inn."

Ari had remained quiet, but god, Marsi reminded him of his younger sister. They were close in age, as far as he could tell, and that just made the resemblance and the reminder even stronger. "We're going to do our best to protect Arquis." he said softly, words meant partly to soothe Rinlos, but also mainly to soothe Marsi, to try and ease the fear in the young girl's face. "He's not going to die, if there's anything that we can do to try and save him." god, this whole thing was such a mess, and he didn't know much about the Anvillean legal system. All he could do was watch and hope.

(I can't for the life of me remember if we set a day for the trial so I'm just going to say it starts not tomorrow morning but the morning after that)

Quirisa looked behind Rin at Ophia and Doctor Lavin, who'd come over to see what the rest of the group was doing. Honey quickly introduced them. She nodded, too distracted to properly introduce herself, and turned back to Rin.

"Yeah. I get it. Let me think. Here, you three," she pointed at Rin, Honey, and Ari, "can stay in Arquis's room. He's not using it. They didn't want to put him on the same floor as Marsi and I because they haven't had time to scope out the whole place. I think they're scared of secret passages or something. Anyways." She gestured at Lovey and Pretty. "You two can have my room. I'll stay with Marsi. And as for you guys," her hand swept towards the two older members of the group, "I'll figure something out. But yeah, there'll be enough rooms."

Marsiquia didn't seem to be paying attention to the conversation. Her gaze kept worriedly drifting to the Palace, like she was expecting to see Arquis in one of the windows, and then back to the ground. She'd missed the assurance Ari had tried to give her, not offering so much as a grateful glance in response.

The servants that had gone to get the bags passed by Quirisa as she spoke. Ophia and Doctor Lavin had told them what bags belonged to who, and now that they had a vague idea of where to go, they took off to deliver them safely to the rooms. The two doctors followed behind, exhausted from driving the carriage for two days. Quirisa figured the servants would find them an empty room somewhere. She'd check in on them later.

"Do you remember how to get to Arquis's room, or do I have to show you?" Quirisa asked Rin. "If you can make your way there yourself, then here's the key. You three can go on up and relax a little. Like Marsi said, no one's gonna be able to see Arquis today, so you can crash tonight."

(honestly I can't remember either lmao so youre good!! Anyways i read through the entirety of the RP in the past few days so fbgkj i'm,, excited)

Rin listened quietly, then nodded. "I… I think that i can remember the way." he responded quietly. "Thank you, Quirisa." he glanced around at their small group, a little bit unsure of what to do about Ophia and Dr Lavin. He was grateful that they had come, but honestly he was so exhausted at that moment that he just wanted to get to the bedroom and sit down. He was tired from traveling, and from not yet having had a moment to himself to decompress. IT was taking everything that he had to hold himself together, to keep frm letting his worry about Arquis overwhelm him. His gaze flicked over to the windows, as if he too could catch a glimpse of the nobleman through them, as if somehow he could find his partner's gaze. Even from this far away. But it was all impossible.

They took a step back towards teh carriage, shouldering their lute and their bag, and gesturing for Ari and Honey to do the same. HE looked over at Quirisa, swallowing faintly. "Ah… thank you again." he looked over at Marsi, and gave her a soft smile as he tried to reassure her as well. "Marsi, if you need anything, you can come to me if you'd… if you'd like." he said, knowing the young girl probably needed that reassurance.

Ari grabbed his own bags as well. He was tired too, but not quite in the same way that he knew that Rinlos was. The carriage ride had been exhausting and overly long, but he had snoozed every now and again, usually by leaning back against the wall, or leaning his head against Honey's shouder. Either way though, he certainly wanted a nap as well, and maybe a shower. At least some time to clean up.

Rin waited another moment for Ari and Honey to be ready, and then he led them into the palace and through those winding halls. His steps were a little slower than normal, as he did his best to remember the route to Arquis's room. He kept an eye out, too, for anywhere that Arquis might be. Sure, he had been told that they wouldn't be able to see Arquis tonight, but… maybe he could still try. Maybe he'd be able to talk to him through the door? Send him a ntoe of some kind? But god, this whole thing was so… he didn't know what to do, now that he was here. He opened up the door to Arquis's bedroom, making sure to take the key out and keep it with him. "Here we are." he said to Ari and Honey, setting his bags down on the floor and looking around the familiar bedroom. After all, it was here that he and Arquis had first bonded.