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

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

Arquis was fragile in some ways, Rin had seen that evidence for himself, but he disliked the way that Muria was talking about him. It felt wrong. "Arquis would not have hurt me, though I appreciate your apparent concern." they replied. "And of course i do not wish to see him suffer any longer, though i do not know that the solution is to call a trial where either he dies, or you do." he tipped his head to the side, raising his eyebrows for just a moment. Muria seemed genuine, which was… interesting. Did she truly believe the things she was saying, or was she a good liar?

He hated to consider the other option: that she was right. That the sweet, nervous version of Arquis that Rinlos knew was not the true version. That he had been deceived yet again by a nobleman, manipulated yet again into a false relationship. But… but no, that could not be it. It could not be. His sisters would not have taken his side against muria, if that were true.

Muria pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand, the other still holding the stem of her glass, and screwed her eyes shut again. The whole subject seemed to pain her. She turned her head away for a moment, and her shoulders rose and fell quickly as she let out a shuddering breath, like she was trying not to cry. In fact, when she looked back, her cheeks and lashes were wet. She dabbed at her face with a handkerchief that she pulled from her gown.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to get so emotional. This was just meant to be a brief talk. It is only that I have asked wondered about that myself so many times over the past days. But every time I consider calling the trial off and dying in his stead, I remember the look he wore when he confessed to me what he had done, how tortured he had seemed, yet relieved. I knew that he and my husband had their issues, but to commit such an atrocity—I would not have thought him capable of it. He really had been so kind as a child. And I believe that kindness still exists in him, which is why the trial is necessary. If he were only a danger to himself, then I would choose another option, but, well, ah…"

She suddenly looked a bit worried, as if she'd said too much. In a murmur, she continued, "Has he shown you his hands? He hardly removes his gloves, but I imagine if you two were at all close, as I suspect you were based on your confidence in him, then you might have seen his hands. They are scarred. Terribly, terribly scarred. When I saw those scars, I wondered who would do such a thing to him. I was shocked to learn that he had done it himself. He told me that they were his way of satiating his urges. Whenever he would think of harming another, he would- he would-" Her hands trembled, so much so that her wine was at risk of spilling. She put the glass aside and cupped her hands in her lap. "It is simply awful to think about. My poor boy, tearing himself apart. But it is even worse to think that he still has such urges, and that he may act on them once again.”

(i legitimately cannot remember if Rin knows Arquis's ability or not. I feel like he does?? But i'm not sure)

Rin could see Arquis's hands in his mind's eye, and his first reaction was to doubt her words. Of course Arquis wouldn't do that to himself. He had never harmed anyone or even really threatened anyone the whole time Rin had been near him. And no new scars had occurred once Arquis was away from the palace. Arquis had never told him where they were from, though. And the nobleman had always hinted that there was something in his past, something terrible. They remembered the meltdown, on the bathroom floor, where Arquis had barely been able to breathe from a panic attack about whatever this dark past was.

"I'm sorry, I'm not quite understanding. Are you saying that you believe Arquis killed his father?" he asked, brows pulling together just a little bit. He was… loathe to believe that. He really was. But, well, it would explain the way that Arquis had always felt so weird about talking about Aurisi, talking about his family, and his past. But he also felt like there had to be something else. Even if Arquis had killed Aurisi, there had to be a reason.

(yeah, so for a brief recap Rin knows what Arquis's power is, and he knows vaguely that he's used it before for something that upset him, but Arquis never explained what that thing was, how he used it, etc.—Rin also doesn't know Marsiquia or Muria's powers, though they do know Quirisa's)

Muria looked down when they said it out loud, seemingly ashamed. She'd been dancing around it with pretty words and implications, but Rin had gone ahead and put it out in the open. She nodded and dabbed at her eyes again.

"That is the charge I am bringing against him, yes. I know it might sound absurd. He is so fragile that accusing him of taking the life of his father, who was so strong, seems almost laughable. But when he confessed to me what he had done, I—and I hesitate to even say it, I do—but I swear that he looked as if he was glad to have done it."

The accusation hung heavily in the air. She shivered, seemingly replaying the confession in her mind. When it was done, she directed her focus back to Rin.

"He did not love his father, bard. I understand it. I do. Aurisi could be difficult." For a brief moment, she smiled fondly, but it faded. "He was stern with Arquis, but he was just trying to set a good example. Deep down, I would like to think that my son knows this, and that he truly did not mean to hurt anyone. As I said, I believe he went into a state, where he was not quite of sound mind. I also believe that it is the same state he goes into when he…” She paused, taking a deep breath. “When he wounds himself. His hands, his body—I believe a part of him is drawn to pain.”

(cool thanks! I knew he didn't know Muria's and Marsi's, but ngl i forgot that he knew Quirisa's)

Rin was quiet, listening to Muria speak, and then he shrugged a shoulder. "Well, either way, I'm sure the truth will come out in the trial." he responded evenly. "Is that not what trials are for?" he tipped his head faintly, swishing his wine around the glass again and then looking back at Muria again, giving her a faint, tight lipped smile. "Or at least, I have been raised to believe that that is what they are intended for." he knew that trials were so often a farce, a facade of justice. a pretense, full of far too many lies.

He didn't know what to hope for, in this trial, beyond Arquis's life. That was all he wanted, even if he was still so angry with Arquis for lying to him, for covering things up. God, what could he even say to Muria? Nothing about that anger, surely.

(yeah hers was only shown at like the beginning of this whole thing kind of so it's been a while)

Muria studied them, her expression hardening. The shift was subtle but evident in the slight crease of her brow and the way she pursed her lips. She took up her glass again and drank the remainder of the wine within.

"You are correct, of course. The truth will come out, just as I have told you. My only purpose in bringing you here was to prepare you for hearing it. The trial will be tremendously difficult. I thought I might do you a favor and ready you for the turmoil it will bring." She stroked a finger down her necklace until she got to the ruby at the end. It took up half of her palm when she held it in her hand. "To thank you for coming and listening to me talk about what happened, I will do you another favor. I heard from a guard that no one is allowed to see Arquis until tomorrow night. In the morning, I will ask the High Court if it is possible that he might receive visitors starting in the afternoon instead. I do not wish for them to deprive you of spending time with him, and I imagine that Quirisa wants to see him as well. She deserves to know the truth. Perhaps you can help explain it to her, if he does not.”

(yeah makes sense!)

Rin did catch that faint hardening of her expression, but he did not remark on it. He had a feeling tht it, perhaps, would not be wise to draw too much attention to it, as Muria might not take it very well. "Yes, ah, thank you for that. I would like to see him." though he had a feeling that, perhaps, every conversation that they had with Arquis, someone would be listening in on it. He didn't know if he could actually discuss any of this with Arquis, not truthfully, not really. Which was aggravating. He ran a hand through his hair, keeping an eye on Muria. "And I'm sure I can speak with Quirisa, get everything, uh, discussed."

With nothing more left to be said, Muria gave them a nod and a polite smile. She reached out for the wine bottle, but rather than pour herself another glass, she held it out to them. There was still plenty of wine left. They'd really only had a bit.

"I am sure you must be exhausted from your journey. My apologies if I have prevented you from resting. You will need every bit of your strength with you tomorrow. It will undoubtedly be an emotional day." Her tone grew sad, and she looked suddenly wistful. "I am sorry that it will be one of your last days with him. I cannot pretend to know the full extent of your friendship with my son, but I know that you care about him, or else you would not have returned. But then, perhaps it is a blessing to know how little time you have left. I wish I had known that my final day with Aurisi would be our last together. I would have done so much differently. Do not waste your chance, bard. Do all that you wish to do and prepare to say goodbye.”

Rin took a final swallow of his wine, then stood. "Yes, well. It's not exactly what I want to happen, but." he left that sentence at that, setting his wine glass back down on the table. He was quiet for another long moment, considering. "Unless you have anything else to add to the things that have already been said, then I shall be taking my leave. Thank you for the wine, and for the… conversation." the conversation had been interesting, that was certain. How much of it was true, he wasn't sure.

Muria stood, walked to the door, opened it for them, and turned to press the wine bottle into his hand. She moved swiftly, without warning, and touched their shoulder all of the sudden, though her grip was light. She stared into the bard's eyes for a long moment. Her own flickered back and forth, as if she was reading him like a book. When she was done, she looked away, but she kept her hand on his shoulder and didn't step back.

"Bard. Arquis will be gone very soon. I mean it when I say that you should treasure your time with him." Even if everything else she'd said that night had been a lie, which would be a hard assumption to make given how genuine her tears had seemed, there was no doubting that she was telling the truth now. "If I do not see you tomorrow, then I wish you good luck at the trial. And I hope that you do not wait around to watch what will come after. You do not need to see that.”

Rin stiffened under her touch, but didn't pull away. He just listened, waited for her to finish. "I understand." he replied. "And thank you for your concerns. But I… well." he broke off, shaking his head just a little bit. "It doesn't matter. Thank you, for the concern, it is well-meant." or at least, it seemed to be, and no matter what the story here was, it felt like Muria's concerns were at least meant. They waited another moment. "I will spend what time with him that I can." he cleared his throat, and opened the door, the wine bottle in his hand. "Thank you for the wine." and then he left, exhaling as he walked away from her door. That conversation had been… well, it had been tough.

Back in Arquis's room, Honey was starfished out on the nobleman's large bed, his face buried in one of his pillows. He couldn't quit noticing how wonderful everything smelled, as silly as that sounded. The sheets had been laundered recently, the bookshelves had been cleaned with something that smelled of citrus, and there was an underlying, earthy scent that he didn't know. He guessed that it was some kind of harp polish, since he'd never really been close to many harps before. The one that Arquis owned was, like the rest of the Palace, gorgeous. He wondered if he could get Arquis to play it for them, then frowned, remembering the situation they were in.

"Must be nice to live in a place like this," he remarked to Ari, yawning. The carriage ride had tired him out. "I mean, besides all the, y'know. The bad stuff."

Someone knocked at the door. Honey groaned loudly and rolled out of bed, expecting it to be Rin, but was surprised to see Ophia standing there. She looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion—she and Doctor Lavin had taken shifts driving the carriage, but it was still a lot of work—though otherwise alright.

"Just checking in on you guys. Sorry that Ambrose and I basically ran off earlier, we just wanted to get everything up to the room." She peered into the room, then down the hall. "Hey, where’s your friend, sweetie? Where's Rin?"

Ari hummed in agreement with Honey's statement, then looked up as the door opened. "Ah– Muria summoned Rinlos to come and speak with her." he replied. "They should be back soon, I… think." he glanced at the door, a touch worried about Rinlos, but figuring that the bard would be fine. There was no reason he wouldn't be, right?

Rin was walking slowly, the wine bottle in his hand. Why had Muria given it to him? They didn't really want to drink the whole bottle, and it would probably be bad if he brought it back to Honey. The man had been trying to steer clear of alcohol. But… it would be rude to just toss it. So… maybe he would just bring it back to the room? Nobody had to drink it, and they could always dump it down the sink if need be.

Ophia blinked, her eyes wide behind her glasses. "Muria? As in, Arquis's mom, Muria? The Muria who called the trial? That Muria?"

Honey grimaced. "Yeah, that Muria."

"Oh, goodness gracious. What an ordeal this whole thing has been. I hope they're all right. I can't imagine that's a comfortable situation for him to be in, especially without Arquis there, but I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"Probably. And like Ari said, he'll probably be back any second." Honey peered around her, hoping that Rin would come walking up. When they didn't, he shrugged and looked back at Ophia. "You guys all good? Your rooms okay?"

"Hm? Yes, the room they gave us is great, I have no complaints."

"Room? One singular room?" Honey grinned over his shoulder at Ari, then playfully nudged Ophia on the arm. "Is there only one bed, too?"

"We're adults, not hormonal teenagers, Honey. We can share a bed without it being a big deal. It's fine. If I need to, I can sleep on the floor." Despite her words, she had gone bright red. "It's really fine."

Ari returned Honey's grin, coming over and wrapping an arm around the blond, leaning his head on Honey's shoulder. "Aw, Ophia, don't sleep on the floor, that won't be comfortable. Like you said, you're both adults. You can share a bed." but the corner of his mouth was still quirked in a faint, mischevious smile.

Rin used the time he had while walking to collect himself a bit more, collect his thoughts. And then he was at Arquis's room, and Ophia was there. "Hey." he greeted, leaning against the doorframe for a moment. Now that he was away from Muria, he felt even more tired. Gods. This whole thing was just exhausting, and he didn't know what to do about it, what to say. It was awful. "Hey, Ophia."

Ophia went from blushing to beaming when Ari cozied up to Honey. When Rin came in, however, her cheeriness fizzled out. They looked miserable. She hadn't known him for long, no more than a couple days, and yet she already had such a soft spot for them. He was friends with Honey, and by association, that made him part of her flock. She felt like she had a duty to protect all of them, even if they weren't her kids. Or, for that matter, kids at all. She still kind of considered Honey her child, which meant that even though she logically knew that he was an adult who could make his own choices, she still wanted to care for him.

"Hi, Rin. You look tired. Why don't you go sit down on the bed for a minute, hm?"

"Uh oh, Rin. That's her doctor voice. That means you gotta do what she says," Honey teased. He could tell Rin was worn out, but he hoped he could lighten his mood, if just for a bit. He raised a brow when he saw the bottle of wine. "Huh. Planning on getting yourself nice and wasted? Not sure you'll want a hangover tomorrow."

Rin sighed faintly, then glanced down at the bottle. "Oh, no, Muria gave this to me. I… thought it would be rude to refuse, but I wasn't planning on drinking the rest of it." he replied, holding it up with a frown. "I don't want to be wasted tomorrow." his mouth pinched, and he stared at it for a moment, tipping it from side to side and watching as the wine sloshed around from side to side. "Maybe I'll save it. If Arquis loses, I think I'll need it."

Ari's shoulders fell slightly, and he let go of Honey to reach out and take the bottle from Rin, setting it on a side table and then taking his friend's hands. "Rinlos, don't talk like that. Things are going to work out fine. How about you change into something more comfortable, and you get some sleep?"

Honey picked up the bottle after Ari put it aside, considered it, and then, without saying a word, went into the bathroom and began to pour it down the drain. He knew that it was probably worth more than anything he owned, but he didn't care. He just watched it drain before tossing the empty bottle into the bathroom trash can. It shattered on impact. Luckily, the broken pieces tumbled into the trash with the rest of the bottle.

He re-entered the room with a grim smile. Ophia gestured for him to explain, and he said, "Ari's right, Rin. You didn't need to keep that around 'cause you're not going to need it. Okay? No more thinking like that. From here on out, when we think about the trial, we think about ways to help Arquis win. He's going to win. We're going to do whatever we can to make sure that he does."

"I could ask Ambrose to testify," Ophia piped up. "I mean, only if he needs to. I’m not sure when it would be relevant. But if there's a circumstance where, I don't know, the High Court asks about Arquis's health or needs a credible source for medical information, then I'm sure Ambrose would be happy to step in. He is technically still Arquis's doctor, after all."

"Muria…" he trailed off, glancing down the open hallway, and then stepped inside so that he could close the door. "Muria thinks Arquis is violent. And… and that he killed his father and his aunt. And that he'd kill someone again. And I don't… I can't…" he couldn't see Arquis killing someone without a reason, couldn't see him being the gleeful, remorseless murderer that Muria had painted an image of as she spoke. But still. He looked over at Ophia. "And I don't know if Dr Lavin testifying would help, I…"

Ari took a deep breath, pulling Rin into a hug. "Come here." he said softly, rubbing Rin's back to try and help soothe him. "Things are going to be fine, Rinlos. You are tired, and worn out, and stressed. You don't need to think about all of this right now."

(Arquis not being here is weird, I've gotten so used to writing him)

Honey stepped closer, then hesitated, unsure of how he fit into the picture. Ari was Rin's best friend, he knew how to comfort them better than probably anyone else. It made him a little sad and, though he wouldn't admit it, jealous. He'd never had a best friend before, just Lovey. The two of them were close, but he knew it wasn't the same. There were a lot of things he didn't tell her, and besides, she had other friends. He supposed he also had Ophia, but before recently, they really hadn't seen each other that often—just whenever Honey was hurt to the point he couldn't manage it on his own. And she was closer to his mom than his friend, anyways.

He shook that train of thought from his mind and tried to focus on what was important: helping Rin. They'd had such a long few days, and the days to come would likely be even harder.

"Look, all that stuff she said—don't pay attention to any of that. Remember how I told you that she was just trying to rattle you? That's all that was. She was trying to get in your head.” He wasn’t sure he believed that, but it wouldn’t help Rin to say that, so he kept going. “So don't think about it anymore, and let's get you in bed like Ari said so that you'll be ready to talk to Arquis tomorrow, yeah?"

(i knoww, it feels wrong that he's just. not there)

Rin nodded faintly at Honey's words. "I… hope you're right, but it was so… she felt sincere. And maybe she's just a good actor, that's certainly plausible, but it's… it felt…" he groaned in frustration, leaning his face into Ari's shoulder again.

Ari pulled Rin close, wrapping his arms close around his friend to try and soothe them through that physical touch, that physical comfort. He shot a worried look to Honey and Ophia, his expression concerned and unsure. God, this whole thing was just so weird, and it was all so uncertain. Or at least, it felt like it was. He didn't know what the hell was going on, and it wasn't a great feeling to have. "Come on. Change into something comfortable, and go to bed." he led Rin over to where their clothes were, and Rin pulled out some pajamas. "Go change." Ari said gently, shooing RIn towards the bathroom, and a moment later the bard closed the door behind them as he went into the bathroom to change.

(yeah like it just feels like it's missing something, even with all the characters that are there)

Ophia waited until Rin was in the bathroom with the door shut before looking at Honey and Ari. While she was clearly worried, there was anger in her expression as well, visible in the crease between her brows and the tightness of her jaw. She adjusted her glasses and shook her head.

"This whole situation is just ridiculous. Arquis is that woman's son, and not only is she trying to murder him, but she's also messing with his partner. What kind of a mother does that?" She tried to imagine doing that to Honey and Ari and felt hatred flare up inside her, like hot coals burning in her chest. "I can't believe anyone's taking her seriously. I don't think that Arquis is capable of hurting anyone."

She'd hurt people, back when she used to be a medic. She knew what it felt like, even enjoyed it on occasion. From what she'd seen of Arquis, the man who'd doted on Rin at her house, who'd gotten upset over the mere mention of his family. Arquis hadn't even tried to hurt Myr when he'd attacked, which would've been a perfect time to let out his violent side, if he had one. She remembered what Ambrose had told her when they'd been driving the carriage. She'd been dozing off when he'd sighed and confessed that he was worried about Arquis. He'd continued, saying that the nobleman was sick and that all this stress would likely make it worse. And then he'd told her that he had a bad feeling about Arquis's mom, since she apparently hadn't taken him in for checkups. What kind of a parent, he'd asked, tone laced with acid, didn't take their kid to the doctor? Even though Arquis was an adult now, he'd clearly been struggling with his disorder for at least a couple of years, though maybe not as severely as he was in the modern day. Still, why hadn't Muria insisted that he go to a specialist when he was seventeen or eighteen?

(yeah that's exactly it! it feels like something is missing)

"Well, I'm not sure she knows that Rin is Arquis's partner." Ari pointed out, frowning just a little. "And, to be honest, I hope that she does not. That sort of relationship is not really well received in this country. At least…from what I've seen." his date with Honey the other day, when the waiter had been so rude to them for no reason other than just who they were. "So, I do not know how well she would take that sort of news about her oldest son. She…would probably use it against Arquis in court. As some kind of evidence of…I don't know." he ran his hands through his hair, grimacing at the feeling of how greasy his curls were starting to get. He needed to wash his hair pretty desperately.

“Oh. I guess that’s true,” Ophia said, wincing. “I wish I knew more about his situation. I don’t know much about him, other than the rumors I’ve come across, and I know most of those aren’t right.”

Honey nodded at Ari's words, saddened but knowing that they were true. There were many reasons The Cecilia Rouge was seen as a den of sin, one of the main ones being that it allowed Anvillean nobles like Arquis to meet up with anyone they desired outside of the public eye. They'd come to stay for a weekend, indulge, and then return to their spouses and children as if nothing had happened. Honey hated them, but he pitied them as well. If he wore a dress and sparkly lipgloss out on a date with a handsome young man like Ari, people might be horrifically rude about it, but he wouldn't lose his family and friends. He wouldn't lose Ophia's warm hugs or Pretty's almost sisterly, annoyed yet well-natured smiles. But if someone like Arquis came out, he'd be completely ostracized, maybe even kicked out. Honey figured that was the price they paid for being so well off.

Someone entered the room, startling Honey from his thoughts. It was Doctor Lavin. At some point in between exiting the carriages and coming to the room, he'd taken off his coat, revealing an off-white shirt with the top buttons undone. He'd rolled his sleeves up his forearms and put his glasses atop his head. They'd fallen askew, but he hadn't bothered to fix them.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I just came by to let you all know that I, ah, have obtained permission from the High Council of Anvillea to visit with my patient. It's medical clearance only, meaning that I'm the only one who can see him tonight. But I thought I'd go check in and then report back to let you all know how he's doing." He glanced around at the three of them. Upon seeing Ophia, he cleared his throat and began to smooth down his rumpled shirt. "Hello, Ophia. I was wondering where you'd gone off to."

Rin came out of the bathroom in time to catch the end of Doctor Lavin's words about Arquis, biting his lips faintly. "You're allowed to see Arquis?" he asked softly, sitting down on the bed and looking over at Lavin, trying to process what was happening, what had happened. God, it was all so strange. "Can…can you tell him we're here? And ask if there's anything we can do to help?" god, he was still so angry with Arquis for the lies, but that anger would not help now. COmmunicating that anger would only stress Arquis out, and Arquis didn't need any added stress at the moment. The court was already enough stress on its own.

Ari nodded a little bit, glancing over as Rin came into the room. His mouth twitched in a faint smile as he watched the way Lavin reacted to Ophia's presence, reaching out to take Honey's hand, lacing their fingers together. "I hope Arquis is alright."