(D: now you're making me sad too)
Rin nodded slightly, picking out a color when she gestured. He picked a soft, deep blue tone, something akin to the bottom of the ocean. "This will be good." he said, glancing over at Arquis for a moment, then back to Serenity. "Thank you for doing this for us, by the way." they wanted to be kind and polite, as much as possible.
(oh dear I’m sorry!!)
Serenity gave him a delighted smile and feigned a curtsy. It wasn’t particularly effective since she was kneeling on the ground. She ended up kind of awkwardly bending at the waist and lifting an invisible skirt, which made her laugh.
“You’re welcome! I actually do like my job, and I’m fairly good at it. Plus, the pay’s great. But it can get a bit old. People sometimes have requests that I don’t wanna fill, you know? And they’re not always as nice as you.”
She took the nail polish from them and gave it a little shake. Her own nails clicked on the glass as she put it aside. She took out a clear top coat that she applied swiftly. While that was drying, she scooted over to Arquis, repeated the process, and asked him to pick a color. He hesitated. Nobody had ever helped him paint his nails before. He’d done it himself once with Quirisa’s paint when he was young. His father had found out eventually. Arquis hadn’t done it again.
The color he chose appeared to be a plain black. In the light, however, it sparkled. Suspended in it was a mix of silver and indigo glitter.
(lol you're fine!)
Rin smiled back, giving their own laugh at the awkward curtsy. "I can understand that, I think." they replied, watching as Arquis chose a color as well. "That's a lovely color, darling." they pointed out softly, having noticed the way Arquis hesitated. Sure, Rin did not know the reaason behind the hesitation, but it cost them nothing to give Arquis a compliment.
Arquis blushed. The robe he was wearing had a neckline that dipped, and the red flush crept down his exposed skin. Though he hadn’t noticed it, he instinctively tugged the neckline up until it covered his collarbones.
“Thank you,” he mumbled, smiling shyly to himself. “Your choice is pretty as well. It is quite fitting for someone so beautiful.”
Serenity made a soft cooing sound as she moved to Rin once more. She tested that the top coat had set before applying the first layer of polish. The color did indeed look rather nice. She waited about a minute before moving to apply Arquis’s first layer as well. He had to stifle a laugh. He was a bit ticklish, which was rather embarrassing.
Serenity paused while she waited for their nails to dry. “While we have a minute, would you two like anything to drink? I can go get something. We have water, juice, and tea.”
He smiled at the compliment, inclining his head faintly. "Thank you." they waited quietly while Serenity painted their nails for the first layer, though he had to resist the urge to squirm. He was not used to people touching their feet. "Ah…some juice would be nice." he said slowly, smiling again.
“I can do that! I’ll bring you a couple different kinds, and you can sample them.” She tilted her head at Arquis. “How about you? Water? Juice?”
“Just water, please. Thank you.”
She walked out of the room to fetch them beverages, whistling some tune he didn’t recognize. He sank back into the chair. After everything that had just happened, he wasn’t sure he felt. Happy? Upset? Anxious? He took a deep breath and was surprised to find that he was actually alright. Rin’s presence was certainly improving the experience.
“Today has been a very interesting day,” he said, taking in his partner. Once again, he had that dreamy look, as if he was studying a work of art or hearing a particularly beautiful piece of music.
Arquis unfolded his arm and let his hand dangle limply in the air. It was an offering. He wanted to hold hands, but he was too shy to ask for it. The activities of the morning had returned to him. Rin’s hand on his hip. Rin’s mouth on his throat. He gave them a brilliant, slightly crooked grin. For once, he was a tad shorter than them; sinking down in the chair had made it so that he was looking up at his partner.
Rin reached out to take Arquis's hand, letting out a soft hum of agreement. "It has. Are you alright? I know that between Honey and Serenity, there has been…a lot." he said in a soft voice, eyes fixed gently on Arquis as he returned the nobleman's smile. "I wouldn't blame you if you needed a break once this pedicure is over." they knew that Arquis stressed about his hands, knew that it was a source of anxiety for him.
“I am fine, love. It is just taking some time to get adjusted to all of this, I suppose.” Arquis swept his free arm towards his legs and flexed his feet. The sparkles in the black nail polish shimmered like a small galaxy. Serenity was indeed very talented. She had applied everything perfectly. When he’d messed around with nail polish as a kid, he’d gotten it all over his clothes.
He lifted their hand and began to pepper it with kisses. Not for the first time that day, he wished he was closer to him. The distance between their chairs seemed like a vast canyon. He wanted to card his fingers through their hair and hold him tightly.
A little breathless and a lot smitten, he paused the kissing to look up at them. “How about you, my dear? I know she meant no harm, but that accusation was rather serious.”
Rin closed their eyes for a moment at the way Arquis was kissing their hand, a soft breath leaving his lips. When the nobleman asked a question, his eyes flickered open again. "I am fine. I was worried for a moment that she would not believe us, but she did, and everything is fine." they said quietly. "There are enough people in the world that would not care, so the fact that she did…" they trailed off, shaking their head for a moment.
Arquis stared at them, waiting for him to finish the sentence. When they trailed off, he looked confused. Then, in a flash, it hit him. The mess of everything that had happened earlier had distracted him. He hadn’t caught the implication of that statement the first time around. Of course Rin would be glad that someone had noticed the signs of a potentially harmful relationship. From what he could tell, nobody had stepped in between him and Lysander.
“Oh, Rin,” he murmured, voice incredibly soft and affectionate. He wasn’t sure what to say. Should he bring it up? They were supposed to be relaxing; he didn’t want to stress him out, but at the same time, he had to say something. “I am sorry, love.”
They swallowed faintly, giving Arquis a little smile. "It's alright. No harm done." he said in a quiet voice, rubbing their thumb over Arquis's knuckles. "I just…" he trailed off, shakign his head. They didn't even know what they were going to say.
The door opened, and Arquis startled, dropping Rin’s hand on accident. He was expecting Serenity, but someone else stepped into the room. His eyes immediately went to their blonde hair, and his heart dropped. But then he saw that they were wearing all pink, not black, and had little hearts painted on their mask.
“Hello, Lovey,” he said, offering her a smile.
She blushed and did an excited hop in place. “Oh, you remembered my name! How sweet!”
He watched as she bounced over to Rin. There was something in her hands, but Arquis couldn’t tell what it was until she passed it over. It was a big, heart-shaped box covered in red velvet and draped with faux pearls. There was a tag hanging off its pointed end that read a name in loopy, golden script: Honey. He’d put a tiny heart at the end.
“Why is your brother sending my partner chocolates?” he asked, clearly more amused than offended.
“He was all mopey this morning, and when I asked what was wrong, he said that he’d messed something up. Wouldn’t tell me what,” her tone was jokingly conspiratorial, “but I told him that he should make it right somehow. He decided to send a gift. I thought it was a good idea, but he got all antsy and wouldn't leave his room. So I brought it for him! It took me a bit to find you. I got here eventually, though!”
Honey had a lot of nerve to be sending gifts after what he’d tried, but Arquis had to admit that he admired him for making the gesture. He hid a smile behind his hand and glanced at Rin, then thanked Lovey.
“No problem! He also told me to tell you both that he’s still very available if you’re interested, but that part’s kinda gross for me to think about, so I’m gonna pretend I didn’t say it.”
Rin took the box slowly, blinking at it. A quiet laugh left his mouth, and they ran a hand through their hair. "Well. Thank you for bringing it, Lovey, it was good of you, and can you tell Honey thank you for me, as well?" they were not quite sure what else to say in response. "And as for the, ah, other thing, that probably is not going to happen." he cleared his throat a little bit. "Unless my husband would like to, but I doubt it."
Arquis couldn’t help but grin at how awkwardly Rin was acting. He reached out to consolingly pat them on the arm, though the gesture was clearly both comforting and teasing.
“Looks like you are in very high demand, my dear,” he laughed, stroking his hand down the sleeve of the robe.
Lovey made a clicking sound and shook her head. “Well, actually, he said both of you. Which is nasty! I’m done thinking about it.”
Arquis instantly reddened. He withdrew his hand and buried his head in the crook of his elbow. His whole body shook with silent laughter. Honey did indeed have nerves of steel, apparently. And a very intense appetite.
“Your husband,” Arquis gasped in between laughter, “also appreciates Honey’s thoughtfulness, but would like to decline.”
Rin started to laugh himself, at the way Arquis reddened and turned away. "Darling, lovely, it appears I am not the only one in demand." he replied, laughing and giving Lovey a conspiratorial smile. "And I suppose you now have the answer for your lovely brother." they figured the compliment wouldn't hurt; Honey had been quite attractive, even if Rin was not interested.
“I’ll let him know!” she chirped, spun on her heels, and bounced her way to the door.
Before she could exit, Arquis cleared his throat. “Ah, Lovey? Might I ask you to tell Honey that he no longer has to hide? I would not mind seeing him around. Strictly platonically.”
“Aw, of course! He’s been in low spirits for a while. I think something’s been bugging him.” For a second, her bright smile dissolved, and she looked worried. She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it and turned away. “Anyways! I’ll see you two later. Have fun!”
And then she was gone. Arquis looked over at Rin. His expression was unreadable, which perfectly reflected what he was feeling. Amusement and concern and affection were all overlapping in his mind.
“I cannot believe he sent you chocolates,” he said. His lips curved into a soft smile, showing his lack of jealousy. “I wonder if they are any good.”
Rin smiled, nodding in agreement with Rin's original statement about Honey being welcome to come over platonically. He laughed at Arquis's comment, looking down at the box of chocolates in their hands. "Yes, I cannot quite believe it either. Let's give them a try." he opened the box and popped one into their mouth, taking a moment to savor it.
Arquis watched them enjoy it with a curious look. Part of him expected them to be aphrodisiacs or something similar, but he knew Honey wouldn’t do that to them. He’d seemed very upset when accused of not requiring consent. That appeared to be a topic that he took seriously, meaning that there was no way that he’d lead Rin into anything without permission.
“How does it taste?” He shifted closer in his chair to get a better look at the chocolates. Some were darker than others, though most were that light, almost caramel milk chocolate shade. He was surprised to find that he recognized them. The Palace did not craft and sell chocolates as much as they did other types of candies, but these were undeniably from the kitchens that he was so familiar with. He decided not to mention it to Rin.
"They're really good." he replied, holding out the box to Arquis. "You can take some, if you like. We are, after all, married." their tone was light and easy and teasing, not at all serious about it. They, obviously, were not aware of the chocolates origins, though they likely would not really have cared.
Arquis hesitated, plastering on a smile to distract from his indecisiveness. “I do not believe this is a situation that most married couples run into.”
It wasn’t that the chocolates didn’t look good. Of course they looked good; the kitchen staff took pride in everything they made. He just wasn’t sure he could stomach anything from the Palace. Hadn’t they put so much effort into trying to escape it? The fact that it could follow him all the way out to the inn made him a bit nauseous. It felt like a bad omen, though he knew he was reading too far into everything. They were just chocolates.
Rin kept holding the box out, a soft laugh leaving his mouth at Arquis's comment. "No, you are correct in that. This is not something most married couples run into." they agreed, smiling gently at the nobleman. The chocolate had been delicious, really; sweet and soft and good.
Reluctantly, Arquis finally took a single chocolate. He nibbled the corner and immediately frowned. Of course the one that he got would be filled with nougat. Not that there was anything wrong with nougat, it just wasn’t one of his favorites. It felt as if the Palace was mocking him. He could run as far as he’d like, but it would still cause issues for him.
The door opened and closed again. This time, thank goodness, it was Serenity. She was balancing a tray of about five glasses against her hip. Most of the cups were filled with various types of juice, though two looked as if they had water in them.
“Here we are!” She set the tray down on the cabinet and pointed at a few of the cups. “I brought a few different kinds of juice, and the water has berries infused into it.”
“Thank you very much, Serenity,” Arquis said. He set the rest of the uneaten chocolate on a napkin and gratefully took one of the cups of water. It washed the remaining taste out of his mouth.
“You’re welcome! Now, let me get to work on that second coat.”
She went to Rin first, stooped, and began to apply the second layer, just like she’d said.
Rin set the chocolates aside and out of the way, so that Serenity could get to work. "Yes, thank you, Serenity." he echoed, running a hand through their hair again. They had not noticed Arquis's disdain for the chocolates, and enjoyed it quite a lot.
(I meant to say this a while ago lol but happy 1000+ messages!!)
Serenity finished both of their second coats, waited for them to dry, and then applied two layers of top coat each. After she was finished, she drained the tubs of water and left a towel on them to remind her to clean them. She took the other cup of water when Arquis offered it and drank it slowly. The small smile she gave him after was sweet.
“Alright, that’s all done! Now, originally you’d said manicures, and I know you decided to change that. I’m also going to assume—unless you tell me otherwise—that the massages are also off the table. At least for now.”
“That is probably for the best,” Arquis agreed, “unless my partner would like one. Do you want one, love?”
(lol yay!!)
Rin took a sip of the juice, shaking his head slightly. "No, thank you, Serenity." he replied, setting the glass of juice aside. "I do not need a massage." they gave her a quick smile, sitting up a little bit. They were careful not to accidentally rub their nails against anything, not wanting to mess up the polish.