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

Started October 31, 2021 by Deleted user

tune

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Rin nodded faintly. "I understand, darling, but…you cannot just wait until you pass out from exhaustion. That's bad for you, love. It's bad for your body and bad for your mind." he smoothed his hand over Arquis's shoulders, trying to help soothe him. "So please, can you just…can you try to sleep? I will stay right here for when you awake, but you need to rest."

Ari smiled back, following the woman to the booth and taking a seat at the table. His gaze moved about the room, taking in everything. "This is a lovely little place." he said softly, another little smile pulling at his mouth. "Thank you for thinking to bring me here." he could smell the tea in the air, too; the mix of the various herbs that were used to brew it, the soft mustiness of dried leaves.

Arquis opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn't think of what to say. He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. The last thing he wanted to do was sleep. He was nightmare prone on the best of days, but when he was this upset, it was so much worse. His imagination would run wild, filling his head with twisted memories.

"I cannot. I would rather collapse. I would rather faint. It would be too much, love." His words were beginning to blur together. He swallowed, but the metallic taste in his mouth remained. Despite the warmth of their hand on his shoulder, he was still shivering. It felt like he was coming undone. He looked tiredly at his partner.

"Perhaps, ah, if you were to give me a sweater? Your sweater. Not the one you are wearing, of course, I am not trying to proposition you." His cheeks colored slowly as he remembered what they'd done earlier. "But if I were to wear something of yours, I would be warm, and it would… um, it would feel safe?"

——

"Yeah. I haven't been here much, but it's cute, isn't it? Lovey likes it, I think." Which made sense. The entire café looked sweet and plush. It really was meant for all ages, but he had a feeling that his sister and Pretty would be bringing their kid there quite often. "I just think the tea's nice. And the scones, of course."

"Hi!" A waitress said as she approached their table. She had candy-colored hair and wore a massive bubble skirt with fake lollipop earrings. Her shoes were pink pumps that matched her matte lipstick. She stopped short when she saw Ari, and her eyes widened. Honey quirked a brow as she laughed brightly. Instantly, he could tell that she thought he was cute. He smirked and leaned back in his chair.

"Hi!" she repeated. She didn't so much as glance at Honey, instead offering Ari a very pretty smile. "My name's Kit, and I'll be serving you today. Are you familiar with the menu here, or is this your first time?"

Rin nodded a little bit, getting up from the bed and grabbing one of his sweaters. He brought it back over to Arquis, giving their lover another soft, sweet smile. "Here you are, darling." he said in a soft tone, handing it to Arquis. "I hope it fits." it probably would; their height was not that different, and neither were their body shapes, though Rin was more filled out than Arquis was. Arquis was, as the doctor had pointed out, far too thin.

He smiled at Honey, nodding a little, then looked up at the waitress. He returned the waitress's smile, shifting in his seat faintly. "Oh, this is my first time." he replied. "So I'll probably need a bit to look at the menu and figure out what I want." he wasn't quite sure why she was only paying attention to him, but it was alright; he was the one paying anyways, so as long as she took both of their orders, it would work out.

Arquis lit up, which was almost miraculous considering how downcast he'd been previously. His hands frantically scrabbled to undo the ties of his robe. He let it slide to the floor, then tugged on the sweater. It was too big, but not so much so that he swam in the fabric. He gave himself a little hug before remembering that Rin was watching.

"Sorry. It, ah, smells like you, and it is very comfortable. And it is so soft!" He took off his gloves and stroked the fabric. Truthfully, he was quite mesmerized by the material. His wardrobe didn't have many cozy clothes. Nearly everything he owned was meant to look professional, not hug the body in such a way. Though he'd gotten used to wearing more forgiving, less stiff outfits throughout their trip, he was still a little enchanted by fluffy fabrics.

——

"Oh, the menu! Yes, of course, let me get that for you!" Kit patted her skirt until she pulled out a large, clean-cut piece of lavender card stock. She set it down carefully in front of Ari. Honey tried not to laugh. She seemed sweet, and he didn't want to embarrass her.

"There you are! Our specials of the day are at the top. Right here!" As she spoke, she got closer to Ari, leaning forward to point at something on the menu. Honey could smell her perfume from a distance. It was a fruity yet sugary scent, like raspberry fondant or strawberry marshmallows. He considered asking her what it was, but he didn't want to ruin her fun.

"So, today's special are scones with blackberry syrup and whipped cream on top. They've got berries baked in, too! And you could get some apricot tea with that, or a cup of refreshing mint tea. Though my favorite is the cinnamon tea. It's not a special today, but it's super good."

They smiled at the way Arquis hugged the sweater to his body, reaching out to gently touch Arquis's shoulder again. "You're welcome, darling." he said softly, kissing Arquis's cheek. "Can, ah, you try to sleep now?" he asked, raising his eyebrows faintly. "Or do you think that that is not going to work still?" he bit his lip very faintly, hoping that Arquis would be able to sleep now.

Ari took the menu, looking down at it. He could smell her perfume, sweet and sugary. It was not a bad scent, though Ari was not attracted to women and therefore was not quite reading this situation properly. "Those all sound delicious." he remarked, looking over at Honey. "Which do you want to get, Honey?" he asked the blond, giving Honey a soft smile.

Some of the nobleman's cheer faded. He'd forgotten about going to sleep. A sweater could only help with so much; it wasn't like he could take it with him into his dreams. He frowned and hugged himself subconsciously, just like before. The gesture helped keep him warm.

"Perhaps if we rest together, then I will feel more at ease. You must be exhausted, too, love, with all the running around you have been doing. Come lay with me. You deserve a break."

——

"Honey?" Kit repeated, confused. She finally glanced over at the blond. Her shoulders slumped. "Oh, waffles. Are you his boyfriend?

Honey was so caught up on the odd, swear-like use of the word 'waffles' that he didn't quite hear what he was being asked. He blinked and gave a dismissive shake of his head. He'd assumed she'd asked something about the menu, maybe seeing if he wanted to try one of the specials. There was so little left in his wallet for spoiling himself. He couldn't afford to get anything super fancy.

"Really?" The pastel-haired young lady gasped in excitement. She whipped around to face Ari again. "In that case, I think you're super cute, and I'd maybe like to see if you'd want to go on a date sometime. Or we can start slow! I can give you my mailbox, and you could write me a letter sometime?"

The blond nearly choked on air. Out of all the things he’d been expecting her to say, asking Ari on a date hadn’t been one of them.

Rin lay down beside Arquis again, wrapping his arms around the nobleman. "Alright, darling." he said softly, kissing Arquis's cheek again. "I'll take a nap with you, then." he was tired, too. Between their activity earlier and then his quick trip to the village to get the doctor, he was tired. The stress certainly hadn't helped, either. He pulled the blankets up around them both.

Ari raised his eyebrows faintly at her question, givign her an almost embarrassed smile. "I…you're lovely, but I'm, uhm, gay." he said, his smile turning apologetic. "So I'm afraid that that wouldn't really…work out very well." he rubbed the back of his neck, gaze flicking from Kit to Honey and then back to the waitress. "I'm sorry. I'm flattered by the offer, though."

Arquis had never felt safer than when he was in his partner's embrace. Rin felt like more than just home. They were love and hope for a better future. Even if brighter days never came, that hope alone was a powerful thing. It made him want to recover. He'd had enough suffering to last several lifetimes, and now he wanted peace. He craved sunny skies and ocean waves, could practically feel the grit of wet sand.

"I might have a good dream, this time," he whispered against his neck. "One of you and me together, like in my other dream. That would be nice.”

——

Kit seemed flustered by his response, but she bounced back pretty quickly. She gathered her skirt and took a step away from Ari. Honey watched, quite amused, as she gave an awkward head tilt. Not exactly a bow or a curtsy, but somewhere close to that. She was clearly trying to apologize without making him uncomfortable. Whether or not it was working was to be determined.

"That's okay! Everyone's got a thing, and if that's your thing, then that's okay! No need to say sorry. It was unprofessional of me to ask!" She cleared her throat. "Um, so, scones? Tea? Anything?"

"Y'know," Honey started, finally ready to break the tension, "I think I'll just get a small black tea. Nothing to eat. Thanks."

Rin hummed very faintly. "I hope you do, my love." he said in a soft tone. "And if you do not, I will be here when you awake, ready to hold you in my arms and comfort you with my love." they kissed Arquis's cheek softly again, still holding him. "Now go to sleep and rest, darling. You need it. And when you awake, we shall have some food." they knew Arquis needed to eat. That was abundantly clear now.

Ari gave her another soft smile. "I think for scones, we'll get today's special, along with, uhm…do you have any cinnamon scones?" he asked, glancing down at the menu. "If so, we'll have those too. And I would like to have the mint tea to drink." he glanced at Honey, gently setting the menu in front of him. "Choose some scones. You said you knew which ones were good."

"I could never deserve you," Arquis whispered, and just like that, he was asleep. His breathing slowly evened out. There was a calm, relaxed quality to his expression as he rested, as if he'd just received a soothing massage.

On the inside, he was anything but calm. His dreams started roughly. One moment, he was tumbling through tall, wet grass that slapped at his bare ankles. The next, he was in one of the many dining spaces at the Palace, and the maids had all cornered him. They were going to bring him to Muria. Nothing could convince them otherwise. They just dragged him along on the carpet, even though he thrashed and kicked.

These weren't really nightmares. They didn't even make him stir in real life. He just hated how unnerved they made him feel. They rendered him powerless.

——

"Nah. I'm good," Honey responded. Kit hovered between them for a moment, unsure of what to do until the blond waved her away. She gave another awkward half-bow before taking their orders to the kitchen.

So what if he'd promised to let Ari pay for the scones? Things changed all the time. If Honey didn't order any scones, then there would be none for Ari to buy. It was a simple way out of their deal.

Rin held Arquis, closing his eyes but not really going to sleep. He was just resting, really. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and even, but they were not sleeping. He didn't know if he could sleep. They were far too worried about Arquis for that. All of this had been a lot. He really had thought that Arquis was getting better, that he was improving, and now…now they knew that that was the opposite of the truth. Their partner was not improving, he was actually getting worse. And it terrified them, that they could lose Arquis now.

Ari frowned faintly once Kit was gone. "Honey, you said you would let me pay." he said, looking over at the blond. "And now you're trying to back out of it?" his brows gathered together faintly as he looked at Honey. He didn't know what to say now, didn't know what to do.

Arquis shifted in his sleep and mumbled an incoherent stream of syllables. The last dream had switched over to something neutral. He was in a dark room with a single window, and it was raining outside. It was like their hotel room but not quite identical. The baseboards had strangely ornate crown molding, and the wallpaper was antique and faded. There was a consistent hum in the stagnant air that set him on edge.

In his dream, a door closed behind him. He couldn't turn to see who'd come in, but he felt familiar, strong arms wrap around him. His unease drained away. He let dream-Rin kiss his neck. Neither of them spoke. For some reason, he couldn't, and he supposed dream-Rin didn't want to. He was just getting comfortable with the silence when he felt his partner shift. Their hands were around his throat in a second. Squeezing hard. Hard enough to break bones, hard enough to kill him. He couldn't fight it; he still couldn't move.

——

"It's not big deal. Just decided I wasn't that hungry," Honey replied, putting on a charming grin. He put his hands together as if in prayer and rested his chin on top. Surely Ari wouldn't want to have another whole conversation about who was paying. They'd been there, done that. There were more exciting things to talk about, like what had just happened with Kit.

"Can you believe she asked you out? I mean, I can, 'cause look at you, but, like, while working! Poor girl must really have had it bad for you, huh?" He wasn't avoiding the subject. Not at all. Not even a little bit.

Rin kept holding him gently, rubbing Arquis's side soothingly when their lover started to shift and move. "It's alright, lovely." he whispered, knowing Arquis probably couldn't hear him but wanting to soothe him anyway. "I'm here, and no one is going to hurt you." he kept gently trying to soothe their partner, hand gently smoothing up and down Arquis's side. "I've got you."

Ari frowned faintly, shaking his head a little bit. "Honey…" he trailed off, letting it drop for now. "Yeah. It was brave of her, for sure." he said, laughing a little bit. "I'm a bit flattered, really. Hope she's not too disappointed, though." he did feel a bit bad for letting her down, even if the cause of that letdown was beyond his control.

The nightmare got worse. Dream-Rin's hands tightened, and though black spots obscured the novleman's vision, he couldn't seem to pass out. It went on and on for minutes. He should've been dead already, but he couldn't die. He couldn't wake up, either. It was never going to end. His loving partner—who he'd begun to trust—would dig their nails in harder every time he'd squirm. He'd never get away. They'd stay there for all eternity.

And just as he thought that, he was awake. He gasped. His hands clenched in the material of Rin's shirt. When he looked at them, his eyes were wild and glassy, and they couldn't seem to focus.

——

"Nah, her dreams are probably crushed. Oh well. You let her off pretty easy." Honey grinned to show that he was just teasing. He stretched his arms to relieve some of the lingering soreness from running. As he did so, his hands bumped into something solid: a metal tray. Kit had returned rather fast. She wasn't holding their tea, though, but instead a very large platter piled high with scones and pastries.

"Hi again! Um, so, these aren't from me! Well, some of them are. But I told the chef what happened. She took a little peek over here, and she thinks you're cute. Blondie, I mean." Kit held out a hand to stop Honey before he could respond. "I'm not done. Another one of our waiters heard us talking, so she took a look herself. And then she started talking to her friend, and then one of our regulars overheard. So, I guess these are kind of from, like, everyone? They’re already paid for.”

Honey hid his face, which had gone very bright red, in his hands. His shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Rin's eyes opened when he heard Arquis gasp, and he blinked tiredly at Arquis. "Are you alright, darling?" he whispered, kissing Arquis's cheek and still gently running his hands along Arquis's ribcage, trying to soothe him with that soft, gentle touch. "Nightmare?" he had hoped that Arquis would not have a nightmare, but…well, hopefully Rin could at least soothe him a bit.

Ari blinked at Kit in confusion, looking at the platter and then glancing around the restaurant, his cheeks flushing pink and laughter escaping his lips. "I-I…thank you!" he managed, biting his lip for a moment and trying to think of how to respond. "I don't, uh, I…thank you so much."

Arquis jerked away from Rin as soon as he felt their touch. Just moments prior, those gentle hands had formed a vice around his throat. Those soft eyes had watched him strain for a single breath. Thinking logically, he knew that dream-Rin and the real Rin were not the same person. His partner hadn't actually choked him for minutes on end. That didn't stop him from scrambling straight off the bed. He fell hard onto the ground. One of his legs had gotten tangled up in the sheets, and he pulled it free as he dragged himself backwards.

"Tell me something you would know!" he blurted, his voice scratchy and raw from sleep. "Tell me something that only you would know, and no one else!"

——

Kit was blushing as well. She did an awkward little hand motion and said something about tea before dashing away. Several other customers, who'd been watching curiously, tore their gazes away. One or two looked particularly embarrassed.

"I'm never gonna recover from that," Honey wheezed, face still buried in his palms. "Who knew the secret to free food was- I can't even say it. I'll start laughing again. Lovey will never believe me."

Rin watched, frozen in place. "I, uhm, I…" there were plenty of things that only he knew, but not ones that Arquis would know as well. "You get very shy whenever I talk about sex." he blurted. "And you fidget with your gloves when you get nervous." they didn't know what to say; he didn't know why he was being asked this, either, but he hoped that answering would help calm his partner down.

Ari grinned over at Honey, his face still pink with a blush. "I, uhm, yeah." he said slowly. "But…free scones!" he picked one up, taking a bite of it. "And they're delicious." he spoke after he finished chewing, still smiling as he looked over at Honey.

The answers they'd given had apparently been adequate, as Arquis let out a deep sigh of relief. That panicked look morphed into one of regret. He tried to stand, found himself unable, and moved on his knees until he was close to the bed. As if he was getting out of a pool, he planted his hands firmly on its edge and pulled himself back onto the comforter. The action exhausted him. He settled down a couple inches away from his lover, not quite touching.

"Sorry, love. Sorry. I had to make sure. I just had to." He swallowed thickly and stroked his palm over the fabric of the sweater. It was mostly just to steady himself. "Did I startle you?"

——

Honey finally dropped his hands to see what Ari was eating. He'd lied about not being hungry. Running always left him starving. He reached out for a scone of his own and hesitated. There were so many types. Kit hadn't labeled any of them. He could guess, but that was a dangerous game. What if he got one he didn't like?

"What kind was that one?" he asked curiously. His fingers dipped to pick up a scone with some sort of reddish topping. There was a pretty high chance it was red velvet, but he had no way of knowing for certain. He broke off a corner and popped it into his mouth. It wasn't red velvet. He wasn't sure what it was, but it tasted phenomenal.

Rin nodded a little. "You, uhm, did startle me a bit." he admitted. "Are you alright, though?" they reached out cautiously, hand settling on Arquis's shoulder. "You…you seemed rather frantic." he hated that not even Arquis's sleep was safe for him, especially when Arquis was so weak and in need of rest and nutrition. "Was it a nightmare?" he could already assume that it had been, but he wanted to check with Arquis.

"I don't know, but it's delicious." he replied, laughing a little bit as he finished it off. "Very delicious. Kit is a very kind waitress." she really was, especially considering that Ari had turned her down. Sure, he had done so as kindly as possible, but he had still turned her down. He was gay, a relationship had no chance of happening.

Arquis felt his last remaining bits of composure crumble, and he quickly closed the gap between them. His arms went around them; he pulled him in close. There was no sign that Rin was going to hurt him. The nobleman was as safe as he’d been earlier. He wished that fact would wash away his fear, but he was still pretty anxious and shaken.

"A horrible nightmare," he confirmed quietly. Talking probably wouldn't help in this case. He hoped they realized that and wouldn't push him for details. "I was really hoping that I would not have another. I have had so many as of late. Dreadful things."

——

"Aw, thank you!" Kit chirped. Honey burst into laughter. Sometime in the midst of them talking, the waitress had apparently snuck back over. She poured Ari a cup of tea, then filled one for Honey. "I try to be as nice as possible. A place like this deserves a staff that treats their customers well. But you should both know that these scones weren't really my idea. A lot of people really did pitch in and pay for them. And speaking of a lot of people, I've been asked to give you guys tons of addresses and stuff."

Out of another one of her pockets came a notepad. Written on top were the names and addresses of at least seven different people, Kit not included. Honey accepted the notepad.

Rin held onto Arquis, their arms wrapping around their partner. "I…" he trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I am sorry, darling." he whispered. "I wish there was a way I could help you sleep better." but they couldn't. There was nothing they could do to help Arquis but to hold him and comfort him as best as they could. He oculdn't do a thing to chase the nightmares away.

Ari laughed a little at Kit's interruption, looking up at her and then at the notepad. "What are the, uhm, addresses…for?" he asked slowly, a bit unsure why the other patrons would have given him and Honey their addresses and names. What were they expecting from the two young men?

"It is alright, love. Do not apologize." Arquis blew out a breath and rubbed his weary eyes. "I had a feeling that this would happen. At least I could rest for a bit, even if that rest was not peaceful."

There was no way at this point that he could go back to sleep. Even if he agreed to try, he was too jittery for an attempt to succeed. He was still shaking off the memories of their knuckles bruising his jaw, their fingers crushing his windpipe. It wasn't the worst dream he'd ever had, but it'd still been pretty jarring.

"Today has been an absolute nightmare," he sighed softly. His lips quirked in a very soft, small smile. "Well. Not all of today. Our earlier activities were quite pleasant."

——

Kit blushed all the way to the tips of her ears, notably avoiding Ari's gaze. "Oh, it's just for, like, if you wanted to write a letter or something! Or come by and visit them, to, you know, ask them out. It's not for anything else! I mean, maybe it could be, but that's not really, um, expected."

Honey had just taken a big sip of his tea, and he nearly spat it onto the table. What had Ari been expecting, for them to do house calls? He'd worked in the industry for a long time, yet he'd never actually gone to someone's house. They'd always had to come to him.

Rin nodded slightly. "Our earlier activities were very pleasant indeed." he said in agreement, kissing Arquis's cheek softly. "And, ah…I'm going to go get some food, I think. I'm hungry, and…you should eat something." he cleared his throat faintly, knowing that their words might upset their partner. "I'm sorry, darling. But you really should eat something." they gave him a quick, soft smile.

Ari blinked at her, then raised his eyebrows at Honey's reaction. Had he missed something? Maybe? His gaze flickered between the two, and he cleared his throat. "Well, uhm, alright." he replied slowly, running his hands through his hair and then taking a sip of his tea.

Arquis felt a wave of guilt wash over him, and he lovingly caressed his partner's chest. Their shirt felt soft under his palm. Not as soft as the sweater he'd given him, but still rather nice. He pet it for a few moments before nodding almost imperceptibly. While he didn't have an appetite, he knew that he needed to eat. It would help calm Rin and maybe clear his head.

"What are you going to get?" he asked, afraid of his answer. That was another way he knew it'd gotten bad. No matter what they said, if it wasn't nothing, it wouldn't be good enough. His mind was already preparing ways to cut down on calories. Substitutions. No dressing. Blotting butter or oil with a napkin. Cutting off the crusts.

——

Kit let out one more high pitched, embarrassed laugh before leaving again. Honey sort of wished he could follow her and disappear into the staff room, though that wouldn't really help. Apparently, they had admirers everywhere. He found that the thought made him both pleased and a little anxious. Admiration meant the potential for jealousy, which could then lead to possessiveness. He tried to drown that thought with tea.

"Man. Plain tea is pretty gross," he commented. There also definitely wasn't enough of it. The race had made him thirsty, and he'd got a small cup. He was practically already to the dregs. "Maybe I should've stuck to water or something. How's yours?"

Rin shrugged. "I don't know yet, I was just planning on seeing what the kitchen has available." he replied, holding onto Arquis. He was reluctant to let go, but knew that they needed to in order to leave. He couldn't stay here and get food at the same time. So, after a long moment of laying still, he release Arquis and sat up on the bed, stretching. "I'll go get that. Will you be alright by yourself?" he didn't know if Arquis was still feeling prone to fainting or sickness, and he didn't want to leave if their partner was still feeling like that.

Ari watched her go, then looked over at Honey. "Mine's good. Black tea can be gross, yeah. It usually needs some sort of cream or sugar to help with the taste." he replied, taking anothe rsip of his tea. "I just got mint, which is good on its own without anything else."

Arquis really, truly didn't want Rin to go, but it would be selfish of him to keep him there. They'd admitted to being hungry, and the last thing the nobleman wanted to do was make him wait. He hugged his sweater tight and offered up a weak smile.

"Perfectly alright, yes. Actually, I might be well enough to join you." He inched over so that his legs hung off the side of the bed. Using what looked like a considerable amount of effort, he pushed himself into a standing position. He grinned triumphantly. His knees weren't even wobbling. Maybe the doctor had been wrong. Maybe he wasn't getting worse at all. Maybe he'd just had a dizzy spell and there was some other explanation for the hair loss. Feeling confident, he took a couple of steps closer to the door, and then yelped as he stumbled. If the side table hadn't been nearby for him to grab onto, he might've fallen like before.

"I seem to have been wrong," he half-joked, half-groaned.

——

"Yeah. I'm gonna dump a boatload of cream and stuff in here. Don't have much left, but hey, why not make those last sips better?" Honey turned to the rack of jars, then paused. Of course they wouldn't keep cream or milk in a lukewarm environment. It was too bad that Kit had run off somewhere. He pulled a face and downed the rest of his tea in one go.

"What're we gonna do with all these scones?" he asked once he bitter taste in his mouth had faded. There were a lot of scones left, and he could only eat so many. "Maybe we could bring 'em back to share with people. You haven't seen hot stuff much lately, have you? Think he or dreamboat might want something to eat?"

Rin reached out to try and catch his partner, inhaling sharply. "Darling, let's…let's get you back to bed, lovely." he said softly, reaching out and holding onto Arquis, supporting him as they helped him back to the bed. "You're too weak for this. You need to eat, love. Let me get some food for us." their voice was gentle, but this was so difficult. Watching Arquis struggle like this.

He laughed a little, watching Honey and then shrugging at the questions. "We should definitely bring some back for Rin and Arquis; I have not seen them since…yesterday, I believe. They might appreciate the scones." though privately, he wasn't sure if Arquis would eat any; from what he had seen, the nobleman struggld with food.

Arquis let Rin walk him back to the bed, but he seemed distressed. His eyes shone with hurt. He wasn't mad at them in the slightest, yet he couldn't stop turning his words over in his head. Weak. They thought he was weak. And who could blame them, with the way he'd been acting? Stumbling and shaking and swaying while standing. Still, the remark hurt in a deep, unsettling way, like he'd taken a blow straight to his heart.

"I just feel so…" His shoulders sagged in defeat as he tried to find the right words. "I never meant for it to go this far. I never thought it would be this bad. I am sorry, love. For all of this."

——

"They might." Honey hesitated. "I don't know how to say this, or even what to say. It's not any of my business, really. I just worry about the two of them. They seem to have a lot going on. And I know everybody does, in a way, but, y'know, I can just tell something's up."

He thought back to everything he'd heard about Arquis before meeting him. The nobleman didn't seem like a bad person at all, but there had to be some truth to at least a few of the rumors, didn't there? Maybe he had a secret violent streak, buried deep in him. Or maybe he came from a family of vampires. That one definitely wasn't true, but that didn't mean none of them were.

Rin gently helped him sit down on the bed again. "I know, darling." he said softly. "I know you didn't. But it is this bad, and…and we have to try and fix this." he kissed Arquis's cheek, giving him a faint smile as he tried to reassure their partner. "It's going to be okay, Arquis. I'll go get us some food." he slowly let go of Arquis again, gaze flicking to the door.

Ari nodded a little. "Yeah. I don't know what Arquis is going through, but…Rin has their share of issues to work through." he did not go into detail. It was not his place. Rin's secrets were their own to keep, even if Ari knew many of them. He was not going to betray his friend's trust and spill the beans to Honey about everything that had happened.

Arquis didn't say anything this time around. Didn't try to join them, didn't try to convince him not to go. He just pulled the blankets around himself in a cocoon. Sleeping in Rin's arms had staved off the cold for a while, but it'd returned in full force. It felt like it was coming from within. The comforter only helped a little, but he wasn't going to complain anymore.

If it were another day, a better day, he might've taken a nap while they were out. Instead, he kept himself awake by twisting his hands together. His old scars were acting up. Older people often said that their bones ached when it was going to rain, but for Arquis, it was his scars. He wondered if it would snow again. Hopefully if it did, it wouldn't be like last time. Getting locked in this time around could be dangerous for his health.

——

"Yeah. I know. Kinda." Honey realized that he'd been slowly peeling apart a lemon scone. Crumbs were scattered all over his plate. He stuffed the rest of it into his mouth and waited until he'd finished chewing to speak again.

"But, uh, I also think there's something big going on. I heard someone talking just the other day, when I was working the front desk." He'd stuffed the memory of it down somewhere, deciding that it was nothing but harmless small talk. But he felt it might be worth mentioning. "They said a rich kid had gone missing and that someone was offering a reward for him. They kinda laughed it off after that, so I didn't think it was super serious, but, well, I'm not so sure. The two of them could be in some sort of trouble."