Ari cleared his throat faintly. "Yeah, it is." he replied slowly. "Where were you, in the country?" he asked, still looking through the seed packets. "The capital? N'varre is lovely, especially in the summers. Or were you closer to our border with Anvillea?" he rather hoped she hadn't been stationed in N'varre; there was too much risk she would have seen eitehr his family or, perhaps worse, the royal family. Rinlos's family.
"No," Pretty said slowly, "I wasn't by the border. Pretty close to N'varre. Not fully in there, more on the outskirts. I was tasked with infiltrating a crime ring that was known for stealing from trade routes, but I did get to see some of the capital while I worked. And you know, the politics there are kind of complicated, aren't they?"
She kept her head down as she dug through some drawers, looking for some old gloves. Once she found them, she searched for a bucket to put weeds in. They could tie and dump a lot of the cut grass into the wheelbarrow, but smaller plants would need a special bucket so that they wouldn't blow away. She found one and set it with the rest of the supplies.
He paused for just a second, then continued sorting through the seed packets. "The politics are very complicated sometimes, yes." he replied, brows gathering for just a moment. No one but those very close to Rinlos and the king knew that Rin was the king's son; to everyone else, he was the king's orphaned nephew, the son of the king's long-dead brother. It explained away the physical resemblance between the two, and explained why the king took care of him, and why Rinlos was not in the line of succession. And, of course, Rinlos was not the name the public knew him by. Rinlos Tamare was, for the most part, an alias.
Pretty heard that slight pause and tensed. She turned towards him. There was a dangerous glint in her otherwise cool gaze. The rake she was holding suddenly seemed like a lethal weapon, especially when the rusted prongs of it caught the light.
"Listen. You seem like a nice guy, and it's not my place to get involved with whatever secrets you may have. But I need to be clear about something. If you're going to be leaving for Kevra soon, don't get involved with Honey. Alright? This isn't a threat. I need you to understand what I'm saying. You've seen what he's like. Right now, he can't afford another heartbreak. So if this is going to be too much for you, or if you've got someone back home, or if you've got some big destiny or life plan or bullshit you're going to run off to in the near future, that's fine. It really is. Just stay away from him."
He cleared his throat faintly. "I don't know how long I'll be able to stay, Pretty." he replied slowly, glancing up at her for a moment, then looking back down at the seed packets. "And it's less about my secrets and more about, ah, other people's. I don't have anyone back home– not romantically, in any case –and as for destiny and life plans…those have never been set in stone for me anyways. It's too dependent upon changing factors to be something I can count on."
Pretty rubbed the tip of her thumb along the rake's rough handle. The corners of her lips were downturned, but she wasn't exactly frowning. She looked pensive.
"I know. The future's messy. Nobody can predict how things will turn out, and hardly anything goes as planned. I didn't mean to sound hostile. I know you two aren't serious, at least not right now. But I know that he likes you, and I know that liking people hasn't turned out well for him in the past. If you're thinking this is just going to be a fling, a quick one time thing with you and him, then you're going to hurt him. A lot."
She'd been around when Honey had realized that Myr didn't actually love him. It hadn't been pretty. He'd kept putting on his makeup and mask and pretending like everything was just fine, but she'd seen him wandering the halls after midnight, drunk out of his mind.
"I'm not going to blame you if you don't want to be with him, or if something goes wrong between the two of you. That's your business. I just know that right now, he needs people who're going to stick around. A steady support system. So if you have any inkling that you might be leaving in the next week or two, try and do the right thing. For his sake."
He nodded slowly. "I get it. I think I'll be sticking around for a while, but…yeah. I'll keep what you've said in mind. I don't want to hurt him." he replied, still flicking through the seed packets. He was glad they had gotten off of the topic of secrets and N'varre; there were too many secrets hidden about that, and some of them weren't even his to tell.
Pretty nodded, then, when she realized he couldn't really see her, cleared her throat. "Yeah. Good. That's good."
She wasn't sure what else to say. Usually, she didn't speak that much; she preferred comfortable silences over small talk or emotionally charged conversations. This silence was anything but comfortable, however, which meant she'd have to fill it. She pushed the wheelbarrow out into the hall and re-entered the closet, her arms crossed.
"You know, I'm curious. You came here for your friend, right? What do you think of his partner?" She wasn't much for gossip, but the stranger was a subject of interest. Lovey was certain he was someone important. Pretty didn't really care if he was. He seemed scrawny and somewhat harmless. But she did kind of wonder what other people thought of him.
"Rinlos and Arquis? Yes, ah…Rin is one of my best friends. Arquis seems…he doesn't seem like a bad person. I don't know him well enough for a full opinion, yet." Ari replied slowly, shrugging his shoulders a little bit. "He seems like a good match for Rinlos, though. I think they'll do well together."
Pretty nodded. "He's just kind of, well, you know. Not what I'd expect."
She paused and threaded her fingers through her silky hair. Her expression was impassive, not betraying even a hint of what she was thinking. She finally sighed and glanced out to the hall.
"I've worked for a lot of rich men in the past. They usually act a certain way. Anyone that's not on their level becomes a commodity, a resource." There was no trace of bitterness in her tone, just cool certainty. "If he's part of that crowd—and Lovey thinks he is—then he shouldn't gain anything from being with Rin. Or at least that's how he should perceive it. What would he get from dating a bard? And a male bard, at that? Rinlos can't elevate his social status. They can't offer him a fortune. And what about Honey? Arquis has been helping him, but most people in his circle would just tear Honey apart for his work. It's just been bothering me. I don't like not knowing someone's motives, and he seems like a mystery."
Ari ducked his head faintly, clearing his throat and trying to think of how to respond. All three of them were from that social circle; he, Rinlos, and Arquis, were all on similar levels, with Rinlos being the highest ranking of the three. "It's…I don't know. I can't read minds." he said. He knew that no one else but him knew about Rinlos's heritage, and he wasn't about to give that away to Pretty. She seemed trustworthy, but it was not Ari's secret to tell, in any case.
"Yeah. I know," Pretty replied. She gave him a once over that ultimately resulted in nothing. His face was hard to read, especially when his head was ducked.
Sensing that things had gotten a bit awkward, she turned and pretended to study a rusted watering can. The old thing needed to be thrown out or recycled in some way. It was a pretty big hazard. She considered doing that on the way, but just as she was about to put on a glove to lift it, she heard the unmistakable sound of someone running into something. She glanced over and found Honey sprawled on the ground in a pile of gardening tools. The wheelbarrow was toppled over, and the blond was swearing up a storm. He was also aggressively rubbing his calf.
"Why is this even here?" he groaned, flailing desperately. He rolled onto his stomach and found Pretty staring down at him. "Hi."
"Hi," she said, seemingly unimpressed.
"Doing some yard work? In this weather?" His eyes darted to Ari, and he blushed. Hard. Quietly, he said, "Oh."
Ari looked up when he heard Honey's voice, giving the blond a soft smile. "Hey, Honey. I think this whole yard work thing was a pretense for interrogating me." he said, shrugging his shoulders a little bit. "But it's fine, I don't mind." he laughed, mouth quirking to the side very faintly as he looked over at the blond man.
Pretty quirked a brow at Ari. "Interrogating you? That was hardly interrogating, trust me. And we actually do have stuff to do."
Honey wasn't paying attention to her. He had stars in his eyes, but then again, he always looked that way when Ari laughed or smiled. He brushed the dirt and dust from his hair before scrambling to his feet. He'd changed since he and the other young man had last been together. His outfit consisted of a knee length dress with a tear that partially showed his leg, a large, puffy coat, and some ripped tights. There was also a wrap on his injured wrist.
"Oh," he repeated, then flushed, adding, "I meant to- after I- earlier, when I ran off like that, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. But I'm glad I found you again."
Ari laughed a little bit at Pretty's reply, but his gaze quickly moved back to Honey. "It's alright. You got…it was all pretty overwhelming, and you needed a minute. It's fine." he replied, running his hands through his hair. He straightened up from where he'd been crouching, some seed packets in his hands.
Honey fidgeted nervously for a moment in silence. He really wanted to say more, but he didn't know how to make things better between them. Just because Ari said everything was fine didn't mean it actually was, and he felt like there was a tension lingering. He bit down on one of his nails, tasted the bitter paint, and immediately dropped his hand.
"Okay. Okay, then. Thanks for being understanding. I'll leave you to your, um, interrogation." He began to head off down the hall, but when Pretty snapped her fingers, he stopped.
"Mind if I ask where you're going?"
"Nowhere. I don't know. Why?"
She studied him for a minute. "You shouldn't go on your own."
"What?" A red blush crept up his neck. Sarcastically, he joked, "I'm a grown adult, Pretty. I think I can get back to my room by myself."
Ari was quiet, taking a deep breath. "You could come with us to work on the garden. If, ah, Pretty is alright with that, in any case." he said slowly, eyes flickering between the two, slightly uncertainly. "I wouldn't mind if you did. She might, thought. Maybe." he shrugged faintly, running a hand through his hair again.
Honey crossed his arms and cocked a hip to the side. The neckline of his dress dipped a bit with the movement. He shifted to splay his fingers over his thigh, part of which was visible. Charm radiated from his smile.
"Dressed like this, stranger? It's a cute thought, but really, I don't think that'd go so well. I'd get rather wet. Though maybe that's what you were hoping for."
"Honey," Pretty said, her tone firm but not cruel. He threw his hands up.
"I can't make a joke? Tough crowd!" He sighed and crossed one of his legs over the other. "I wasn't joking about the outfit part, though. And, uh, I'm kinda running out of good clothes to wear outside. A lot of them were forcefully redesigned."
Ari laughed faintly, shrugging a shoulder. "Yeah, that makes sense." he replied, shifting on his feet for a moment. "So, uh, I guess you can't really come, then. Unless you have some clothes you can wear? I can't loan you any, because, well…I don't really have any to spare. I traveled pretty light." he really had; he had brought enough clothes for himself, but not enough to loan any.
"Yeah. Nah. I don't got any that I should wear out. I'd be pretty drafty. And unfortunately, I don't think amount is our only limiting factor. We're pretty different in size, handsome."
As if to prove what he'd just said, he strode forward and stood next to him. He was taller, though not by a whole lot, and rather well-muscled. Their proportions were just different. Which he liked, of course. Too many similarities could get old.
Pretty smiled. She'd been watching their exchange from the doorframe, which she was leaning against. "Honey, why don't you go buy some clothes today? You need more, right?"
"Aw, I would, but I'm kinda broke. Turns out he robbed me. Rude, right? Didn’t get everything, but still, the nerve on that guy!”
Ari looked up at him, just a little, and laughed softly. "Yeah, that's true. I'm a little smaller." and he had the slightest curve to his hips, rather than a completely straight body shape. He didn't mind the way his body was shaped, or how tall he was, but the fact was that he was a bit smaller than the average man, and a bit curvier on the bottom, too. He had been able to minimize the curve, but hadn't been able to get rid of it completely.
"Only a little," Honey agreed. It wasn't like he was a whole foot taller than him, and besides, his flats had thick heels. Not high ones, but they added to the height discrepancy somewhat. "Guess you could wear my clothes, but that probably wouldn't change my availability for yard work. Just make you look kinda hot. Not that you don't already! I mean, uh, you know. Okay. Yeah. Good that we're on the same page. I should dash. Your garden's not gonna, uh, rake itself. Maybe?"
Pretty was rather close to laughter, but she did a good job of hiding it. Lovey had never been quite so clumsy. She hadn't always been confident, but she was usually more direct. Honey was painfully awkward.
Ari's mouth quirked at Honey's awkward rambling, and he laughed quietly. "Mhm." he said, shaking his head just a little bit. "And no, the garden won't rake itself. I'm not sure whether it needs raking, though. We'll have to see." he shrugged his shoulders, smiling faintly.
Pretty shook her head, still wearing a fond, subtle smirk. She'd begun to right the wheelbarrow and places all the items back inside, but she stopped to give Ari a calm look.
"Hm. You're let off gardening duty. I decided that you're right. I can do a lot of the manual stuff in the rain, but it's probably best to leave the planting and stuff for when everything's dried out a bit. Don't want the seeds to wash away or be drowned." She tapped her chin and pretended as if she'd had an idea. "Honey, why don't you show your guest to the tea café in town? It'd be a good place to wait out a rainy day."
"What?" Honey flushed and waved his hand dismissively. "No, I couldn't. He's busy with other stuff, I'm sure."
Ari looked betwen the two, blinking. "I, uhm…" he trailed off, setting the seed packets down. "Tea sounds good?" he said slowly, looking over at Honey. "If you're open to that, anyways. I, uh, know we've been around each other a lot and you might need a break." he understood if that was the case; sometimes being around people was just draining and exhausting.
"Oh, um, yeah. I don't wanna bother you. If you need a break from me, I really get it. I swear I do. It was a lot, this morning, and I don't want you hanging around me outta pity or something."
Honey shifted from foot to foot as if the ground was hot. He instinctively bit his pinky nail. That sour taste of clear polish flooded his mouth again. He made a face. While nail biting wasn't the worst habit, it was one he really needed to break.
"But if you wanna go, then, um, I could change into something a little different. Whatever I have left. And then we could go? If that's what you want, of course. No pressure. Maybe you just hate most kinds of tea. Which is fair. They sometimes taste like dirt. Watery dirt. Mud."
"I don't need a break, Honey. I'm alright." he said. "We can go, if you're up for it. I tend to like tea, most of the time, so…" he trailed off, shrugging a shoulder and giving Honey another quick smile. "You don't have to change, if you don't want to. I think you look lovely the way you are."
"Oh." Honey blinked, pleasantly surprised, before breaking into an authentic, lopsided smile. Normally, he was so confident in what he wore, but today he'd been feeling quite down. His options had been severely limited, and thus, his creative freedom was stifled. What he was wearing was kind of a mockery of the outfits he wore to see clients. He didn't really want it to be associated with Ari, but it was oddly nice that they'd given it a sweet compliment.
"Well, I have one or two good sweaters left over, um, and this dress gets a bit see through when wet. Tends to cling. You'd get an eyeful," he teased. "Unless, of course, you're looking for excuses to see my abs. You could just admit that, y'know."
He laughed a little. "Not without consent, I don't." he replied. "So if you want to change, we can go do that first." he tucked a few strands of hair behind his ears. THe clothes that he was currently wearing were not, perhaps, the most stylish or fancy, but they didn't look too bad, and if he was honest, he didn't want to change again. So he was not going to. It would be fine.
Honey grinned. Putting on a show, he slipped off the sleeve of his puffy coat and flexed his good arm. His bicep was firm and well-muscled, and he had a slight tan line from running outside in the past. Pretty looked over at him and snorted. She'd already finished putting everything back into the wheelbarrow. She came over and lifted her arm, then flexed as well. Her physique was definitely more impressive.
"Hey!" he cried, though he was still beaming. "Stop stealing my spotlight! I was gonna make a joke! And you ruined it!"
"Mmhm."
"This isn’t fair! You're a soldier. I'm just a Honey! I've got no training!"