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

Started October 31, 2021 by Deleted user

tune

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(i knoww, it feels wrong that he's just. not there)

Rin nodded faintly at Honey's words. "I… hope you're right, but it was so… she felt sincere. And maybe she's just a good actor, that's certainly plausible, but it's… it felt…" he groaned in frustration, leaning his face into Ari's shoulder again.

Ari pulled Rin close, wrapping his arms close around his friend to try and soothe them through that physical touch, that physical comfort. He shot a worried look to Honey and Ophia, his expression concerned and unsure. God, this whole thing was just so weird, and it was all so uncertain. Or at least, it felt like it was. He didn't know what the hell was going on, and it wasn't a great feeling to have. "Come on. Change into something comfortable, and go to bed." he led Rin over to where their clothes were, and Rin pulled out some pajamas. "Go change." Ari said gently, shooing RIn towards the bathroom, and a moment later the bard closed the door behind them as he went into the bathroom to change.

(yeah like it just feels like it's missing something, even with all the characters that are there)

Ophia waited until Rin was in the bathroom with the door shut before looking at Honey and Ari. While she was clearly worried, there was anger in her expression as well, visible in the crease between her brows and the tightness of her jaw. She adjusted her glasses and shook her head.

"This whole situation is just ridiculous. Arquis is that woman's son, and not only is she trying to murder him, but she's also messing with his partner. What kind of a mother does that?" She tried to imagine doing that to Honey and Ari and felt hatred flare up inside her, like hot coals burning in her chest. "I can't believe anyone's taking her seriously. I don't think that Arquis is capable of hurting anyone."

She'd hurt people, back when she used to be a medic. She knew what it felt like, even enjoyed it on occasion. From what she'd seen of Arquis, the man who'd doted on Rin at her house, who'd gotten upset over the mere mention of his family. Arquis hadn't even tried to hurt Myr when he'd attacked, which would've been a perfect time to let out his violent side, if he had one. She remembered what Ambrose had told her when they'd been driving the carriage. She'd been dozing off when he'd sighed and confessed that he was worried about Arquis. He'd continued, saying that the nobleman was sick and that all this stress would likely make it worse. And then he'd told her that he had a bad feeling about Arquis's mom, since she apparently hadn't taken him in for checkups. What kind of a parent, he'd asked, tone laced with acid, didn't take their kid to the doctor? Even though Arquis was an adult now, he'd clearly been struggling with his disorder for at least a couple of years, though maybe not as severely as he was in the modern day. Still, why hadn't Muria insisted that he go to a specialist when he was seventeen or eighteen?

(yeah that's exactly it! it feels like something is missing)

"Well, I'm not sure she knows that Rin is Arquis's partner." Ari pointed out, frowning just a little. "And, to be honest, I hope that she does not. That sort of relationship is not really well received in this country. At least…from what I've seen." his date with Honey the other day, when the waiter had been so rude to them for no reason other than just who they were. "So, I do not know how well she would take that sort of news about her oldest son. She…would probably use it against Arquis in court. As some kind of evidence of…I don't know." he ran his hands through his hair, grimacing at the feeling of how greasy his curls were starting to get. He needed to wash his hair pretty desperately.

“Oh. I guess that’s true,” Ophia said, wincing. “I wish I knew more about his situation. I don’t know much about him, other than the rumors I’ve come across, and I know most of those aren’t right.”

Honey nodded at Ari's words, saddened but knowing that they were true. There were many reasons The Cecilia Rouge was seen as a den of sin, one of the main ones being that it allowed Anvillean nobles like Arquis to meet up with anyone they desired outside of the public eye. They'd come to stay for a weekend, indulge, and then return to their spouses and children as if nothing had happened. Honey hated them, but he pitied them as well. If he wore a dress and sparkly lipgloss out on a date with a handsome young man like Ari, people might be horrifically rude about it, but he wouldn't lose his family and friends. He wouldn't lose Ophia's warm hugs or Pretty's almost sisterly, annoyed yet well-natured smiles. But if someone like Arquis came out, he'd be completely ostracized, maybe even kicked out. Honey figured that was the price they paid for being so well off.

Someone entered the room, startling Honey from his thoughts. It was Doctor Lavin. At some point in between exiting the carriages and coming to the room, he'd taken off his coat, revealing an off-white shirt with the top buttons undone. He'd rolled his sleeves up his forearms and put his glasses atop his head. They'd fallen askew, but he hadn't bothered to fix them.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I just came by to let you all know that I, ah, have obtained permission from the High Council of Anvillea to visit with my patient. It's medical clearance only, meaning that I'm the only one who can see him tonight. But I thought I'd go check in and then report back to let you all know how he's doing." He glanced around at the three of them. Upon seeing Ophia, he cleared his throat and began to smooth down his rumpled shirt. "Hello, Ophia. I was wondering where you'd gone off to."

Rin came out of the bathroom in time to catch the end of Doctor Lavin's words about Arquis, biting his lips faintly. "You're allowed to see Arquis?" he asked softly, sitting down on the bed and looking over at Lavin, trying to process what was happening, what had happened. God, it was all so strange. "Can…can you tell him we're here? And ask if there's anything we can do to help?" god, he was still so angry with Arquis for the lies, but that anger would not help now. COmmunicating that anger would only stress Arquis out, and Arquis didn't need any added stress at the moment. The court was already enough stress on its own.

Ari nodded a little bit, glancing over as Rin came into the room. His mouth twitched in a faint smile as he watched the way Lavin reacted to Ophia's presence, reaching out to take Honey's hand, lacing their fingers together. "I hope Arquis is alright."

(so uh there's literally no point to me writing the second part to this other than I felt like it, like there's nothing for you to respond to I just missed writing Arquis lol and was in a write-y mood; also I'm just horrifically bad at names so like idk if Lavin's first name was Ambrose before but it is now haha)

Doctor Lavin's expression softened when he looked at Rin, and he gave them a comforting smile. "Of course I will. I'm sure he's alright. He's probably got guards watching him, and I'm certain that if anything bad had happened, I would have already been called in."

Ophia put her hand on his shoulder. "I should come with you. If it's medical clearance only, I mean, then they should let me in, right?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think so. The only reason they're letting me go is because I have records showing that he's my patient." His smile quirked to the side, a bit mischievous. "The records are admittedly very brief. But under Anvillean law, all citizens have the right to meet with their doctor while they're in custody. Even though we only had one appointment, that's technically enough to make me his doctor from a legal point of view. So, I'll just go on ahead now and see what he's up to, and then I'll come back around."

Ophia let her hand drop, disappointed not in him but in the fact that she wouldn't get to check on Arquis. She'd wanted to go and make sure he was okay so that she could reassure Rin. When Doctor Lavin left, she came over and sat next to them on the bed.

"Ambrose really is a great doctor," she said softly. "Arquis is in good hands."

—

As he walked down the halls of the Palace de Vey, guided by a very solemn butler, Ambrose Lavin honestly felt a bit out of his depth. He was a doctor, sure. He'd treated a wide variety of medical problems throughout his life. But he wasn't sure he could help with anything that Arquis might currently be going through. He could stitch cuts and reduce fevers, and he could hold a patient's hand as they passed, but he couldn't do much for the mind.

Nevertheless, when he was brought to a simple door protected by four armored guards, he did his best to present an air of confidence. One guard patted him down just to make sure he wasn't hiding any weapons and then opened the door. The other three guards maintained a steady lookout all the while.

"Have fun," one of them grumbled, and the doctor stamped down the loathing his tone provoked. His anger had no place here.

He entered the room and was surprised to see that it was mostly dark. The only light source came from a little desk lamp that had been wrapped so that none of the blunt edges poked through. As the guards shut the door behind him, the doctor took a few slow, cautious steps into the space, worried that he might wake Arquis up. He relaxed when he saw that the nobleman wasn't in bed but rather sitting in an chair, his right arm chained to one of the armrests, his other arm propping up his head. One of his legs was crossed over the other. The pose almost looked casual, but the stiffness in his shoulders that told the doctor that something was off. Indeed, as he got closer, Arquis turned to face him, and he got a sinking feeling in his stomach. Arquis's pupils were blown wide, and there was a thin sheen of sweat coating his face and neck.

"Hello, Arquis," the doctor greeted in a hushed tone. He knelt halfway to the floor, though his knees protested, so that they'd be at eye level.

What little color had remained in his skin drained away. He didn't seem like he could focus his gaze; it kept drifting to the right of Ambrose's head, above his shoulder. But he looked scared, shrinking in on himself in an almost childish manner.

"Dad?" he whispered.

(no worries!)
(arquis noooooooo :((( )

Rin looked over at Ophia as she came over to him, taking a deep breath. "I know he is, I just…I…" he exhaled shakily. "I'm just really worried…and…" and now he was starting to sound like he might cry. He was tired, and stressed, and overwhelmed, and he didn't even know what else to do. He curled their knees up to their chest, sniffling and pressing his face against his knees. "I'm just… 'n i talked with Honey and Ari about this earlier, but i'm so mad at him. He didn't even… he didn't even talk this out with me, at all, and he… he just…" they let out a shaky little breath, and Ari, still holding onto Honey, came over to put a hand on Rin's back, trying to give them the comfort of physical touch.

(man they're both really going through it huh)

Ophia hesitated before leaning in and gently wrapping one of her arms around their shoulders. She gave Ari a grateful smile, glad that he and Honey had come along. Rin was clearly going through a lot, and he'd need a strong support system if he wanted to get through it all. Especially if Arquis was found guilty. She tried not to imagine what might happen then. High Court executions were supposedly very hard to watch.

"What he did to you wasn't fair. I'm sure he had his reasons, but he shouldn't have left you in the dark. He has a lot to apologize for." Trying to stay positive, to give them some sort of hope, she added, "He does love you, though. I could tell that much from when you were both at my house. And I'm sure he'll be glad you ended up coming to the trial, even if it'll be hard for the both of you."

Honey stepped away from Ari and sat on the other side of Rin. He began to gently run his fingers through their hair, like his older sister had done for him when he was very young and had gotten sick.

—

Doctor Lavin faltered. He certainly hadn't been expecting that. Although he couldn't remember if he'd ever met Aurisi de Vey, he was pretty sure he didn't look anything like him. He of a medium height—not short, exactly, but not quite tall either—and had brown, curly hair threaded through with gray, glasses, and a beard that was starting to get a little too long for his liking. He'd heard Aurisi was tall and had black hair and blue eyes. He couldn't imagine that, even in the relative darkness of the room, the two of them could've been mixed up.

"No, not quite. I'm Doctor Lavin. I treated you back at the village." He waited for a moment, but the nobleman's expression stayed the same: haunted, afraid, slightly unfocused. He decided to try a different approach. "I came up here with Rin and your friends. They wanted to make sure that you were alright. They'll be coming to see you tomorrow, and they asked if there was anything they could do to help."

If Arquis heard what he was saying, he didn't seem to understand it. Ambrose leaned a little closer and studied him again. That was when it clicked. During the carriage ride, when they'd come to a stop to let everyone get something to eat, Lovey had told him what had happened to Arquis. How the men had come, and had stuck a syringe of something in his neck. He was so light that whatever the solution was had probably gone through him quickly. They'd clearly given him multiple rounds on the way over, and he was likely having a bad reaction from the last bout. He was hallucinating. He probably had been since he woke up, and Ambrose felt like going right on out the door and tearing into the guards because they'd left his patient in a dark room by himself for hours, clearly terrified out of his mind, chained to a chair.

Just as he was about to speak, to let Arquis know what was going on, the nobleman drew in a sharp, pained breath, like he'd been run through with a blade. The doctor looked up, worried, and was mortified to see that his eyes were shiny, and his chest was stuttering as he fought for air.

"Dad," he started, then choked up, his breath hitching again in a teary gasp. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't want this. I know I messed up, and I'm so sorry, Dad, I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to.”

(oh they definitely are, poor babies)
(btw i've been meaning to tell you. I, for some reason, keep picturing Honey as looking vaguely like young Dean Winchester lol)

Rin leaned into the gentle touches, shaking a little bit as he tried to process all of that. "I know, but…but what if I… he…" he swallowed hard. "What if he dies?" his voice was a small whisper now, as if he were afraid to say the words too loudly. "What if this all goes wrong, and he dies, and I nevr get to…to speak to him again?" they really did start crying a little bit. "What if Muria is right, and… and she wins the trial, and…"

Ari's shoulders slumped, and he did his best to comfort his friend. "I know." he said softly. "But you have to be positive, okay? It's going to be alright. Arquis is going to be fine, and everything is going to work out."

(that's interesting! I don't know who I'd compare him to, he's definitely more of a curly blond than Dean, though I could see some aspects of them being similar-ish)

"Ari's right. That's not gonna happen. You know Arquis, you'd know he'd never-" Honey cut himself off, not wanting to say the words aloud, especially when he himself wasn't at all certain that Arquis hadn't killed his father. He continued stroking through Rin's hair as he thought of a way to proceed. "And even if he did, he had to have had a good reason for it, right? I'm sure once the Court hears whatever that reason is, they'll understand it completely."

Ophia shifted so that she could cup Rin's chin, gently lifting it up from their knees. She wiped away one of their tears away. "I think what Honey's really trying to say is that no matter what happens, we're going to be here for you and him, okay? And we're not going to give up hope before the trial even starts. Let's take it one day at a time."

—

Ambrose wasn't sure he'd ever felt such fury before in his life. Every time he looked into the nobleman's wide, unfocused eyes, all he could think about was his daughter. She was at home with his sister, probably in bed, considering how late it was in the day, but he couldn't stop picturing her in the chair in front of him, near paralyzed with fear, yet begging through tears for forgiveness. Arquis was not a child, but he was still young. He didn't deserve to go through this alone.

"It's okay," he said, speaking slowly. For the first time since he'd come in, Arquis seemed to hear him. He took that as a good sign. "It's okay, Arquis. It's alright."

"It's not. It's not okay." His teeth chattered from how hard he was shaking. He tried to wrap his arms about himself, but the chain snagged on the leg of the side table nearby. Panicked, he yanked it towards him, but all that did was rattle the chain and startle him further. Ambrose tried to get closer so that he could free it, but as soon as he moved, Arquis flinched away. He stopped and held his hands up, his palms towards Arquis. The nobleman watched him, unmoving. He was breathing heavily.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I was just going to make it so that you can move around a little easier. Do I have your permission to do that?"

After a moment of hesitation, Arquis gave him a small nod. Ambrose leaned forward and unhooked the chain from the table. This time, the nobleman didn't flinch, but he didn't take his gaze off the doctor for a second. The whole situation reminded Ambrose of an animal caught in a hunter's trap. He wished he could take the cuff off entirely, but he didn't have the key. Besides, he wasn't sure it would actually help Arquis, given how dazed he seemed.

"There we go. Isn't that better?" He waited for Arquis to test it out and move his arm around before giving him a smile. "Now, why don't we see if you can try and lie down?"

The chain was long enough that they could in theory move around the room and get to the bed, but due to how difficult the last few minutes had been, Ambrose figured it'd probably be easiest for everyone if the noble stayed in the same place. Arquis, still visibly trembling but no longer crying, tucked his legs up onto the chair. He let his head rest on one forearm but kept his eyes on the doctor. Ambrose got up, went to the bed for a blanket, and came back over. He held it out. The nobleman raised his free hand to touch it. He stroked the fabric as if he could feel it, apparently forgetting that he was wearing gloves. The terror in his expression morphed into wonder, and Ambrose wondered what he was seeing in his state. Eventually, he nodded, and the doctor carefully draped it over him. He was once again reminded of his daughter and how he used to tuck her into bed when she was younger.

"You should try and get some sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up, I promise."

"You promise?"

"I do." He winced as he stood, his knees aching. He really needed to remember to bring his braces when he traveled. He looked down at Arquis, who was still running his hand up and down the edge of the blanket. "Do you need anything before I go?"

"Go?" He sounded sad. "But you just came back. You don't want to stay?"

(more like, the face shape i think. Like I do have him in my head as curly blond, it's just that his face looks a little bit like dean lol)
(i hope that's not making you second-guess anything, it really is just my brain being funky with the way it pictures people haha)

"'m sorry." Rin mumbled, leaning into Ophia's hands a little bit. "I'm just… I don't know." it felt like everything was crashing down around him, and he was so tired, and he was so scared, and… and it just felt like too much. Maybe if he hadn't gone to see Muria, this wouldn't have gotten so bad, but visiting her had wound him up, and now that he felt a little bit more safe, back with his friends, it was all coming back down again. ''m so sorry."

"Rin, it's okay." Ari said softly, frowning for a moment. "Just take a deep breath, okay?" he wished he could go get them some tea or a hot chocolate, but he would be completely lost in these hallways, and he had a feeling that this was not a place he wanted to get lost in.

(it's not, don't worry! I have a somewhat strong image of what my main characters look like by this point, though I do kind of wish I had someone to compare them to, that'd be fun)

Ophia shook her head and, noticing that they were leaning into her hand, brushed her thumb along his cheek. "Oh, sweetie, don't apologize. None of this is your fault. You can't help it if you're overwhelmed, I'm sure anyone in your place would be. But you're going to be okay."

Honey wrapped Rin up in as big a hug as he could manage without knocking either of them off the bed. It ended up having the opposite effect, sending them sprawling onto the bed. The blond didn't let go of him, though, holding him close. It reminded him of when all of them had been at Ophia's house and he'd started panicking. Rin had helped him and hugged him through it. He was determined to do the same for them. Arquis wasn't there to comfort them, so he would.

"She's right. You're gonna be okay, and he is, too, even if we have to come up with some crazy escape plan." He leaned back so that he could look into their eyes, deadly serious. "Right now I know it’s hard to believe, but we're going to get you through it."

—

Ambrose's heart ached for Arquis, who was peering up at him from under the blanket. He put his hand on his shoulder. "I wish I could stay, but I have to go tell your friends that you're alright. They're really worried about you."

He expected the mention of the nobleman's friends to cheer him up, but instead, he shrugged the doctor's hand off him and turned away. The doctor waited. After several moments passed, just long enough to make him wonder if Arquis had fallen asleep, he finally spoke.

"I do not have any friends." He drew in a shaky breath. He was still trembling all over. "I must not, or else they would come see me. But they have not. And now you are going to leave, and I will be alone again."

"They can't come see you, but they want to, I promise. They're actually coming to visit tomorrow. If you go to sleep now, then you'll get to see them when you wake."

He adjusted the blanket so that it wouldn't fall off as Arquis moved around. Then, he went to get him a pillow. The noble seemed like he was starting to have a hard time lifting his head as the doctor propped the pillow up on the armrest. His eyelids were drooping as well, and once the pillow was in place, he gladly sunk down into it with a yawn. Ambrose smiled, just barely resisting the urge to ruffle his hair. That wasn't his place.

"Goodnight, Arquis. Rest well."

"Goodnight, Dad."

(okay! and yeah i get that. you could always try playing around with some Picrews or something, see if you can make one that looks like them?)

Rin didn't mind that Honey had sent them both sprawling, and they just nodded faintly. "I…I know, I'm just…really worried for him." he replied faintly, closing his eyes for a moment. "What if he… I…" he let out a sharp breath, trying to shake away the thoughts and the worries and all the feelings about Arquis and the situation that were consuming him at that moment. "I just wish there was anything I could do to help, but there… there isn't. i can't even… there's just nothing, and I hate it." they took another deep breath, clearing their throat softly to, again, try and just process it all, trying to calm down a bit.

(I have before, and it's fun but it'd be cool to find an actor or someone that looks like them, too, if that makes sense, like a real person)

Honey nodded. He knew what it was like to feel helpless, to feel like the entire world was working against you. He also knew how easy that made it to give into defeat. He didn't want Rin go down that path like he had. That was why he'd struggled with alcohol. Part of it was to erase the memories and the pain, but part of it was to cope with the crushing loss of his sense of agency. It was a very hard road back to feeling like he had any control over his life, and he hadn't come anywhere close to reaching the end. Some days, he still felt powerless. He couldn't bear to see the same thing happen to Rin.

"You can be there for him," he said quietly. "I don't know him as well as you do, but I know that he's probably not feeling too good about his odds right now. If we can give him hope, and something to fight for, then I think that'll be his best chance of making it through the trial. 'Cause otherwise, I'm not convinced he won't just, y'know." He sighed. "Plead guilty to get it over with."

Someone knocked on the door. Ophia got up to open it, letting Ambrose in. After Arquis had fallen asleep, he'd spent a few minutes asking the guards what they'd given him to make sure it really would just work its way through his system. Right after that, he'd spent another few minutes ranting at them for their treatment of his patient. He wasn't a threatening man by any means—in addition to being average height and having graying hair, he was also not muscular in the slightest—but he could tell he'd shaken them, albeit slightly. They'd probably never had anyone yell at them like that while they were standing guard.

Ophia's brows shot up when she saw his face. "You look pissed."

He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "I am," he huffed. He couldn't keep his anger at bay any longer. "Those people,” he spat out that word as if he could barely believe they were human, “guarding him should all be fired."

(oh yeah i totally get that. Finding irl faceclaims is so cool, when you can manage it!)

Rin looked up when Ambrose came in, frowning at the man's words about the guards. "What's going on with Arquis?" they asked softly, looking up at the two doctors with worry in his gaze. "Is… is he alright?" he sat up a little, chewing on his lip as he awaited the answer. Oh, gods, what if Arquis was hurt? What if there was something very, deeply wrong? He didn't know what they would do, if Arquis was so sick that he wouldn't be able to defend himself on the trial. He just hoped that Ambrose had been able to help, in some way, and that Arquis would be alright. Gods, thsi whole thing was stressful.

Ari wrapped an arm around Rin again, still holding them and jus doing their best to soothe his worries. But, well, he too was worried about the nobleman. WOuld Arquis survive this?

(yeah exactly, maybe someday! also once again I'm not a doctor, this stuff especially is not at all researched lol)

Doctor Lavin caught the concern in Rin’s tone and waved his hand dismissively. "He's fine, it's nothing serious. I'm assuming you were there when the guards administered the tranquilizer solution." He scoffed as he put his glasses back on. "Well, they thought it would be a good idea to administer it multiple times, since he kept waking up in the cart on the way over. That would normally be fine if he were the average patient, but he isn't, he's underweight. So, basically, most of the previous solution would go through his system quickly enough that he'd wake up, but it wouldn't completely go through him before they'd administer the next dose. Stack that about two to three times, and you can end up having some nasty side effects after waking up from the final dose. Like I said, it's nothing dangerous. He'll sleep it off. But he's been hallucinating for at least a couple of hours. And they just left him in there! Alone! In the dark! Chained to a chair, like some kind of animal!"

Honey pushed himself up. "Hallucinating, like, seeing pretty colors? How bad are we talking?"

Ambrose raked his fingers through his curls. "He, ah," he swallowed, suddenly finding it hard to meet anyone's gaze. Quietly, he admitted, "He thought I was his father."

Rin listened, face falling at the mention of Arquis's father. "Oh." he said softly. "Ah… Arquis's father was…" he trailed off, not sure what to say. They ran a hand through their hair, trying to think of everything that Arquis had ever said about Aurisi. "He wasn't a kind man. From… everything that I've ever heard about him, he was an awful father. I…I hope that it doesn't get into Arquis's head." but if Arquis was hallucinating the man, then, well, it was probably already in his head, and Rin wasn't sure what else to do about it.

Doctor Lavin frowned. "I know that the trial is about his father's murder, and I know that for a long time it was thought that Muria's sister, Sirisa, did it. But I honestly don't know much else about Aurisi, besides that he was very wealthy and ran a candy company. Oh, and that he was a philanthropist. Supposedly, he'd go on business trips and give money to charity, or something of that nature. I always assumed that was just for his image."

"Was Arquis mad when he saw you? Or, uh, when he saw his dad?" Honey asked.

"No, not mad. He seemed…" The doctor paused, grasping for the correct word. Upset was close but not exactly right. Panicked wasn't quite it, either. Finally, he said, "He just seemed sad, I suppose, like a child missing their parent. I think the side effects of the tranquilizer were making him emotional. He kept apologizing, and he didn't seem like he wanted me to leave. He sounded lonely. I don't blame him."

Rin took a deep breath, listening to Ambrose. He frowned a little bit at the response, at the description. "He… he never had many friends, when he was younger, and Aurisi…" he trailed off, looking at the doctor. "I'm not from here, so I never heard much of Aurisi, but… he was not a kind father. And he… he brought Arquis with him, to the hotel. That's why Arquis knew of the place. And… that hotel is not a place to bring kids." he frowned again, shaking his head. "It was a kind of complicated, uh, father-son relationship." they didn't quite know what else to say about the whole thing, it was just… gods, it was awful.

Honey wasn't sure if he should say what he was about to say, but the words came barreling out of his mouth nonetheless. "There were some rumors about Aurisi at the Rouge. Most of them were just what you said, Rin, that he'd come by every so often. I think he stopped coming before I got there, but people would still talk about it every now and then. Apparently, he was kind of a womanizer. I mean, a lot of the guys that come there are, so that's not surprising. And it's also not surprising that he was cheating on Muria. Again, almost everyone that goes there is having an affair. That's one of its main draws."

"Aurisi shouldn't have brought his child with him. That's horrible parenting." Ambrose pictured an eight-year-old Arquis sitting in one of those bedrooms by himself, waiting for his father to return. His heart broke a little more for the nobleman. Maybe that was another reason why he'd thought the doctor was his father. Maybe his mind had recalled all the times he'd stayed up at night in an unfamiliar room by himself, hoping for Aurisi to come back.

"I hope he didn't force him into anything," Ophia said, pursing her lips in disgust. "I don't imagine he'd be very supportive of his son showing an interest in men, although it's possible he didn't know about it. Arquis probably kept it a secret."

"He…" Rin trailed off, looking down at his hands. "I think Aurisi suspected. Or at the very least, he was very…" he shook his head. "Arquis was terrified of…intimacy." he didn't want to say too much; he didn't want to embarrass Arquis by telling their friends too many details. "With me. It… caused him a lot of fear, and it was not a normal, ah, response." he frowned, glancing around at the others. "I… it was a hard conversation to have, with him."

Ari shook his head a little bit. He knew, a little bit, that fear that Arquis had felt, though Ari's had always been tied more with his gender than with his sexuality. "I can't imagine bringing a kid into that environment." he said softly. "That's just cruel. And inapropriate. And if someone had found Arquis by himself, anything could have happened." and now he was angry on Arquis's behalf, for the way Aurisi had treated him.

(I know you said a while back that you don't really need warnings for any of this, especially since it's not like explicit or anything, but just in case I'm just going to say that probably until the trial ends in the story there's going to be a lot of dark/mature topics brought up)

Ambrose stayed quiet for a moment. A very dark thought was emerging in his head. If Aurisi really had known about his son's preferences, then it was possible that taking him out to the hotel had a more sinister purpose. He could tell Ophia was going down a similar chain of thought when he looked over at her. She was frowning to herself, one hand absentmindedly fiddling with her hair.

"You don't think that Aurisi would have hired someone for his son, do you? To… to fix him?" The words felt wrong as soon as he said them, and he shook his head. "Surely not. Hopefully not, at least."

Honey cleared his throat. "He couldn't have, even if he'd wanted to. All the workers there have to sign contracts saying that they won't talk about their clients and stuff, and those contracts also prevent us from doing that sorta thing. The owner doesn't want to be liable for any crimes."

He didn't, of course, mention that only the workers had to sign those contracts. The clients could do anything they wanted with anyone they wanted, so long as they kept it a secret, which was exactly why he'd started off so young. The owners knew they wouldn't be liable for hiring him for other purposes, like cooking, cleaning, and working the front desk. Anything else he did at sixteen was on the side, not related to his actual job. Instead of shame, he was surprised to feel hot anger rising up inside him like lava. It wasn't fair. None of that had been fair. He felt his fists clench at his sides and had to take a deep breath to steady himself.

He wasn't going back.

The though came out of the blue, but as soon as he had it, he knew it was the truth. He'd never go back there. He was done. But he couldn't think about the implications of that now, it just wasn't the right time or place.

"But Arquis wouldn't have known about the contracts, I don't think," he added. “So maybe he was worried it could still happen. I don’t know.”

(alright!)

"It's so fucked up." Rin said, shaking his head a little bit as Honey exlpained the contracts, still frowning. "The whole thing is just…" they trailed off, really hoping that nothing like that had happened. And he didn't think it had, Arquis would have told him if it had…right? A few days ago, RIn would have believed that Arquis would ahve told him, but now? With everything that Arquis hadn't told him… they were no longer quite so sure that they could believe that.

"Arquis never… he never told me, if that was the case, that…" he shook his head again. "He never said anything that would indicate that that…happened. As far as I'm aware, nothing like that did, but, ah, that doesn't mean that he was never…worried about it." he raked his hand through his hair, feeling the soft waves flow between his fingers. God, this was all just hard to think of.

Ari exhaled, looking around the group. He reached out to wrap an arm around Honey as the blond spoke, knowing that talking about the contracts was likely bringing up some… less than pleasant memories. He didn't interrupt the conversation, just held onto the blond to try and help reassure him that he didn't have to go back to that. The physical, nonverbal comfort was the most he could offer, at the moment, without derailing the conversation.

Honey sighed contentedly as Ari held him, his anger dissipating. His touch reminded him that he was no longer there, that he could let his guard down for once. His anger could wait until he returned to collect his belongings. He could control it. He smiled gratefully at Ari before turning back to Rin.

"His dad could've used it as leverage, even if he knew it wasn't gonna happen. Or maybe not leverage, just something to keep him in line. If he never brought Quirisa or Marsiquia along, then maybe that'd explain why." Realizing that Ari and Rin probably didn't know what he meant, he continued. "Right, so in Anvillea, nobles usually follow older inheritance rules, I think. Those rules say that only men can inherit property. It passes from father to son, then from that son to his own son, and on and on forever. Aurisi probably wanted to make sure that Arquis was, y'know, gonna marry someone that could have a son, so that they could keep the Palace in the bloodline."

Ambrose let out a thoughtful hum. "I'm surprised Muria still technically owns the Palace. Her husband passed away, so it should've gone to Arquis, shouldn't it?"

"Technically, yeah. Like I said, I don't think nobles have to follow that rule. They're not gonna get arrested if they don't, but it's kinda weird if they choose not to, or so I've heard." He thought for a moment, then frowned. "Oh. Yeah. So, men can only inherit when they turn eighteen. Their mom can hold it until then."

"Didn't Arquis's dad die when he was seventeen?" Ophia asked.

"I think so. Muria probably didn't wanna start the paperwork for the transfer when he was, y'know, grieving." He shrugged. “Or maybe she just didn’t wanna give it up, I don’t know. This is all speculation. I’m sure Arquis will answer all of our questions tomorrow.”

Rin frowned slightly, taking in everythibng about the inheritance laws. "It's… strange, though, that Arquis is 21, but it would seem that Muria is still in charge of the palace." he didn't quite know what else to say about that, he wasn't informed enough about Anvillea's inheritance laws. "Well, in charge of most things." he knew that Arquis had done so much around the palace, and yet. And yet, it still felt off, somehow, in the back of his mind. He didn't quite know jsut what, but it seemed strange.

Ari returned Honey's soft smile, then listened to the conversation around him, brows gathering in concern. "I don't know, this all is just… odd." he said, still holding onto Honey. It was still partially to soothe HOney, but also because he himself wanted the grounding of that comforting touch. "I don't know what else to say about it. I just hope Arquis comes through all of this okay." he ran his free hand through his hair, and grimaced a little bit. Gods, his curls were starting to get greasy. He needed to wash them, desperately.

(I think it's so funny that Ophia and Ambrose have basically just randomly adopted four adults)

Ambrose nodded at what Rin had said, then clasped his hands together as he looked around the room. Everyone looked exhausted, like one more bout of bad news would wipe them all out. He, too, felt it settling deep into his bones, especially his knees and lower back, which ached dully whenever he so much as took a step.

"Well, we could stay up all night talking about Arquis and what we think might've happened, but I think I'd prefer it if we all got some rest. We'll be able to ask all the questions we want tomorrow." He yawned, stretched, and then winced at the twinge in his back. Ophia hid a smile. "What?"

"We're getting so old, aren't we?"

"We are. And I'm even older than you. I'm ancient." He laughed, turning back to the rest of them. "You crazy kids better listen to your elders, okay? Try and get some sleep."

Ophia walked with him over to the door. "We'll catch up with you all tomorrow after you get a chance to talk with Arquis."

(ddfghbb they looked at these four disasters and said "youre our kids now")

"Alright. See you two in the morning." Rin replied, seeming calmer than he had been, but there was still the remnants of that fear and concern lingering in his eyes. He waited as Ambrose and Ophia left, exhaling as they shut the door behind them. He closed their eyes again, rubbing a hand across their face and shaking his head for a moment. "Ugh. I…" he shook his head again, falling into silence. He had no idea what he could even say, in this situation.

"Just go to bed, Rin. You'll need your rest." Ari said gently, lighting pushing on his friend's shoulder to help them lay down. "I need to take a shower, because my hair is getting a little too greasy for my taste, but Honey can stay out here with you." he stood, keeping an eye on his friend and then glancing over at Honey to make sure that Honey was alright with that, with staying out here with Rinlos was okay with the blond. Honey certainly wouldn't be joining him in the shower, for multiple reasons. Firstly, Rin had no desire for the other man to see him naked just yet. Secondly, he didn't want Honey to get the wrong idea. Thirdly, someone needed to stay with Rinlos.

(Ambrose went from having one kid to having five in like a matter of days)

Honey gave Ari a thumbs up before flopping down on the bed next to Rin. He paused, realizing he was still wearing the clothes he'd had on all day, reluctantly got up, and changed right then and there. He didn't really care if Rin saw. They'd helped change his clothes when he was drunk that one time, so it was nothing they hadn't seen before. Once he was in his pajamas—the top was ripped on one side, Myr really had messed up most of his clothes—he came over and settled back into his spot next to the bard.

"I know I'm not him, but I'm here for you," he said softly. Then, bashfully, he spread his arms and asked, "C'mere? Only if you wanna."

(fkdhdhb exactly)

Rin looked over at Honey, lips parting faintly, and then they nodded, cuddling closer to Honey and leaning into him. "Thanks." they said softly. "I, ah, I appreciate it." he was so tired, and this had all been a lot to try and deal with, and try and process everything that had happened. But for now, he just needed to get some sleep, and having Honey's arms wrapped steadily around him was, well… it was nice. It helped, in many ways, to have that soft, gentle touch around him. It helped to ground him, to make him feel a little bit less like he was alone in Arquis's room. This room, where they had first really bonded.

Ari took a spare change of clothes with him, and then went into the bathroom, and got in the shower. God, it felt good to wash his body and wash his hair. ALl that grease that had started to collect in his curls was simply awful to try and deal with.

Honey hummed happily as Rin leaned into him, feeling, for the first time in the last few days, content. This kind of gentleness, this comfort without expectation, was still a little new to him, but it was wonderful. He liked holding someone without worrying where they might put their hands. Though he'd only met them recently, Rin felt safe.

It didn't take him long at all to doze off. Arquis's bed was big, though maybe not as comfortable as he'd expected, Rin was warm, and he was very tired. He wasn't used to traveling. Being cooped up in a cramped little carriage, only able to stretch and walk around every few hours, wasn't really his thing. It'd gotten on his nerves, and being mildly snappy and uncomfortable had eventually worn him out. He was thrilled to finally be stationary, though the fatigue lingered. He fell asleep with his arms still wrapped around Rin, holding him close.