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

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

(hey, sorry for the wait, but i'm back! April was rough :') really sorry for leaving you hanging like that, and thank you for the kind words, I appreciate it lots <3 )

Rin frowned a little bit. This didn't seem… right. Even if Arquis couldn't publicly acknowledge that they were in a relationship, the nobleman could still have greeted him quite a bit differently than this. He glanced over at Honey and Ari, brows knitting together, and then he looked at Arquis again. "Arquis, we… already have a place to sit." he said slowly, trying to piece together what to say, aware that it was likely that someone else was listening. "Did… ah, did you sleep well?" his figners twitched with the urge to reach out and brush them against Arquis's arm, his cheek, to run his fingers through the nobleman's hair in order to soothe him. But he didn't know what he could do or say in public, and Arquis's behavior wasn't helping him to learn.

Ari frowned a little bit, taking a step closer to Honey. "Something seems off." he said quietly to the blond. He knew that hOney could likely pick up on that one on his own, but still. It was so odd, to see Arquis behaving like this towards Rinlos.

(oh hey! you're good, don't stress out about it! the stuff going on in your life definitely takes priority over this—I'm just glad you're around. and I'm sorry to hear that April was so rough, I hope May goes better for you!)

Finally, that distant look shifted, but only slightly. His jaw clenched the smallest amount, almost imperceptibly, yet he still didn't really look at Rin. Ignoring the second question they'd asked, he said in that same polite, even tone, "Then perhaps you should go take your seat. The trial is bound to begin any minute now.”

Honey tore his eyes away from Arquis and Rin to look at Ari. He nodded slowly, frowning. "Yeah. Maybe it's just nerves, I mean, Arquis has gotta be pretty wound up over all this." But that didn't seem right. Arquis didn't look nervous. His face was just blank. It was as if someone had wiped it almost completely clean of emotion, leaving an empty canvas behind.

Honey glanced over to where Muria was sitting. Most of the women that had clustered around her were beginning to return to the crowd. Only one or two remained, meaning he could see Muria clearly. He raised a brow when he saw her stand, thank the women, and walk to her son's side of the room. That was a bold move. The crowd thought so, too, since the chatter grew to an uproar. He wondered what angle she was trying to play.

Muria stopped a few feet away from Arquis, hesitating, as if she was afraid to come any closer. She dabbed her eyes again with her handkerchief and looked at her son, who responded with a blank stare.

"Arquis." She reached out with her free hand, as if to touch his shoulder, but stopped short. "I wish I did not have to do this, but surely you understand why I must."

"Yes, I understand," he said, and once again, his mask slipped just slightly. His hands were shaking. He tucked them under the desk, out of sight.

"Oh, my sweet boy," she murmured, finally closing the gap between them. She gently cupped his chin and tilted his head so that he'd look right at her. The room grew almost unbearably loud. "This is the kindest thing I have ever done for you. This is a mercy. You will not suffer anymore. Won't it be nice for this all to be over?"

"Yes." Arquis was barely breathing. His eyes flickered to Rin, but just for a second, before returning to Muria. “Yes.”

“Yes what?” she asked, her tone soft.

“Yes, mother. Thank you.”