(oh wow, the whole thing?? it's super long! I can't believe it's been over two years! also you'll definitely be more up on the lore than I am, I'm bound to forget a bunch of stuff haha)
Rin's words hadn't seemed to reach Marsiquia. Her gaze was still trained on the higher floors of the Palace, flickering back and forth between windows. She didn't even watch the group head off. It wasn't until Quirisa looped their arms together that she came out of her trancelike state, but at that point everyone else had already gone. Quirisa told her about Rin's offer as they walked back to her room, and she nodded but didn't comment.
In Arquis's room, Honey slowly spun around, eyes almost comically wide as he took it all in. The nobleman's harp alone was likely worth more money than he'd collected throughout his entire life. Times at the Inn weren't always rough, but he'd never had a balcony overlooking a grand estate. He wandered over and pushed the curtain even further aside so that he could see more of the world below. The carriages looked like little toys from so high up.
"I guess I kinda forgot," he mumbled. "I mean, I knew. But I forgot that he was so… that he… that all of this is his. That he has this. Y'know?" He shook his head. "We've gotta find a way to talk to him. Tonight, I mean. There's gotta be some explanation for all of this, yeah?"
(yeah! It took me a bit lol but i did it! And yeah two years is a huge milestone! I know i was pretty inactive for a lot of 2023, but I'm gonna try and be better this year :) and yeahh but ngl it's not a huge deal if we have a few inconsistencies here and there haha)
Ari watched Honey quietly, reaching out to take his hand and press a soft kiss to his cheek. "Yeah, but… I mean, his sisters said that no one was able to get in to see him. I doubt that any of us would be able to. It's not like any of us have any power here." he looked over at Rin, worry in his eyes as he watched his best friend. He knew that Rinlos had been holding in a lot of his emotions for most of that carriage ride, knew that the bard had been doing their absolute best to keep from melting down in front of everyone, but now that they were here? In a safer space, and out of the eyesight of most people? He wasn't sure what to expect next.
Rin drifted over to the bookshelf, fingers flickering over the spines until he found that book of love poems that he had read to Arquis, that first night after the nobleman had been poisoned, and he carefully slid that out to stare at the cover for a long moment. A tempest of emotions swirled inside them, and they weren't sure how to deal with it. They just felt so angry, even as they were sad and terrified for Arquis, they were angry with him. THe nobleman had turned himself in. He had chosen to alert the authorities of his own whereabouts, without even warning RInlos that that was what he was doing, and they just felt so angry. Because they had been right, and Arquis hadn't even tried to talk to him, and now look what was happening. Look what was going on.
(yeah, no pressure if you've got to dip out here and there! as long as this has been going, it's still an extracurricular/purely for fun thing, and it inevitably will end at some point—all that to basically say you're doing the best you can, and if that means hopping on only once every month or so then that's ok, too)
Honey squeezed Ari's hand and managed to tear his focus away from the horizon. His lips twitched into a frown. "I mean, I know. But another day is a long time to wait to get answers. There's gotta be some way we can get in there."
He watched Rin as they walked over to the bookshelves and take out the book. He couldn't see what it was from where he was standing, but he could tell it was significant just because of the look on his face. He wondered what his and Arquis's relationship had been like before they'd come to the Inn. Not public, of course, or he'd have heard about it through gossip. But it seemed like they loved each other. Or, he thought, his frown growing, it seemed like Rin loved Arquis. The latter's motives were hard to figure out.
"He owes you answers, Rin," he said.
(thank you for the kindness, but I still feel bad when I leave you waiting for too long ahaha)
(also i have been,, thinking about the big reveal where Rin tells Arquis who he is. ANd the plan was for Rin to tell Arquis kinda suddenly, bc Leander and the king arrive and Rin's lies just,, collapse around him. But i was thinking that what if maybe Rin has been like, hinting that he's got something he needs to tell Arquis, but for whatever reason they keep getting interrupted before Rin can tell him?)
Rin looked up when Honey spoke, mouth pinching faintly. "He…" he trailed off, setting the book aside again after stroking his thumb across the cover. "I am just so angry with him." he finally said, slowly, though his words were heavy and full of emotion. "And…and maybe that's not fair, when he could die, but… but I'm so angry-" he broke off, voice choked as he took a moment to try and collect himself. "He turned himself in, and… and he wouldn't…" he inhaled deeply, running his fingers through his hair and looking into the middle distance, not quite making eye contact with Honey or Ari. "He refused to discuss any of it with me and i just… if he had talked about it with me…" god, he didn't even know how to articulate this, just that there was so much anger and so much fear and so much sadness, all bound together right now, and he couldn't express one without the other leaking through.
(oh yeah! like maybe at some point after the trial—cause obviously Arquis isn't going to die, let's just get that out of the way—Arquis is talking about how glad he is to have everything finally out in the open, since I imagine most of his backstory will have been cleared up after that—which I'm soooooo excited to see your reaction to!!—and then Rin is all like hey about that, I really need to tell you something, but they keep getting interrupted)
Honey winced in sympathy, dropping Ari's hand to get closer to Rin. He stopped in front of him and took them in, fighting the anger that flickered to life in his own chest. Arquis may have had his reasons for doing what he'd done, but he shouldn't have left his partner out of the loop.
"I think it's fair that you're pissed off. I know I am, and I'm not going through even half of what you are. Maybe he didn't want to tell you everything, but he should've told you something. You should've had a say in all this." He reached out and touched the harp. The wood was cold to the touch. When he pulled his hand back, there was a light coating of dust on his fingertips. "Once we get through this whole mess, you can go ahead and give him a good scolding for what he put you through."
He didn't dare mention the other, seemingly more likely option, which was that Arquis wasn't going to make it out of the trial at all. Muria had called the trial. That put her in a better position than him, at least socially, if not legally as well, since she was putting her life on the line to ensure that he was brought to justice. He also didn't doubt that she'd prepared a pretty convincing case against him. Nobody summoned the High Court unless they felt good about their odds.
(i'm excited for the backstory reveal too!! and yeah exactly! Arquis is like "i'm glad everything is out in the open now" and Rin goes "well about that–" but then he never gets a chance to explain before his father and Lysander show up)
Ari followed Honey over to Rinlos, grimacing slightly as he realized just what was going on in his friend's head. "Rin, it's valid to be angry with him." he said gently. "Honey's right. When this mess is over, you can talk to him and figure this shit out. And if… if he doesn't come around, then… tough." he reached out, gently smoothing a hand down Rin's shoulder to try and reassure him through physical touch.
Rin took a deep breath, shaking his head a little bit. "But what if he loses?" they breathed, voice suddenly choked. "What if he dies, and I spend his last few days alive angry at him?" he tore his hands through his hair, closing his eyes and taking deep, shaky breaths. "I'm just… I'm so worried, and i'm so mad at him, and…" he swallowed hard, just trying to keep themself from overthinking this and breaking down.
(yeah that'll be such an interesting reveal!)
Honey stopped fiddling with the harp so that he could gently remove Rin's hands from their hair. He'd been tearing at it so hard that he was afraid they were going to rip some out.
"I know it's hard, but try not to think like that," he murmured, holding their hands in his own. "Anything could happen at the trial. As they're going through the evidence, maybe they'll find something that'll incriminate someone else, and he'll be let off the hook. Or maybe someone else will just straight up confess. We don't know what really happened with his dad, or if his mom really has any proof that he was involved with anything. She could be bluffing, and a couple of questions could tear her whole argument apart. So let's not give up hope just yet, okay? Let's wait for him to explain it all."
There was a knock on the door. Honey gave Ari a look, silently telling him to watch over Rin, before answering it. An exhausted servant handed him a warm, closed picnic basket, and guilt churned in his stomach as he took it. He'd been in their shoes before. It felt odd being on the receiving side.
"I think the Quirisa sent up some food. Let's see." He popped open the lid and froze. There were bread rolls and a few canteens of soup, but there was also a note. It had Muria's name on it. He read it slowly in his head, his brow creasing with frustration as he went. Then, hoping they wouldn't see, he shoved it in his pocket and held up the basket. "Um. Yeah. There's food, if you guys are hungry."
(fs fs, i can't wait)
(also a note from Muria and you're not going to reveal it?? dfgbskdhgkl)
Ari reached out to wrap his arms around Rin, holding onto him. "Take a few deep breaths, Rinlos. Arquis is going to be okay. He will. He's not going to lose this. He's a good man, and everything is going to work out. It'll be fine." he wasn't sure how much of his words were true and how many were just gentle lies that would only soothe Rin temporarily, but gods damn him he was trying. "If you want to sit and pray, we can do that. I have some supplies, I know you do too, we can find a private spot and… and do that, but…" he ran a hand through Rin's hair, just trying to soothe him still. "Whatever helps."
Rin shook his head a little. "No, I… I don't want to pray about it, Ari, i want answers. I want some fucking answers, because he lied to me, and… and he never even asked me, and now…" he gritted his teeth. "He was so sure that there was no chance of it going to the High Court, and now look where we are. It went to the fucking High Court, and I'm just… i was right, and gods damn it if he had listened maybe he wouldn't be in this situation, and…" he dropped his forehead onto Ari's shoulder with a frustrated groan.
(don't worry you'll get to know what it says soon)
Honey watched the two of them from afar, unsure of what to do. It didn't really seem like an appropriate time to break them apart so they could eat. He set the basket down on the bed and shoved his hand in his pocket. The note was there, written on sharp, crisp paper. It was so sharp that it nearly gave him a paper cut as he traced the edge of it with his thumb. He wondered if he should just hand it over, but Rin seemed really upset. The last thing he wanted to do was shake them even further. There was still the whole trial to get through, after all. He didn't want him expending all of their energy in the next day and have nothing left for the trial itself.
He decided he'd wait for Rin to calm down before giving it to them. It rustled in his pocket as he withdrew his hand, and he adjusted his shirt, hoping that would cover up the sound.
(fhbkj okayy)
Ari just held Rin for a few more moments, rubbing his back. "I know. Let's get some food and some rest, okay? YOu'll think a little clearer after you eat and rest. I promise." he knew if he couldn't pull Rin's thought process into something a little bit better, the bard would just keep spinning those same thoughts through his head until it consumed him, and that was the last thing that they needed.
Rin swallowed, then nodded. "I… okay." he said faintly. They followed Ari over to where Honey was, sitting down on the bed. He still looked upset, but he was trying. He looked over at Honey. "I… sorry." they said, clearing his throat and looking down at the food.
Honey passed them one of the canteens and a roll, offering him a smile. "Nah, no need to apologize. If there's anyone who deserves a good rant, it's you. But I think Ari's right. Eat some food, take a deep breath, and then we'll go from there, yeah?"
He handed out more food to Ari, then took the rest for himself. There was butter as well, a short yet thick slab of the stuff that was specked with thyme. He slathered some on his bread, then took a bite. His eyes widened. He'd had really good food before, but this was a different experience. The roll had a golden crust and was surprisingly light and fluffy on the inside, perfect for dunking in sauce or broth. He hurried to uncap his soup, pushed the roll inside, and then shoved it in his mouth. It tasted even better when combined. He knew he shouldn't be enjoying himself so much, but it was hard to think of anything serious when he was eating something so delicious.
He finished his portion quickly, then sheepishly looked at the other two to see how much they'd gotten through.
Rin was picking at his food, not all that hungry to begin with in the first place. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts, too wrapped up in the emotions swirling inside them about Arquis, about everything happening with Arquis. HIs gaze was off somewhere in the distance, but at least he seemed more relaxed than he had been. OR at least, not melting down as much, though that was all relative.
Ari was still working on his food, faster than Rin but not quite as fast as Honey. He looked over at the blond man, giving him a soft smile. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Enjoying the food?" the question was void of any judgement, it was just a genuine question. "Arquis's family must have some pretty good cooks, because this is fantastic."
Honey blushed. "Yeah, food's great. I mean, I've eaten well before, but this is like top notch stuff. Never knew something as simple as bread and soup could taste so good." He cleared his throat and fiddled with the top of his canteen. "I guess we just put the dishes back in the basket when we're done, huh?"
The question felt so mundane, given the circumstances, but he was struggling to think of something else to say that wouldn't cause Rin to spiral. He wanted him to have a calm few moments while they finished up their food. His hand went back to the note in his pocket, and he suddenly felt the urge to crumple it up and throw it away. He didn't, but the feeling was so overwhelming that his forearm flexed, and he had to actively prevent his jaw from clenching. The whole situation was so screwed up.
Ari nodded slightly. "Mhm. We'll put it back in the basket, put it outside the door for the servants to take." he replied, gaze following Honey's arm to where it was flexed, the hand balled up in the blond's pocket. "Honey? Is something wrong?" he asked, cocking his head very faintly as he tried to figure out what was going on. Why would Honey clench his muscles like that?
Rin kept picking at his food, sitting cross-legged on the bed. He looked up when Ari and Honey started speaking, cocking his head and eyes flickering between the two. They didn't speak just yet, since they didn't really have anything to truly add to the conversation. THis was all just… it felt strange, to be in Arquis's bedroom without him, but with Ari– who he could never have imagined coming here –and Honey, who he had only met recently, and certainly had never dreamed that the blond man would somehow end up at the Palace de Vey, and definitely not in these circumstances.
Honey's face scrunched up like he'd tasted a lemon. He'd been planning to wait a little while longer to reveal the note, but now that Ari had called out his behavior, he supposed he should just get it over with. With a sigh, he took the slip of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and held it out so that all three of them could read it.
"I didn't want you to have to deal with this until you were ready, Rin," he muttered. "I thought I'd give you some time to calm down, but, uh, I guess that's not happening. Sorry about that. And about this," he gestured to the note.
The note wasn't that long. In dark blue, almost black ink, Muria had written two simple sentences that were addressed to Rin: 'When you have finished eating, come see me in my room. Knock once when you arrive.' Below those words was her signature, which took up about half of the paper. Her signature was done in incredibly elegant, yet not-over-the-top, cursive, with just enough curls and swoops to make it beautiful without being illegible.
(ooo wait. Muria has control-y powers. Rinlos has control-y powers. Can they control each other? Or would they be immune to each other's control?)
Rin frowned, staring down at that note for a long, long moment. "Why in the hell would she want to see me?" he asked, glancing between the two men, then down at that note again. "I shouldn't mean anything to… oh." he had been the initial suspect in Arquis's poisoning. He was the one that Arquis had run off with. Even if Muria knew nothing of his and Arquis's relationship, he was still a person of interest in some way, and they were going to have to figure out how to navigate this. It was going to be… complicated. There was no way that she would know who he really was, whether that be his identity as the king's nephew, or the far more deeply hidden secret of being the king's bastard. She would only have reason to suspect him as a bard, but it was stilll… worrying.
"She wouldn't hurt you. MOst likely she'll… I don't know, probably try to intimidate you." Ari said, trying to reassure his friend about this, even though he was just as worried as Rin was about this whole thing.
(I imagine it'd probably be a battle of wills type situation? where obviously whoever goes first has the advantage, but after that it depends on how well they're able to concentrate and maintain their power over the other—it'd probably get exhausting pretty fast)
Honey leaned over and bumped his shoulder against Rin's, trying on what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "Hey, maybe she'll slip up and you'll get something that you can share with Arquis. You could use this as a chance to try and get the upper hand. She definitely can't hurt you right now. Not while the High Court's here, and while all of these guards are around, too. That'd be a horrible choice. She's probably just hoping to rattle you. But maybe you can rattle her, instead."
He got up, tidied up their dishes and swept any breadcrumbs into a napkin to toss out, and then closed Rin's fingers around the note. His brown eyes seemed to glow with determination. He patted him on arm, then clasped their shoulder, his smile growing.
"Try and think of ways you could throw her off her game. Think about anything Arquis might've told you that you can use against her. Don't hold back. See what she'll tell you, yeah? Inviting you up there could be a big mistake on her part."
(ooo makes sense makes sense)
Rin looked at Honey, taking in his words and nodding quickly. "You're right. I… Arquis never really talked about her much. I… I think he was scared of her." he looked down at his hands for a moment, and remembered the scars that covered Arquis's. He still didn't know where those scars came from, but it was suspicious how many of them there were. "Really scared. I… i don't know what she did to him, but it wasn't anything good." Arquis had never said anything positive about either of his parents, really, but his father was dead so it didn't matter quite as much. But here, Muria and the things she did were so, so important, so what was Rinlos to do but try and remember what scant details that Arquis had told him about her?
"Well, she can't do anything to you." Ari said. He was loathe to reveal Rin's abilities without their permission. "You… well. You'll be fine." he cocked his head faintly, reaching out to gently touch Rin's shoulder, trying to help soothe him.
Rin frowned faintly, but nodded. "Yeah, there is that." he looked down at his food again, then set it aside. "I'm… not that hungry right now." he admitted. "SO, well… i might head to MUria's now. Get it over with." he gave the other two a faint, rather forced smile. "May as well get it done, yeah? And you guys can… get some rest while I'm gone." he moved over to his bag, pulling out some fresh clothes. "I'm going to wash my face, change, and then go." so he went into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself.
Honey watched Rin go, his determined expression softening into a look of quiet concern. He'd meant what he'd said. There was nothing Muria could do to them to hurt him while so many guests were at the Palace. Not if she wanted the trial to go well, at least. He was pretty sure stabbing or poisoning her son's partner wouldn't go over well with the High Court. But that left the question of what she actually wanted to talk to them about. It was possible he'd been spot on and this was her way of getting in their head, maybe even her attempt to get him to leave Arquis for good. She was very wealthy. Maybe she'd try and bribe them to stay away. Who knew what her real goals were, besides winning the trial. He could sit there and guess at her motives forever, and he still might not get it right. She was a rogue element, bound to cause chaos and leave catastrophe in her wake.
"I've been thinking through things," he said to Ari. "During the carriage ride here, I mean. I can't stop wondering why she called the trial. Why now? Why not before he left? What changed? What evidence does she have that she didn't before? Or, if she doesn't have anything new, why is she suddenly more desperate? I feel like there's so much we don’t know.”
Ari looked over at Honey, listening to his questions. "I don't… i don't know. It's strange, and it's a little bit worrying." he replied, voice quiet so that Rin wouldn't hear it through the door. "I don't know much about the Anvillean legal system, but… for her to call in the high court, she has to be pretty confident in her ability to win, which…" he glanced to the door to ensure it was still shut, then looked over at Honey again. "It doesn't bode well for Arquis. He… I hope he's innocent, and I hope he wins this, but…."
The door opened, and Rin came out, face freshly washed and a fresh set of clothes on. "I'm, uh, going to go talk to Muria, then. I'll be back." he gave them both a faint smile, and then they left the room, footsteps quiet as they headed towards where they were pretty sure that Muria's room was. They had been there once, after all, with Quirisa, so they were pretty sure that he could find the way there again. And if he got lost, well, he would just have to ask a servant to guide him there. But, luckily for him, he did remember the way correctly, and he came to a stop in front of her door and, as the note had said to, knocked just once.
(I'm going to guess that we can maybe skip over Ari and Honey for now just cause I don't imagine they'll be doing much more than waiting for Rin to come back?)
It took a moment, but Muria finally answered the door. She was wearing a sheer black robe over a short black nightgown that fell to right below her knees. The long sleeves and bottom of the robe were decorated with dark feathers that brushed against floor whenever she moved, giving her the illusion that she was drifting rather than walking. The top of the robe was low cut, revealing a large, polished ruby on a thin necklace that stopped right at her chest. She was wearing dark red lipstick to match but only a hint of eye makeup. Her natural face was beautiful yet sharp, resembling her daughter's in a way, though much more reserved. Her hair was also a good deal longer than Quirisa's, and she wore it in loose, dark waves, carefully styled to look effortless.
"Come in." Without waiting to see if they actually did or not, she stepped into her room. She had two chairs set up around a small side table. The table bore three lit candles, two glasses, and a bottle of wine. The candles were the only light source in the room besides what little moonlight came in through the curtains. That wasn't to say the room was dark, exactly, but dim, with shadows dancing around the corners of her vision. "And close that door, if you do not mind. The halls can get rather loud."
She drifted over to one of the chairs and took a seat, elegantly folding one leg over the other. She wasn't wearing shoes, though she did have on gauzy black stockings that stopped at her mid calf.
"Have some wine," she said as she filled the two glasses. The bottle had already been uncorked. The wine inside was as red as her necklace. She picked up one glass when she was done filling it and held it out to him.
(sounds good to me!)
He watched Muria, a little bit unsure what to do with this whole thing, but they closed the door as he came in, clearing his throat slightly. But they didn't yet speak, just waited to see what Muria wanted from him. He took the wine, wondering for a moment if this, too, was poisoned. If she had been willing to poison her own son, would she not be willing to poison him? Ah, but that would be a risky move on her part. She seemed like a smart woman. The likelihood of the wine being poisoned was slim. And, well, he had come here with two different doctors. So it would be fine. "Thank you." he said as he took the wine, and then he took a small sip of it, careful not to make any movements that could be construed as threatening. Perhaps he was overthinking all of this, but, well, it really didn't feel like they were.
Muria watched them, an amused smile playing at her lips. She sipped from her glass and set it down, her smile not wavering. The candlelight shone softly through her glass and illuminated the red lipstick smudge she'd left on the rim.
"You seem tense. I suppose I cannot blame you, given the circumstances." She stroked her hand along her sleeve until she reached the the feathers at the end. A loose feather fell to her lap, and she swept it away. Her smile had finally faded. When she looked back at Rin, her eyes were dark. She took her glass up again but didn't drink. For a moment, she didn't speak, either, letting silence fill the room.
"You must have a very poor opinion of me. I know how it must look, a mother calling a trial to prosecute her own son. And I cannot even begin to imagine what my son might have told you about his life here." She swirled the wine around in her glass, careful not to spill a single drop. "He was such a polite child, so kind and well-mannered. Less adventurous than my Quirisa, she was always the one that would get them into trouble. They were quite the pair, the two of them. But that was a long time ago. They have both changed. Quirisa became like her father, in the sense that she is as headstrong as he was. So determined, so stubborn. And as for my Arquis,” she sighed, genuine sadness coloring her tone, “he is just so very lost. He is not well. He has not been for a rather long time. I am sure you have noticed it.”
Rin watched her carefully, listening as she spoke but not quite trusting any word that left her mouth. "I see." he replied, voice slow and careful. He continued to watch her, turning her words over in his head. "And I will be hoenst, I am not quite sure what you were referring to. Are you referring to the eating disorder that he suffers from?" he didn't want to say anything that could damage Arquis in the trial, but surely talking about the eating disorder would not do that much damage. "I know that it is a hard topic for him. But if you are referring to something else, then I am afraid that you will have to be a little bit more clear." he gave her a coolly polite smile. "I am only a bard, I do not pretend to understand the intricacies of everything here."
He tilted his wine glass about, watching the wine swish around the sides, before his gaze slowly flickered back over to Muria.
Muria hummed softly and tapped her fingernail against her glass. She took another, deeper sip, before tilting her head back and looking up at the ceiling.
"That is part of it, certainly. He has become so frail that I hardly recognize him most of the time. I did try and help him, although I know now that I should have been more direct. I should have confronted him about all of this much, much sooner, I just, ah…" Her lips trembled and she closed her eyes. When she spoke again, it was quiet and mournful, the tone one would take at a funeral. "You are so young, bard. You cannot imagine what it is like to lose your husband and sister in the same day, and then your son, later, when you find out what he has done. His body is not well, but his mind is worse—that is what I meant. He is so fragile. I did not want to break him, but I let it go too far."
She did not speak again for a moment. From downstairs, the sound of chatter floated up, a faint yet constant hum. Muria pushed her hair back from her face and looked at Rin directly, her gaze earnest.
"I was afraid for you. When I finally figured out that he had gone off with you, when my Quirisa confessed the truth of where he was, I feared for your safety. He is not a violent person, but he is ill. He acts out and then cannot remember what he has done. I think that is part of why he has made himself so frail. He is punishing himself out of guilt. I do not want to see him suffer any longer. Do you?"
