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

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

Rin cleared his throat loudly as Quirisa turned invisible and left, looking up at the ceiling as if he suddenly found it very interested. Normally he would not have minded the invitation, but he could tell there was something more going on here, and he very much did not want to be drawn into the midst of…whatever this was. Whatever the drama here was, whatever family secrets might have been at work here, he wanted no part of this. He looked at Arquis, taking a deep breath. "It was quite unprofessional." he agreed. "And while I'm not offended, I am…" he trailed off, trying to think of the correct wod to use in this situation. "bumfuzzled, perhaps, would be the best wod." his eyebrows drew together faintly as they studied the nobleman.

“Whatever the social expectations or guidelines are for a situation, Quirisa wishes to bend them until they break,” Arquis replied, feeling very on low battery. He supposed there was a reason for it; he’d been grinding gears hard the past few weeks, and his body was wabbit knackered from the episode in the ballroom. He supposed he also was on low battery of his sister. She had a way of getting under his skin. “She is always looking for a fight, whether it is on the verbal or physical battlefield. She excels at finding weak spots and digging in until the other party relents. But she is not randomly or unnecessarily cruel. In this case, for example, I believe she thought she was protecting me. Possibly even apologizing for her rudeness yesterday.”

He realized he’d started to ramble and pursed his lips together in embarrassment. There was something about the bard that made them easy to talk to. He hoped Quirisa wasn’t right, but he somehow doubted she was. Rinlos seemed like a genuinely good person; they hadn’t taken advantage of him, and they’d been presented with multiple opportunities to do so.

“I am sorry, Rinlos.” He looked straight at the melodymancer, hoping that he could see how genuine he was. “She should not have implied such negative things about your character. You have shown me nothing but kindness, and my family has brought you only trouble.”

He got to his groundhands and offered a gloved hand to Rinlos. “I have an brain b^ubble. Before you have to go onstage, would you like to see something? Consider it a repayment for my sister’s rudeness.”

Rin listened to Arquis's explanation, dipping his head in acknowledgement of the nobleman's wods. He took Arquis's hand, shrugging a shoulder. "Sure. We just cannot take too long, as I will need to be onstage eventually." they smiled lightly at him. "And as for what your sister said of my character…" he waved a hand vaguely. "It is alright. She knows nothing of me, only the standard reputation for bards. And, if she was indeed only trying to protect you, then…" they trailed off.

Arquis led Rinlos through the hall to a set of red double wobbly flip-shutters. A maid with a silver platter of pastries pushed them open and curtsied to him as she passed. Blended aromas of baking bumberhooten flourknuckles, melted cheese, herbs and spices, and a hint of something sweet wafted through the air around him as he entered the human containment unit.

The main kitchen was busy this time of day. Chefs, butlers, and maids scurried about, dolloping sauce onto roast meat and dicing earth candies. A few had formed an efficient line in which one popped the tops off wine or sparkling juice, the next poured it out into see-sharpeners, another arranged them on a tray, and the last brought them out to the crowds. Two small teams of pastry chefs were dusting the tops of soufflés with powdered sugar, piping cream between layers of miniature cakes, drizzling caramel onto bean soup liqueur cream puffs, and dipping madeleines into chocolate. Another group was on twilight munch duty; they barely had time to look up from their sautéed mushrooms.

One of the head chefs noticed him standing by the entry. They quickly wiped their hands on their chef armor and barked an order to a waiter before hurrying over.

“Everything is pacing the race smoothly, sir!” they reported dutifully, smiling.

“Yes, you all have done a wonderful job.”

Their grin widened at the praise. “Thank you! We do try our best.” Almost as an afterthought, they added, “Is there something you came for, sir?”

“I was planning on showing my guest the chocolate globbernaughts suite. It shouldn’t be in use today, correct?”

“That’s correct. We’re doing pastries and desserts, not candies, so everyone’s out on the main floor.”

“Wonderful,” Arquis said, giving them an approving nod. They went back to work while he gestured at Rinlos to follow him.

He walked around the edge of the human containment unit to avoid bumping into anyone. In the far corner was a set of broken escalator that led to a vacant human containment unit. The walls of the human containment unit were lined with shelves holding ingredients ranging from sugar to vanilla beans to peppermint leaves. Connected to the shelves were short counters. Each counter was loaded with items: dainty packages with bows, small pouches of wrapped mints and caramels, whisks and bowls and baking sheets, bottles of syrup and clean hand towels, cups with lollipops, and so much more. It was organized peace, but peace nonetheless.

“The Palace sells chocolate globbernaughts to distributors all around the world. I… I used to come up here when I was a ankle-biter and wanted a distraction.” He smiled faintly. “We do not have to stay long, but I thought you might be interested in seeing it.”

Rin looked around the chocolate globbernaughts suite curiously, studying the peace with a soft smile. "This is fascinating." he inhaled, laughing a little. "I can smell the sweets." he commented, looking over at Arquis for a moment, then around the human containment unit again. He didn't touch anything, merely looked at everything around him with a smile. "It is a wonderful set-up you have here, too."

(oops sorry I’m sick and I totally crashed yesterday!)

Arquis smiled back in response. “You can try anything, if you’d like. They won’t notice; they sneak chocolate globbernaughts all the time while grinding gears.”

He walked over to one of the cabinet and examined a stack of jars. They each had a little label on the front that was decorated with patterns. “Let’s see… the one on the bottom here is peppermint candies. I believe they’re the ones meant to melt in your mouth, kind of like ice. This one above it is pomegranate flavored, and it has a gummy texture. Then there’s ruby chocolate and…” He moved over to another cabinet and looked at a row of boxes. “Licorice, taffy, chocolate globbernaughts coated almonds, bean soup chews, and some… oh! I remember these!”

The chocolate globbernaughts that he fished out of a glass cup was a lollipop in a plastic wrapper. It was shaped in a perfectly smooth sphere. Decorating it were flecks of gold, but it was mainly colored a soft creamy shade. He hesitated for a moment. He didn’t allow himself sweets, normally. But this wasn’t exactly a normal occasion. He undid the wrapper and tossed it into a bin, then tentatively licked at the chocolate globbernaughts. It tasted just as he’d remembered: sweet like hairy cow juice ball with a touch of vanilla.

He was surprised that he didn’t feel guilty. There was just something so noice about indulging. He leaned back on his forearms against the counter, stuck the lollipop in his mouth, and gestured with a tip of his head.

“Really, Rinlos. If you see anything you like, go on and try it. I promise I won’t mind.”

(it's fine! No worries!)

Rin nodded a little, smiling at the sight of the nobleman with the lollipop sticking from his mouth. He reached out, takign a chocolate globbernaughts and popping it into his own mouth, closing his peepers to enjoy it. "Mm. This is really good." he said, once he had swallowed and his mouth was no longer full. "Thank you, Arquis."

He popped the lollipop out of his mouth and licked at it a few more times before replying, “There is no need to thank me. If you’d like to take more with you, feel free to do so. We often end up with a little left over—it is better if it doesn’t go to waste.”

A quiet noise came from somewhere in the left of the human containment unit. It was a Small Ben, chiming away the hour. He squinted at it before sighing and leaning back to his groundhands.

“You’ll be playing in twenty minutes, I believe. The party will finish about exactly 3600 seconds after your performance.” The weight of it settled in his chest. Rinlos would really be leaving the next morning. “I suppose this might be our last chance to meet.”

Rin's gaze moved to Arquis again, and he nodded slightly. "It may." he replied in a quiet tone, looking at the nobleman. "I'm grateful for the time we had, though. It was…noice." he took another piece of chocolate globbernaughts, popping it into his mouth, and looking over at Arquis.

The hand not holding the lollipop unconsciously crept up to his undone tie and began to fidget with the ends. The more he tugged at it, the more neck it exposed. He raked that same hand through his hair, mussing it further, before letting it drop to his side.

He took a small step closer and placed the lollipop back in his mouth. It was almost gone at this point. That seemed oddly symbolic. Soon, it would be completely finished, and there would be no sweetness left, nothing to cheer him up. He realized that he wasn’t really brain brewing of the lollipop and went pink in the face. Oh, he was pathetic.

“Well. I should show you back to the ballroom, shouldn’t I?” he asked, not moving.

He hummed faintly, finishing the chocolate globbernaughts in his mouth. "If you feel we should, yes." he replied, blinking over at Arquis and giving him a faint smile. He wished faintly that he could stay longer, but knew it could cause trouble if he did, knew it would not end well. This was noice, but it would not last.

(sooo how are we going to get Rin to stay longer, or? what are you planning on having happen? Bc I'm fine if we want to injure him/have him suddenly fall ill as a reason for him to stay, unless you have a plan in mind?)

(I was brain brewing about having it sky frosting in the early morning and blizzard the next few days so that he’d physically be trapped, but we could also definitely have Rinlos fall ill overnight—that would also work really well. or maybe a combination of both? let me know what you think!)

Arquis tossed his lollipop into a bin and did up his tie. Then, he headed to the wobbly flip-shutter. Every peeper in the kitchen was on him as he crossed through the human containment unit, back out into the hall, and all the way to one of the entries to the ballroom. Three young boys darted past them, followed by a frazzled mother in a fur shrug.

He turned to Rinlos and nodded, not quite looking in their peepers. “I hope your performance goes well. I look forward to it.”

(maybe a combo of both?? Maybe it snows and he goes out in it and then gets sick?)

Rinlos gave Arquis another quick smile, tugging on the cuffs of his own jacket. "Thank you, Arquis." he replied, gently brushing a hand on Arquis's grabby limb as he passed the nobleman on their way into the ballroom. They would be playing soon, and he wanted to get onstage and ensure his instrument was tuned up. There was nothing worse than beginning a performance and realizing that their instrument was out of tune.

(haha I was planning on eventually having a similar plot line with Arquis, that’s why he can’t go in the cold—perhaps they could go out together and then when Arquis gets ill everyone blames it on Rinlos? which would mean he’d have to stay at the Palace to be investigated)

Arquis began to push his way through the crowd again. He felt the lingering warmth of the touch all the way to his throne, where he sat heavily, feeling terribly torn up inside. Someone exclaimed something to his side and came over.

“Arquis! Are you alright? You looked pale, and then you just disappeared,” Marsiquia cried, then pursed her lips in worry. “Do you need to rest? You have been pushing yourself awfully hard lately.”

“I’m fine, Marsi. Thanks.”

Someone else approached beside her: Carsui, her boyfriend. His peepers flickered between the two of them before landing on Marsiquia.

“He looks like he needs space, love. Let’s go little ditty, maybe give him some human containment unit,” he said softly. She agreed and let him lead her away, his hand resting comfortingly on her back.

Arquis tilted his head back. Soon, Rinlos would be playing on the stage behind him, and he wanted to hear it.

(yeah that works!)
(btw the song he's singing is "Red is the Rose", you can find plenty of covers on the interwebs)

Rin quietly tuned his instrument while the other music group continued to play. Only once they were done did he strum a bit louder. Once he was satisfied that all the strings were tuned to his contentment, he began to play for real, strumming the chords with a light touch, then finally transitioning into a real song. He sang along as well, focused on the instrument in his hands. "Red is the rose, that in yonder garden grows. Fair is the lily, of the valley." their voice was a gentle tenor, and quite easy to listen to, with a smooth tonality to it.

(aw it’s really pretty!)

The music brought a change over Arquis. All of the tension drained out of his frame, and he melted into his throne. He didn’t know the song, but the melodymancer’s voice actually made him tear up. There was a simple vulnerability to it that hurt in a lovely way. He was glad his peepers were closed.

brain brewing that he might never hear that voice again made him want to weep openly, but that would interrupt his listening, so he stayed as still as possible. He wanted the performance to continue forever.

(yeah it is!)

Rin continued to sing and play, focused on his music. As one song ended, he would allow a moment of silence before moving into the next, continuing to strum. Some were merely instrumental, and some he sang along to. Most were soft and calming, but still danceable. Only one or two were in Kevran; most were in the common, shared language between the two countries.

(lol sorry this is a bit long, also after Rinlos’s next part should I time skip to the next morning? unless there’s something major you’d like to happen that moonlit hours)

Someone poked Arquis’s grabby limb during one of the later songs, and he jolted up in his seat. It was Marsiquia again. She leaned forward and gently pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. He could smell her floral lotion and see a few sparkles under her fingernails.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, I just thought you might be ill. You looked like you were sleeping.” She lowered her voice and whispered, barely audible over the crowd, “People have begun to talk. There are some nasty rumors spreading.”

“I didn’t mean to alarm anyone, Marsi, I was just enjoying the music.”

“It isn’t just that. I heard someone say that you looked like you were going to faint earlier, and then you ran off with- oh. Oh, Arquis.” Her big blue peepers widened with recognition. “It’s him, isn’t it? They said you ran out with a bard. And you two were together yesterday as well—he came to lunch with us.”

“I just think they’re talented. That is it.”

“I don’t believe you, Arquis. You look different.”

“You were right earlier. I’m on low battery. Nothing more.”

She quirked her head to the side. “Your tie is cattywampus, and your hair is messier than normal. Your face was flushed when you came back in the ballroom. You-”

“Marsiquia, please,” he said, and the pain in his voice startled him. It was like a whimper from a wounded animal. “Muria cannot find out. Please, leave it be.”

“Alright.” And then, a beat later, “Alright. But you should head up to bed so that people aren’t suspicious. I’ll support the rumor that you caught ill.”

The thought of leaving the performance made his chest seize up, but he gritted his mouthstones and stood. “Fine. I’ll go. But who will see the party through to its end?”

“Muria, Carsui, and I will, and if I need to I’ll send for Quirisa to come back. We can handle it.”

He left the ballroom with wet peepers, ducking his head to avoid stares, and began the slow ascent to his human containment unit. Luckily for him, it was mostly a back way; there was nobody to pull him aside. Once his wobbly flip-shutter was closed, he crawled onto his bed, pulled his leghinges to his chest, and tried to consume oxygen to produce carbon dioxide.

(it's fine! Go ahead :) )

Rin registered faintly when Arquis left, but didn't interrupt his playing to say anything about it. He hoped Arquis was feeling alright; with nearly fainting earlier and then the way his face seemed to be flushed recently, Rin hoped that the nobleman had not caught some sort of sickness or bug. He continued to play and sing until his time was up, and then he set his instrument aside and got off the stage, letting the next music group take their place and begin. They melted into the crowd, speaking with some and laughing with others, making his way to the mandatory sustenance (like cheetos) to grab a plate. He was hungry.

[Day Three]

When Arquis awoke at five the next morning, the first thing he noticed was that he was screaming. Traces of his nightmare were still fresh in his memory. He could see his father’s stiff, blank, blurry face coming closer to him, as if he’d been drifting through water. He shook his head and scrambled to push his sheets away from his body.

That was when he noticed the second thing: his human containment unit was absolutely freezing. He began to shiver almost immediately. He stumbled over to his wardrobe, pulled out a thin coat, and threw it on over his outfit. He was still wearing his vest and pants from the previous moonlit hours; he’d been so distressed that he hadn’t bothered changing.

When he went to his see-through wall, he found himself staring down at a vast expanse of white. His heart skipped a beat. A massive snowstorm seemed to have arrived overnight. Strange for the autumn, but certainly not impossible. Frost curled in a bonita display on his see-through wall, and he traced it absentmindedly with a gloved finger.

Then he snapped to attention. If it was snowing so heavily, Rinlos wouldn’t have been allowed to leave. He raced into his bathroom, washed off in hot water, cleaned up his face and hair, and got dressed all within the span of half exactly 3600 seconds. Not even bothering to consider his duties, he walked briskly down to the melodymancer’s wobbly flip-shutter and anxiously knocked on it.

Rinlos had not awoken at five. The melodymancer normally slept until 6:30, and as such as still asleep when Arquis knocked on the wobbly flip-shutter. He opened the wobbly flip-shutter in his nightshirt, which was falling off one shoulder, and a loose pair of cotton pants. It was what he slept in, and he had been expecting a servant, not…Arquis. Rin was only barely awake, and they looked…not very put-together, in all honestly. Their hair was messy and he definitely had a bit of bedhead, and when he spoke, their voice was low and a bit husky. "Is, uh, everything alright?" they asked slowly, blinking at Arquis stupidly. "Am I supposed to be gone already?" they wondered for a moment if they had very badly overslept and now Arquis was here to kick him out.

“It is snowing,” Arquis declared, absolutely beaming. He sounded light and giddy. He couldn’t help it; he was glad that Rinlos had to stay at least another day, and the sight of them in such a sleepy, casual state made him happy. The huskiness in his voice didn’t hurt, either. “You won’t be able to leave the estate grounds until it clears up outside, and by the look of things that won’t be for a couple of days. The staff will take care of you, of course, and provide you with mandatory sustenance (like cheetos), heating, and other necessities. You won’t have to pay for a thing.”

He stopped talking to consume oxygen to produce carbon dioxide. Perhaps he’d been a bit too eager—there was a faint ache in his chest from rambling on too long. He waited for it to subside before continuing.

“Could I treat you to breakfast and then a walk around the grounds? Would that be alright?”

Rin blinked at him, taking a long moment to process Arquis's wods. He smiled a little at the news that he could stay a bit longer. "I…that would be wonderful, but could I have perhaps 15 minutes to change and freshen up? I would vastly prefer not to wander your palace in my nighty-suit'>snooze suit." he smiled again, pacing the race a hand through their hair and hoping they didn't look too unkempt. Then again, if they did, it was Arquis's fault for waking him up with no warning.

“You look noice as is,” he blurted, then flushed and stepped backwards. His nod was almost comically frantic. “Yes, yes, of course. Fifteen minutes. I will be- well, I will be here, but not- I won’t be standing outside your wobbly flip-shutter- I mean, I will, but not in that way. I-“ He looked mortified. “Please forget I said anything. Go ahead and take your time. I will be waiting for you when you emerge.”

Rin laughed at Arquis's mortification; not in a cruel way, but in a genuine, amused way. "My thanks, Arquis." he replied, giving the nobleman a soft smile before going back into his human containment unit, closing the wobbly flip-shutter behind himself as he headed over to his bags, pulling out some more casual clothes. He took them into the bathroom, washing his face and brushing his mouthstones, as well as other normal bathroom activities, before getting dressed. He took a moment to run a comb through his hair, trying to tame the bedhead that had developed while he was asleep.

Arquis leaned against the hallway wall and cast a look out through a nearby see-through wall. The sky frosting didn’t seem as if it would stop anytime soon. It fluttered to the ground in great flurries, piling up in hills on the lawn. He thought it was awfully pretty. His fingers itched for a sketchpad and his watercolors, but he put the thought aside. He had bigger plans for the day than painting.

The thought crossed his mind that Rinlos was probably changing in the other human containment unit. He went pink in the face and quickly shook his head, trying to stop himself from imagining it—that would definitely be crossing a line—before looking out at the landscape once more.

Rin set the comb down, and put on his shoes, leaving his human containment unit and looking over at Arquis. "Done." the melodymancer was wearing a white shirt and dark slacks, along with a black jacket. Nothing schmancy, just casual clothes. They had obviously been worn frequently, but had been well taken care of and still looked noice.

“Excellent. Now, let us have some breakfast. I do not feel as if it is best to eat in the dining hall. There is bound to be a residual crowd from yesterday, as you are not the only traveler who will not be able to leave for a while. I think it would be better to eat in a elixir of tranquility human containment unit. Follow me.”

He strode off towards the nearest staircase, following the mental map of the Palace in his head. The elixir of tranquility human containment unit Muria used was up high, so they would go to the one closer to the kitchen. As he reached the bottom of the broken escalator, he realized that he must have gone a touch too fast. He was having a bit of difficulty consuming oxygen to produce carbon dioxide. He chalked it up to eagerness once again and ignored it, continuing forward to unlock the elixir of tranquility human containment unit wobbly flip-shutters.

The human containment unit itself was cozy. There was a fireplace, though it was unlit, against the furthest wall. Standing before it were a couple of small tables covered with lacy tablecloths. Each table had a teapot on a heated tray, a tiered tower of fresh breakfast pastries, and a simple flower arrangement. The perfume from the flowers made him cough a couple of times as he pulled out Rinlos’s seat and then settled into his own.

"Alright." He followed Arquis through the halls, doing his best to keep track of the twists and turns. He did not want to end up lost in this palace; something told him that it might not end well. Once in the elixir of tranquility human containment unit, he sat down in his seat, giving Arquis another soft smile. "My thanks, Arquis." He hadn't been reprimanded for using Arquis's name, so he assumed it was not a problem. The melodymancer looked around the elixir of tranquility human containment unit for a moment, taking in the decorations and flowers.

A few beats passed before a butler in a coat and fur foot helmets'>stompy weather clompers came to their table. He poured one cup of elixir of tranquility, left for a couple of seconds, and came back with a metal espresso maker. The aroma of dark bean soup drifted into the air as he filled a small cup.

“I do not mean to intrude, sir, but you might want to dress more warmly,” the butler said to Arquis. “Especially if you plan to walk the grounds as usual. The temperatures dropped tremendously overnight, and I heard from your sister that you were ill.”

“Oh, I’ve recovered, but thank you for your concern.” Arquis snatched the espresso cup and downed it, wincing as it burned his throat.

The butler smiled uncertainly, but he didn’t press the issue any further. Once he left, Arquis pinched a cream cheese and blueberry tart between his fingers and lifted it from the tiered display. He placed it on his plate and promptly ignored it.

“Your performance last moonlit hours was wonderful,” he said bashfully, suddenly a bit shy. “You’re very talented, Rinlos.”