Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

9/3

Basilio wasn't really sure what to make of anything these days. Sea monsters- and a human at that as if the ocean weren't bloody terrible enough!-, islands where the only thing worse than the heat was the "hospitality", Del's health on the fritz, not to mention the risk of the latest rookies being turncoats. It should have been a right terrible mess, one Lord Louis wouldn't have put up with for a second and he would've avoided 'bout half of 'em in the process.

But it wasn't. While the pups were still too green for their own good, they were getting everything to work out for them. They'd been right 'bout saving the chief, helping his sister-priestess on top of that, and bringing back the fancy lance all peaceful-like without even keeping it for themselves. If they hadn't been as good to these island folks as they had been, the way Lord Louis wouldn't have, there wouldn't have been anyone who'd have given him or Del so much as the time of day.

To say nothing of how quick they'd been able to get Del back to what passed for a town the second his brother started to really go south. Sure, Lady Junah had told him not to look outside when they blazed it, and she hadn't needed to tell him twice. But that dinky little runner had never moved that smooth before, definitely not when it was on the water, and the sun still hadn't even start to setting by the time they got back.

Wasn't like Basilio to risk looking a gift horse in the mouth though, so he kept quiet, even when Del was the one askin' the questions. Not that he could be sure how many questions Del'd remember asking with how badly the fevers had scrambled him a good few times.

He didn't keep as quiet when it came to catching Del testing his foot after that, given how badly that had nearly gone for them the first time. Lady Junah had been just as attentive.

And then the next thing he knew Saint Rella was right there! On those god forsaken islands, like it was just some house call! She even remembered them on top of all that- got both him and his brother by name- and he could only hope he didn't make a right fool of himself in front of her.

Even if it was Lady Junah reaching out to her, it didn't feel real. With how quick Lady- Saint Rella was gone, with no signs of another runner or ship having come or gone when he and Del had reached the beach she'd had them run to and back from, he could've half believed he dreamed her up. 

Wouldn't have been the first time he'd done that when left to his own devices. Hell, it'd almost be fitting 'cause he could barely believe someone like her had been real the first time she saved him.

But Del wasn't as willing to let that part go by the time they got back from the run, winded or not.

"There ain't any "in the area" 'bout this, Bas," Del wheezed more than hissed as he tried to catch his breath. "No way they could get a message to her and get her here that quick. Not unless they planned for something to go south. Something's not right."

Basilio barked a laugh at that one, "Not sure these types plan for much of anything, Del! Even we believed the Santifex bastard when he said the calamari he brought was the sea beastie, why wouldn't they? And they were the ones who nearly got themselves axed by the locals the first night, so it ain't like they had an inside man before we made shore, yeah?"

"So, how'd they do it?" Del asked himself more than Basilio, "can't deny our own eyes, can we?"

"Sure this ain't the sorta thing Saint Rella was talkin' 'bout, Del?" Basilio scratched his ear and got a scolding look from his brother for it. He narrowed his eyes right back. "With you bein' anxious and all that?"

"I told you I'm sound-"

"Always been prone to twisting your head in circles though," Basilio cocked his head as he stared down his older brother. "Ain't the clemar s'posed to be the stubborn ones?"

"I'll stop being "stubborn" 'bout it when I stop being right ." Del rolled his eyes at him as he practically bit out the words. "'Cause something here ain't."

Couldn't really argue there. Some days it's like the newbies weren't even on the island at all ‘til the sun went down, with them running off to god knows where with all their "helping those in need". Not that they had been on this island the whole time either, what with the favours Lady Junah and little priestess needed done once the lance was secured like the boss wanted.

Del straightened his back but relaxed as he sighed at the sky. "Just need know what's going on here, Bas. For our sakes as much as Lord Louis's." He admitted softly and flexed his claws. "Wouldn't want to know what might happen to us if it turns out they're managing something right under our noses."

Basilio felt his jaw go slack. "C-come on Del, the Count knows we ain't like that-"

"We're here as his eyes and ears, so we can't afford to miss something he wouldn't." Del shook his head at him, and his pupils were thin slits with worry. "Sometimes being "loyal" ain't enough, and I'm not riskin' this being one of those times, Bas."

"I-I mean technically we're here for Lady Junah-" Basilio tried to argue, but this sort of talk was already getting him twitchy. One benefit to these mustari folks and their masks was that he didn't have to know if they were staring at him, his ears, or his tail, but sometimes it left him still feelin' like it when there weren't even none around.

"And she's here to represent Lord Louis's best interests so if she isn't, that falls to us." Del scoffed as he adjusted the cuff of his coat sleeve, though he had that lost look to his eyes again. "She already showed she's willing to play with the Sanctists if she sees the writing on the wall. Thought supporting Lord Louis would've made that rather difficult."

Basilio felt his fur rising at the thought, but he shook those worries away. "Saint Rella ain't like them other Sanctists though! And Lady Junah only got her out here because she was worried about you , Del, no way Lord Louis could complain 'bout that!" Basilio's hand went to his tie, rubbing the bright white silk as he lowered his voice. "If any of 'em weren't loyal, keeping either of us around in any state wouldn't help 'em any, but they've saved you twice now. Don't that mean anythin' to ya?"

Del wasn't able to look him in the eyes at that one. And it wasn't even like Basilio didn't get it this time.

Much as he'd hate to say it, sometimes he felt a small needling in the back of his head too. How them helping Del as much as they did had effectively gotten both brothers off of 'em without the risks of either officer dying in "mysterious circumstances" like Zorba had.

But the alternatives to Del's injury playing out like it did, one nobody coulda saw coming 'cause it weren't like Del to be the sort of reckless to let some Human scratch fester, were all so much worse than that it felt like drowning to think on it too hard.

Basilio took a breath. "You said you helped the evacuations 'cause you owed these people, Del. Don't we owe them too?"

"I know that, but that don't mean that we've got to put ourselves on the line for them." Del's eyes were screwed shut like that admission felt like he was pulling a bad tooth. When they opened his pupils were still small like something had him spooked bad. "Even if Lady Junah isn't being upfront with us, we'd owe them for pulling our weight when it comes to keeping her safe too."

"So? We still gonna try grilling them on how they got Saint Rella here in spite of that, or not?" Basilio asked though he felt his ears drooping. He wasn't as good at hiding how he felt like that the way Del was.

The pause felt like something was spiltting somewhere, like one of them big hunks of ice falling into the ocean.

"Yeah, we do." Del decided as he gave a nod, though he didn't look that comfortable with it either. "Might not be a big deal anyway. And it's not like we'd be going into it empty handed."

Del pulled his pack out to get a painted cloth the islanders gave them earlier, for saving so many of 'em. The map of the east side of the island, so they wouldn't need to mess with any other weird currents to get to Montario.

"We can present it as a trade," Del said with one of his more schemey grins. "They need this in order to get the lance to Lord Louis in time. So until I'm happy with their answers, keeping the lot grounded is easy enough."

Basilio gave a nod at the plan, though it still didn't sit quite right with him.

They held off of the "grilling" at first, really. Basilio half forgot they were supposed to if he was being honest, and more than half of that might've been more willful than he'd ever say.

Del's supposed to take the lead with that sorta stuff anyway. Everyone knew Basilio wasn't much of a thinker, so laying out suspicions never sounded right coming outta him first unless they wanted it to look like the mess was painfully obvious. Only times he’d push the issue on  his own was if he heard something that didn’t sound right or felt the need to go fishing for a lie.

Instead Del kept the map on him when he brought up having it and asked to see the boy's book, completely unrelated to the plan Basilio had been waiting on. Mighty nice book though, even if Del immediately started poking holes in it the way he'd do to just about anything that could hold his interest.

"A dream's just a dream," Del had said like that should have been the final word on the matter of "utopias" and "diners" and any such fantasies.

"Why would it have to be "just a dream"?" the elda boy asked, like it was the most obvious question in the world. “If you think you’d enjoy running a diner some day, why not?” His weird mismatched eyes were painfully earnest as he gave Basilio his whole attention. “It’s not like anyone can afford to fight forever . Sounds like a solid backup plan to me!”

No "who the hell would trust the food a filthy paripus made", or "who'd want to pay a killer to cook for 'em", or "how'd a couple of orphan anythings get a roof for themselves, much less learn to run any sort of business".

Hell, an elda should know how this worked by now. Was this one sheltered worse than the mustari girl?

Would explain why he didn't think having the Sanctoress publicly confess like he had her do would've been the immediate death sentence it was.

"I just said, didn't I?" Del scowled at the boy, but the pup just shrugged back.

"I know a paripus who makes some really good food back in Grand Trad, you know?" The kid said with a smile and a breath of a laugh, "I mean, she runs an "Inn" more than a restaurant, but if you want I could introduce you two to her sometime. She can get pretty busy at night, so she’s even let someone like me help out. I've learned a lot from her!"

Basilio blinked between the boy and his brother with a widening grin, but Del looked like he was half ready to run or hide. And where words were involved, Del's ways of "hiding" tended to get nasty.

Del scoffed, a sarcastic grin forcing its way on his face. "A paripus? In Grand Trad ?" he snorted a laugh, "Let me guess, in the slums you mean?"

The elda stammered some before giving a nod, "I-I mean, if you mean Sunshade Row then yeah I guess. It's not like I could do any better." Basilio heard himself give a small click with his tongue at hitting that bit of an obvious issue. Kid was still smiling somethin' mighty nostalgic though, "she and Maria gave me a place to stay my first night there, and I try to make a point to visit them when I can."

"Oh, do you got a girl waiting on you already, pup?" Basilio beamed ready to tease, tail already giving a wag at the bait.

"Something like that," the elda admitted with a laugh that had the knight and the old bat look half-ready to stop him from putting his foot in his mouth.

The mustari girl looked like this shocked her in a more personal way than most, so maybe not the best bit for teasin' anyway. Makin' a nice gal like her sad in the name of a laugh would make him feel like a rotten bastard if he wasn't already.

"Well, uh, Miss Fabienne's Redgrass Roasted Bidou is fantastic !" the clemar boy offered as a redirect with something of a laugh, "can be a bit hot though, I had trouble feeling my tongue the first time I had it."

That caught even Del’s sharp tongue, as he nearly let his surprise at hearing a noble give an honest compliment show despite his doubts about this lot. Basilio had to try to hide a grin at yet another clemar’s struggle with the spicier side of paripus cookin’.

In his defense he had never for a second thought Lord Louis would’ve given anything he made the time of day. He was still a little surprised the Count hadn’t accused him of any funny business or nothin’ with how red only a spoonful or two of that stew had left him.

"-Her recipe for the Cockatoo Wooly Cloud Omelette turns out so fluffy too," the fairy girl rocked side to side in the air with her eyes shut all wistful-like. "I'm not sure I would've believed we could make that one if I wasn't right there!"

"Wouldn't have come out half as good if I had listened to you either, Gallica," the elda teased and the tiny thing spun to face him like he'd had struck her with an affronted squeak to match.

"I'm partial to her Desert Veggie Stew myself," the roussainte knight added with a small smile of her own, "though I particularly enjoyed the crunch of the first one you had served me, Captain."

The panic on the elda's face looked like that last one might not have been as much of a compliment as the lady had intended. Lady Junah found his reaction alone to be a right riot while the eugief shook his head in sympathy for the poor lad.

"Oh, I'd love to see how your stews compare to ours sometime!" the mustari priestess chimed with a grin that could've damn well lit the room on her own. "How far exactly is "Grand Trad"?"

"Longer than we'd have before Saint's Day." Del stated as his grin grew sneakier as he went for the kill. "Not unless you lot have a way to get there as quick as Saint Rella."

Their "crewmates" clammed up dead quick. The eugief was the only one who let his sword hand get close to his blade, but he cut that out as quick as he noticed Basilio's eyes on him. Everyone else just went quiet, expecting to follow their "captains" lead.

All 'cept Lady Junah who put her head in her hands with a keening groan, "Oh for heaven's sake Rella… She had you two run to the beach ."

"That she did," Del grinned wide at her, "imagine our surprise to see there weren't any ships there that could've brought her down there, or any runners 'sides your own. Don't s'pose you know how exactly that happened?"

"I swear that girl has more magic than sense some days," Lady Junah muttered into the heel of her palms, though her shoulders were shakin' like she was trying to keep herself from laughing.

"S-she wouldn't have needed a ship or a sea runner!" the fairy offered, nodding her head like if she agreed with herself enough then everyone else would too, "The church has sky runners, they're a lot faster! The currents weren't even a problem-"

"It's fine Gallica, I'm pretty sure we're cooked," her captain shook his head at her with a smile like he was finding this farce to be incredibly funny. Raising an eyebrow at Basilio first before looking Del in the eye he asked, "so, would you rather an explanation or demonstration?"

The noble and the knight both tried to raise their objections before Del even had a chance to answer, but their captain settled them by just raising a hand. A hand he tilted Del's way, as if to give him the floor.

Del went quiet in thought, eyes darting between the hand and the elda's eyes before they narrowed with a cross of his arms. "Ain't like we the type to be all that technical anyways. Demonstration sounds more our speed, doesn’t it, Basilio?"

Basilio nodded, but kept his eyes on as much of the crew as he could. The mustari girl looked confused more than anything, but she could be as out of the loop as the brothers' were. Lady Junah's arms were as crossed as Del's but she wasn't as shaken as the rest, her mouth was pinched like she was annoyed but her eyes got that sparkle she’d get when she figured she was about to get her way. The eugief always looked half tempted to scrap so no changes there, but the noble was worried and the knight was watching the boys with cold keen intent.

"Well, we wouldn't want to leave her too swamped but a party of three shouldn't be too much since Gallica and I share." The captain said like this was the most casual thing in the world, turning to the priestess, "Unless you'd like to try some stew with us, Eupha?"

"What're you on about?" Del asked with his claws ready to make the kid's eyes "match" if he didn't like the answer.

"Sounds like you two will be coming with me back to the runner, and we'll be eating at the Hushed Honeybee Inn tonight." the boy said like it was a simple matter of fact. "Unless "The Magnus Brothers" are too good for "the slums", I guess," he added with a smug little shrug, completely clueless to how him thinkin' Sunshade counted as "slums" to them was already screaming' how little he knew.

"As long as the grub's worth it, don't matter to me where it's from," Basilio shrugged back but made sure his axe was staying on him. Regardless of who he might need to use it on.

Del gave a growl at the challenge but that didn't mean he turned it down, and the four, or five if you counted the fairy hitching a ride on her boy, headed through the dark.

Basilio was half-surprised that only the eugief was following them at a distance, though the old man wasn't trying to be as sneaky as he could be. He wanted the brothers to know he was there.

"Ain't it risky for folks like you to try going out too far at night?" Basilio asked, already seeing how the two squirts needed to squint to make out anything not close enough to a torch.

"It won't matter, you'll see," the elda reassured.

"We see better than you do in this light is more the point, pup." Del retorted from the back of this little "pack".

"And I couldn't just send you two ahead because without me, this won't work." the elda said with a sigh as he tried to pick up his pace. "Which is why we try to keep quiet about this-" the boy cut himself off with a yelp as the mustari helped stop him from landing face first thanks to tripping on a bit of driftwood caught in the path. The boy thanked her before looking back at the brothers, his yellow eye catching enough torchlight for it to look like it had an ominous sorta glow. "Neuras isn't sure how exactly it works."

"Like, an elda thing or that trick you lot you do to use magic without igniters?" Basilio asked but the boy was already shaking his head.

"Couldn't tell you. We know it can't just be from the archetypes, 'cause I'm the only one that can get it running, so…" the elda paused in front of the sea runner, looking up at it like he hoped it had an answer. Shaking his head he swallowed looking down at the ground. "Best case scenario, this is something only I can do, for better or worse. Worst case scenario would be that this thing just needs an elda. Any elda. And that's why I would really rather you keep this to yourselves if you can."

"Can't make any promises, ‘specially if this is a trick that could give Lord Louis an edge." Del said cold enough to make Basilio wince, though he wouldn't know if either of the kids could catch it.

"I understand," the elda replied as he led them the last bit of the way, warning the old ishkia of the "plan" when the codger mumbled something apologetic about how long " that" lasted.

Basilio hadn't really bothered with the engine room before, between the overlapping mess of noise and shite smells he didn't see a good reason too. But he knew enough about the Charadrius to say he didn't recognize the halo of igniters the boy bee-lined to. And the pulse of magic that followed made him flinch harder than normal folk would have.

He barely realized he shut his eyes when he felt Del give him a tap with the back of his hand to say things were fine. Nothing stung that wasn't supposed to, everything was sound. Basilio could breathe. Once he got his body to catch up anyway.

And when they got out to the deck they were smack dab in the middle of Sunlumeo Street, right where the runners were supposed to park.

"Bloody hell?" Del swore to himself.

"I ain't dreamin', right? This can't be- can it?" Basilio managed out.

"I can only take the runner to the major towns I've been to. Grand Trad, Martira, Brilehaven, and Eht Ria so far." the elda said softly. "So, it's not like we're dragging our feet or anything; we really do need to leave from the Virga Islands to reach Altabury by the deadline. As far as I know, the currents calming after the fifth is our best bet. Right, Neuras?"

"Quite right, m'boy," the ishkia nodded stiffly. Too stiff to get a good read on, but asking his engie over the priestess 'bout her island's waters felt a tad funny.

Del was quiet a moment before he gave a sigh. "So you're scared that if word gets out, what? Someone cracks the trick to makin' more so your people would be hunted and dragged all over just to power the lot of 'em?"

The elda nodded as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, his fairy friend holding her tongue nearly as hard as she was gripping the shoulder of his coat. The ishkia who stumbled into or "fixed" this igniter was stiff as a board and nearly as pale as his wings, but his glasses had too much of a glare to see his eyes.

If the man weren't obviously more of a thinkin' man than a fightin' one, that sorta freeze might've been the type that comes before you make sure to shut a man up permanently. A dumber thinkin' man might've tried it anyway, and get 'imself killed instead, 'cause the elda and the brothers were the only ones armed worth a damn.

"Can we have a moment, Del?" Basilio asked quietly, but his brother's eyes had a thinkin' edge of his own already.

"Do you think we need one?" Del asked back and gave a shrug, making no attempts to get out of earshot of the worried elda or his friends. "I couldn't tell ya if this is the sorta thing Lord Louis would care about one way or another."

"How could anyone not care about being able to travel so far, so quickly?!" the priestess asked in a rush, "I can't even imagine how much this could change for my people. To be able to break our isolation in an instant . How much he's helped me see already, I never would have otherwise; how much easier this would make trade or-"

"And that's the heart of it right there." Del cut in as he looked back at the runner top to bottom. "Lord Louis doesn't generally care for what makes things "easy". Doesn't take a genius to see how much a trick like this could royally muck up a battlefield, supply lines alone could be practically a non-issue in what would’ve been a war of attrition otherwise. Goes double for how "easy" it could be to desert and try to claim otherwise once the dust is settled."

"Or winnin' a fight 'fore it starts by dropping the "right" folks in at the heart of the "problem"." Basilio added as he scratched at his bad ear again. But he wasn't liking how things were looking.

Typically Lord Louis's push of what happened to the "weak" in his vision was dyin', not slavery, not that either feels great to him. Though, Basilio didn't think he'd right deny it either; somebody's always gonna end up on the low rung eventually. Bullied into compliance, of one sort or another.

Still, the idea that a system already that broken could be broke even further by making it so folks could be born a slave, instead of there being some token gesture of framing somebody to get free labor for however long whatever they can pin on ‘em fits, made his stomach lurch.

Del took a slow breath, and a slower blink at Basilio. Basilio's ears were just about flat on his head; anyone with eyes could tell where he'd rather fall on this one.

He'd rather fall on a sword than be the one forcing folks to be used for some freaky igniter bullshite just 'cause they were born into the "wrong tribe". The only elda he's ever known was this kid, and he's been good to the brothers so far. Taken good care of Del and Lady Junah.

Ain't like the would-be assassins Lord Louis puts through that hell at all. They all chose to try killin' a man first, even after that first demonstration of the king's magic protecting his killer.

"Fine." Del said to him, before addressing the elda directly. "Consider us even; We won't say anything to Lord Louis yet unless you put us in a position where we need to."

The elda practically crumpled against the side of the runner as he let himself relax. "I was hoping you'd say that; I'll try not to. I mean, we've been doing this since the race started and I'm guessing you haven't heard any weird rumors about us yet?"

"It'd be easier to say which rumors with you people aren't "weird"," Del scoffed as he tried to look less like he was ready to kick himself. "Or anything about you sorry bunch."

"So, that leaves dinner!" the elda grinned as he got his sword to do its freaky floaty trick and pulled a fancy jump from the runner's deck to the ground below, like he forgot that "leading" means he can't right leave everyone in his dust.

The ishkia man barked a laugh at the boy's "bold as ever" stunt, before leaving them to work on something in the runner. Something about having too much left to do for him to be joining them tonight. Bit shifty how he said it, but Basilio was thinking the brothers were just making him skittish.

Basilio nearly gave the old goat a heart attack once just from not givin' 'nough warning when he finished with the showers, so he wouldn't be surprised. With nerves like that, it's little wonder even a bleedin' kid could impress the coot enough to work for them.

Was a touch harder to hear how the kid in question's little fairy was chewing him out for being "reckless" and "ridiculous", but by the time the brothers and the mustari caught up she had the boy by the hair so she was right in the poor bastard's ear as he idly road his sword in sway-y little circles.

Seeing them got her to let the sad sap go, trading her grip on his hair for his coat to keep her from being left behind. "Seriously, Captain, is it that much harder to just walk?"

"But this way I don't need to worry about tripping on the stairs again," the runt whined though Basilio would be lying if he said he didn't expect the kid to fall off it face first the second it started dipping to follow the road’s slope.

Seeing the kid rushing off ahead without putting any effort into actually moving was making a part of Basilio really want to pluck the squirt out of mid-air just to prove he could be caught. That instinct only got worse when the kid swung quick ‘round to pass them, and what little restraint Basilio did have bolted out the door, catching the madlad from under the arms and putting him firmly on the street like a regular person.

Wasn't sure if he was hearing Del snickering at his expense or the kid's but it ain't like he cared. The kid gave a shocked yelp as his sword clattered on the stones something awful, but hell if it weren't a lot less distracting to have the brat be still. The girl was already going after it, so it wasn't like they had to worry 'bout it getting pinched or nothin'.

"H-hey, you could have just asked me to stop," the elda sighed to himself, "I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page about one thing." Del cocked his head at the statement, giving the boy the sign to continue. "Eupha can be a bit…"

Even as the boy was trailing off Basilio could see a roussainte with half of an ear missing trying to chat the girl up. Likely either to get her distracted enough to steal the sword right from her hands or placing her as an easy mark.

"She's 'bout to be scammed, ain't she?" Del deadpanned as he watched the same signs of an impending wreck that Basilio was. Following the brothers' eyes the elda's head fell.

"Y-yeeeah, she's… uh… gullible."

"How long you think it woulda taken us to get all that jewlery off her, back in the day?" Basilio leaned down to ask his brother with a laugh on his breath as the sweet girl was completely buying whatever yarn the filthy sod was spinnin' for her.

"You?" Del asked as he looked between the mark and his brother, half thoughtful. "I'd give it five minutes, 'cause with your size you needed to burn words to make 'em settle and past seven's a wash. I'd need three, less than two if I hiked my voice up."

Aaaand there she was, going for her pocket. Great way to announce free money to any begger worth the salt on their brow.

"Junah and I have tried teaching her about how this works, but… well, it wasn't like I was that different my first time here too." the kid grimaced as he looked torn between rushing in there himself and making sure they saw just how dire of a case they were working with.

"Don't worry, I got it. Won't let her get sold or sold off or nothin'," Basilio waved him off as he went to interrupt before the sweetheart actually showed any coin.

He didn't even need to do anything. These days his size and his scars did most of the "talking" for him, and even if a roussainte "should" be stronger than a paripus this one was very aware that ain't the case with him. Even without his axe the starved con artist wouldn't have stood a chance.

"Oh, sir Basilio! Did you know this man says-" the girl smiled up at him like there wasn't anything remotely intimidating about him showing up behind her in the dead of night as she honestly rattled off the lout's sale's pitch. To the man's credit he looked half ready to die right there as he scrambled off to be anywhere Basilio wasn't .

"You remember we're here for a reason, right little lady?" Basilio asked as he managed to shepard her back to the elda and his brother. "Come on, can't go makin' any sorts of purchases on an empty stomach. 'Specially not in these parts."

"Right! Right. Sorry, It's just- There's so many things on the mainland I've never even thought of before! It's exhilarating! It's already so different from Brilehaven." The little ray of sunshine beamed, breathing deep like the air weren't dead rotten. "I don't suppose you know how much "Altabury" would be different too, do you?"

"Nope, never been. Crazy cold compared to where you're from though, way I hear it. But that ain't why you're here this time, is it?" Basilio leaned in conspiratorially as he gave her a sly smile. "Ain't this more 'bout "scoping out the competition" like?"

"Competition?" she echoed as she drew a blank. "Like, the tournament? But I didn't think there was a need for Drakodios to be brought here for it-"

"Not that ," he scoffed, making sure the elda boy was a good ways off and not paying attention to him to prod. "Seeing what all the fuss is about with this "Maria", yeah?"

He was pretty sure she was blushing a little as she stammered awkwardly. "I-it's not- it wasn't that sort of handshake; there's no obligations or anything- B-but I might be a tad… curious.” She looked at the ground, cheeks dull orange where the paler tribes would go red as she murmured with an air of defeat, “Everyone's spoken very highly of her and "Miss Fabienne" so far."

"Alright, Bas, 'nough teasing the kid." Del's voice made the girl jump, all three eyes of her darting to the shorter Magnus before the third settled back into its eerily blank dead-ahead stare.

Girl was cute, definitely better off without the ol' mustari fuckit-buckets they'd wear all the bleedin' time, but he wasn't sure he'd ever get used to the eye thing. It weren't even like it never moved; it'd stare at the elda more than most out of the folks who could use magic without igniters and for the ones who couldn’t it found the igniters on them, like the one on the engie’s collar and even what Del had hidden in his bag, quick .

He might've caught it drifting to the MAG-macallits a few times too when she got close to them on the main street. Accumlators? Eh, Del'd know and it's ain't like they normally matter none.

Del was currently more concerned about keeping both the elda boy in sight and the mustari girl away from the gallows. "C'mon, sooner we scope this out the sooner we can leave ."

Basilio felt something close to relief that there weren’t anybody still hanging from the damn thing, but the bodies that weren’t still breathin’ along the back wall were looking fairly new. Sometimes it was the ones that were, with their empty eyes glowing in a way no person’s should in a sick blue brighter than any nidia’s, that were leaving him more worried.

Nobody else seemed to give them much mind anymore. It was easy to just fall into habits, fall into step, and just keep ready with a keen eye. But there weren’t anyone who got this bad on the gal’s island, so it was natural the poor thing wouldn’t be numb to them yet.

She took enough of a hint to not go against the crowd of them to try talking to the burn outs. In his experience, it never did any good. Nothing did.

Del’d say they were just waiting to die. Basilio wasn’t as sure that was all they were waiting on.

"And we're here!" the elda held up a hand to a lit up sign like he had made it himself. Which, he probably didn't.

But of the four little faces on it, the one up top was lookin' a lil' like him. Since the one on the left was an older guy with an eyepatch, and "Miss Fabienne" was a paripus they were meant to meet she'd be the one on the right… that should make "Maria" the little head under the elda's, right?

Basilio beckoned the kid over with a finger, and caught his neck with the crook of his arm so he could use a free hand to point at the sign. "That you up there, pup?"

The elda was nervous from either his hold or the proximity but he managed a mumbled agreement. "It was Maria's idea. Miss Fabienne had complained the old one was getting too weathered, so Maria sketched out one with "the whole family" and I got Neuras to make sure it'd last."

The kid was smiling, but his eyes were darting for an escape and his mouth twitched at the word "family" wrong. Like some adoptees would, when they didn't quite know what their "place" was or weren't liking the change to their name. 'Specially the ones who they'd find later were right not to trust the lying bastards.

Basilio gave a deep exaggerated sigh as he shook his head at his captive, and he could practically hear the kid's heart racing already. He leaned in closer, near dead level with the kid's eyes, before his mouth turned traitor on him and broke into a grin. "Listen kid. When a fella asks you if you've got a girl waiting on ya back home," he started to break into a cackle as he gave the kid a well meaning shake before finally letting him go free, "he ain't asking you about yer bloody sister!"

Poor kid nearly fell on his arse now that he had to hold himself up, still looking half-panicked at the laughing paripus. And gave a dumb little, "oh" as the implication dawned a little further and descended him into a very different panic as he started shaking his head and arms madly. "OH, no, and it's not like that with Miss Fabienne either!"

"Better not. If some kid as green as you were already aiming for a woman with a kid , I'm not sure if that'd be a cry for help or a hearse." Del stated dryly, cocking his head at the sign like he felt one of the faces rang familiar.

Basilio tried to stop laughing as it bled into a sputter, wiping a tear from the chest ache it set off, but he wasn't sure which face that might've been. Ain't like they spent much time in Grand Trad, what with Lord Louis's reputation even before the King's decree. Hell, they weren't even there for the "funeral".

"Are you alright?" he heard the mustari ask him but he just waved her off as he caught his breath. Her third eye did flick down to his chest when the tearing feeling kicked up again but it was back to the zoned out "normal" nearly as soon as he saw it, so why care?

"'m fine, not a worry." Basilio grinned at her while Del's ear twitched at the lie but gave an approving nod at keeping shut about it. "Just havin' a bit o’ fun," he tried to reassure and gave her arm a slight tap with his elbow, "ain't you? Meeting the family , eh?"

"Oh yes, this is delightful!" she agreed with a small clap and zero awareness of the tease, turning to the elda eagerly. "I hope we didn't make you too homesick."

He scratched his head like a caught dope while the fairy on his shoulder hid a laugh behind her hand as she kicked her feet playfully from her perch and looked at her steed knowingly. "Honestly, that was less due to any of you guys and your sibling stuff and more to do with the growing "collection", isn't it?"

"Pretty much!" the elda agreed as a hand drifted to his travel bag while he matched the fairy's grin with his own, "I think she's gonna love these."

"Always does!" the fairy chimed as she flit through the door before he could finish opening it. "Maria~ Miss Fabienne! We're back!"

"Mister! Welcome back! I-" a little girl's voice called back, only losing her tongue and her nerve when she saw the Elda had a pair of new faces with him. It's not like Basilio would have room to complain as he definitely couldn't stop staring at her neither. Not with wings like those all the way down here.

"We-welcome to the Hushed Honeybee inn," she stumbled out as her eyes darted between the brothers, settling on Del prolly 'cause she didn't need to crane her head as much. "I can take your bag if you'd like!" the little kid forced a smile and offered out her hands, though the braver front cracked some with the brothers sharing a look.

"No you can't kid, you can skip this part of the patter," Del rolled his eyes as he adjusted his bag to stay firm on his back.

"S-sure I can. Even if it's heavy, I'm stronger than I look!" the halfblood insisted, all puffed up with pride and a desire to prove herself.

Normally that sort of policy in these parts were a quiet admittance of "yeah our regulars can get sticky fingers, but if they know we'll get in trouble for it they'll leave your stuff alone." But coming out of a little kid it was less clear if she knew that.

Del just gave an unimpressed hum at her nodding along as he weighed his options. And grinned real mean as he shrugged the bag off to let it drop.

Basilio was pretty sure the only thing the crack of wood could have come from was the floorboard, leaving the poor twerp starin’ at it bug eyed. Bag itself was as durable as Del could afford, and they could afford a lot these days. Strong enough to survive a scrape with a human but not too flashy to get noticed much in the day to day.

If he remembered right, the last time Del stocked up it had the igniter he pinched from their facility days, two weeks worth of "general emergency supplies" for the both of them, 'bout a month's worth of their herbs (dried and packed tight ), the "just in case" length of rope Del was right about, one of the two first aid kits Del had also been right about, as much reeve as Del was willing to have on himself and… three knives?

There was an extra jangle to it when the little girl tried to pick up the bag easily twice her weight while half her size. Five knives? Or maybe some new igniters Del saw fit to filch somewhere if it had been from before they got to the island. Del never paid for those if he saw a chance not to.

The squirt gave a groan, her two puny wings trying to flap like the boneless things could help a damn, as she finally got it lifted enough to rush it towards the front counter, leaving it against the wall next to the fireplace. After the poor thing just about ran into the shelf above it headfirst to get it done in the one big burst.

She took a proud breath to herself before looking back at the guests she'd be "serving", only for her face to fall from seeing the size of the axe Basilio still had on him. And that if the axehead was level with his , as tall as he was, how big that meant it was compared to her… well, everything.

Del gave him a cocky "she said she could handle it, let her do it" look like he didn’t damn well know the thing had used to be an anchor . Basilio gave his big brother a scowl for picking on a kid who didn't know any better and took his axe off and followed the little thing's lead, leaving it tucked safely behind Del's bag.

"Welcome back," the proprietress greeted as she brought some food from the narrow kitchen behind the counter. Basilio stopped dead in his tracks to give a small nod in greeting, hoping to hell him freezing up wasn't too obvious.

But damn a woman like that had no right business being in some bloody shithole! Her hair, her eyes, her tail ; she ain't like any paripus a boor like Basilio had any right knowing. Was even dressed up proper fancy, and he and Del knew exactly how much shite that their own tribe could throw at them over trying to look "better than they were" like that.

But there weren't a single jealous eye in the house. Some eager ones, sure and not just due to the dishes she was servin', but all things considered the mood of the joint was real homey and cozy-like.

She raised a brow at him, 'cause Basilio was starin' like some stunned pup. "Are you one of his friends?" she asked all sweet anyway with a small gesture towards the elda and Basilio nodded dumbly that would definitely get him chewed out by Del later.

"Sorry 'bout my brother, miss. He's… young." Del apologized as he caught him by the arm to drag the big oaf away. To her credit she still didn't look mad or nothin', more amused-like, like how Lady Junah'd laugh when she got her fans actin' dumb. Including him too.

"Yeah, that's Basilio and this is his older brother, Fidelio." the elda said brightly as he waved a hand to each of them, Del giving a cautious nod at his name. Del was already giving the little kid a tired glare just for looking between the brothers in surprise, like she was seriously expecting them to lie about something so basic.

The elda looked nervous at Del's frustration so he cleared his throat as he beckoned his lil’ sis closer. "Don't feel too bad. Hulkenburg thought they were twins at first too." he faux-whispered in her ear and got her giggling her nerves out a little.

Basilio couldn't help but give a bark of a laugh at that excuse, and even Del's claws faltered at hearing a new one for a change. Giving the elda a chance to safely move along. "And this is Eupha! Edeni, the mustari candidate, is her big brother and she'll be traveling with us for a while now since he's decided to go back home!"

He gave the girl in question a smile as he took a seat with a beckoning gesture for her to sit between him and the wall, leaving a chair next to him free, while the boys were meant to sit across from him. With the paripus lads facing away from the counter and the kitchen, which was probably for the best.

"Would've needed the hearse", Del muttered to Basilio as he tried to catch a glance of Miss Fabienne and gave a small jerk of his head at the elda. He was starting to glare at the kid again the way he did when Lady Junah started flirting with the squirt.

Basilio again just nodded along like an idiot, 'cause he misplaced his tongue. But to try and get his mind to thinking about anything else he pointed to some paintings that were framed on the wall behind the elda. One was a big ol' tree a creepy shade of red, like all the leaves was bleeding in a desert, drowning out the sands themselves.

The elda nodded at him excitedly, patting the open seat for the halfblood kid with one hand as he started rummaging through his own bag. A bag the half-pint didn't offer to take off his hands, now that Basilio had a free thought to give to it. Maybe the policy here was more against folks they didn't trust yet.

The kid looked up to her mum for the okay for this little "break", and the woman gave her the gentlest look Basilio had seen in a long while. "Let's get their drinks and orders first, okay?"

"Oh! Yeah, I can do that!" her pup eagerly nodded, pulling out a little pad to jot notes on and looking at Basilio expectantly though there was something a bit off with her fidgeting.

"I heard good things 'bout the Redgrass Bidou, so was thinkin' I'd try that." He told her with a toothless smile in case the fidgeting was due to some nerves. "Anything you'd reckon would go with it is fine with me, little lady, but if nothin' comes to mind a mead sounds 'bout right."

"Really? Mead? Since when?" Del scoffed at him with a confused tilt as the kiddo nodded attentively as she scratched it down. Basilio couldn't tell if she was actually writing or doodles to keep track of things, but he'd be both impressed and maybe a touch jealous if she already knew her letters at her age.

"We're at the honey bee ain't we?" Basilio retorted with a wider grin, "If anything should be good, should be the stuff on theme. 'Sides', it ain't like I have any worse luck with mead than ale."

"As long as it's strong I don't care what it is," Del told their little hostess with a look like he really couldn't care less for anything as he scanned the menu above the fireplace. "That and the Seafood Bread Wrap."

"We've been on an island for weeks right after Brilehaven ! How are you not sick to death of fish yet, Del?!" Basilio burst with a laugh.

"Oh shove off." Del scowled deeper but there were no edges to it this time. "If a place as land-locked as Grand Trad's able to keep buying and serving fish, I figure there's gotta be a good reason why demand keeps supporting 'em. And I like fish, ya dunce."

"Sir Basilio does make a good point about having something with honey at a "Hushed Honeybee". I was thinking of trying the Desert Veggie Stew, I don't suppose there's a tea that could work with that and honey?" the mustari asked and she looked as confused as Basilio was if the little girl nodding was an answer or just to show she was listening as the kid toddled to her brother who only told her to "surprise him".

Quick as a dart she exchanged her notes to her mother for the drinks, carrying each one on its own like she was afraid they would jump out of her hands to bite her. With her mum's okay she gladly hopped into the seat, getting all excited and wiggly as he looked for whatever he brought her. Hearing a curious hum out of Del reminded her there was other company that made her pause like a scared rabbit, and her smile turned strained and forced.

"T-those pictures are all from Mister's travels, since the Tournament started! Mister Neuras is a really good painter, so I asked Miss Fabienne if we could put them up so everyone who visits can see all the places he's been."

"And here's a few more!" the elda proudly announced as he tapped a small stack of three to get the edges even as he laid them on the table. He beamed up at the brothers as he splayed out his hands to show off the spot where they could walk the sea floor while dry as a bone, "you two were here for this one, when we were still on our way to Eht Ria of the Virga islands!"

Basilio kept his trap firmly shut as he just gave another small nod at seeing that freaky seawall again. Not that it wasn't pretty, he's got eyes, but… well, the ishkia sure did capture how dark the water was the deeper it got. Though with how he did the little fishies, they glowed like funny shaped stars or the crystals in an igniter.

"Woah," the little girl breathed in awe, "what keeps the water up like that?"

The boy shrugged as he smiled down at her, proud as anything, "I heard it has something to do with the local magla. Around Brilehaven there's a bunch of spots like that too where the water was just floating in the air, even on days without any rain. Like giant crystal balls spilling over the sea!"

"Yes, the ocean can move in strange ways at times," the mustari smiled softly at the drawing. "I don't think I've seen this place exactly, but the currents around my home can shift so I've seen other cases like it. Sometimes it even reveals caves!"

"Really?!"

"They can be quite a boon for our fishermen!" the priestess nodded, basking in the little girl's rapt attention. "On a clear day they can walk right up to a wall and just pluck the more curious fish right out." she made a plucking motion of her own as her smile nearly made her normal eyes shut. "Though spearfishing is more effective than that or our nets, and it can be rather terrifying when it starts coming down. Sometimes it's like…" a finger rose to her lips in thought, "like a fresh waterfall; a slower trickle until the water evens out that gives our people plenty of time to get clear. Others it can come down all at once without warning, which is incredibly dangerous."

Basilio felt Del gently elbow him to remind him to breathe. But he ain't that scared! They couldn't be much further from the ocean anyway! He's fine . 

Downing his own drink too fast and getting some down the wrong pipe was completely unrelated, no matter what Del thought ‘bout it.

"Is it safe to swim in?" the kid asked, her eyes all big and curious still.

"If you can, though the flow of them is also unpredictable. Sometimes they're like a riptide that wants to drag you all the way up to toss you right out the top!" the girl said with a raising flourish of her own, before letting them cradle her chin. "Can you swim, Maria?"

Maria shook her head, eyes going down to stay on the painted water. "I've never really had a spot to learn to swim in, much less the ocean ."

"Can be quite the "pond"," Del said with a teasing side eye to his brother as he took a drink, not even flinching when Basilio smacked him with his tail for the dig. The kid nodded like it was some sort of sage wisdom.

"The other two should be new to you guys," the elda went on as he grinned at the brothers, sliding the painting of the seawall in front of the kid to show the next. A gorgeous sunset the boy called the "Prismatic sea". Little wonder why, with the sky having just about every color in it from deep dark oranges to rich indigo blues. The water reflecting it made the colors even darker, and again sheer amount of vivid and blending reds were getting uncomfortably blood-like to Basilio's eyes again.

"Lady Junah must've loved this view," Basilio heard himself say softly and he felt Del give him a dirty glance for it with a scoff.

"She did!" Will agreed, "she even sang for us a little! Just a short one. The sea air could be a bit much."

Oh this boy did not care about staying alive, did he? He couldn't be that blind to how much Del haaaated him being all casual about Lady Junah like that, yeah? 'Cause Basilio was pretty sure he could hear his brother's eye twitchin' worse than his tail.

But their Del was little else if not a patient man, and the pups were all happily chattin' none the wiser as they moved along to a painting of some weird cave. Sunlight showered on flowers where the sides collapsed but the parts that weren't lit still glowed on their own in straight lines and right angles, like bits of a gauntlet runner.

"This was the Sporico Cave," Will announced as he leaned close to his little sister, "you wanna guess the first thing Hulkenburg had to say about it?"

The tiny thing hummed to herself before a thought lit her face like the sun, "Oh! Those flowers are edible, aren't they? We had someone the other day talk about how he had someone serve him food with flowers on it, and they told him they weren't for decoration. You were supposed to eat them, and they were tasty too!"

The kids had a laugh at that, the boy nodding up a storm. "That's exactly what she told us! It's like a superpower of hers; if we went somewhere where nothing should be edible I'm pretty sure just having her around would make something she could eat."

" That 's the "superpower" to you? Not the igniterless magic or any of your elda tricks?" Del spat with a weary look.

"Nope. That's all probably magla stuff; I'm sure something could explain it all." Will shrugged back, leveling a point at Del. "Not Hulkenburg. She just is ."

"Not sure if I should be jealous or not, if I'm honest," Basilio muttered mostly to himself over his drink, "a stomach like that sure would make things easier."

Del gave hum of acknowledgement and looked a touch lost in thought. Shouldn't be from the drink yet though, even at his size.

Could be strange to think how different they might've been if Bas hadn't been an idiot and got them roped into those experiments in the first place. On bad nights he wondered if Del hated him any, for how badly he got stunted while Basilio ended up towering over most of the bastards who gave them shite for being too small or too young in the first place. Del called it "irony" once, but it tasted worse than metal.

They'd have never met their other brothers and sisters if his attempt to make some extra coin hadn't gone so far south he dragged him and his brother into hell. Which meant they wouldn't’ve have lost them either, even if they died all the same. Del hadn't said that's what happened, but… well, why else wouldn't he have ever tossed around going back for 'em? Weren't really like Del to "settle", not when family was involved. Del always strove for better than that.

Now his mind going places might've been from the drink, and he was all too grateful to have a meal to pull his head out of it. Even if it brought two different gnawings to his stomach. 'Cause obviously he was hungry, but he was also pretty damn sick of being the only one not able to stomach a meal put in front of him. But this one smelled great, which gave him some hope.

He felt Del watching him from the corner of his eye, waiting to see if this place would be one of the very few to pass. Seeing his brother's tail start wagging was just about the only thing that got Del to relax any since they wound up in Grand Trad.

Basilio could just about cry over being able to enjoy something he didn't have to make himself for a bleedin' change. Didn't even mind Del swiping some of it onto his own plate. Del was definitely gonna end up minding that soon enough though.

"Y’ ‘in't g’nna l’ke eet," Basilio tried to warn despite his mouth being full at just about the same time Del sputtered from the spice. He wolfed down what he had enough to give his brother an apologetic grin. And cut a bit of Del's food off as payment while his older brother was distracted by his efforts to, in all of his strategic wisdom, use alcohol to make something burn less .

Their dear Del was less than successful and even less appreciative of Basilio's attempt to help by sliding the small thing of milk Eupha got with her tea his way. She didn't even mind the wordless theft as she kept swiveling her head to find anything else to "help" enough for the paripus patrons behind her to offer up some of their spare dinner rolls to her cause.

"The clemar kid warned you 'bout this already, Del. Said it was too hot for him too." Basilio pointed out over Del's coughing. He sighed at his brother's stubborness as he pushed the milk even closer, "Dairy really does help cut the spice you know."

His brother replied with a gesture he'd really have rathered a kid like Maria not see, which was the only reason he didn't respond in kind. Even if it's nothing new to her, that doesn't mean they had to be the same kind of grown ups that spread it around in the first place.

Hearing the word “dairy”, the mustari gave a thoughtful look at her stew and… well she was probably trying to be “sneaky” about slipping a spoonful onto one of the rolls she got and putting it on Del’s plate but that weren’t really possible. Neither brother directly looked at her to give her the illusion of success but Del’s mouth was wanting to smile more than he’d show. 

Basilio felt his better eye twitch a tad from trying not to laugh. Seeing her “victory” either got her feeling bolder or guilty ‘cause she got it in her head to do it again to give Basilio some too and he had to support his head with his hand to not break. 

"In what world is that "tasty"?" Del grumbled to himself with a glare at the bidou, tail kicking up a wicked storm as he reluctantly nursed the little cup of reprieve. Tentatively his brother gave the stew-roll a nibble and it got an approving nod to her “better” taste.

At least the brothers could agree that hers was better to them than whatever the other got. With her attention being more on Del, Basilio had what looked to him like more success in terms of spooning a bit of his roast onto her plate.

"Didn't have the sour-bitter twang yours did; poor fish was treated great but there's no helpin' it if you can't keep it really fresh. Yeah mine's got kick to it, but all the flavors there've got a good balance past all that. Not a bad bit in the batch." Basilio rolled his eyes, and Del looked down as he only just realized he'd been "robbed". 

Seeing Del look down got Eupha to look down enough to find her own new addition, which she was a lot more grateful for. Especially because his was actually good eats, that she happily confirmed for the lot of ‘em with some surprise at her familiarity with the “red-grass” in question.

Scandalized on two fronts, Del put a hand to his chest which could well get to scratching if Basilio pushed him too hard.

So it was only right to push him anyway. "Only thing our Del can handle taking some heat from is a girl~" He teased with a shit-eatting grin that should have gotten his arse handed to him. Or at least get an attempt to knock him from his chair.

"You remember we're going back to an island , right?" Del warned darkly. "If you think you'll be sleeping tonight before I see you manage something better than drowning slow you're mistaken , brother. In the ocean . And I ain't gonna let you get off easy by dyin' first."

"Okay, uh, no! No, I don't think that's a very good idea!" Eupha was quick to object, because she was taking the joke dead serious. "Night swimming's much too dangerous for just "learning". If he's caught in the wrong current you might not be able to reach him in time if he starts struggling."

"Hmm. Pity ," Del popped the word dry as a desert as he didn't break his glare. "Bas shoulda thought of that 'fore lettin' his mouth run like it was smarter than he was."

Basilio was far too big for the big-eye-pout trick to do anything. He could, on some level, understand that. That level was not the one invested in not suffering for the rest of a night over a joke. 

Even though this was really just a mean bit on Del's part. Just pulling his tail for biting his brother too hard. Always was. ‘Cause it weren’t like he could be serious , right? Right.

Joke might've been a bit too mean for the youngest, as she scampered off to go help her mother again.

"Forgive me if I am mistaken," Eupha began quietly, all three eyes following Maria for a beat before her forehead got bored again. "But I don't see any signs of a past injury. Do ishkia not normally have two sets of wings like sir Neuras? Do they come in later in life?"

"Halfblood," Del answered before the elda had a chance to, "can be literal, only gettin' "half" of the traits from either side. Not all that common, but me and Bas served with a mustari halfblood for years." Del held a hand up to 'bout where Zorba's horn used to be, "Had one clemar horn and a third eye that I never saw open so most of us just assumed it couldn't ." he tapped his forehead to finish.

Her eyes widened in surprise at the last bit, a hand raising like she was half tempted to check her half-lidded eye. “I’ve never heard of that happening before.” she admitted in a whisper. “I… I can’t even choose when mine shuts. Our control over it is rather limited, since it doesn’t really “look” at things like our normal eyes do. And he was raised here, on the mainland?”

“I can’t wink my right eye either, so that doesn’t sound too weird.” the elda told her with an awkward smile in hopes of helping her settle, but Del wasn’t being much help on that front.

“Not sure they would have even let him join if he’d been an islander. Still weren’t treated any better than we were, way I heard it. Moody blighter weren’t really much for talkin’ ‘bout ‘imself by the time we met.” his brother shrugged, the alcohol likely loosening his tongue more than he’d want to admit. “Far as most military types are concerned, ‘alfs are just a buncha bastards they’re supposed to be wiping out with the rest of us “lesser” tribes to “clean up” their precious family lines.”

The girl flinched at the bitter venom dripping from his words as even the elda shifted with discomfort. If Del was testing to see if the boy would react like he had ever seen Zorba for himself, his temper got him shooting too close to the kid’s home for Basilio to get a tell on it.

"Not that he was the only one we’ve worked with! There’s been others too, like a shiny eugief, some paripus mixes like her sister, and even a few roussaintes whose ears were too short. Never met a half-elda though!" Basilio tried to pivot brightly as he could manage as he looked the boy over, not quite getting bold enough to ask what she was supposed to "get" from that out loud. "Not that I ever really expected to meet a full elda either."

"Oh, she's not! We're not- her dad was a rhoag." Will managed out, before taking a deep breath. "I don't have any blood family anymore. And I didn't even have siblings before…" he swallowed but shrugged like he was trying to throw the memory off like his bag. "so being able to be like a "brother" to anyone now is kinda nice, you know?"

That time Del was willing to quietly jab Basilio in the arm like a normal person for eattin' his foot. Not that he needed to for Basilio to hiss an apology to the kid. Having both the girls glaring at him was harsh enough, thanks.

"Well, uh, it ain't like you only have the one anyway?" Basilio offered awkwardly.

"Oh no, I'm not allowed to call Strohl "big bro Leon"; I tried." the boy replied with a firm shake of his head and a kicked-pup look of defeat in his eyes before letting his distant gaze drop to his plate of some sort of fritters. "He said it sounded "wrong"."

"… Would getting his name right help, ya think?" Basilio cocked his head as he asked. 'Cause he was pretty sure he didn't hear of any "Leon"s before now.

"We're dealin' with "nobility" here, Bas. Guy's prolly ditched his personal name for the family one," Del shrugged as he gave his drink a swirl. "If he's the last one with it, makes sense he'd try to make sure it's known as quick as he can." He cracked a cruel smirk as he raised a brow at the boy, "Sorry you found out like this, pup; For all his talk, having an elda as a "brother" sounds like it was a bit too risky for his sort of lordly ambitions."

The elda scowled at Del, but kept his trap shut as he looked away. "Strohl's not that sort of person." The kid grit out, before letting some of his frustration out like a half-done kettle and giving Basilio a forced grin. "It's not like I ever tried using his first name before, so that could be what ruffled him! Only ones I've heard call him that are the Halian refugees who knew him as a kid, and even they're using "Lord Strohl" now."

Basilio gave his brother a toothy smirk as he leaned over his head, and got Del to twitch an ear in annoyance, "See Del? No need to be so dour all the time. 'sides, I weren't talkin' 'bout the clemar anyway." He gave a point to the fairy sitting on the edge of her boy's glass, "Ain't you his family too? I don't think I've ever seen you two apart. Even Del and I ain't that close."

His question clearly took her off guard as her boy looked at her with a smile equal parts hopeful and teasing. "Big sis Gallica?"

The fairy's face was nearly the shade of her hair when she stammered, taking flight but acting like she had nowhere to go with it.

"Uh… nope! Sorry!" She shook her head hard enough her whole body swayed with her, arms and legs flailing like they didn't know what else they should be doing. "That's way too weird! I mean why are you calling ME big?! I'm a fairy; I'm barely the size of your hand!"

"Well, you're older than me, and you're my "guide". Isn't that what older siblings are for?" Will asked with a weak shrug and his eyes might have lingered on Del for longer than he meant to. Long enough for her to look real awkward about any other objections about "big" relating to size where his own big brother was involved.

So with no real arguments to have she flitted away in a hasty escape, leaving the boy's head to fall to the table with a dejected groan. Nearly landed on the fritters he got as his "surprise" too. "She said nearly the same thing Strohl did… Gallica wasn’t even there for that!"

"Awww, sounds to me like she's the shy type, issall." Basilio offered as he gave the boy's shoulder a light pat. "Give ‘er time, she'll come 'round."

"Don't go giving the kid false hope." Del chided, as he craned his head to follow the fairy's escape up the stairs. "Fairies might not work like the tribes do. Never heard of 'em looking old or there being fairy kids. Who says the timeblind ditzes even have “families”?"

Basilio took in a hissing breath for fumbling twice in a row. But they say third time's a charm, yeah? So he cracked a grin, "at least you still have the other red head?"

Will rolled his head on the table enough to stare at Basilio blankly like he told him the knight died . And rolled back over to groan into the wood. Eupha tapped the elda’s back awkwardly, more of a set of pokes really, already kinda missing the point with how little contact she actually allowed.

"You're all playing nice over there I hope," Miss Fabienne's teasing voice came from behind them, making both brothers jump but Del hid it better. The elda raised a thumb from the table to show it was all in good fun. As reassured as she seemed it didn’t stop her from joining them during the lull in guests.

Taking a seat right next to Basilio, who was finding the elda’s five remaining fritters fascinating to keep from mucking anything up. Having her get so close got the elda to spring back up to normal, already getting a smile back.

“Uh, Miss Fabienne, do you think you could use some help for the next few nights? Basilio and Fidelio were hoping to get some experience in the food business, so the Inn was the first one that came to mind. We’re a bit grounded until the sixth; then we’ll be off to Altabury.”

Basilio was more hoping to die painlessly if he were being honest right now, but that’s a fair second. 

“Oh? Who’s the cook?” she raised her visible eyebrow as she turned the brothers' way but Basilio was keeping his attention on the two remaining fritters.

“The idiot stuffing his face so he doesn’t need to talk.” Del twisted a thumb at Basilio close enough for him to catch the movement out of the corner of his eye.

Yeah, nah, pretty sure he was just sunk at this point. Maybe being eaten by a fish by morning wouldn’t be so bad.

“You can’t fault them for working,” she chuckled and boy was her voice pretty. He vaguely wondered how well she could sing, but he was still grounded enough to doubt she could compare to Lady Junah’s. “Back home we called those hushpups. Though, my parents never could agree on if the “pups” were meant to refer to us or the dogs…”

Basilio swallowed without fully meaning too, so that half-plan was a wash. Though they were tasty. Just a hint of honey in the corn batter so they were sweet without being a dessert all their own. He tried to sneak one of the remainders onto Del’s way so he’d give it a try, but actually being sneaky with his small toss was about as likely for him as it was for the poor mustari’s rolls.

“What do you generally like to cook?” Miss Fabienne’s tone had a hint of a laugh to it still.

“What’d you need me to make?” Basilio managed to ask instead, just happy to not be hearing himself say “food” like a moron. Scrambling a bit more wits he added, “‘m pretty good at baked desserts! Me and Del’s always had a bit of a sweet tooth and it ain’t like we’d get any another way. Though most of what I know are paripus dishes and what I hear from the greengrocers. Haven’t been cooking for long, but I like trying different things is more what I mean.”

“Mind baking an example for me then, to get a feel for what you can do?” she asked sweetly as she made a gesture to the kitchen behind her counter. Her expression looked kind, if maybe more tired than a lady’s should be if their man was worth a damn, but askin’ at all felt a touch evil, like a noble holding all the cards ‘cause it ain’t like he could say no .

So he just nodded and darted off to it, grateful to have all those eyes off of him if only for a little bit. Smaller bit than he thought as Maria poked her head in.

… Right, he didn’t know where a damn thing in this kitchen was .

“You here to help or just keepin’ me honest, pup?” he asked her with a grin in hopes of spooking her less this time. But she’s such a little thing and he’s not , so he can hardly blame her.

She still squeaked, so good to know he failed that. Didn’t scamper though, and the question got her to come farther in like she knew she was here for a job. “H-helping!”

“This ain’t the sorta “help” that gets a peach turnip swapped with a set of grape onions when I ain’t lookin’, right?” She blinked blankly at him, so he let his smile get a little more teeth, “I’m not hearing a “no” there yet, pup.”

“N-nope! And Miss Fabienne doesn’t have any onions, ‘cause she’s all-er-gic. But we do have some turnips!” Maria darted past him to pull them out of a basket.

“Alright then! You’re already better in the kitchen than Lady Junah.” he teased with a chuckle that petered out more than he meant it to as he tried not to linger on the slop she mangled. He’s still not sure how Cabio managed to stomach it, but that man just ain’t right when she’s involved.

Maybe that’s what makes the lady knight so powerful. Lady Junah’s cursed by something with a right strange sense of humor, and it’s infectious . Her fans catch it faster if they ain’t careful like him and Del have needed to be, which makes it easier for them to eat garbage too.

“Miss Junah can cook?”

“You didn’t hear me too well there, did ya?” Basilio laughed harder that time. Letting it die he beckoned her closer and faux-whispered against the back of his hand, “you can let her pick ingredients, but not much else and you need to watch her real close-like when you do.”

“... ‘cause she’ll trade a turnip with onions ?”

“She said they looked “cuter” or something,” Basilio’s brow furrowed as he tried to remember the scene of the crime. “You just keep that real close to your chest, alright pup? I didn’t really have the heart to tell her pulling stunts like that’s dangerous , ‘cause Del’s “allergic” too. We know she didn’t mean no harm by it. Just her having a bit of fun.”

“Miss Fabienne said that’s pretty common for paripus,” Maria said softly as she nodded along, like she was being real careful ‘bout making sure she remembered it right.

“Yup. I used to be, but when I got bigger and my taste got sharp I stopped having troubles like that. Didn’t make the soddin’ things taste any better though.” he added as he pulled a face. “Not to mention she threw everything off. She didn’t know how to cut or peel ‘em, just tossed a full thing straight in, so the cake stayed mush and there weren’t nothin’ I could do to save it 'cause the flavor set in anyway.”

Maria’s pout was the appropriate size for Lady Junah’s monstrosity as she looked up at him like she was begging him to say he was joking. He’d love to be joking. He adored Lady Junah! Not as much as Del did, sure, but he rarely had anything but a good word to say ‘bout her!

Except this .

“So, are we making a cake?” Maria asked as she cocked her head while Basilio found a jar of bright blue lumibees.

“Depends on if you think the boss’d mind me using her wheat flour.” Basilio said to her less like a question than he meant it to sound as he pulled a sack of the stuff closer. “Not trying to mess ‘er up or anythin’. I know how much of a pain it can be to get ahold of the stuff.”

“I don’t think she’d mind.” Maria looked more at the ceiling than him in thought, eyes drifting more to the side as she did. “What sort of cake?”

“A honey cake for the honeybee, o’ course.” He smiled wide at her with a wink, trying not to let his tail hit the kid by accident as he got to work. “I know a couple of different recipes for ‘em, but the Indestructible one’s been a favorite of me and Del’s since I’ve been able to make it.” His smile grew more wry as he added, “also means it’s the one I’ve messed up the most too though, so we still gotta be careful ‘bout it.”

“If it’s “indestructible” how are we supposed to eat it?” she asked innocently, and he couldn’t resist the urge to knuckle her hair for being silly though he noticed the contact made her flinch.

“It’s how it’s supposed to help you feel when you eat it.” he told her as she checked to make sure her hair felt okay and her little woven crown was sitting right. “We’ve been in the military a while now, so I prefer the sorta eating that tastes good and helps prep ya for a fight.” 

“What can I do?” 

“Sure you helpin’ ain’t cheating any?” he asked her back, and the squirt played with her hands nervously rather than answer. Well, he couldn’t get in too much trouble if he kept her to something extra. “You ever make a frosting before, pup?”

She shook her head, but the pout was back. “My name’s not “pup”.”

“Haven’t heard you say mine either, and I’ve always preferred it to “kid” meself.” he teased as he passed her what she’d need for the type he knew best.

“Mister Ba-silly-o,” she tried and he had to pause his whisking to check if she did that on purpose. Didn’t look like she meant to or she was gonna have a good future at cards. He wasn’t sure he could handle a twerp who’d be stuck bouncing between scared and sassy.

“Like I haven’t heard that one before,” he muttered dryly under his breath, before offering a slightly louder correction. “Basilio.”

“Mister Basillo.” Maria tried again, so it sounded more like the kid was getting tongue dumb at the end. Del’s gonna have a great time with that. And since they’re both here, it ain’t like he can just tell her to go with “Mister Magnus” and call it a day.

Not only did it feel weird most of the time, there’s not a chance in hell he’ll be able to keep straight which Magnus anybody means if they try to identify the brothers by “size”. He ain’t the “big” one, bodies be damned, but trying to tell folks to call him the younger took ages to stick.

He hummed to himself and spied a herb that could give her an out. “‘Sallright then, don’t stress it too much.” Basilio was able to pinch off a leaf easy enough to twirl between his fingers as he held it out to her. “You know what this plant is called, yeah?”

She nodded, “That’s a Basil leaf.”

“That’ll be close enough, okay?”

“Mister Basil?” she tested the name cautiously, still careful ‘bout her manners.

“If that’ll work for you, lil’ miss Maria.” he said with a quick bow of his head like that made for a “formal” introduction before showing her how to make sure her sugar was sifted right. It’d be harder for her tiny arms than him, but she got the hang of it quick enough. Maybe it could even help make her a bit stronger if she had enough fun with it, if she weren’t the exercising sort.

Didn’t make her so much as smile though, so he was prolly still too “scary” for her even if she’s been a good sport about it. The hell’s he supposed to go fixin’ that? Cookin’ should be fun, so it ain’t fair that she don’t seem to be enjoying herself just ‘cause of his mug.

Tried joking. Teasing, which maybe isn’t the nicest but nobody who’s actually mean enough to fear ever bothers with proddin’ as gentle as he’s been. Teaching, as much as a guy like him can. 

If she’s already spooked, makin’ her talk’s likely to just make her feel pressured, put her on eggshells rather than loosening her up any. So what’s left? 

He could try being stupid, but it’s gotta be the right kind of stupid.

When he got the batter ready for the oven he had one last idea. 

“Listen, lil’ miss, I’m sorry if I was starin’ at you any earlier. Weren’t meaning too.”

She made an uncomfortable hum. 

“There’s an ishkia girl that I’ve fancied for longer than you’ve prolly been ‘round, so seein’ any sort of feather tends to bring her to mind is all.” Basillio shrugged as he kept a close eye on the cake. “Nothin’ to do with you, honest.”

“Oh! Is she… nice?”

“She saved me life, back when we was both not much bigger than you.” he smiled softly, though the idea of him having been anywhere near her size seemed to baffle the squirt. “Del’s still ‘bout the same though.” He admitted quietly with a sneaky look to the door, as if risking his brother’s ire in hopes a getting a laugh.

“She “saved” you?” Maria echoed in surprise.

“Yup. She’s got a hell of a knack for healing magic, even as a kid. Cute as can be too! Back in Brilehaven the tournament folks tried to have her say some words and poor thing panicked. Not sure if they sprung it on ‘er or her mind went blank but she just started rambling ‘bout fish under all that attention.” Basilio snickered and heard a soft oof as he felt his excited tail smack into something softer than wood. Oops.

Turning to look at the kid with a bashful smile he could see the damage done. Got her in the head, given the state of her lil’ flower crown. “Sorry ‘bout that. Gets a mind of its own if I don’t keep mine on it.” he offered as he held the offending tail with one hand and set it straight on her again with the other.

At least getting bopped didn’t seem to set him back to start, as the kid was giggling and had a knowing sparkle in her eye. “You’re talking about Miss Rella! She was really stressed her first few days back from an “important trip” and when I got to ask her she said she messed up a speech.” Maria looked up at the ceiling as a thought hit her, “I always kinda thought she was older…”

“She’s only a bit older than me I think; definitely a few years younger than our Del.” Maria’s face went blank as her head broke when trying to place Del’s not-so-teenage face into this age-math. “Though I thought most folks call her a “Saint” these days,” he added with a teasing lilt as he made sure nothing other than his face was going to risk burning.

“They do! But she told me “Miss” is fine,” Maria beamed up at him, all thoughts of ages eagerly swept aside, “she lets me help her on Idlesdays sometimes!” Her lips pursed in thought as she started twisting her head like the gears in there were turning it for her. “Do you see her a lot?”

“Nah, but I don’t really need to.” he shrugged as he kept his eyes on the oven. “Been busy, and ain’t like I got a chance anyway.”

“Hmmm, with how late Miss Fabienne’s open, you might need to do it before work,” she hummed to herself thoughtfully.

Basilio’s mind stalled as he blinked blankly at the oven. “Do what now?”

“When Mister stops by, he has to park the runner on Sunlumeo street, right? And St. Fermis Church is right there!” She chirped, not waiting for him to answer as she looked at him with an expecting excitement. Like she completely missed the bit of him having as much a chance as it snowing on the dragon island. “So, it’d be easy for you to get a chance to say hi to her before you get here next time!”

Nothing in the world was more interesting than that bleeding cake right now, ‘cause that was not the sort of chance he meant.

“That’s assuming this even works out.” he strangled out.

“Mister didn’t even need to make anything for Miss Fabienne to let him help out, you’ll be fine!” Maria tried to reassure him like she weren’t trying to kill the man. She was definitely Miss Fabienne’s daughter, but at least Miss Fabienne felt like she knew when she was being evil.

“Won’t even be for long; we’ve only got a few days ‘til me and Del are back to our posts.”

“That makes it even more important,” the little girl huffed at him for being the wrong kind of stupid for her liking now that it was about being stubborn instead of gushing over a girl. “Mister and Miss Fabienne taught me that if you never say how you feel, then nobody will know.”

“That’s fine with me,” Basilio shrugged a shoulder like he was just rolling out a crick in his neck. “Don’t see a need to bother her. She’s got more important things to think about, she doesn’t need to fret over what some guy she’s helped once thinks of her.”

“How do you know it’d be a “bother”? Liking people is nice.” he could feel Maria’s pout boring into him and he had never been more grateful that he mostly had older sisters. Even felt a little bad for Del and Vinca in hindsight; Giggles and Pollie must’ve been hell to disappoint.

“It ain’t always that simple.”

“Well, what if everybody thought like you did, and nobody ever told her how happy she made them because they thought she was too “important” to know. And if she’s too important to talk to, who is she “supposed” to talk to? She’s still a person, like you. Wouldn’t that be lonely for her? Wouldn’t it be better to let her know so she can tell you what she thinks about things too?”

Del was right, cute girls could still be very cruel, just like the pretty ones like Lady Junah. Shouldn’t have ever doubted him. 

Basilio was sorely tempted to bring up their tribes, but the kid was already a living strike against the argument. Most ishkia were betrothed to other ishkia early ‘cause there were already so few of them around even when they weren’t proper nobility like Saint Rella or the elda’s runner man. Being with something as “low” as a rhoag couldn’t have done her mom any favors, and bearing proof of it must’ve made her life hell.

He saw what being a halfblood in this rotten world had done to Zorba. Heard the rumors about what made that Sanctoress the elda had turned over lose her marbles too. 

He “knew better”. Del did too. Didn’t change how their hearts worked though.

World would be better if it hadn’t needed knowing.

“What about you, squirt?” Basilio asked in dire hopes of redirecting her. “You get lonely with your brother ditchin’ you all the time for this tournament mess?”

Her frustration at him cracked with a flinch of disappointment, her eyes dropping to the floor but keeping her face all puffy like how little critters tried to seem less huntable. “I… A little… But I’ve been getting better at making other friends, from all sorts of tribes!” She defended herself with a smile that wasn’t as forced as he expected. But even she knew it weren’t really reaching her eyes as she softly admitted, “I know Mister’s working really hard to make sure the bad man doesn’t become king.”

“Bad man?” Basilio echoed, getting a nod from her.

“The bad man who took papa away.” She fidgeted a little as she tried to let the oven distract her, and Basilio wouldn’t be surprised if she was just copying him. “Mister says he wants to make a kingdom where nobody has to cry, so it’s too dangerous for me to go with them. So I need to keep being a “good girl” and wait here with Miss Fabienne, just like when we’d wait for papa.”

“You’re a more patient kid than I ever was,” Basilio said softly. “Don’t remember much ‘bout my folks at all; it’s just been me and our Del. I’d keep messing him up or getting meself into trouble, trying to keep up with him, but I felt better with him than sitting around useless on my own.”

He felt her eyes on him, really seeing all the scars on his hands, arms, and settling on the one that nearly took his eye before going to her hands and the oven. The quiet felt like she was using him as a measure for the sorts of “dangers” her brother warned her about.

Last thing he’d tell her is how easily he could be one of those dangers if the boy cocked up. Especially depending on who exactly that “bad man” was supposed to be.

Would be sickeningly tragic for this kid to be the thing that gets him killed. As they say, loose lips sink ships. Part of why Del’s needed to be so quick to remind him to keep a belt on his.

“‘M still pretty bad at “sitting around” if I’m honest.” Basilio added lightly, trying to get his mind off of the worse case scenarios until he could get Del’s thoughts. “Better than I used to be, used to run laps when my head got buzzy. Best thing the army life ever taught me were sit ups.”

Maria gave a small giggle, like she was trying to picture him doing either of ‘em.

“Oh!” A thought came to her that put a wide smile on her face that wanted to put the sun to shame. “If waiting’s so rough on you, maybe you could still try to see if the church is still open tonight-” thankfully the cake should be done enough to get from the oven and distract her so he didn’t need to give that anymore thought. Didn’t distract her enough though, as she started squinting at him the second she realized what he (wasn’t) doing. “No fair making excuses.”

“It’s not an excuse, it’s cake! See!” He showed her with just a touch of panic, and her cheeks puffed to show how unimpressed she was. “Hey, don’t give me that, I still ain’t done . Pass the frosting, pup.”

Bagging the stuff last minute gave the cake a little time to cool so it wouldn’t end up a melty runny mess. Maria took a few steps back, nearly leaving her out of the tiny kitchen, when he had to swing the bag to get it to the tip for proper piping. 

“Oi, Bas.” Del’s voice cut in from close to the counter. “I’m gonna make myself some tea, you need any?”

Shite. “Need” not “want”, so Del noticed he was having a bit of an episode earlier.

Basilio resisted the urge to swear in front of the kid. Del needing it for himself meant that his own fit wasn’t just ‘cause he barely had the heat tolerance to handle the dried skin of a sweet pepper either. He should have noticed that sooner. Some brother he was; he couldn’t keep being this kind of stupid!

“Y-yeah. Good plan, thanks Del.” he agreed through grit teeth that even a kid could catch meant something was up. And she didn’t even need an idea of what it could be.

“You don’t need to do that, I’ve got plenty-” he heard Miss Fabienne offer. He assumed Del waved it off, and he heard her take a sharp breath when the jar’s lid opened so Del could get the crunchy candied leaves out.

She recognized them? Supposed that makes sense; if her man was a rhoag they’ve oft got a need for Alento too. Alento tea’s normally for the older sorts whose joints have started creakin’.

Basilio beckoned Maria back with a cupped wave when the cake was cool enough for icing, and her curiosity got the best of her. Only when she realized he was making a doodle with the stuff did she get close again, trying to see it from her tippy toes.

“Are you drawing Mister?” she asked in a hushed whisper, catching on quick that this was supposed to be a little surprise for the others, when she recognized a headband-like shape on the figure’s head, but a quick swoop of hair changed her guess with a gasp. “It’s Miss Gallica!”

“Hope she won’t mind seeing us cut into it too much, but seeing the sign out front made me want to go a bit further than just a funny face.” Basilio squatted lower to whisper back, “think it’ll get a laugh from the others if I give her one anyway, or would that be makin’ it mean?”

Her already being giggly felt like answer enough and shooting her an evil grin as he went to work made her giggle harder.

Basilio urged Maria ahead so he could get the cake to the table when everything was ready. The little fairy had likely been brought back down by the smell of cake as he nearly clocked her with his head mid-air. 

“Okay, did you get taller when I wasn’t looking?!” she sputtered.

“Not this time; m’clothes still fit. Prolly the ceiling messin’ with you. You alright?” 

She smothered a laugh, so he’d take that as both a “yes” and a sign that she wasn’t hating his bit of “art”.

“Don’t even joke like that; how many more feet does a man need ?” Del groaned over his tea.

“If I got to 8 feet, would that make me an octopus?” Basilio idly wondered to himself. Del’s exasperated glare felt like a “no” but the elda and his sister found it funny. But there were fewer at the table than he’d made portions for.

Aw shite the mustari was missing again. Del must’ve caught his worry as his tail made a deliberate flick to the front. Luckily the Inn was nearly empty now, so he had a clear shot of her.

Setting down the cake he went to fetch her, trying to not laugh at the sight.

“What are you in for this time, miss?” he teased as he ran his claws along the bars of the coop, where she was quite happily snuggling Miss Fabienne’s main layer from the looks of it. Or the other meat birds serving their purpose was leaving this one on its lonesome ‘til breakfast.

“Isn’t she adorable?!” Eupha beamed as the hen was far less impressed with her distinct lack of snuggles, being held out to the hulking dark paripus. If a bird could be glarin’, this one was.

Getting dirty looks from a damn bird kept it looking more “tasty” than “cute”, but the girl was more than adorable enough for the both of them.

“Cute as can be, but sorry to say I didn’t make ‘nough cake if your pecky friend’s feeling peckish herself. If you don’t hurry Del might end up stealin’ your share too.”

He heard Del try to tease about him being too late on that front, but Miss Fabienne didn’t seem like the type to deny something she knew was true. Or to let a man steal food from a nice girl or the guy WHO BAKED THE DAMN THING. He still shot his brother a glare and a shout for the bit.

“She has a name? Oh that’s lovely , thank you sir,” Eupha’s eyes shown in delight as she gave the chicken now deemed “Pecky” a last cuddle. She did know these birds were for eating, right?

... She might not . When he made mention of making a meal of one of the islander’s goats in an attempt at idle conversation he nearly got hit like it was part of the guy’s family. 

He’s not going to be the one to tell her. 

He turned to give Miss Fabienne an apologetic look in case this caused her problems with the priestess down the line but if they had overheard a thing Maria was too excited ‘bout something for her mum to notice.

He was hesitant to take a seat himself, he was used to standing to either stay at the ready or his legs being too long for him to sit comfortably, but it weren’t like there wasn’t room for him for a change. Having a table of the six of ‘em and the fairy sitting pretty on a mug proudly preening herself as the elda said something nice about her mug being on the cake, felt… nice. 

Homely might be the word, not that he ever had a home like it.

“You really do have a talent in the kitchen,” Miss Fabienne told him and left him nodding with a muttered gratitude. He was luckier than others since his skin kept his blushin’ from being as obvious, but he couldn’t be sure that meant they couldn’t all still see it. If she did she was too polite to draw any attention to it, looking gentle as a lamb. “Where are you boys from? Do you know where you’d be establishing yourselves?”

Right. Diner means building means roots . The Magnus Brothers never really had those.

“Not sure,” Del spoke for him with a shrug, “we’re from some slums further south, not too far off from Martia. More of a glorified junkyard really, so it’s not like we’ve got anything to go back to.”

“Brielhaven ain’t too bad for a paripus with enough scratch though,” Basilio offered offhand so they didn’t sound too clueless. “We got pretty familiar with the area while we were stationed there and the grocers got to know me well enough.”

He couldn’t help but catch the elda boy and mustari girl sharing something of a look. Not the flirty or shy types Basilio figured she was hoping for; Will was looking a bit more surprised while Eupha’s was getting dangerously thoughtful though he couldn’t begin to guess where her head was at.

“Maria mentioned you boys were in the military, like her father was.” she nodded towards her daughter, though her posture had gone stiff at mention of the slums like she already had a pretty good idea where exactly they were from. “Will’s said you’re currently bodyguards for the songstress Junah,” her voice made it more of a probing question than a statement.

“He’s her chauffeur; we’re only traveling together until she gets to Altabury safely for her next show; for the tournament.” Del’s tone was clipped around the bits of cake. He spared the elda a glance that to a stranger might look more like a glare, “Past that he’s got nothing to do with us.”

Del might not be wrong, if the boy really did drop out of the tournament like the Count told him to. It was hard picturing him or any of his crew being brought into the proper fold; actually serving onboard the Charadrius with the rest of them. Could be fun if they were though.

Del’d probably be advising Lord Louis against it, so not too much Basilio could do. The men had never seen the Magnus brothers disagree on anything that mattered . He couldn’t imagine Lord Louis ever taking his word over his brother’s either, so vouching for them would be pointless.

“Well, I’m still glad life turned out the way that it did,” Miss Fabienne smiled at them both, though her eyes kept wanting to linger more on their tea as she’d keep forcing them back up. “I’d be happy to show you some of the ropes while you’re here.”

“T-thank you very much, ma’am.” Basilio bobbed his head gratefully as he tried to not notice the little girl staring intently at him with a big grin in hopes of pressuring him to be a romantic idiot.

Obviously he did a great job on that front. Del was more confused about what the kid was going off of, but it wasn’t like Basilio could tell him with everyone else around. He tried to give a “later” shrug, to which Del gave a “what did you DO ” gesture towards the small child.

“I’ve had Will help mostly to keep up with demands on busy nights, but I could show you two how I’ve handled my pricing, inventory, and predicting demand during the day. Not that I’d expect things to be one-to-one with what your own venture would need.” Miss Fabienne said with a finger curled under her chin thoughtfully. “How good are you two at reading?”

Del gave a confident enough nod while Basilio waved a more noncommittal hand.

“Did Mister show you all his nice book too?” Maria asked excitedly, getting a nod with equal energy from Eupha.

“Del had to read a chapter for me, but I’ve been working on it.” Basilio gave a crooked smile back. “It is pretty nice though. Has some real pretty pictures too, don’t it?”

“Yeah! Don’t worry Mister Basil, Miss Gallica had to help me too. Some words are pretty hard. Like “the en-light-ened king” and his citi-zens.” she recited like she’d been stuck on them for a while.

“... Isn’t it pronounced Bay-sil?” Will whispered to Gallica, who nodded with a confused look on her face.

“Oi, don’t mess her up with your weird fairy talk, it’s just basil! My name ain’t Bay-silio and she was havin’ ‘nough trouble as it was!”

“Oh we talk “weird”?!” the fairy shot back, “What did vowels or the letter “G” ever do to you two anyway!?”

“Gonna be finding out if a fairy is as easy to swat as any other pest if you ain’t careful, bug,” Del warned as Maria’s head bounced between them in worry, but Basilio figured he was more teasing than testy for now ‘cause the tip of his tail was curling like it was enjoying the fuss.

The elda paused for a second before leaning towards his fairy, “I mean if everyone else says it another way, I do think that makes us the weird ones, Gallica.” Will told her softly.

“Don’t side with him! Show some pride!” the fairy hissed.

“Who do we blame this on anyway?” Del asked with a smirk he was trying and failing to smother. “I’m assuming it’s regional, since someone’s so keen on how much Brielhaven rubbed off on us, so is this how all elda where you were from talked or is it more of a fairy thing?”

“I… think it’s Gallica’s fault.” Will said slowly as he looked towards the ceiling before shutting his eyes tight, like checking his eyelids would help him find something.

“EXCUSE YOU?!”

“I don’t remember anyone else sounding like we do. Mister Russell definitely didn’t.”

“He wasn’t from the sanctum anyway,” Gallica sighed, and gave a huffy puff of defeat, “but, you might be right about our dialect being more common among fairies.” She shot Basilio a scolding glare before he could finish pointing at her in victory to snap, “That doesn’t make it weird!”

“... I do kinda struggle to understand some of what the folks in Martia say though.” Will admitted as his gaze dropped to the floor.

“Really? Some king you’d be for them , eh?” Del teased with a nasty grin, though the elda nodded sadly without objection or complaint.

“It just means he knows what he’ll need to work harder at; he’ll be fine,” Miss Fabienne retorted with an intense look at Del that felt like a warning. She also noticed his tail was acting curly despite Del’s face staying even as anything, though seeing it made her look tired.

“Oh, d’ye ken wi a kinch is fur thaim dae ye, facie lad? A kin dae this a’ fecking dae, peeg.” Del rattled off in his best time-to-piss-off-Zorba tone, the longer he went the further the elda’s face fell and the mustari sputtered from nearly choking on her cake, like Del was speaking in tongues or something.

That couldn’t actually be what that meant, right? Always seemed a bit more serious than a bit of code-switching when he heard folks say it. Might need to ask Del later, if he remembered.

The elda made the mistake of looking to Basilio for help, as if he’d mess up the show. He shook his head with a snicker. Maria was a lot more impressed. Especially compared to her mum the second the word “fecking” left Del’s throat in front of said daughter.

“Mister Fiddlio can talk like papa when he got grumpy!” she uttered awestruck.

“Del can try gettin’ ‘imself clocked with a dry femur again more like,” Basilio muttered over a bit of more cake loud enough for Del to hear him but not much else.

Del was left looking utterly baffled by the kid’s mangling of his name, barely giving his brother a “oh so that’s why” glance.

“It’s sir “Fidelio”,” Eupha tried to gently correct and got a “Fedello” for her troubles to the irritated twitch of Del’s tail. 

“Fidelo” got the twitch to jump all the way to his eye. She nearly got a fourth in when Del pulled the plug.

“You can call it there, pup,” he sighed as a “Fidle” tumbled out. He took a breath like he was expecting his next words to kill him. “Mr. Fiddle is fine .” Del nearly growled out through grit teeth like the liar he was.

Nobody at the table believed him for a second , but they ranged from confusion he was bothering with humoring a kid at all to surprise that he knew what mercy was. But he was standing by it as he stared down the kid as if daring her to get even that wrong too.

“Are you sure… Mister Fiddle?” Maria tentatively asked and Basilio wasn’t sure if he was feeling worse for his brother or her.

“If you feel bad , you can practice getting it right on your own time to keep from wasting mine, pup.” Del shrugged as he tried to hide the way his claws flexed.

“So Mister Basil and Mister Fiddle will be helping us out for a few nights?” Maria asked as she looked between the brothers and Del really did try not pulling a face.

“Only if “Mister Fiddle” watches his mouth better,” Miss Fabienne told her with a glare that might have been joking. Maybe. “Mister Basil’s perfectly welcome as is,” she added brightly.

Del winced but nodded at the “order” as Basilio tried not to laugh, “yes ma’am, sorry ma’am.”

Will looked over the moon as they gave the woman their gratitude and goodbyes, with the decent enough excuses of needing to get back to Eht Ria before the knight had a panic attack and Maria having already missed her normal bedtime. Like he’d been proven right, which when you tried arguing with Del was a mighty fine accomplishment indeed.

“Sooo, “Mister Fiddle”?” Basilio asked with a grin he couldn’t help as Del glared at him.

“It was the best I could think of that she couldn’t mess up.” Del huffed quietly, a sign Basilio should be trying to match his volume despite the lack of foot traffic at the hour, “Can you imagine how bad all those vowels in my middle name would’ve been outta her mouth? Gah, bloody kids .”

“Still, didn’t expect to see you playing nice with one like that. Why?”

Del shrugged, “fake names might be safer for us right now. The “Magnus brothers” have a different reputation, and it wouldn’t look good if word ‘bout us being in Grand Trad got back to Lord Louis when we told him we’d be with Lady Junah making sure the lance job got done.”

Basilio gave an understanding hum at his logic. Could see how even calling Del “Del” wouldn’t be too out of place with a longer “name” like “Fiddle”. Still musical too, since Del once told him he’d been named for a song or something like that.

“Besides, if we do get any form of rep from this,” Del rolled his head all the way back like he was once again hating the words coming from his own damned mouth. “While it ain’t nearly as impressive like “the Nightprowler”, something like “the Fiddle and Basil”’s not terrible for a place that was offering some music with your meals, innit?”

Del was glaring at the smile spreading on Basilio’s face like it was the morning sun after a proper paripus bash and all the hangovers that entailed. “Don’t make me regret this, Bas.”

Basilio didn’t say a damn thing, but he couldn’t have stilled his tail even if he had held it down by hand. And when he risked a look back Del’s was still more happy-curly than angry-twitchy.

“So even though it was my idea it’d still be your name that’d be coming first?” Basilio teased when he was willing to break the silence.

“Finally feeling up to taking the lead?”

“Nah, you know me. Don’t really care ‘bout that sorta thing, just felt funny teasing since mine’s more “alpha-bet-ical”.”

Del gave an “as you do” sorta hum that sounded a bit disappointed before his head found something to sour it further. “Just be careful, Bas,” he warned quietly as they again held back leaving Will and the girls to excitedly ramble among themselves.

“What’s there to be “careful” ‘bout this time? I ain’t doing anything,” he groused back.

“You’re getting attached.” Del told him with a sharp glare at the elda’s back. “We can’t be sure about them yet, and Lord Louis is going to have him drop out as soon as this is done anyway. You really think they’d want to stick around after that?”

Basilio wanted to object, that Will and the others should have earned some trust after everything they’ve accomplished by now, but he clicked his tongue as it caught in his throat.

The elda and the others, he corrected. The elda, the mustari, and the fairy.

If he did need to axe them, having used their names too much would make it hurt more.

And he had been reminded of the first question he asked, the day Lord Louis had the Magnus brothers meet them in the Nightprowler. Del had taken over again after the elda’s answer. He hadn’t really been able to comment on it back then.

“‘Ey pup, got a question for you real quick,” Basilio called out while they were out in the open of Sunlumeo street. Having a question or the way Basilio said it seemed to put the kid on edge, but he showed he was paying attention. That’d be enough. “Who’s the “bad man” you told Maria you had to join the tournament to keep from becoming king?”

To his credit, the elda was surprised at the question, but not enough to make him nervous. The kid wasn’t quiet for too long either, so it weren’t like he needed time to think on it.

“I told you already, when I told you why I wanted to serve Lord Louis.” the kid said coolly. Almost like he could have kept it at that, not that Basilio would have let it slide. 

But the kid’s mouth started twitching like he had to spit out the rest or it’d burn him from the inside. Same fire lit a proper glare in his eyes. “Would you say someone who set up a test just to force someone of a different faith to drop out of a contest designed to justify his victory was a “good” man? One that would have a country chomping at the bit to steal as many pieces of other cultures as possible just to show that he can ?" The elda gestured to Eupha, in her brother’s stead, to her own palpable discomfort at hearing how targeted this round had been at her brother’s expense.

“Would you consider someone who allows the faith he’s preaching to label an entire tribe so worthless that we can’t even go to their churches to purify items that could get people killed otherwise, without jumping through some needless stupid hoops about a belief we can’t be part of even if we wanted to , to be a “good” man?!” the elda spat towards the Fermis church.

“Would you call the person who made it so Fabienne can’t get any of the resources an official widow would’ve been entitled to in order to raise a state soldier’s orphaned daughter after so many of those same soldiers died following the church’s orders, just because they weren’t of the same tribe, to be a “good” man?” The elda looked Basilio dead in the eye as his fury shook him.

But the way the elda looked while he phrased that last bit was tricky. The sort of tricky Basilio’s sometimes noticed Del had trouble catching, ‘cause Del would just be checking the pure facts ‘bout things and the facts would check out. 

Will wanted them to draw the connection, make it sound like he held Forden responsible for what happened to Maria’s papa somehow to cover his bases if she had told Basilio the “bad man” killed him like she did. But her papa wasn't one of the ones following said orders when he died, or the kid wouldn’t have needed to bring any other soldiers into it for him to vent and keep it honest. And Basilio was careful not to actually say Maria had said that about the “bad man”.

Didn’t mean the boy couldn’t still have laid some of the blame on “taking her papa away” at Forden’s feet when he or Miss Fabienne had to break the news to her. But definitely felt unlikely.

“Like I told you before, Basilio: I don’t like Forden or his Church.” the boy said without a hint of lies, a layer of sarcasm on how much of an understatement “don’t like” was, and more quiet fury than he’s ever seen the elda openly bear in him. “I couldn’t just stand by and risk letting a monster like him be crowned king. Not with how many people he’d continue to hurt.”

“Especially people like Maria” was unsaid, but the flex in his jaw said it for him. He’d already laid out his elda specific grievances, and which bits of the inter-tribe politicking he could’ve run into already. But without being a halfblood himself it’d be harder for him to know just how hard Sanctism’s been setting her up for failure, not when he can’t even learn their scripture.

Maybe Basilio should have tried harder to hear how they had it when he had the chance too.

“Which is why supporting Lord Louis is your best bet to keep that from happening,” Fidelio said with a nod, and Basilio kept quiet about this topic getting Del to take over from his question again . Del smirked wide enough for some light to catch on his teeth, “especially if he means to just kill the old bastard before the crown’s been placed on anyone’s head, yeah?”

Wil- the elda- dammit, why’s the kid got to make this complicated , gave a solemn nod. Del gave Basilio a look to ask if Basilio was satisfied with the answer despite making it sound clear that he did and Del was normally the one who’d be harder to convince. How could he say no?

Especially when he didn’t want to say no. Even if it weren’t sounding like who he’d be warning Maria about, the kid wasn’t wrong about anything he said, and Basilio didn’t want him dead .

So he grinned, like nothing sounded off in the first place, despite making him feel a touch ill. “S’alright then, best we make sure the old fella hasn’t had a heart attack by now waiting on ya.”

“ Which “old fella”? The elda teased. “We have two of them.”

“Eh, your runner man don’t count so much,” Basilio waved off.

“If you’re trying to butter me up, old boy, that’s not going to work on me,” Neuras- nope, wrong, “the engie” was safer even if he ain’t a fighter, teased as he heard them enter the runner.

“Yeah, the way to Neuras’ heart is bribes.” Gallica said with a sly look.

“The seeds of imagination to further spur scientific advancement and the very spirit of discovery are so much more than mere bribes my girl!” the ishkia man sputtered indignantly.

“Is booze a bribe?” Del dryly asked without skipping a beat.

“Oh absolutely , my good man.” the ishkia verbally turned on a pin’s head with a conniving grin before it got more somber and bashful. “Though I must thank you both for leaving my staches alone despite my, uh… lack of foresight forcing you boys to suffer in stowage. I’d be more than understanding if you hadn’t.”

Considering how Lady Junah had already tried to talk him into swapping bunks with her, Basilio wasn’t really sure if having a room was “suffering” more than the ones with their little pods. He nearly agreed to it too, before Del brought up the good chance Basilio wouldn’t fit in those beds and that it’d be leaving Del alone with Lady Junah, at night , on the regular.

The lump he got for asking Del if that last bit might’ve been the point smarted for days .

“I thought “your” stache was the one in the kitchen and we were seeing the fluid portion for the pantry, or some general backups,” Basilio admitted, and let his grin get a touch more wolfish. “Though if you’re giving us an invitation to either, it’d be awful impolite of us to say no.”

“An “Invitation” may be an exaggeration, but it’s not like most who are of age haven’t already helped themselves to a tipple or two from the kitchen’s stores by now.” the ishkia said with the tease of a smile under his moustache. “I think you two are the only ones who’ve been down there long enough to see that it’s not the only one, aside from our captain when he set about cleaning it for you. Gave both him and my gadget a proper workout to get it done and dusted.”

… So that’s why there wasn't any dust down there ‘sides the stuff caught between the mystery powder-sacks. Proper thoughtful of ‘em, considering how he and Del invited themselves along all last minute like they did.

“If that’s what you call “clean” I don’t think I want to know how it was before .” Del snarked with a hint of dread, like they hadn’t slept in far worse and still got the roomiest bunk by a mile.

“I found two lizard tails!” the elda chirped happily, which was not what Del wanted to hear.

“A good omen indeed!” Eupha- the priestess, goddamn it, nodded in excitement. “They are great for fishing, and one for each brother.”

“Yeah, Heismay caught a whopper with one last trip!” 

“You did say you liked fish, Del,” Basilio reminded his brother with a grin.

“Swimming lessons.” Del reminded him back darkly.

“Not in the ocean or at night!” the priestess chided, and hearing Del’s lack of concern rather than an agreement made her attempt to glare at him harder.

The elda and Gal- his fairy, could Basilio even really be expected to kill someone this small?- headed down with the engie to the engine with Del on their tail so he knew there’d be eyes on ‘em. The priestess made the turn to the lounge area instead, where that lil’ altar she made was.

Basilio swung his tail her way to ask Del if her being on her own should be a cause for concern, and a flicked tail in turn gave the go ahead for a brief split up. Weren’t like they wouldn’t need to come back up to leave the runner or it’d be hard to hear if either level got trouble.

So he plopped himself on the box next to the runner’s plant-doohickey, so he could be pretending to fiddle with that instead of obviously watching her going over the candles and incense burners she had set up for her lance-dragon-god. Not that it did much to hide what he was really doing, since there weren’t actually any plants to be checking on.

“Uh, sir Basilio, have you been quite alright?” she asked tentatively. The priestess didn’t even wait for an answer as soon as she saw his eyes narrow trying to think on where he’d been any “odder” than his usual mucking about, “your magla has been rather sporadic tonight.”

Oh, right she could see that stuff from people , like Saint Rella, so if Saint Rella could get a feel for how Del had been feeling from his it weren’t too odd for the mustari to be able to do it too.

“More ups than downs for sure, nothing to worry ‘bout with me.” Basilio tried to wave off, before letting his hand give the back of his neck a scritch, “though, sorry if my teasin’ the elda upset you any. Didn’t realize you might’ve had a thing for ‘im before tonight.”

She gave a nervous squeak, but not a denial.

“So, I’m right then?” Basilio asked with the start of a grin.

“Is it that… obvious?” she asked as her normal eyes watched her fiddle with her hands while her third kept itself dead on Basilio. Or… more like staring into his right shoulder. At his scar?

“Nah, I don’t think he’s got a clue. Or if he does, don’t think he’d be the type to be stringing a girl along on purpose.” he told her. Then cocked his head as the thought struck him, “if you can see how folks are feelin’, doesn’t that take most of the guesswork outta this sorta thing?”

“It’s… not exact or anything, and even among the mustari how well we can see magla varies. For example; I can see the bond you and your brother share very easily, even though you both have a lot less magla than most people. Even though between the two you have less than sir Fidelio your magla is a lot “bolder” than his, so that’s why when it got knotted before we ate I was concerned. More so than when his had a similar contraction.” 

Basilio’s tail stilled as he tried to make himself not be bothered by this. It’s not like his aches were a secret exactly, but he had liked to think the folks who had known about them could be counted on a hand. Del, Lady Rella, Glechom from their time before Louis’s ranks, Lord Louis himself obviously, and Zorba after the man had to help patch him up on a bad night.

Hell, maybe Zorba had known before numbing him if he had the same trick the priestess had.

“I’m sorry that this makes you uncomfortable. It’s not something I can just “close” for anyone’s privacy.” he heard her say, but he just gave her a shrug and moved to sit on the couch across from her instead, where he could stretch out more and have a cushion under him.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make too much of a fuss about it if you catch it again, miss.” Basilio admitted. “Del’d get pricklier ‘bout than I do, but we’ve both got ways of handling it, see?”

“His was harder to notice at first. Sir Fidelio’s magla can otherwise be nearly as hard to read as Junah and Will’s are.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’re still all nervous with the pup?”

“Yes. Will has a lot of magla to be sure, but for both him and Junah it’s like… like a second skin on them. His is almost an armor, always present and nearly solid no matter how it branches around those he clearly cares for. But all of those branches end up feeling similar as a result, so I can’t really…” she trailed off as her nerves got the better of her, blushing like heated metal.

“And Lady Junah’s?” Basilio asked as he slouched forward in attention.

“It’s most peculiar,” Eupha admitted as she sat cross legged on the floor. “She has said she studied magic before, so I suspect part of this is because she is intentionally hiding as much of her presence as she can despite having much more magla than I do. What she can’t hide keeps looping back around herself, but it’s not as consistent as the Captains and it only ever branches around him, sir Fidelio, and yourself. But her “branches” are still very faint and…” Eupha titled her head in thought, her eyes focused like she was handling an injured critter. “It moves like it’s scared of making any of the few connections it’s acknowledging any stronger than they are.”

“Not too much unlike me brother’s then, innit?” Basilio asked with a soft snort.

“Not as extreme as his,” she corrected but otherwise nodded. “Though it is more confident around the Captain.” Eupha noticed Basilio’s ears pin back with a grimace, but if she saw any “magla” about it it wasn’t helping her sort out why that bothered him. “Oh, though it was still nowhere near as confident as her magla was around the woman she had heal sir Fidelio!”

That helped get his ears to swivel forward again in surprise. “Like, she knew Lady Rella all personal-like?”

“Exactly! They must be very close and have known each other for quite some time, as the Lady Rella’s responded to hers in much the same way!”

Huh . “No fooling?”

“Not at all!” the girl insisted.

Well. The bit ‘bout Lady Junah really liking the elda more wasn’t comforting, but letting Del know about Lady Rella might help him be less worried ‘bout her loyalty to Lord Louis.

And since loyalty’s been so important lately… 

The mustari was barely even part of the elda’s crew; he’s known them longer than she had. She was being way too up front with him to be playing him along, yeah? Lord Louis wouldn’t even know about her yet; she didn’t promise anything to the Count, she’d just be coming along with the lance to keep her people happy and see the man herself. Show of good faith and all that.

There ain’t a chance in hell the elda’s working with Forden either so even if he’s hiding something, that “something” should be small potatoes. Personal, like not wanting to drop out so soon. Getting “attached” to the boy might still be dangerous, but Del might be willing to make a case for the priestess not needing to get the axe like the rest if her info’s on the level.

“Does the magla also show when you really dislike another fella?” Basilio asked as he looked off to the side.

“... That is the most common way Sir Fidelio’s has thorned out, yes.” she nodded shyly. “He is… uh, not a fan of the Captain.” Her mouth quirked at the corners as she tried to echo how the elda had spoke of the church before, but otherwise looked disappointed by the group’s tensions. “And it feels a lot more pointed towards him than how sir Heismay gets when he’s around either of you. Sir Heismay’s thorns are generally more… pre-emptive, or defensive, than personal.”

“Figured as much.” Basilio scratched at his ear with a sigh. He kept his scarred eye shut as he risked a little pitch. “You know, if you’d like a hand with trying to have more time with the elda on your own, I’d be more than willing to help you with that.”

“Huh?” she blinked in surprise.

“Way I see it, Del’s real problem with the pup is how easily Lady Junah’s taken a shine to him. She’s always been the type to flirt for fun; not the sorts she ever means you know? So if you are serious ‘bout him, it wouldn’t take long for her to back off ‘cause she’s not one to be looking to get anybody hurt or nothing. Then our Del wouldn’t need to worry ‘bout her getting hurt either.”

“Are you sure?” she asked warily. “I mean, if you think she could be…”

“Serious? Nah, I mean she’s still having her fun trying to fluster our Del when she sees a chance to ruffle him up so I don’t see why this would be any different.” Basilio shrugged as he put his head’s weight on his hand. “I’d figure even a flirty girl would focus if she found one she was really keen on, ‘side from if she was lookin’ to make her main man jealous and this boy don’t seem much the type for that to do more than scare him off.” he let out a snort at his own expense, “not that I know much ‘bout this sorta thing. Not really my type of trouble.”

“I see…” she said softly.

“So, what d'you say lil’ lady?” Basilio grinned at her as he straightened in his seat and offered her his free hand as a fist. “You’ve got a crush, and I’ve got a brother who’s dumber than he wants anyone to think ‘e is, so might as well be allies, yeah?”

She looked between his face and his fist with some confusion.

“You said ‘fore that something weren’t “that kind of handshake” and I ain’t one for that sorta formalities anyway. Pretty common habit among paripus anyway, so nobody risks catching a claw.” Basilio explained as he opened his fist to show off his claws before closing it again and waggled it as an invitation. “So, I figured a fistbump might be more comfortable for ya too. Just a tap if you’d like, but you don’t gotta worry ‘bout hurting the likes of me none, promise.”

“So nobody gets hurt.” she said more to herself as she looked at his fist like it was one of them formal contracts. Her two eyes flicked back up to his. “And all you’re looking out of this “alliance” is your own peace of mind?”

“Not that strange, is it?”

“Not strange , but I’m not sure if it’s fair .” she mumbled into her knuckles. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can help you with in exchange, sir Basilio?”

“We could always change it up later if you’d like, but right now I’ve got nuthin’.”

That didn’t really feel like he was lying.

“Hmm,” she hummed to herself, looking mighty intense before hitting her fist into her palm like a gavel. “Oh! I could help teach you how to swim!”

Basilio blinked blankly at her waiting, praying , for her to laugh ‘cause she was kidding. Or at least remember enough of basic manners to panic over what she was offering.

But she wasn’t, just looking at him all excited-expectantly like Maria had ‘bout him seeing Rella. So he put his hands together so she weren’t still thinking this was something he could agree to.

Basilio’s voice caught as he tried to think of the least bad way to phrase this. “You do realize I’m a bloke , yeah?”

“Yes? That is fairly obvious,” she tilted her head in confusion.

“Do you folks out here not see any, uh… issues , with men and women bathing together like? Over certain ages .”

“Why would ages matter? You’ve already seen me bathe once before, did you not?” she asked so innocently he still couldn’t tell if this was a mustari thing or her just being this damn sheltered.

Basilio took a deep breath as he wondered who the hell he pissed off for things to take this turn. “... I’m mighty grateful for the concern, miss, but I’m going to need to say no ‘til I can tell if this is the sorta thing your chief would kill me over or not.”

“My brother?” Eupha’s face pulled tight as she tried to see why on earth a healthy young man wouldn’t be chomping at the bit to be getting wet in any notable state of undress with a plenty attractive young lady WHO HE IS TRYING TO HELP GET WITH SOMEONE ELSE . 

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” she told him with an expression more like pity than concern.

Oh god help him he’s found someone dumber than he is.

Del would love to drag him over the coals for this one. So would Edeni, twice over prolly.

“Your brother’s been on the mainland a fair bit now, yeah? So just… have him or Lady Junah explain it to you.” Basilio said as he cradled his face in his palm. And realized that was a dire mistake, “actually, scratch Lady Junah unless you leave my name out of it!”

“Why would I ever want to scratch her?” WHAT IS THIS GIRL?!

“It’s an expression,” he managed weakly though even that seemed to further confuse her, “toss it, bin it, scrap it, skip it, leave it out, that sorta thing. Please , we do not need to be giving Lady Junah any new teasin’ material for me , she’s rough enough on our Del as it is!”

“I see. I’m sorry that this is so…” she looked him from top to bottom and back to find a word. “Distressing?” He gave a pained groan of agreement there so she continued, “We can decide on a more adequate compensation for yourself at another time.”

“ Thank you ,” he softly wheezed as he hung his head and offered the fistbump again.

“Alright then,” she agreed and tried to make a small jab at him. And missed, to her very obvious embarrassment as her fist went straight under his.

Basilio didn’t chuckle or say a peep, not about her miss or that she very clearly didn’t know how to throw a punch to save her life ‘cause the fool thing had her thumb tucked into her fist. Girl’s nerves were too much of a tizzy as they were and his were still recovering from what had better not have been her idea of flirting, so he kept himself dead quiet for her.

Her second attempt hit soft as a friendly cat’s noggin’, so he gave the back of her fist a knock with the bottom of his before tapping her knuckles the same way she’d done to his.

“Happy to be workin’ with ya, Lady Eupha,” he awkwardly grinned to her before showing her how he had kept his thumb free. “Word of warning though; holding your thumb like that is real likely to break it if you ever find yourself needing to give a guy some proper “correction”.”

“Ah, I see, thank you, sir Basili-O!” she said, though the o got strained as the runner gave a fierce jerk from finally doing its teleport thing. They’d been lucky they’d already been seated, or he might have needed to catch her.

Had it been that rough the other two times? Well, the first time he’d been too focused on Del, but the lot of them had been standing when they made the jump to Grand Trad.

“Oi, everything alright down there?” Basilio called out as he headed for the ladder. “Del, tell me you didn’t go breakin’ something just to see how it ticked?”

“IT WEREN’T ME!”

“LIKE HELL IT WASN’T, WHY DID YOU TRY TO TAKE PART OF IT?!” Gallica’s voice screeched over his brother’s.

“How the hell was I supposed to know the damn bob was “important” if it weren’t even screwed down ?!”

“Ah, Del.” Basilio sighed as he heard Eupha go past him, prolly to give one of the portholes a look-see to see if they really did land okay. Her sigh of relief was a comfort.

“It looks like we’re back on Eht Ria, so as long as the piece is returned I hope all will be well!” Eupha called down to the others.

“And now we know what to not fuss about with! No worries chum, progress is the art of learning from mistakes!” the engie chortled like that was something to be proud of.

Del practically flew up the ladder and Basilio wasn’t about to say a peep about how his tail was still fully floofed. Eupha looked damn near tempted as he zipped past her out the runner.

… Actually, with how her hand was she might’ve been more tempted to pet it than say something. And if he’s trying to get good with her to get good honest answers, giving her the same (as far as general paripus dos and don’ts went and Del’s goes in particular) would be a good way to keep the darlin’ from losing a hand.

“Everyone is alright, right?” the elda asked as he swung himself up, relieved to see both Basilio and Eupha standing and unharmed. “Sorry it took a while, sometimes it’s hard to stay focused.”

“Nah, sorry if my brother was needlin’ you over it. He’s got more of a mind for igniters than me, even fixed up a few when we were younger without knowing what they were meant for.”

“O-oh? You, uh… you don’t say. I don’t suppose you remember what type they were?” the ishkia asked as he brought up the rear.

“Eh, type? They ain’t all too different, are they?” Basilio shrugged as he kept a careful eye on the man. And the man wasn’t buying it, though his posture went slack like he knew not to push.

Del wouldn’t be so keen on keeping that damn thing close and out of sight so many years after the fact if it were the sort of thing that’d be safe to blab about. Luckily the ishkia man kept to his previous excuses of being too busy to go back to the inn with the rest, so Basilio didn’t need to worry about him pestering Del directly just yet.

Del had his eyes on the docks when the rest caught up, with his fur all calm again. He offered Basilio a mean smirk as he cocked his head towards it, but of the playing kind.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT !” Eupha objected again, the real target of the bit here. “I- The- There are swarms of the most vicious man-eating sharks teeming in these waters after dark! If anyone went in there at this hour they’d be eaten instantly!”

… Aaand there went any hopes of getting a decent sleep tonight. Basilio felt his tail curl around his leg and he wouldn’t have been surprised if folks couldn’t tell he had ears anymore in the dark.

Del found this to be a lot funnier than his brother did, given how honest his grin turned out. “Nice try lass, but if you believed a word of that I’m pretty sure you would have mentioned it earlier.”

Eupha tried to keep a straight face, all dead serious. But her jaw trembled and her confidence tumbled out of her with her next breath. “I’m sorry. You’re correct. That’s just a lie the adults would say to make sure we’d behave when I was a child…”

Basilio eyed the water, and he couldn’t be sure if some of those points in the dark were waves or fin tips. “So, you’re sure there’s no sharks?”

“Not terribly more than at any other hour,” Eupha shrugged like ANY amount of sharks weren’t too many bloody sharks! “It’d depend on the kind of shark of course, but none are “man-eaters” by nature and very rarely do they come this close to our shores. Most should let you go after the first bite if they mistook you for prey!”

Del started to laugh at his brother's expense, 'cause Basilio was sure he went pale enough to notice. Eupha must have mistaken it for the schemey or evil kinds ‘cause she looked like she was half tempted to toss him in the drink instead. And did one better.

Where normally she wasn’t that much shorter than Del was, the thing that took her place easily towered over Basilio, and the sight of it made both brothers jump.

The Summoner stood with its main spindly metal body having its arms all crossed like she was, while the massive outer green cloak had the second set of hands outstretched as a barrier, swallowing all three of them in its shadow as the moon practically formed a halo behind it.

“ NO , ” what was still Eupha’s voice rang with a louder echo to it as she stressed her newfound height advantage by literally looming over his big brother.

“... That’s cheating.” Del quietly objected as he glared up at her… helmet? Head? As if his tail hadn’t gone straight between his legs in the face of that thing.

“Hey, kid, don’t suppose you’re willing to share about how you do that too, are ya?” Basilio leaned back, closer to the elda in question.

“I really wouldn’t know what to tell you,” he said with a helpless shrug, “it just kinda happened? For most of us it was during a life-or-death situation, like mine was to save Strohl and I from a Human attack and Eupha’s triggered when she was getting Drakodios away from the possessed Dragon God.”

“ Most ?” Del echoed skeptically.

“Uhh... Heismay got the Thief just for wanting to fight with us to rescue some kids and Junah…" the elda swallowed some discomfort down, like he'd been caught pinching a cookie too early to eat without burning him. "Well, she saw me use mine when I was trying to get Glodell to focus on me instead of her, said that seeing it a few times should be enough to do it herself, and, uh… the lady’s voice that grants archetypes agreed . So, bam, Masked Dancer.”

The Summoner and both brothers stared at the boy like he had triggered his Archetype too.

Basilio tried to ignore the gnawing in his chest. Sure, they were too busy with making sure all the mustari were clear to have been a part of that scrap, but the brothers had fought alongside the lot against the human out at sea and nothing fancy happened to either of ‘em. So, there’s no reason to think that if they had fended off the mustari one things would’ve been any different.

No reason to let some stupid coulda-woulda-shoulda bollocks mess with one of the first things Basilio’s been that proud of doing in ages. If that hadn’t been the “right” thing to do it wouldn’t’ve felt as good as it did, right? Obviously not. Not when the last time he felt that good was…

Shite, when was the last time he could say he felt good ‘bout what he and Del had been doing without some caveats? Definitely before the king kicked it, so-

“So what, if I get loud enough at some magical bint she’ll just let me use magic without any igniters?” Del asked in disbelief as Basilio shook himself from his thoughts. But Del was looking awful thoughtful at the prospect.

“I mean, I wouldn’t if I was ‘er and you were gonna be talkin’ ‘bout me like that .” Basilio muttered beside him. As much as he’d agree that getting to be that big at the drop of a hat would be really cool, magic bits of it all be damned.

“I think asking Junah about what she was tapping into would be a bit less likely to make whatever it is mad at you.” Will agreed nervously.

“I remember when the voice spoke to me it had said my… “long stagnant-stance had been broken”, by refusing to give up my life as a sacrifice as I had believed I had to be for so long, so these archetypes seemed meant as a gift to make forging a new path for myself possible.” Eupha said as she returned to her much smaller self, a finger curled across her lips in thought. “But, forgive me if I'm wrong, neither of these things sound as relevant to the two of you, do they?”

A shiver ran through Basilio that didn’t have anything to do with the chill of the night air. One that he didn’t want to risk checking if Del felt it too, because it couldn’t be good. 

They knew which path they were meant to be on: Lord Louis’s.

Lady Junah having one all her own didn’t need to be bad either! She was a singer and all, she supported Lord Louis but her life’s in a whole different direction than bloody wars and politics! So her having one of these didn’t need to mean nothing still!

Not like if they strayed. Lord Louis was all they had. So any “new” path for them would mean-

“-right Bas?” Del’s voice cut in. His brother was looking at him like he was expecting an agreement.

“Eh? Sorry Del, I think my ears are giving out on me,” Basilio gave his back a stretch for good measure.

His brother rolled his eyes back at him, “can hardly blame you for that. Bloody cold too, and your ears are worse with it than mine.” Del’s smile was softer when he thought nobody else could see it. So whatever Del was asking Basilio could only hope that it didn’t matter.

Just like that nonsense about “paths” didn’t matter. Only ones that did, were the literal kind, like the fork between where most of the island folk lived and where they’d get back to the inn.

“Lady Eupha, are you really okay heading on your own at this hour?” Basilio asked, getting Del’s attention quicker than he thought. “Wouldn’t want your big brother getting mad at ya.”

“Huh, n-no, I’m sure it’ll be completely fine!” she stumbled over her words as she seemed genuinely confused about what he was doing. “My brother’s been protective , but I’ve told him he’s got nothing to worry about!”

“I can go with you,” the elda offered like the predictable goody-two-shoes sucker that he was. “I wouldn’t want Edeni to think we’d just abandon you like that anyway.”

She offered a little “oh” to herself as she caught Basilio’s not-so-innocent grin and a spark of realization caught in her eyes as she gave a terse nod back. Though his ears cocked back when he remembered the fairy was still with them, so it weren’t like the two were alone .

Aw well, a job half-done’s better than not done at all. She saw what he was tryin’ to do, and he weren’t even being too obvious ‘bout the ploy either, in his humble opinion.

“ Lady Eupha?” Del’s voice dripped with accusation as she found something to point out to the elda near one of their three-eyed rocks, leaving the brothers on their own.

“I’m being careful!” Basilio raised his hands in surrender. “It’s not like Lord Louis knows anything ‘bout her yet, yeah? So, her head shouldn’t be on the block! And she can be real insightful.”

“Uh huh. “Insightful”,” Del drawled as he scowled up at him. “You sure that’s the word you’re looking for, brother ?”

Basilio blinked as he wasn't really following what else he could be meaning there.

“Pretty sure, yeah. She was tellin’ me ‘bout the magla she sees, how it connects people like.” Del’s ears perked at that, so Basilio dropped his voice quieter. “She said what she was seein’ between Saint Rella and Lady Junah was lookin’ like they were just old mates, Del. So you don’t need to go jumpin’ to those conclusions o’ yours, ‘bout that stuff before.”

“T-that wouldn’t prove that she’s not working with them,” Del’s words were shaky and his eyes were shifty so that gave Basilio some hope he was getting his brother’s head back on right.

“But having the priestess willin’ to talk ‘bout that sorta thing with me ain’t such a bad thing, innit?” Basilio joustled his shoulder, like they were sharing a bit of ribbing. “And being friendly with the elda’s been pretty “insightful” too, yeah? Got us a nice new way to get outta the bloody heat.”

Del’s eyes screwed shut as he gave a soft groan. And Basilio’s tail kicked up a storm.

“Say it~” Basilio teased.

“I’m not telling you “you’re right” when we can’t be sure of that yet, Bas.” Del glowered back at him, gold eyes reflecting more green this far from the torches.

“And yet~” He was practically leaning sideways over his brother as he drawled.

“Fine. You weren’t wrong . And coming out here was a good idea.” Del spat as Basilio cackled victoriously. “Can you please not sound like a villain or a loon for once in your life, Bas?”

“‘Scuse you?! Last I checked I was the “nice” brother, so if either of us is the villain it ain’t me!”

“Jokes on you, baby face gets me a pass,” Del told him off with a good shove, but Basilio was laughing too hard to mind. “C’mon already, ‘fore the eugief skins you for disturbing the peace.”

“Old fella can die trying’,” Basilio joked back, with a glare at a bit of shadows which weren’t as dark as they should have been.

If he had heard anything incriminating, it shouldn’t matter too much. Basilio warned them all upfront that Del didn’t trust them, old bat included.

As far as Basilio could see, there were no reasons for trouble yet. Any trust he got was trust he repaid, and so far the elda was giving more than his fair share. The Magnus brothers still owed him, even if Del had tried to make them sound square before. But despite that, things were nice.

Things just had to keep staying nice. He knew that could be a big ask, so he wouldn’t. Wouldn’t want to remind the world he had something to take, ‘cause then it’d make him fight to keep it.

But he couldn’t remember the last time the only truly “bad” feeling he had was his face hurting from smiling so damn much.

Chapter Text

9/4

Fidelio should've nipped this in the bud while he had the chance. Not like he couldn't now, but he'd have to be blind to not see Bas was getting too attached, despite everything he told him.

Now look at the mess they're in. On the one hand, sure, maybe the rookies were on the up and up, despite whatever really happened with Glodell. But if they were serious about just wanting to beat the Sanctists at their own games, they already had a winning hand for this leg of the race. 

They didn't need Lord Louis to direct them to a divine relic, their runner was powered by one of the damn things, no pillaging necessary. Only risk would have been the one the elda fretted about before, but an elda casually showing off what was probably his own people's treasure would rile up those church bastards like nothing else.

Elda weren't supposed to have "Divine" relics. Weren't even supposed to need igniters in the first place; that's why the Sanctimonious bastards hated the lot on principal. But proof that they had one anyway; one that didn't even hurt anything to use?

Now, that'd just ask them fatcats why the igniters they saw the most worth in slinging around were all meant for combat at heart. How much earlier would the world have known travel focused magic like it could exist, if them church folk hadn't been so convinced those “filthy elda” weren't even people much less a tribe with a trick or two worth knowing.

The bandit or monster lined trade routes that could’ve been made redundant years -maybe decades!- ago, evacuations that could've been piss easy, or how many sick or injured souls that wouldn't have needed to die waiting on a healer to come. Like the how and why this lot risked exposing themselves by getting Saint Rella to Eht Ria for him in the first place. Allegedly.

He could see why the elda would hesitate; nobody wanted to set their own tribe up for failure. But that’s what made hesitation a weakness . Ironically, the sort of weakness that may well prove he’d be a bad fit for Lord Louis’s world, if he believed in the dream at all.

Anyone could see this all worked out "for the best" as far as things for the island locals were concerned, but that's all hindsight talking. They didn't need Drakodios for anything, but they risked dying for it time after time anyway knowing they’d be asked to bow out afterwards.

Was that really just because Lord Louis asked, to prove their worth and loyalty to him? Or did they know why he wanted it? 

Fidelio knew what he saw them doing. He saw the clemar land a blow on the kid he claimed to be supporting, and everyone else in the elda’s crew was just watching like it wasn’t some impulsive scrap. Lord Louis had told them killing Forden was his ultimate goal and they were testing the weapon he had them fetching that was going to make that an immediate possibility.

If all the elda cared about was "beating Forden", he could've zipped off to do that the second they knew what was in his hands and be back on the island with an alibi the very same night. Yet as far as Fidelio could tell the old bastard was still breathing. There was no way that could ever stay a secret as soon as the elda got them back to Grand Trad.

Especially not with the number of drunken idiots he’s had to deal with already. He’s never been a people person; that’s Bas’s job, but it can’t be Bas’s bloody job if he’s also doing the cooking!

It’d be easy to wipe his hands of this nonsense; he tried . He hadn’t even directly threatened any of the more obnoxious “guests” yet! 

But he wasn’t about to just leave his brother in the lurch. Especially not on his own, and that fucking elda didn’t count! He’d sooner trust the mustari girl with a treasury around the homeless.

The second Bas stopped enjoying himself or decided to give up on this, they’re gone. Not a second before, no matter how badly Fidelio wanted to claw up every new face that treated him like some godforsaken teenager .

The logistics of inventory and the like were easy compared to people. Hell, he’s probably lucky most of the folks who came in seemed to be regulars. Fabienne clearly had a talent for fostering good relations that extended to her customers, with how patient they were with him .

His eyes drifted back to the ishkia info broker keeping to himself and absorbing everything he could. To a paripus sitting with a young unmarked rhoag, close enough that Fidelio wasn’t sure if the two men were mates or more. To the clemar with the cigniter who stuck by the window to keep a pulse on the local goings on, engaging a masked mustari in some lively debate. 

Only the broker seemed to give him or Bas any undue attention, all things considered. He and his brother had done too much under the Magnus name for them to get tripped up by an “impossible” rumor, but as long as they’re out here it’s possible word could get back to Lord Louis. Without his backing, their name meant nothing.

Closest ones to acting “too dodgy” were a nidia couple on the other side of the room, but the knowing looks and whispers they’ve shared seemed to be about Fidelio. He could handle some extra scrutiny, especially if it kept the heat off Bas.

The strangest thing about them was just the strangest thing he’s noticed about all nidia: they never bat an eye when his age comes up if they hear him talk first. Even Lady Junah, which was one of the first things she did that had impressed him. 

(He hadn’t known that many nidia back then, just a halfblood here or there, since being towards the distrusted-end-of-middle of the general tribe pecking order still left them fairly higher than the paripus meatshields when things got militant. Paripus made “better” scouts; didn’t need to care if they made it back but if they did you didn’t want to worry about them lying to your face.)

The second strangest bit with the wider man in particular was that something near his waist kept moving just enough to catch the corner of Fidelio’s eye which was getting distracting. It wasn’t even that big, it’d probably be even shorter than Maria if she was sitting next to him. But that just made how quickly the movement vanished when he tried to see it all the stranger.

Fidelio wasn’t sure if he was caught staring when the man beckoned him for an order. The man smiled kindly enough, already a far cry from the claims that the nidia all hid behind glamorous masks. He was average at best , mousy brown hair having maybe a hint of blond and lime in the light and Del was far too familiar with Lady Junah to be impressed by their blue eyes by now.

“Need another ale… sir?” Del offered as a cover, but the man shook his head. Del had to bite his tongue to not snap about what he was called for since Miss Fabienne had made her stance clear: humoring conversation was part of the hustle. Some are paying as much for the setting and company than for just the food itself.

Couldn’t call it tosh if it netted a bigger tip. Doesn’t matter to him now , but unless Bas wanted to hire some other sap to be playing host it would matter if it came to keeping their own place running. If they didn’t have other work. So he just had to treat them like an old mark.

“The misses was hoping to try one of them new desserts,” the man grinned to his wife as he pointed to the mini-menu the halfblood and Bas had drawn up to stick next to the main board. 

Specifically the “fairy cake” as the boss’s kid wanted to call it because she wanted to make the stupid fairy’s stupid face a staple instead of a gag and Bas couldn’t say no to a cute girl without direct orders if he tried . There was a reason just about all of their sisters liked Bas best out of everyone , no matter how Inc tried to bribe them, and it weren’t just ‘cause he was a cute kid.

“Believe me it won’t disappoint,” Del said with a softer smirk, “just the one to share or two?”

“Hmm… Guess I’ll try the other one, so we can say we’ve had them both!” the sucker said with a hearty chuckle. One that softened as he looked towards Miss Fabienne helping someone else before meeting Fidelio’s eyes. “Don’t suppose there’s any chances of you boys sticking around longer to give the girls a hand?”

Fidelio gave a fake thoughtful hum, “Doubtful. Only barely got the time to get here as it was, what with that Tournament horsesh-” Fidelio softly hissed to himself as he half-caught the curse. But he did catch it so he was just going to gloss over it with a nod that the man knew what he meant even if it was “unprofessional” and a tight upturned grimace. “You know how the roads have been lately, between the king chasers, the bandits, and the beasts.”

(“No swearing” was not going to be a “rule” in any bleeding diner he had a say in, children be damned! Should’ve known that fox was testing them under the guise of “conversation” and seeing what Bas could do.)

“You’re both pretty lucky our candidate was willing to give you a lift,” there was a sparkle of pride in the man’s eyes that had nothing to do with his tribe as he spoke about the elda. Most folks who’ve met the kid in this joint would share it, some louder than others if alcohol was involved.

They barely even knew him but they acted like he was kin just for walking in the damn door and helping out some nights! He could understand if they were just playing it up to humor the halfblood, but he wasn’t getting that impression. Yeah, technically the kid had scraped into the top 20, Glodell paid the price for it, but it still felt like the people were right mental in these parts.

Seeing how much pride they took in the elda, eagerly watching him climb so they could say they met someone who “mattered” for a few months, made something in Fidelio itch like a dirty scab. 

“Seriously? As if anyone’s gonna be able to stop you if you don’t go back.” a hooded paripus muttered behind him. Fidelio didn’t bother turning around to address him.

“We ain’t even local. You are.” Fidelio bit back as he double checked the order. “If you see that someone needs the extra help why aren’t you doing it instead of whinging at someone else for not doing “enough” with what they can manage?”

“Oh yeah, showing up nearly three months late for not even a week is what you can “manage” and expect nobody to have words about it?” the idiot caught Fidelio by the shoulder to turn him to face him. Wasn’t a surprise to see the man was taller than Fidelio was, but he had what could be generously considered a beggar’s build. Wouldn’t take much to bring him to at least one knee, and then they’d see who’d need to look up at who.

More importantly, because it was information that was actually new, from the timing Fabienne’s man was either killed in Zorba’s final cock up or part of the fallout from it. Figures.

“Think we’d be more useful to her if we had been stationed closer?” Fidelio glared at him and the tosser paled, knowing full fucking well they would’ve been thrown into the shredder long before a rhoag was even allowed to get close to something with teeth. It was hard to keep a smile from clawing up his face at seeing the coward squirm. “Pretty sure you know how our odds would’ve gone, otherwise you wouldn’t have as many excuses when someone calls you out for fishing for handouts all day. You planning on actually buying anything today, mate?”

“Mister Fiddle?” Maria’s voice sounded more like a warning to him than a question. His temper was running too short. Fidelio once again confirmed he was not made for dealing with idiots gobbing at him without giving as good as he got. The pup looked up at him with more fear than worry before her eyes dropped to the ground to mumble, “you’re supposed to be nicer about asking the customers what they’d like.”

He took a breath and gave the kid a nod, because she was right. Especially given her mum had left her “in charge” so the woman could actually take something of a break.

“Sorry for the delay,” Fidelio said to the nidia couple with a cold nod, taking a cooler comfort that they seemed more upset with the vagrant than him, “it’ll be right out.” He gave the beggar a glare daring him to take this outside as he brushed the man’s hand off of him so he could work. Looked like the height advantage wasn’t helping the blighter fancy his chances.

As he headed to give Bas the order he heard Maria ask if the bastard was planning on wasting another hour at an empty table the “right” way, but for some reason it seemed like he now had better things he could be doing. Useless git.

“This didn’t turn into a bouncer gig when I weren’t lookin’, did it?” Bas teased as he finished plating some bidou.

“Oh belt up, I wasn't the one trying to start anything. Being corrected by a kid is bad enough.” Fidelio scowled at him as he tried to make the most of what “wingspan” he had with the finished stuff, “also we’ll be needing another set of your two cakes.”

“Nice! On it,” Bas’s tail was working faster than he was. 

(Fidelio remembered his brother once asking why he couldn’t just stick a whisk on the end of it when his arms got tired from messing up his first five attempts at a frosting. Despite asking for it, Bas was not a fan of how quickly Fidelio was able to rattle off the reasons why it’d go terrible for him and the food. By the time the issue of fur finally came up his arms were “just fine” again.

But not once did Bas’s grumbling ever have bite to it over cooking. Heaven knows how rare it was to find something people like them could enjoy and be able to indulge in.)

So Fidelio had to suck up his pride and keep serving with as little sass as he could stomach.

For such a dingy hole in the wall, he was surprised by how busy it could still turn out to be. Enough to question why Fabienne hadn’t resorted to trying any outdoor seating to balance out how small her eating area was.

(Smaller buildings might mean cheaper overhead, but with a man Bas’s size they’d definitely need to have a bigger footprint. The kitchen alone would need to be double what Fabienne had. 

She could nearly manage both the front and back on her own, but Bas could be a bit random and easily distracted at the best of times so a dedicated back kitchen was more of a need than a want for him. 

Cities would be more expensive for any sized lot, but would have a far easier time getting customers, particularly if they picked one with a decent amount of tourists.)

Not like thinking that far ahead did any good yet, not with the future still so unclear. Little point in humoring ideas like putting down roots when you don’t know what’ll still be standing in a year.

“How far out did you come from? As long as there’s no harm in saying, of course,” the paripus lass who literally broke bread with their mustari the night before asked, the two blokes with her happily eating their dinner. 

“Oceana, we met up with the elda at the Exhibition of the Brave.” Fidelio said as casually as he could, trying to keep the lies subtle. “Pretty sure we only got “time off” because everyone’s eyes will be on Montario ‘til the next leg of this race is done.”

“That and Del’s always been good at gathering favors,” Bas chimed in from the stove.

“Brielhaven, eh?” one of her purpler mates said in mild surprise. “That is a trek, ‘specially for a navy town. I had figured the two of you had been friends of our Grius, like the elda was.”

Grius was a new name. Might be worth a look then. Hearing them point out the navy difference means he was probably looking for an army man. 

If he made the request tomorrow, he should get something to work with by Flamesday. 

He heard some of the islanders talking about wanting to do something for their “heroes” before they left and that it’d set them back a day, so he might have enough time to make that work. Not that it’d matter , seeing how they’d never have to see this hovel ever again after that.

Not unless Bas really wanted them to make the trek, despite it being in Grand Fucking Trad.

“Really? You don’t see any resemblance?” Miss Fabienne asked with a chuckle, brushing her bangs away with a movement subtle enough to draw attention to her gold slit-pupiled eyes like Fidelio’s and short sharp ears like Bas’s. “They’re my sisters' boys.”

She was dangerously good. The sly smirk on her face felt as much for him as it was to get a blush out of her customers, though it had hit the poor lass the hardest. It’d be an easy story to follow, and fairly believable on the surface.

As long as you didn’t pry into how a wolf, a cat, and a fox could all be related by blood anyway. 

Even if you did, a certain little winged girl helped answer why blood wouldn’t mean much to “this” family in the first place. Her distance in how she addressed the woman raising her would make her awkwardness around her older military “cousins” easy enough to follow.

Bas’s awkwardness, maybe not so much.

His ear twitched at the sound of the door, but this time the customer was a eugief who was already looking fairly miserable.

“Welcome to the Hushed Honeybee, feel free to take a seat and I’ll be with you shortly,” Fidelio offered but was too tempted to stray from a more standard patter, “rough morning?”

The eugief blinked at him in surprise, eyes darting to the window as if to prove it was nighttime. His eyes were curious but guarded as he looked up at the paripus.

“I know it’s not always possible to stay nocturnal when you’re working with other tribes, but even some paripus work better on later schedules.” Fidelio shrugged. “What’ll it be tonight?”

“Something hard,” the older man grumbled and gave a sigh, “got laid off for oversleeping.”

“Should I see if we’ve got a rice wine for you?” Fidelio offered and the man’s ears perked. Miss Fabienne’s did too as she went past Bas to the back, so he took that to mean he at least wasn’t offering something she didn’t normally stock.

“You’ve worked with eugief before?” he guessed but his posture was more relaxed.

“Was on a squad with one; if breakfast might still be your fancy I’ve heard nothing but praise for our omelets. I could see if my brother’d be able to whip it up the way she’d like them too.”

The offer pulled at the corner of the man’s mouth, so he felt he was doing something right. “If he could, I’d appreciate it.”

“Aye aye, Rabbit-style coming up,” Bas’s tail wagged as he cracked an egg and pulled some rice over.

“Oh, we don’t have rabbit here,” Maria tried to warn him as she took a customer’s empty plate.

“No worries, I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout meat,” Bas reassured as he worked along.

“It’s a nickname.” Fidelio told her as she tilted her head in confusion. “Poor lass got stuck with us paripus ‘cause she didn’t have wings so she couldn’t keep up with other eugief. Bas didn’t realize the “rabbit” he was hunting in the woods was a person until she popped him in the nose and she chose to let it stick instead of introducing herself to the doof properly afterward.”

“Not my fault! It was dark, and she was dark, and we were only told to expect a nidia halfblood with that batch of paripus!” Bas groused over the skillet while keeping a careful eye on the heat.

Fidelio gave a nodding shrug in his brother’s defense. “Not the first or last time our superiors gave us bad intel for a laugh, but at least she was useful . Nobody needed to argue over getting the graveyard shifts anymore and she could see and hear things a lot better than we could.”

“She didn’t have wings?” Maria asked as she tried looking over her shoulder at her own before looking down at her hands, mimicking the way eugief tucked their last two webbed fingers in.

“Yup, her hands were shaped kinda funny but she still got five fingers just like the rest of us.” Bas raised a hand to roll his fingers in a wave as he added some rice to the center of the fluffy omelette. “Had some real pretty fur too, bit like an igniter with all those crystals in ‘em, but you couldn’t tell her colors were all that different from other eugief most nights.”

“A… halfblood,” the eugief followed as he looked at his own three clawed hand, wincing like the idea of the remaining digits forming his wings being shorter disturbed him. “You don’t hear of many of those among the eugief.” He looked tempted to ask more about her, but Fidelio made a jerk of his head towards the kid that he could brush off as cracking his neck if she noticed.

He’d rather not repeat the “official” story in front of a kid, ‘specially not if she’s the sensitive type.

“Sorry for the wait,” Miss Fabienne said as she got the smaller man’s drink after checking on her other guests. She gave a soft huff in thought.

“Need me to make a supply run somewhere?” Fidelio asked.

“Oh, I can! I know where to go,” Maria chirped.

“You know I don’t like you going out after dark,” her mother chided, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“I’ll be fine! We need more bottles from Rizvino’s, right?” Maria rocked on her feet with a smile.

Miss Fabienne gave an affectionate chuckle, “That’s right. What a clever girl you are.”

Maria’s smile grew, “She likes me, I could make it quick!”

Miss Fabienne looked between her options but gave a small smiling sigh as she gave in, giving her kid a small money pouch. “Just be careful and be right back, alright?”

The squirt nodded up a storm as she zipped out, though the way Miss Fabienne held her arms to her chest betrayed her anxiety.

“Want me to follow her?” Fidelio offered, “I’d see where this Rizvino’s is so I could handle the next one for you solo.”

“We don’t run out of sake that quickly, so this should be enough for the next few weeks.” Miss Fabienne rejected with a shake of her head, “She… she should be fine, it’s just a quick run.” She said as if trying to convince herself, but Fidelio didn’t press further.

He just kept doing his job, making sure nobody else needed anything, and brought the guy his rice omelette with a happy eugief face doodled in ketchup on it that got an amused snort from the man. Fidelio thought the drawing looked more like the eugief candidate with the runner fixation than Rabbit, but with the color of the eggs and the ketchup that was practically a given.

“What happened to her, if I may ask?” the eugief asked carefully.

“Wasn’t too much left by sun up, but higher ups told us it was a Human attack. A surprise to us, since it was a few years before those started getting common, and it must've been one of the smaller ones.” Fidelio kept his voice soft and level to keep from disturbing anyone else’s peace too badly with the word. “Looked like she got it off the boss, not that it did him much good, and led it away from where we set up camp given the rest of the damage it left.”

“Ah. I see,” the old man nodded solemnly.

“She was still one of the more interesting folks we’ve worked with,” Fidelio shrugged as he spoke at a more normal volume. “Wasn’t ever gonna be the sort of soldier anyone really talked about, but I liked her well enough. Despite her biting my brother.” he added with a smirk

“Okay, I was kinda askin’ for that one.” Bas chuckled from the counter. “She had to keep watch a bit extra the night before so I tried to let ‘er sleep in by carrying her while she was all bundled up like she was a backpack. Didn’t think it all the way through.”

“Yeah, not sure if she liked us ,” Fidelio admitted with a meaner grin. “But, can’t say that didn’t help set some expectations low with how the shadowguard running with the elda candidate is.”

“Has Heismay been giving you boys trouble?” Miss Fabienne raised her visible brow, “He’s always been very polite when he’s stopped in.”

Fidelio raised both of his back, not that he didn’t know the old man could be civil if he needed to be. He had played nice well enough back at the soiree.

Just mildly surprised it meant more for him to keep the elda’s “house” in order than to suck up to his superiors when they were onboard, he supposed. Avoiding the Inn was probably easy enough.

“Glad to hear he hasn’t been causing any of you folks any,” Bas grinned a touch faker than normal. “He told us it was a tribe thing, so I weren’t sure.”

Miss Fabienne opened her mouth like she was going to say something, before swallowing it back down with a twitch at a corner of her frown. She probably figured it was a grudge over the same thing Fidelio guessed it was: blaming their whole tribe for the riot over a decade ago.

(Eugief normally got on pretty well with the paripus, since they could relate to ‘em better than the others, sharing fur maintenance tips or getting more out of the night hours. 

Both were targeted for igniter experiments too, so they’d be floating around the same “support” circles if they survived them, though they were rarer in the section he and Bas were kept.

Fidelio just had the additional benefit of getting to share some of their frustrations that came when everyone else in the damn kingdom decided that size and age were always tied together. 

He hadn’t even been surprised to hear Glechom had thought Rabbit had been a boy half her age after she faked her death and flew the coop, and at least that drunk had an excuse for his idiocy. 

They both had needed him or Bas to order drinks for them when they were close enough to a tavern to bother trying, and he hadn’t even been of age yet while Fidelio was more than “legal”.

He really shouldn’t have let Bas keep that habit by the time they met Lady Junah, ‘cause Fidelio could barely find excuses to tell her “no”. At least she could legally do it herself now .)

Miss Fabienne’s finger kept tapping against her palm as she looked to the door. And the crowd was still fairly low despite the hour. She could afford to lose a second set of hands.

“Sure you don’t want me to check on the pup?” Fidelio asked and the woman winced at how easily he had read her and got a weak nod.

“If you would? It’s on the way to Gloamhall, Maria really shouldn’t be too far.”

She wasn’t wrong. Wasn’t hard to find them either, once he started following the yelling.

He should’ve gone with his gut and ignored Miss Fabienne’s attempt at good faith. Takes a certain kind of kid to get around the slums after dark. Either the ones who could hit hard or run fast, and either case benefited a lot from going beneath notice the way a halfblood never could.

Sweet kids didn’t stand a chance. Downsides of keeping them safe enough for them to still be sweet in the first place. 

"Fucking mutt like you should know better than to go out looking like this !" the drunkard hissed as he caught the struggling kid by her wing. "You think you better than us too?! Only half an ishikia pup, but still more than we'll ever be, is that it?!"

Fidelio kept quiet as he shrugged his bag off his shoulder, getting ready to move if the pissed prick wouldn't knock it off.

Man himself wasn't impressive at all. Skin and bones under loose rags that likely never fit, barely better than the burned out living corpses that kept popping up. Only thing of note ‘bout his face were his ears that at a glance looked normal enough.

Unless you noticed the jag to them, where they tried to heal. They'd been cut into points; an option even Fidelio was "offered" to "fix" his ears more than once despite their size. The guy's stubby tail was in a similarly sorry and docked state, which was a rarer sight. Most of the time folks got in their heads to try it, they left nothing left in hopes of “passing” with a decent hat.

He took note of the fallen crate and broken bottles Maria had been carrying. There were still a few that seemed intact in their box; It'd be easy to cut their losses: grab the crate, grab the girl, and run. Probably best to warn her mum about the broken bottles too, to see if she’d need to work something out with the other shopkeep the following day to stay in the black.

Much as he hated pulling a runner when he didn't have to, better that than her seeing a brawl.

"Maybe I'd be doing you a favor by getting rid of this for ya, huh?!" the paripus's grip tightened as he started to twist the useless wing. Twisted hard enough to make the kid scream.

Del recognized the sound. But it wasn’t just her voice anymore as that poor kid wailed from their shoulder cracking like they had been made of porcelain. 

(Mam had been so distraught when that fancy doll of hers fell, so he’d never forget how smooth the bits of it had been. He had even tried to gather all the pieces to put it back together, like one of the puzzles her cousin had given him the last Arboursday, despite Mam telling Del not to.

He hadn’t realized it was because they’d be so sharp. He hadn’t realized he’d even been getting cut up until he saw the ugly red smears he was leaving on all the snow white pieces. Even then he’d been more bothered by how sad she’d be at the mess, without a thought to how it might scare her. 

The blood welling up from ash grey skin hadn’t looked so different. It just had more give when he had to wipe it clean and it whimpered that the water had been too cold. It wasn’t like Inc could find them anything warmer.

Bas had apologized ‘cause he’d been wearing one of Del’s old shirts when he got hit, like Del had any reason to care about that old rag with his brother sobbing in pain. The only thing about it that mattered was what little it could tell him about how Bas had been hurt this time.

It hadn’t been burned, or frozen, or cut like what the other igniters did. Green fabric crumbled under his fingers into dust , in the same darker than soot color as where Bas was “cracking”.

It took one full day for Del to figure out the wound wasn’t even trying to heal; it wasn’t scabbing over, the blood just couldn’t seep through the black stuff the magic was still making in him.

Two for Bas to start getting real sick, even worse than when his taste first started acting up. 

Three for Del to realize Bas was running out of time.

Four to throw away the lives of every last one of their brothers and sisters and every idiot dumb enough to sell themselves to the experiments that’d come after them for a chance of Bas making it through.

Five to laugh that he’d brought Bas to a church on an Idlesday, like the “good kids” all did.)

It had felt like Del had woken up from a strange dream. The world felt wrong, out of focus, but as long as he remembered the basics he’d be fine.

If he heard Bas scream like that, they were at the facility. If there were two people in front of him, a child’s size and one that wasn’t, it was Bas and one of those bastards who was hurting him.

There was a weight in his hands that he didn’t normally get in the facility, but it’d do. Bas’s shoulder wasn’t cracked yet, so nothing else had to go wrong as long as Del did things right .

Del pounced like a man possessed, quick and quiet enough to spook the bastard into letting the kid go from that alone. But that wouldn’t be enough to keep anyone safe or make anything better. The bastards would always tattle when one of them acted up, so when Del resolved to make a swing he knew to swing hard . Not with a fist or claws neither. Not when he had something this heavy to make use of the momentum he'd get with his darting about.

Fidelio knew the snap he heard when the bag caught the man under the chin just wrong wasn't from a broken jaw. He's been playing for keeps too long to waste anyone's time on "second chances". Specially not if it was one of those monsters with their horns or knife-ears-

But the man on the floor was a paripus like him. The facility had never been this dark out anyway-

Fidelio was outside. Grand Trad, ‘cause the gallows there weren’t even a spitting distance away.

He’d killed a stranger ‘cause he lost his bloody marbles. Guy wasn’t an angel, but he had been drunk, and that can bring out the worst in people. Wasn’t even like he was a serious threat.

Not that it’d matter to anybody else anyway. Who'd notice 'nother mangled paripus in the slums?

He took a deep breath. It wasn’t like this was a first for him on any front.

He wasn’t fifteen anymore, his body just forgot it should change. Or maybe it never wanted to give him a chance to forget the sort of useless monster he’d always be.

If he was older, Bas wouldn’t be a little kid anymore either. So who was behind him?

He turned to look at the kid, a part of him still in that dream somehow expecting to see Bas there. But with the tiny tanned girl’s short blonde hair and big silver eyes, it’d be pretty hard for her to get further from his brother at any age.

“M-mister Fiddle?” he heard and while his teeth grit on reflex he’d been called things that were a lot worse. Just rarely as silly. Almost as silly as hearing her ask “are you okay?”- Wasn’t it obvious? He nearly said as much- “You look like you’re lost.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong and he was obvious.

“Sorry,” he got out before he actually knew what for. His brain could get sluggish when he… “got lost” as she’d put it. Lot nicer than “go into a delusional frenzy”. “Didn’t mean to scare you more.”

He swung his pack back onto his back after making sure there wasn’t any obvious blood, casual as anything as he spat at the trash's feet. Narrow eyes gave the scared squirt a quick once over as he turned away from the corpse to get what Maria was sent out for in the first place.

She didn't look hurt, but looks don't mean much these days. ‘Specially not in these parts. But her clothes weren't any dirtier than before neither.

Her eyes still looked the same as before too, though he's not as sure what to make of that. All bright and hopeful and wrong for a place like this. Despite the fear still shining there from unshed tears, she was looking up at him like he was Lord Louis or Lady Rella or something come to save her from on high.

Which meant she wasn't looking down and seeing how wrong the other guy's head was angled for him to still be breathing. Fidelio could work with that.

"Honestly. Waste of me bloody time." he complained with a roll of his eyes and his shoulder, almost like he was giving her a shrug as he ushered her to grab the box and give the broken bottles a wide berth. Fidelio cocked his head over his opposite shoulder as if the dead man could still hear him, "Sleep it off so the rest of us can get back to work, ya damn drunk."

Maria tried looking past him a little, but the way she was squinting it was too dark for her to make much out. Some tears fell despite her sniffles as she looked back up at Del in worry.

There was still an easy way to keep her eyes away from the stiff though.

“I saw he caught your wing bad; turn around so I can give it a look.” Fidelio ordered with a spin of a finger. “I promise I won’t touch anything.”

She gave a stiff nod as she obeyed and gave a slight hiss when he saw the area- where Bas was scarred the worst- around her wing was already starting to bruise.

“You can’t really “break” these, can you?” he asked and she shook her head. “Can you move it?”

The little bundle of feathers did a few different mini-flaps to check their mobility, in and out, up and down, circles, and Maria didn’t make any pained peeps. Might just look worse than it was.

“Didn’t know they could move that way,” he muttered in hopes that shallow compliments would help calm her down, “You’re a tough one aren’t you, Maria? I’d bet you took after your dad there.”

She still didn’t make much of a sound, so it probably didn’t. 

"C'mon, let’s walk it off. Wouldn't want to give your mum any more of a scare, would ya?"

Maria made a worried hum in her throat as held what was left of her quarry tight to her chest, staring down straight at it. "Miss Fabienne's not… really my mama."

"Listen pup, fit as she is don't let her try to rope you into the ol' "older sister" con;" Del gave her a teasing smirk as he broke his word a little by pushing her along with a single finger at the middle of her back, "at her age it's just sad ."

"That's not what I mean." Maria puffed her cheeks at him in frustration, but she didn’t flinch from him as she finally started to walk, and this time he didn't need to play up his exasperation.

"So what, just 'cause there's no blood that makes you strangers or somethin'?" Del scoffed and made a silent threat to kick her in the calf that she dodged well enough. "Leave playing dumb to our Basilio, you're no good at it anyway."

Her wings drooped like Bas's ears would at a scolding as she tried to fall into step alongside him. And just like Bas, a scolding wouldn't be enough if the stupid thought that crawled into her head wasn't shaken out.

Prolly not good to literally shake it out like he could with Bas though.

"You think Bas and I are a coupla liars then, calling us “brothers”?" Del glared at her fierce enough to make her freeze like she had him pegged as a predator and shake her head right quick. She stopped the second her head caught up with what he was saying, hurrying to catch up with him as he made the turn that would finally get that damn body where she couldn’t see it no matter how much she dawdled.

He raised a brow at her for looking surprised. "I know, we're practically identical ." Del drawled at her sarcastically, giving a chuff to the sky as that did get a strained startled laugh out of her. "True though. You shoulda seen what a tiny thing he was when I found 'im on 'is own; I doubt the tip of his ear would have even reached your shoulder. Didn’t even realize he was a paripus at first. All I saw was his shadow and eyes when he first started stalkin’ me. Thought he was one of Death’s black hounds that’d come to collect me from me mam’s old stories ‘fore she stayed gone. Couldn't just leave 'im on his own after he got me out of a bind, and he couldn’t string ‘nough words together to tell me to shove off, so we've been stuck together ever since."

Maria clasped her hands behind her back as she tried to keep pace with him. "I thought you were both kinda like big kitties," she confessed quietly with a shrug.

He took in a hissing breath over how to address that little "quirk" of what gave paripus their variety and his narrow tail flicked in annoyance. Biting her head off 'bout the "animal" slip would probably get him an earful later if her mum didn't think this was worth teachin' in the first place. Was kinda a mixed bag if paripus minded the comparisons at all or just not from the other tribes.

So he tried to play it cool, " Really ? Come off it, you’ve seen how his tail gets when he gets excited. Bas has more in common with Miss Fabienne than me."

"But Mister Basil does the ear thing," she said half like a question and brought a hand curled like a paw to her mouth and then mimed bathing an ear she didn't have as he winced.

"Don't remind me," he groaned with a scowl to the side. "Bas learned it from watching me clean when we were little and the fool thing stuck. If I could get the numpty to knock it off I would, believe me. I've bloody tried . Even tagged his fool ear with chili powder once, 'cause it's always the same feckin' one! Dope was moping for a day after that and still didn't learn a damn thing!"

At least his everlasting shame left the poor little girl giggling like a fiend. Somebody should be laughing at a flub sticking for nearly twenty years. And it ain't allowed to be Basilio.

… But he could also even that score pretty easy.

“You wanna know why he was following me back then? It took me a month to get it out of him.” he asked with an unkind grin that still had her nodding along. “He remembered that if the end of your name was the same as somebody else's, that probably meant you were family, yeah. But he forgot that just meant your family name, see? So he’d gotten out of his house and had been wandering lost for God knows how long, when he happened to hear some jerk on the street threaten me by name …” he drawled with a smile that got more genuine the longer he rambled.

“So he thought that Basileo and Fedelio rhyming meant you were brothers?”

“He didn’t even figure that far!” Fidelio barked with a laugh, “he just got it in his head that I must be family somehow so that meant I’d know how to get him back home. And then the runt kept getting too shy to actually ask me for help when he’d catch up with me! It took me over a week of trying to actually catch the slippery little dolt when I got sick of failing to get him off my tail.”

“Did you find them?” she asked, the absolute picture of hopeful innocence. “Is that how you became brothers, Mister Basil’s parents took you in for helping him?”

He could have told her the truth, but even he had some limits.

“Well, we found his house , after he mentioned his mama havin’ a “garden” in the back. Sands would choke near everything where we lived, so that narrowed it down a lot. Thing was overgrown to hell by the time we found it and you could hardly smell a thing over the flowers and gourds left to rot on their vines. Nearly broke in through the back, ‘fore Bas got the key for me. ‘Cause the idiot still thought that I’d just somehow know they hid one of those around!”

“But not his family?” Maria repeated, but she already knew the answer he set her up for.

“Not if you mean his parents .” Fidelio lied with a shrug, “No notes or anything either, not that I’d be able to read it for him if they had. Checked the whole joint, top to bottom. I figure Bas left to look for food after nobody came back for him, and the plants had finished growing in after that.”

(Del had an idea of what to expect from the garden alone. Telling Bas the smell was just vegetables was meant as a kindness, but the squirt’s eyes had gone distant before then. Not thoughtful, like he had been trying to remember anything, just gone. 

Del had known that look on the streets, typically a day or two before a person’s eyes would start to go magla blue. Nobody told him that’s what the color was called, but it felt right to call it that since nothing else ever burned that bright. As much as something being wrong, leaving faces shadowed and bodies decaying before they even had a chance to die, could feel like “magic”.

He had succeeded in finding a rock big enough to break a window, the sound had helped shake Bas from that slump. Del barely had time to warn Bas not to touch any of the shards like Mam had with the doll before Bas was rooting around the base of a flowerpot to find him the key.

Needless to say, Bas looking up at him like the pup was confused how Del could “forget” that was hidden there did not help the boy feel like less of an idiot holding that damn heavy rock over his head.

Bas’s refusal to actually go inside after all that fuss to get him “home” nearly made Del yell at him, despite the smell. It had gotten worse with the broken window, that might have actually been more of what got Bas to move than the sound or any worries about Del getting cut trying to turn the handle from the other side, but opening the door made it nearly unbearable.

Del knew what to expect, but he had gone in anyway. Told himself it was to see if there were any valuables they could sell. Really he just needed to know, to have that sense of closure.

To make sure Bas could have the sorts of answers Del never got.

Bas’s mama was in the living room, ‘cause the woman looked too much like him to be anything else right down to the red eyes when his own would get that depressed fog to them. Her dress could have been pretty once, and Del could still make out some flowers in the pattern. 

Del couldn’t be as sure if the man stuck pinning her had any relation to Bas or not. Part of him hoped he hadn’t, but it wasn’t like Del remembered enough about his own to have any real opinions on fathers.

She’d been thrown onto the now broken table in the tousle and had cuts all over, the man was still holding the knife like he had been meaning to go for another deep stab. There were some coins spilled on the ground, and the coin purse he got from Bas had some blood and a nick in it so Del figured he must have snatched it up after the man was dead.

There was a cupboard across from them that Del recognized as a type his mam had owned too. Lots of stuff could get same-y in the slums, since most things were just the garbage the “real” citizens threw away. Del had liked how deep it had been, since it meant he could see outside through the grating on the doors if he wanted to hide for a bit but it was harder for anyone else to see he was inside, and he could always take a short nap with the flour as a pillow.

While theirs had been used to store firewood instead of flour, it was easy to guess Bas had the same idea given the size of the nook that had been formed from the stacks of wood. He would have seen everything from in there if he had slipped in when things had started getting loud. 

And right next to his nook was an empty hook where a small wood hatchet would go.

The same child-sized axe that was now bloody and forgotten next to the man’s corpse. 

The man’s ankle had been cut, like felling a tree, so it was probably his full weight falling onto it that caused the table to give out. Most of the chops were in the man’s back, including a nasty deep one along his spine, but he’d been partially rolled over to try and get the woman free.

Bas must have stopped when he realized she wasn’t getting up.

It had been chilling but not surprising, given how Bas had helped him get away from that butcher. Del wasn’t sure if the man was aiming to take his life or his hand after he’d been caught swiping a meal. Just that he had been scratching and screaming trying to escape and then suddenly the man had gone limp from something hitting him in the back with a wet thwack. 

A cleaver and a hatchet weren’t too different to a kid. Bas had even pulled it back like he’d been expecting more handle to work with.

He didn’t need the full picture back then from why Bas had called him “mama” before the kid had broken down on him in a sobbing mess, but he thought he had it now. Del had just let him cling to him and cry because what else was he supposed to do after being rescued by a kid who was easily half his age or less ?

Aside from getting them both as far from the stiff as he could, obviously. Carrying Bas had been easy back then when he could catch the litter bugger, especially after he cried himself to sleep. 

He had expected Bas to stick around for a reward or something so Del could have gotten some answers once the kid calmed down. Instead he got the stupidest cat-and-mouse game of his life, a depressing wild goose chase, and the only good thing this world had ever let him keep.)

She gave a soft “oh” of disappointment as she looked at the ground. He let out a soft snort, “didn’t say I didn’t technically keep my promise to him though. I brought him home, and since he didn’t have anyone else there weren’t much reason for us to split up. So I still made sure he had a “family” by the end of it. Once I got it through his thick head that I weren’t already a “Lupus”.”

“Lupus?”

“Yeah, his family name would be weird on me since I ain’t as…” Fidelio clicked his tongue as he tried to remember the “right” way they were supposed to phrase these things without much luck. “Wolf-ish,” he settled so she’d see his point, “as it’d make folks think and “Aureus” weren’t much better for him.” he gave another amused chuff, “ still had to convince him that them ending the same too was just a coincidence. Telling him we’d get to make up a new one got him to mostly drop it, but he insisted that it’d need to keep the one bit we had in common from the start.”

“You can just make up names ?!” she asked like this was the shocking revelation here.

“Didn’t see why we couldn’t, and it’s not like we tossed out the old ones in case we did find anyone it’d matter to. I figured having a middle would make our full names look more impressive anyway. So that’s how we became the “Magnus” brothers. Not bad for a couple of strays, eh?”

“Huh,” she hummed to herself as she looked like she was rolling their name in her head like a stone. “Do “Magnus” and “Vulpes” rhyme too?”

“Come off it, pup, do you really want to risk convincing Bas he’s your cousin now?” Fidelio raised a brow at her with a smirk, as hers furrowed in an attempt to picture it. He couldn’t tell if they stayed furrow from what she was seeing, or struggling to get Fidelio included as she glanced back up at him. “Pretty sure you’d spell ‘em a bit differently, if you want the truth of it.”

The little grunt she gave as she nodded her head could have easily been confused or disappointed, but that weren’t his problem. Neither was the little  “Would “Vulpes” and “Alces” match?” he heard her whisper, given her effort in keeping it quiet as a mouse in church.

Alces was ringing a bell. Given the context, he figured that was her father’s name, which would make sense given he vaguely recognized her scribble of the man. Given his tribe, age, and choosing to stay with the State’s army Fidelio probably hadn’t ever met the man in person.

If he convinced the elda to bring the brothers to Grand Trad eariler in the day, maybe he could slip off to check the official military records. While being with Lord Louis rather publically would make that a fair risk on his part, he might still have an in through some folks working there.

Obviously them knowing him and them liking him were two different beasts, but it might be worth pulling in an old favor to make sure this “bell” that’s been ringing wasn’t an alarm he’s neglecting. This and that “Grius” from before, if they weren’t one and the same.

Her eyes kept lingering to his free hand as they went, and it didn't take a genius to see what she was thinking. Not when she managed to get enough of a grip on the crate to one hand it herself.

He shoved it deep into his pocket before she could bother to reach for it. Kid wouldn't want to, no matter how shaken she was, if she had any idea how much blood was on them. 

She shrank into herself again, taking the rejection for what it was and without a clue to the whys of it. 

He felt the narrow cylinder of the flute he bought back in Brielhaven, having half forgotten he had left it in his coat. His thumb ran over the carved rose that had ultimately convinced him.

"Not how we're working this, missy," Del stated as he let himself slow so he'd be behind her again. "Ain't nobody sneaking up on ya' this time. Bodyguard's got our pride, so you just lead on."

She looked at him like she didn't quite believe him, but nodded and picked up her pace. Even if it was only in hopes of keeping him from seeing her cry. He wasn’t sure if it was remembering her old man or her wing was stinging more than she wanted to show.

His hearing being what it was he didn't have to see it, but kids could have their pride too. His ears caught her trying to hum something to herself, to calm herself down. A simple, shy tune.

His thumb grazed over the rose again. So an idea struck him.

He weren’t much of a flutist, but copying her stumbling song was easy enough, and the sharp whistle of the flute got the sniffles to stop as she turned back to him. Fidelio repeated the tune slowly, so she could see how his fingers moved to make the same notes she’d been humming.

“Bought it from a paripus peddler in Brilehaven on a whim. Bloke had a whole pitch ‘bout the sound warding off evil.” He told her as he gave it a twirl between his fingers, its weight not too unlike blades he’s used in the past. Seeing how her eyes stuck to it, he held it out to her. “Figure if it’s just the sound that does it, it shouldn’t really matter if you do it well or not. Seems like you might get more use out of it then I would anyway. Want to trade with me to give it a try?”

She gave a shy nod as she took it like the polished white wood was made of glass too. He gave some quick pointers on which hole made what sounds, taking the box of bottles from her, but ultimately he did most of his learning by doing anyway so no reason she couldn’t do the same.

“It was one of mama’s songs,” she said softly as if telling the flute what it was supposed to be playing. “I’ve been trying to remember how it went, but the words keep changing every time I try. Maybe I was always too sleepy by the end to hear them right.”

An ishkia lullaby then? Assuming it’d be tribal instead of regional, and even then it’d still be an utter goosechase without more to go off of.

“I’m not sure I remember what she sounded like,” she sniffled again.

Fidelio didn’t think telling her he could say the same would make her feel less guilty for it. He knew his mother enjoyed music, that she had sung to him often and was the one who taught him how, but even if he was threatened with an igniter to his head he couldn’t have so much as named a single one anymore.

He’d been too angry about not knowing where or why she’d gone to keep any of it close. It hadn’t been until he had Bas to worry about instead that he bothered trying to remember at all.

Then Bas enjoying his singing had been reason enough to keep an ear out for new songs.

A sharp shriek quickly cut any attempts at reverie short, but to his relief it was just the flute.

To his horror it was just the flute .

Bloody hell, Fabienne was going to murder him when they got back. This had to have been worse than cursing in front of a kid, this was planting a curse in the squirt’s own hands.

Also Maria’s wing being hurt. Fair to kill him for that too, he should have found her quicker. But unless Maria got very good, very quickly, the noisemaker was the stronger motive by far.

… Was there a point in writing a will if the only guy who’d get anything from it was barely literate?

Fucking brother of his would probably still be too smitten by the woman to bother avenging him anyway. Not that he could blame him; there’d be little point in going against the house here.

He could only hope Maria “enjoyed” the thing long enough for that to be its own revenge. Assuming Fabienne wasn’t the sort easily stopped by a small child’s disappointment.

Though if she was , then maybe her ears wouldn’t be bleeding enough to want him dead. Immediately.

Given Fidelio’s current stance on the sound, and the fully fluffed state it left his fur as even his body recognized the screeching death knell for what it was, his hopes weren’t high.

Maria rushed ahead when the Honeybee’s sign came into view, but Fidelio didn’t see any need to match her pace. It was tempting to turn on his heel and just wait for Bas and the elda back at the runner when he saw her reach the door.

But then Bas would worry, and he couldn’t have that, and he was the idiot carrying the sake.

“There you are! I’ve told you not to take so long after dark,” Miss Fabienne cooed after her kid as she snatched the squirt into a hug. Her eyes narrowed when she felt the girl flinch at contact with her wing, but her look at Fidelio was only scared, not accusing.

“Your kid’s too polite for her own good; it was just some drunk in need of “correcting” ‘cause she wouldn’t tell him off.” Fidelio shrugged as he took Maria’s bag from her to take both to the back away from both of the girls.

“Mister Fiddle gave me a flute to keep bad things away!” Maria chirped happily, showing off the instrument of his demise. “He said he got it all the way from Brielhaven!”

Miss Fabienne was still ignorant enough to laugh affectionately at her kid. But there was a dawning awareness with the furrowing of her brows as she lingered on the flute.

Bas looked at him in confusion, and seeing Fidelio grimace back answered nothing for him. Maria copying the notes he had played did , as Bas’s ears swiveled back in annoyance at him.

“... It’ll keep something away at least.” Fidelio muttered as he glared at a chuckling patron.

“That was very nice of him,” Miss Fabienne lied through her fucking teeth. “You made sure to thank him, didn’t you?”

Maria softly gasped, “I’m sorry, thank you mister Fiddle!”

“‘M sorry, ma’am,” he offered Miss Fabienne weakly.

“... It’s fine,” she lied “forgave” him with a tired but affectionate sigh at her pup. “It’d be most fun to practice outside in the sun, wouldn’t it Maria? We don’t have to worry about any “bad things” when we’re all safe and sound at home.” she smiled at the girl who was very good at taking direction with a large grin and eager nod of her own.

Making this everyone else’s problem was certainly a choice. But if he’s breathing he’s not gonna waste any of it by complaining.

“I hope the two of you didn’t mind me claiming you like that earlier,” Miss Fabienne said as she was checking her coffers for the night.

“No ma’am,” Bas said on reflex before his brain tragically caught up with him. “Er, Yes ma’am? Wait, was that right the first time? I-I don’t mind none, I mean!”

Double negatives are a lost cause on both of them if he’s honest, but heaven help him he tried.

“You’d be the one to worry about there, ‘cause this might just be what pushes you from looking awkward to creepy.” Fidelio teased his brother under his breath.

Bas glared back at him as he was really relying on how much harder it was for most folks to tell when he was blushing at a glance. 

Most people were not his older brother, who raised a questioning brow back at him. “Well what do you think would happen if it’s your own kin making you this brand of stupid, Bas?”

Bas growled softly as there was still hope that the girls weren’t hearing this yet. More hope than when he tried tripping his dear older brother on the pretence of getting the fish off the hanger behind him. Too bad for Bas his neck was still in arm’s reach enough that when he tried these stupid games, it’s easy enough to force Bas to either keep him up or go down with him.

In this case it was the former, letting Del get enough grip to get his dumb brother low enough to snag into a headlock for his trouble. Which did make enough ruckus for Fabienne to poke a mildly amused head in.

“Sorry ‘bout that, ma’am, minor slip!” Fidelio lied quickly as he pat Bas’s fuming head for emphasis. She didn’t believe him for a second and getting a curious Maria’s attention off of her sweeping duties wasn’t helping make the matter seem “settled”.

Didn’t help him much when Bas got his feet back under himself to just stand back up despite Fidelio’s weight hanging off of him either. But the sight left the little girl looking awful impressed.

Fidelio let himself drop as if nothing had gone awry so he could make sure the dishes were all done, “I don’t mind either, but I’m just taking it as a cover story if it’s all the same to you.”

“So, that was just a lie?” Maria asked as she looked between appreciating Bas’s height and her mother.

“Just a little one, I’m afraid.” Miss Fabienne offered her girl an apologetic smile, “just enough to help that boy’s magic stay secret and keep these two out of trouble for not being where their boss thinks they should be.”

“Nothing you should worry too much ‘bout,” Bas tried to reassure her with a smile as he crouched more to her height. A smile that said he knew exactly where her head was at. “Wanna see if I can help you touch the ceiling?”

“Wait, Maria, it’s been a while since I’ve dusted up there-” Miss Fabienne started to say with concern.

“Ah, so better get a rag for while you’re up there, yeah?” Bas offered as his tail started to wag, and Maria nodded along. Bobbed her head at the same pace of his tail in fact, which he gladly tested by ramping up its speed until the poor girl nodded herself dizzy, to her mum’s quiet chuckle.

Fidelio was closer to the sink so chucking a damp rag at the showoff’s face still had the illusion of purpose to it, while the squirt got back to her senses so she could climb up. Bas gave him a smug look like his older brother was jealous that the kid asked him because he was taller.

“Mind the ears while you’re up there, pup; scritchin’s fine, grabbing’s not,” Bas warned as she got on his shoulders, where she did try to feel out the difference between his hair and fur before giving one of them a scratch as directed and giggled at how it flicked around from the attention. 

It also gave her a “fun” new vantage point when the elda came to collect them.

“Mister! Welcome back!” she waved from her perch.

“I can’t help but think you’ve gotten taller somehow…” he teased back as he scratched his chin thoughtfully.

“Could be that you shrunk,” Bas grinned down at the lad, getting a weak chuckle from the scrawny kid from a jab just a touch close to home. Looking between a chair and the kid that he was taking a guess at the distance he took a seat so Maria could look her brother in the eyes.

The elda looked down at the goof’s playful mug like he wasn’t sure who was the bigger joke there.

“Did everything go okay?” he asked, though he looked more nervous when he looked Fidelio’s way. Rightly so, but making the kid squirm still brought a smug smirk to his face.

(Didn’t matter that the answer was “no”.)

“Yeah, it’s been pretty good! Hasn’t it, Del?”

“Mister Fiddle gave me a flute!” Maria chimed and Bas’s ears dropped like a rock. Especially since the fool couldn’t see if she had it in hand to try it right there . “Mister Basil, your ears are twitchier than Miss Fabienne’s,” she informed him as she looked down at him curiously.

Miss Fabienne took enough pity on him to pick her pup up to set her on her own seat, so he could give a sigh of relief that the flute wasn’t an active threat. “They’re just like faces, darling,” she told her kid lightly, “some people show how they feel more than others.”

Maria gave a hum of understanding, tucking some of her hair behind her own ear with a pinched expression like she was trying to make them move too, but the barely tapered thing did nothing. It couldn’t even stay visible for long, as her thick bob went right back into place without anything more substantial to hold it back as her mother tousled her hair with a fond chuckle.

“We had some ups and downs, little kid got pestered by a nasty lush but didn’t take much to set both right.” Fidelio offered as a mild correction. “Nothing burned down anywhere else I hope.”

“Nope, just had to help with a side-job,” the elda smiled back, with an edge of worry like he was really hoping nobody was going to pry into what that was. Could be nothing, it wasn’t like an elda would have an easier time keeping work than an honest paripus in the “proper” city.

Could just as easily be something to use against him, second they were out of earshot of the girls.

“So, it’s time for you all to go back now?” Maria’s voice gave away the pout she was trying to hold back as she rocked on her heels.

“Yeah, but we’ll be back tomorrow,” her brother reassured her as he dropped to a knee like a cheap knight to match her height. His face pinched a little with a weaker grin as he looked up to the brothers like he had “bad” news.

“Let me guess, there’s going to be another delay on leaving?” Fidelio asked and the elda nodded as his weak smile grew tenser.

“W-well, you see. Eupha’s people have a custom they want to share with us. When people leave the island on important business, they like to throw a sort of “good luck” festival for them. Normally it’s so they’d have a fire set up for them to leave that night, but since searunners really shouldn’t be doing that-”

“We’ll be leaving for Altabury on the 7th now,” Fidelio finished and the elda nodded faster.

“By noon, I promise! I’m going to make sure we’re fully resupplied tomorrow, so we could even blast out as soon as we wake up after the party.”

Fidelio gave a displeased hum, but it wasn’t like he didn’t know it was coming. “It’s not like it’s my hide on the line if someone makes us late.”

“When’s this “festival” gonna be, exactly?” Bas asked.

“It starts at sundown, so I was thinking if you both wanted to we could have a goodbye visit here before then,” the elda said with a shrug. “A-and tomorrow’s shift should be completely normal.”

Well now that he said it, that weren’t half as likely. If the kid caught any of his skepticism he made a good job of hiding it.

“Could we come to the party too?” Maria asked, which made her mother’s face drop.

“Sorry, treasure, I don’t think the Honeybee could get away with another off day so soon…”

“R-right. Sorry…” her pup apologized softly.

“We could see ‘bout saving you some grub from it, if they bring out anything special.” Bas offered, looking up from Maria to Miss Fabienne, “The folks over there act like trading snacks’ just good manners, far as they’re concerned, if you’d like me to get some of the local fruit for ya. They’ve got all sorts of types I’ve never seen offered at the markets here.”

“You’d be doing him a favor really, getting the weight off the runner before anything goes to rot.” Fidelio insisted dryly with a jerk of a thumb towards the elda when it looked like her surprise at Bas’s offer was going to make it a “no”. “They barter vegetables and the like in place of money when they can as it is, and with how grateful they’ve been he’ll be finding “new” ingredients in the pantry from them for weeks .”

“I’m pretty sure the pantry’s just like that,” the fairy said to herself softly with a laugh in her tone.

“I’m still not sure it’s really okay for those mushrooms to be growing in there…” the elda muttered quietly with some trepidation, though Miss Fabienne seemed to have missed it.

“W-well, if you insist, then I suppose a treat or two couldn’t hurt.” Miss Fabienne sighed in a well-meant defeat as Maria’s face lit up brighter than her sign. “And if they do really have their own Redgrass, well, I can’t turn that offer down lightly.” the woman added with a sneakier smile.

“Then it’s a plan!” the elda said brightly as Bas gave Maria a farewell noggin rub for her to shake off to head out.

Fidelio didn’t complain when the elda pulled Bas aside to start gathering up some “gifts” for the Honeybee early. Having some space suited him just as well, and being given a task meant his brother wouldn’t notice him slink off in the first place.

Not that he had anywhere else to go in this humid hellhole than their “room”, so Bas would be finding him again soon enough. He wasn’t about to risk another idiot coming across him randomly by losing himself in the woods, even with the typical paripus advantages.

What the mustari had against locks was beyond him, and left him with half a mind to toss a bed against the bloody door for good measure but that might worry Bas if he got back early.

(He vaguely recalled Bas asking a villager the same thing, but “nicer”, and they said something about aiding ventilation, so it might not be all rubbish. Though the bit about it being bad luck to deny a “good wind” entry sure sounded like a good way to find yourself robbed.

… Not that he was tempted. It’s not even like most of the fools here had anything he’d value. 

Even the gal with the special igniter got more pity from him than anything else. Though now the way she was singing the pup’s praises was making a lot more sense, in terms of how the hell he got it appraised as quick as he did. Might even be tied to that sketchy “side-job”, given his tribe.

If she came across him in a meaner mood he may well tell her exactly how igniters these days get made. Give her an idea of just how much of her kin’s blood is still dripping from them.

See if she’d still be able to stomach the one she’s got or if she’s more like him than he’d guess.)

Fidelio tried mildly smothering himself with a pillow on their “sofa” to help his mind settle. Stay more in the here and now. 

Fabric had a fairly smooth texture, they leaned more towards woven grass or leaf fibers and goat wools than spun cottons or wools of larger cattle like cows. Interior feathers probably came from chickens, unless what passed for local pigeons were more domesticated than he thought.

(Gave it a good weight, but not one that meant it was actually solid. All it would take is for something to catch the weave wrong and-)

And his claw sliced through it with ease, revealing the grey feathers inside. Pigeons after all.

He hissed to himself slightly, having not fully meant to and not having an easy means to make a repair.

(Hadn’t actually meant to break the bastard’s neck either-)

Deeep breaths. Not thinkin’ ‘bout that. Staying in the here and now.

He should be focused on how they favor floral scents that don’t fight how the salt air gets into damn near everything. Those and spices, though some of those might be coming from the dyes themselves.

(‘Cause the alternative would be recognizing that he’s worse than a faulty igniter and who knows what stupid thing’s going to leave him bonkers the next time. There’s always a next time because it’s not going to “get better”. Because Saint Rella didn’t see anything “wrong” with him.

If he doesn’t snap out of it next time, where’s that going to leave Bas?)

The pillow tore as his knuckles went white, as much from pulling at the initial tear as the new set of gashes left in his wake.

He’d already been a “bad guest” at that point, he’d have better luck gathering up all the feathers in a bag and call it a “replacement” than repairing the cover. So there was little point in being “gentle” with the next one. Or one after.

As long as he left the ones for Bas well enough alone, it didn’t really matter, did it?

(Of course it does, because someone still needs to make the bloody things. These aren’t yours , you didn’t pay for them or this room, so who’s supposed to go about replacing them?)

A feather from tossing an otherwise empty husk aside catching his nose wrong enough to make him sneeze snapped him out of it. Wasn’t even like destroying things ever helped him feel “better”, he felt as out of himself and hollowed out as the pillowcases. He just… did it anyway.

He raked his claws through his hair, not hard enough to cause any bleeding, as he took in his mess. At least gathering the feathers back up was too much of a pain to zone out completely, as he grabbed one of the empty cups meant for getting water.

Couldn’t move too quick or the air would push the stupid things away. Couldn’t get snappy or he’d lose whatever he did gather up. So he’d have to move slow and stay calm.

So he’d have to get his stupid hands to stop shaking. What were they even doing that for? It’s not like it’s ever actually cold in this sodding place, and he’s not scared.

Saint Rella said he should be fine, so he’s fine. Wouldn’t make sense for her to be wrong.

(She said the world would be less shite if he kept living too, and look where that got him. Set him and his brother to the first man who made it sound possible and they’ve seen just as much blood as before they tried to make anything “better”. They just make others shed more now.)

She was a twelve year old noble, of course she’d believe naive nonsense like that back then. He was lucky she knew how to patch Bas back up, much less have enough know-how and power to help him too. Her medical opinion was that he was fine, so whatever this was…

Was proof something else in him was broken. Something in his head.

When his head was the only bit about him worth having. Worth using. Worth keeping.

Fidelio took a deep breath and nearly swallowed another bit of wayward down, making him cough and send more into the air again.

Maybe planning ahead would be better for him. Trying to see what their master could.

Lord Louis saw Forden dying, which would mean getting past the royal magic. 

Glodell’s gone, so they couldn’t use Hector to take advantage of the monster loophole. As useless as the man was, it was incredibly hard to stay in command of a melancholia crazed beast. Not that you needed “control” if you set one loose in the right place, but that risked a lot of variables. That’s not how his Lord did things; he acted when he had all the cards before him.

Lord Louis’s interest in Drakodios specifically even before the church declared the relic hunt showed he figured out what it could do before the newbies confirmed it. Though that could be from assuming a lance powered by a dragon might fall into that previous loophole…

Did he actually have an alternative in place, given how long he had the island singled out?

If there was a banquet, Fidelio might’ve assumed poison was an option. With enough time, the royal magic couldn’t stop that. Lord Louis had him test that one himself; as long as he didn’t directly give Louis anything he was fine, and the chains only gave him minimal pause anyway.

Admittedly it wasn’t like Lord Louis actually ate anything poisoned, but he mimed the act close enough the stupid rock shouldn’t have found a difference.

But if Forden had to personally handle all the “offerings”, maybe leaving something on them…

No, that still feels too sloppy. 

Maybe he should be aiming further along.

When Forden’s gone, the church will make replacing their figurehead their priority. Wouldn’t matter that he was the one who’s been aiming at the crown for decades , they wouldn’t waste his opportunity. They can’t just promote Gideaux either, since he’s only ever let himself be a backup for the “proper” head of his faith, that “proof of his humility” is somehow what got him third.

(Feckin’ idiots wasting their votes on a bloody spineless middleman. Even worse than his own goddamn kin wasting the one advantage the paripus had in a popularity contest by making sure they had two equally stupid and stereotypical candidates SPLITTING THEIR BLOODY VOTE-)

Focus. Church’s the problem.

They can’t just hop to “any” high ranking Sanctor either, ‘cause Sanctoress Joannah cost them far too much public trust, so it’d need to be one no one in their right mind could complain about.

…

Same one who’s made it on the king’s rock without even making a campaign .

Has been since the Exhibition; Bas nearly made everyone on the ship aware of the second he saw it.

Fidelio sighed as he set a full cup of feathers aside and started filling another, lingering on a longer near-white feather as he twirled it between his fingers.

Forden’s replacement would be “Saint” Rella Melancoryphus Cygnus.

Only people who wouldn’t want to see a selfless noble woman like her be queen would be those who could see she’d be used as somebody else’s puppet or had their own eyes on the crown.

Fidelio hoped if it came down to those two that whatever the king’s magic would do to prove the votes would keep it as anonymous as it has been. Because he couldn’t say for sure which way Bas’s vote would go.

He wouldn’t even be able to blame the fool, if Rella showed any signs of wanting it for herself. They might not be able to leave their Lord, but they owe her too much for him to want her to fail.

But if it came to that, he doubted Lord Louis would let her get that far. Lord Louis would never let her “strength” prove his faith in his own was wrong.

As far as mages go there’s few that come to mind that could match her, much less surpass her; that’s part of what made her healin’ chops as impressive as they were. Even Lord Louis and Zorba couldn’t touch her in her area of expertise. 

Old rumors even claimed she could control dragons , when she tried to stay the church’s hand against the mage academy. Likely due to some exaggerations from her adoring and awestruck peers; it wasn’t like she won against the bastards so he doubted that something like Drakodios was involved, but rumors rarely came out from nothing . Not with that many variations, and the fact so many students and professors were still breathing.

The problem was that even outside of any struggles for the crown, she’d insist on using her strength to protect others . That’s what would annoy the Count like nobody’s business. The question was always a matter of if it annoyed him enough to address personally , ‘cause with strength like hers nobody else could do it for him even without the dead king’s protection.

It had always been a small blessing, that Lord Louis physically couldn’t ask that sort of job from them if she became a problem for him. Even as a 2-on-1, she wouldn’t need to take advantage of whatever wreck Bas would be after getting an order like that to utterly trounce them both.

But if he did decide she needed to die for his new world order, then Fidelio knew she would lose. Because even if she won against Lord Louis, she wasn’t the killing type. 

And that hesitation would be the death of her.

Hearing the door spin made Fidelio jump, leaving most of that cup’s feathers back in the air, though he tried to catch what he could before they reached the ground.

“What the hell happened, Del? Are you alright?!” Bas sputtered at him as he looked at their room from the floor to ceiling, but it’s not like it was that bad-

Fidelio actually looking all the way up showed that indeed, the texture of the wood and woven reeds did catch some strays up there.

He looked down at himself with a seething breath because that would require a ladder he didn’t have. Or asking Bas for a lift. Both would mean a blow to his ego, but at least Bas wouldn’t ask more than he needed to.

Bas didn’t even need him to answer for his eyes to get soft on him, moving slow and careful as he took a seat on the bed nearest where Fidelio was cleaning. “You did more than just set that drunk you mentioned “right”, didn’t you?”

Fidelio could hide plenty of things from his brother if he needed to, but this…

Whether he was getting worse or not mattered more to Bas than anyone .

“I only hit the guy once.” Fidelio said carefully, as if the truth of that changed anything that mattered. “Didn’t even get any blood on me.”

“Room wouldn’t look like we’ve been plucking our own chickens in here if he was still walking though, would it?” Bas asked gently.

Fidelio shrugged, but only because of how rare it was for these episodes to end without some blood on his hands.

“I don’t think the kid noticed, it was so quick,” Fidelio swallowed as he put the cup aside. “But… I thought I was in the facility again. ‘Cause he made her shout, I think. Bloody kids .”

Bas looked tempted to say something, but whatever it was must not have sat right enough ‘cause he just patted the spot next to him instead.

So Fidelio took that as good a reason to take a break as any, and let his brother pull him tight to his side.

“I don’t know if I can do this like you can,” he admitted softly, “be… “normal”.”

“My taste ain’t normal either,” Bas objected as he used his “older” brother like a bloody headrest. “Just, different symptoms, yeah? Still learnin’ all the kinks to ‘em, issall.”

He wanted to say they weren’t the same at all , but… he could see where Bas meant it.

Bas’s taste meant he had to learn his ways around it, ‘cause Del couldn’t figure out what did or didn’t get a pass. He was thinking Fidelio’s problem was something they could “learn” as well.

But the only person Bas’s changes affected were him . Fidelio’s whatever-this-was led to him attacking people without knowing who they were, and could put Bas’s safety at risk besides.

“I-I could do the front and back, leave the entertainment all to you,” Bas said weakly.

“Even Miss. Fabienne can’t really manage that on her own; the point is for you to enjoy this bloody restaurant of yours, not work yerself to the bone.” Fidelio scoffed as he clocked his brother in the chin softly. “Besides, keeping track of records and maths ain’t that hard for me.”

“Could keep you on manage-y stuff then when you don’t have anything else you wanna do, and just find someone else for more people-work,” Bas tossed back, “not like there aren’t always other paripus lookin’ for a job willing to take ‘em.”

Fidelio couldn’t object much to that, despite it meaning they’d need to sell more in order to do right by whatever sap didn’t see their names and book it.

Fidelio was saved from bringing anything like that up by a knock next to the door. 

Both brothers went dead quiet with a look between themselves. Bas’s was of the “axe?” persuasion with a silent offer to ready a swing while Fidelio’s was a silent “what assassin’s dumb enough to knock first?” that made Bas think better of it.

“Yeah? What is it? You forget what hour it is, mate?” Fidelio replied to it as he shuffled some distance between him and his brother, to Bas’s bemusement.

“R-right, my apologies,” a familiar lass’s voice came from the other side, letting herself through the spinning door with the same fist she used to knock the thing. “O-oh,” Eupha murmured at the sight of the hell Fidelio had wrought. “Did something happen? Are you both alright?”

Fidelio’s eyebrows shot up at the sight of her and tried to not throw an accusing look his brother’s way.

Said brother had enough wits to actually recognize her question. “Sorry ‘bout the mess. Del’s claws caught a pillow wrong earlier, been trying to get it sorted. Nuthin’ serious, honest.”

“Are you in need of a replacement?” Eupha’s worry quickly pivoted to her trying to make herself useful in a very familiar way. “I can see if they have anything that might be thicker for you-” 

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, what’s really brought you here?” Fidelio cut her off with a dismissal wave with a fully outstretched hand to stress Bas’s claim about their “claws” to help that stay the story.

“I hope you both can forgive my intrusion, I just got word you were both back so I figured it’d be best to offer you both my proposal as quickly as I could.” Priestess Euphausia Etoreika of Eht Ria said with a mild bow of apology for the hour.

Fidelio’s eye twitched at the word “proposal” coming out of a girl’s mouth at the dead of night in the brothers’ room ON HER OWN but still tried to maintain the picture of calm to her. As much as he’d love to scream some questions at his brother regarding what the hell he’s been talking to this girl about when Fidelio wasn’t looking.

(Assuming “talking” was all his younger brother had been up to. He could be a bit… impulsive.

Easily awkward, cute as a button, and sweet as a saint was definitely Bas’s “type” if Lady Rella was any indication. She’d be a more attainable gal for the likes of him than the Saint herself too. 

Yeah she’s the chief’s sister and a “priestess” here, but on the mainland she’d be just another mustari girl so Officer Basilio Lupus Magus of Count Louis’s army would have the larger clout for a change which means there’d be no open complaints. And the locals have been treating the brothers as heroes anyway, so they might not pull too much of a stink about Bas’s tribe either.

… Fidelio didn’t completely hate where this could be going, all things considered. Huh.)

“Yer what now?” being the first question out of Bas’s own mouth was a mild comfort on that front.

“Right, I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up to you first, so I asked my brother for his thoughts instead, as I assumed having the permission and not needing it would be better than risking it going the other way around.” she smiled awkwardly with a cute tilt of her head and Fidelio could not for the life of him tell if he was supposed to be here for whatever the fuck this was.

He did risk throwing his brother a panicked look to convey any amount of questions but Bas looked equally confused with a lot less active panic.

… He really shouldn’t rule out his brother being the densest man in the world. It’d explain why he couldn’t swim. It was a lot more common for a girl to like Bas and him for him to not notice than the other way around, barring Lady Rella. Probably because of Lady Rella.

“My brother has agreed that, should you two wish, you’d be most welcome to establish your “diner” here in Eht Ria!” she beamed to them like their own little personal sun.

Fidelio turned to Bas slowly with a cold glare that Bas could not have been any further from. Only this idiot could hear an invitation to live on hotter-than-hell-wet-as-the-ocean island and smile like that could be anything kinder than a death sentence. If anything, Bas was looking more excited about the notion than she was even if that was only because she didn’t have a tail.

Fidelio shouldn’t have taken swim lessons off the table. If he tossed Bas in a lake while the sun’s up she couldn’t complain too much, right? Bas would be fine … Eventually.

“You alright, Del?” Bas asked, with a healthy amount of worry now that he’s clocked his brother’s glower.

“ No .” Fidelio told him with a firm point, and gave her an attempt at a smile back to her that made her flinch. “That’s a nice offer and all, but we’ll have to pass.”

“What?! C’mon Del, that sounds like a great idea!”

“Bas, I would like to know what being dry for a full day feels like again sometime before I die.” Fidelio growled back at him as dry as he hoped he could be one day. Anything but this hot and muggy horseshite they’ve had to keep coming back to.

“But their buildings are so fun here, Del, we’d get to climb all the time and there’s actual woods ! Woods you don’t even have to worry ‘bout running into something that ain’t easy enough to put down on our own!”

“They’ve already got their own tavern and there ain’t enough people worth warranting the competition.”

“Edeni didn’t think it should cause any problems.” Eupha chimed in, eagerly intent on swaying Fidelio’s opinion in a way that might make him rethink how well she’d be as a partner for his brother.

But being with his brother would make her his sister and sister’s are supposed to be cute and annoying little shites so that might be balancing out.

“The Golden Deer Hearth would still be focused on our local dishes, so it shouldn’t be in conflict with any recipes Sir Basilio’s brought from the mainland, and in fact help bolster our attempts to broaden our people’s horizons and give future tourists something more familiar to enjoy while they’re here!” Eupha said with a triumphant little fist.

“If everything Bas makes needs to be made with imports, that’s extra costs right there.” Fidelio pointed out with a snap, getting his finger into a literal point at the lass.

“Which means our farmers can see about hosting more of your… “Food” animals. T-to bolster our own supplies as well.” Eupha’s enthusiasm faltered on the word food, but her actual intent towards the cute tasty beasties was clear enough even without it. She was looking for pets .

… If she got too annoying he could see if eating her chickens would be a deal breaker. He’s heard of worse reasons for divorce, but hard to say if any would be funnier .

“See? Sounds like she put thought into the askin’, Del, it’s not fair to just toss it without giving it some real thought of our own.” Bas pouted at him, because his little brother knew when and how to fight dirty.

“Fine, but it wouldn’t be a sure thing and even if it was it ain’t like we had any immediate plans. If everything with the lance goes well and Lord Louis becomes king, who knows how long it’d be until we’d have that kind of time.” Fidelio eyed her carefully as he gave her that “reminder”.

(He saw her with them after all. Testing the lance’s ability to pierce through the king’s protective magic with the rest, whatever the elda’s crew was planning on doing with that knowledge. 

Hell, they might’ve only known to test it ‘cause she saw something in the magla to warn them about. With what he’s seen from her it was prolly an innocent enough concern about the elda’s safety, like not wanting him to carry it in case he’d hurt himself. She might have stuck around for the testing to make sure they’d have a healer, ‘cause of that trick she could do with Noctilucas.

That was more innocent than any excuse Lady Junah could have for being there would be.)

To Eupha’s credit she didn’t show any shock, no tells that marked a sense of betrayal. Not that for her it’d be much of a betrayal to start with; she had no reason to give Lord Louis any loyalty.

Might be part of why if there was anything going on between her and Bas that he’s not as angry about it than if Lady Junah’s been singing to Forden’s tune the whole goddamn time they’ve known her. Between Eupha and Bas she probably had more reasons to feel betrayed by them than the other way ‘round.

He knew he wouldn’t want to see the look on her face if she had heard the way he and Bas had talked about “handling” her people to get the lance. If she really does come with the elda’s crew she’ll prolly hear much the same from their lord directly . Ain’t like Lord Louis to be anything but bluntly honest if she asks him ‘bout it, like how he handled the lordling’s questions at the soiree.

“I suppose that will leave you both fairly busy, won’t it?” she said with a sad thoughtful smile as she put a curled finger to her lip. “I’m sorry if my suggestion made me sound doubtful in regards to your successes. I suppose it’s still hard for me to grasp exactly how much our world could be changing soon, with how small mine’s been for so long.”

“Can’t really fault you there, not sure any of us really can yet but Lord Louis.” Bas said with a reassuring sort of shrug. “The offer’s still awful nice of ya, Lady Eupha, so I’m mighty grateful. No offense taken here. Right , Del?” Fidelio’s name felt a touch like a warning for him to be nice.

“Of course not, nothing worth a warning ‘bout.” Fidelio rolled his eyes but Bas went tense at the subtle reminder of what the cost of a true slight against their Lord normally was. “Just pointing out some realities we still need sorting is all I was saying. Same sort of reasons why I told you it didn’t seem feasible to me in the first place.” 

She shifted with some discomfort from the tension as her smile continued to waver, but she was trying not to show it. He half wished he knew if it was because she saw something or if it was just her picking up on the threats that could have been. “Sorry again for the hour, I merely got a little… excited, I suppose, at being able to help my allies in some way.”

Her smile was firmer on the word “allies”, like it was an inside joke. Bas’s ear flicked at it too, so that was some sort of message to him.

Could be that was just how Bas was framing getting closer to her without including the rest. Could mean this was her trying to repay a “favor” or doing one for him in advance.

“Are you quite sure you don’t need anything?” Eupha asked as her eyes moved from up to the ceiling’s fluff to the feathery mess still strewn across the room.

“It’ll be clean by sun-up, don’t you worry. Wouldn’t have even known it happened if you didn’t see it.” Fidelio rolled his eyes as he let them fall on the destroyed pillow-case. He raised them to his brother with a smirk, “unless somebody thinks you’re in need of an escort again.”

Bas glared back like it wasn’t obvious something about the elda brat taking the job the last time after Bas brought it up left his little brother miffed. His ears rarely lied.

That pride cost him his shot at a do-over as the girl gave her quick humble refusals and made on her merry way.

“Not sure why you’re giving me that look, Bas.” Fidelio teased as the smirk softened into a growing knowing smile. “If you knew you needed me gone tonight you shoulda told me! And if you wanted some time alone with her, I practically gave you that one.” He shook his head with a gesture towards the door.

Bas sputtered as he started to see what his older brother was implying, “it ain’t like that!”

“Bas,” Fidelio took a deep breath as he gave his brother the most sympathy he was capable of. “The lass came to your room, in the middle of the night, no chaperone , to try talking you into moving to her hometown. With her family’s blessing .”

Bas had opened his mouth to object from the word “room” but slowly closed it as his ears similarly drooped in realization the further Fidelio went. He was left hopelessly staring at the door as he tried not to eat his bottom lip.

When his head caught up he gave his brother “I think I’m fucked” look, “Okay. Okay, yeah I get it, but I think she’s just really bad at seeing how this sorta thing comes across.”

Fidelio gave an unimpressed hum for his brother to keep digging this particular grave as he got back to his feet to stretch, since he would still need to work on cleaning when this was “settled”.

“... Her last attempt to “help” miiiight have been an offer to teach me how to swim by ‘erself.” Bas confessed as he put his head in his hands and raked his claws through his hair.

Fidelio couldn’t help but crack up at that one. One of these idiots was definitely hopeless, but it wasn’t sounding like it was her !

“I SWEAR IT AIN’T LIKE THAT THOUGH!”

“Hey, I’m not trying to stop you. There’s nothing wrong with having yourself a port girl,” Fidelio smothered a chuckle as he shook his head at his brother’s panic fondly. “Though they can’t say the Magnus brothers don’t aim high. You would’ve had more time to chat up just about any other girl out here while I was still on the mend.”

“DEL?!”

“I get it though,” Fidelio tried to reassure his very embarrassed brother. “She’s cute and God knows if she was any more subtle than she’s being you wouldn’t have a bloody clue.” Fidelio caught himself with a stifled snicker. “Well… Almost anyway. You still don’t have a bloody clue.”

Bas’s noises of illegible frustration were doing neither brother any favors. But only one of them had been an utter brat about somebody else’s hopeless crush for years , and turnabout’s fair-fecking-play.

“If I end up an uncle thanks to her, folks might not even realize your pup’s a ‘alfblood out here. As long as they didn’t get that tail of yours, most of the obviously paripus bits would end up under one of those helmets most of the time.” Fidelio “helpfully” added as he looked through the slitted window, where some children were on the hunt for light-bugs and lumibees by the well.

Not for the first time, one of the more popular styles of mask caught his eye, a cream color with a flower on the front. “It’s not like we haven’t seen some kids ‘round here have them with “ears” on their buckets anyway, if you didn’t want them to grow up feeling like they’re hiding anything.”

“THAT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN, DEL!”

Fidelio gave an unconvinced hum, though regardless of it that very honest admission was about him playing safe or genuinely not having gotten that far it was a relief to hear. He turned his attention back to his brother with a wry grin. “Mind being a little louder, Bas? For the folks on the other side of the island you haven’t woken up yet.”

Bas took in a deep breath that came out as a frustrated huff. “That ain’t the deal here, Del. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how even her third eye’s been making eyes at the elda.“

Del felt a growl tease his throat at that fucking kid coming back up. Who wasn’t getting taken in by that greenhorn would be the better question. Lady Junah had been batting for him from nearly the word “go”, he got the Count’s attention, and he was even making a painfully obvious attempt to sway Bas if not both of them by hoping appealing to Bas would make Fidelio fold too. 

Saving the lass’s life practically made earning her favor a gimme in comparison to the rest of them.

“Del, I’m gonna need you to have less murder-thoughts ‘bout this,” Bas’s chiding voice cut in.

“Haven’t gotten to that part yet,” Fidelio scowled back. “But tryin’ my luck to see if tossing him to the sharks would be “violent” enough for the royal magic to get me is getting awful tempting.”

“See, that’s part of what I’m workin’ on here, Del. If I help the priestess get his attention, Lady Junah will get bored of ‘im right quick ‘cause she ain’t one to share or steal, and things can go back to normal , see?”

Fidelio rubbed his temple, “I “see” you’re being ridiculous. Get serious, Bas.”

“I’m being serious! You know Lady Junah doesn’t toy with a guy who’s got a girl already and so long as he’s in the top twenty he’s as untouchable as Lord Louis so there’s no point in having a physical axe to grind wit’ him! Two birds, one stone, and if it makes the chief’s little sister happy enough to want to try doing her own favors back, that's just gravy for us, innit?!”

“Things won’t be going back to “normal” when we get back with the lance,” Fidelio pointed out and Bas’s tail went limp.

“... Guess not,” Bas agreed despite his obvious disappointment, like this hadn’t been everything they’ve been working for under the Count. “But still, if he’s the most unpredictable bit then getting him away from Lady Junah means we’d be keepin’ her safe, right?”

“As if “keeping her safe” is really the game you’re playing here,” Fidelio growled at him, and his brother curled into himself with a shrug.

“I mean, as long as we know she’s not wit’ anybody else it’s not like you don’t got a shot.” Bas offered weakly, “She seems to like our company more than most the men, even if it’s mostly ‘cause we’re sure to keep ‘em in line, and she enjoys messing with your head more than mine.”

“That’s ‘cause you make it too easy ,” Fidelio scoffed as he looked off to the side.

“Can’t help it, and it don’t seem to make her dislike me so I don’t mind,” Bas shrugged again with a cheeky grin.

Fidelio let that slide, but he also kept her involvement with the elda’s people and what the lance was really for to himself. He didn’t need to go worrying Bas about that sorta thing yet.

“Though, with everything set to changin’,” Bas began as he picked at his tail in discomfort, “we might want to keep an open mind with the priestess’s offer.” Fidelio kept quiet to let his brother finish his thought. “If, big if but y’know, if things don’t work out with Lord Louis becoming king, and we ‘aven’t snuffed it by then, there aren’t too many other places Forden and the church wouldn’t be able to sniff us out easy, are there? S-since Lord Louis is still only in second .”

Fidelio swallowed hard but gave a nod, “You’re not wrong there, but I doubt Forden will be a problem for too much longer, lance or no lance. Lord Louis said he was gonna kill the man, so somehow he’s gotta have a way to make that happen. He wouldn’t have risked lying otherwise.”

Which would put Rella in Forden’s place, but even that change in face, the acknowledgement that all the King’s rock cares about is its little popularity contest rather than a genuine claim for the throne, might be enough to shake the church’s grip for Lord Louis to end up in first. 

“Having the chief on our side would help too, ‘specially since we’ve proven not even the locals can catch us out here if we don’t want them to.” Fidelio smirked as he fiddled with the charm under his sleeve, “But if Forden lived long enough to see a crown, there’s not a doubt in my mind that razing all these “pagans” to the ground would be one of his first major plays as “king”.”

Bas went tense at that, face pulled tight at the amount of danger these people could have been in. Ironic really, given how casual he had been about doing the same in Lord Louis’s name.

“Bit funny to hear how much you like the place,” Fidelio told his brother teasingly, “you sure you don’t have any ulterior motives for that?”

“‘Course I’m sure!” Bas snapped back, “There ain’t anything with her and me! I-I mean, argh!” the embarrassment bug caught him again as he clawed at his head to shake the thoughts out. Bas sighed, “Del, tell me I’m being stupid?”

Fidelio raised a brow. “Sure, but knowing what you did would help me guess the damage.”

Bas didn’t look terribly impressed by the approval as he gave his brother a blushing weak scowl. “I got Maria to calm down ‘round me by talkin’ ‘bout Lady Rella, figured it’d be a harmless thing to sound soft about and put her more at ease like. Didn’t even use ‘er name, but the pup could tell even from the sillier stuff. ‘Cause the church Lady Rella works at ain’t far or nothin’...”

Fidelio stared at his brother blankly. “Bas, are you being bullied into talking to your crush by an eight year old ?”

“... Is that what eight year olds look like these days!?” Bas asked like that “shock” was enough to smack him out of his bashful funk, “Damn, thought she were younger, are folks gettin’ smaller or somethin’?”

… Was it possible for his brother to forget how bloody tall he was? And how that kinda naturally changes how tall everyone else looks to him in comparison?

God, how could he not be a worried wreck with this idiot to keep in check.

“ THAT’S what you object to?!” Fidelio tossed what remained of a pillow at his brother’s head.

“I mean, I wouldn’t call it bullying either, ‘cause it’s not like the pup’s trying to be mean or anything by her needling, but otherwise…” Bas gave a helpless shrug as he just let the remnants hang on his ear for a beat before shaking it off.

“Yes Bas, letting a child tell you how to handle your own lack of love life is very stupid.” Fidelio sighed as he rested his head in his palms. “But-” he added before his brother could let that verdict bring him down too much, “stupid’s not such a bad thing to be. It’s not like you need to say anything drastic to her.”

Bas’s ears were down and he didn’t look like he knew what he was hoping his brother to say, just looking at his hands in his lap thoughtfully. 

“You could offer to give her a hand before a shift,” Fidelio said with a casual shrug, like anything about making any sort of move on an ishkia as a paripus could be “casual”, “just to show ‘er some proper gratitude for everything she’s done for us. Could even say you dropped by to let her know that if she’s the sort to feel bad over fibbing how she got to us, that it’s not a problem now. Just… get a feel for how she is as a person . See if you’ve really got it as bad for her as your head’s made her out to be, considering how long it’s all been.”

(And never breathe a word about any of this to Lord Louis, unless Bas somehow managed to make her not be a future problem for him. 

But they’re basically hiding from him right now anyway , aren’t they? God this is such a stupid mess.)

“Are… you really sure it’d be alright?” Bas asked like he was scared to hope.

He hated that his brother was right to.

“Who’s gonna stop ya?” Fidelio smirked back as he moved to sit back down next to his idiot. “No harm in trying, yeah? Don’t overthink it.”

Bas gave a whining hum at that, but leaned on his brother to show some gratitude for his attempt at support. Fidelio’s smirk grew more playful as he let his weight rest on Bas too.

“So when you blow it with Lady Rella, we “fix” our elda problem by chucking him off the runner, and you can take up the mustari lass on her “ swimmin’ lessons ”.”

And so Fidelio was quite rudely elbowed off of Bas’s bed.

Chapter Text

9/5

The biggest drawback of being on the island was easily the distance it helped put between the Magnus brothers and Will’s crew. Not that he and Del weren’t always the odd men out, nature of forcing themselves along really, but it kept making Basilio notice things.

Things like how easily Lady Junah did fit in with their lot. She got one of their bunks and stayed with them in their lodgings. Not that being well welcomed was unusual for her either, once Lord Louis gave her his blessing the Charadrius took her in with open arms to do near anything she pleased too.

It still sat wrong in his chest though. Not a worry , just a feeling like it meant something. That distance and her lack of it, because she used to prefer to lodge on her own when she could. Even when there were other ladies in the ranks her privacy was important to her before.

And them being so apart meant even if he did want to maybe fudge some of Del’s orders, do a nice favor for the lot or something, he didn’t even know where to start. If they were on the runner, making the elda’s crew a meal to help let him consider them even was easy .

But here, even finding himself in front of their little cabin felt… invasive. Silly thing, considering he’s supposed to be watching them.

He couldn’t even brush it off as just the old man making it clear how unwanted they were for so much as breathing . 

Easy to feel like Lady Junah’d be just as happy with the two of them gone.

Couldn’t even bring himself to knock, ‘cause they could still be sleeping and you can’t even knock on the doors here really, you’d just be makin’ ‘em spin ‘round 'cause they don't really wanna stop if you hit 'em too hard which is all well and good when you’re just that bloody bored ‘cause none of the locals seem to mind when you do long as it ain't a house yer messin' wit' but this kinda is their house and-

“Is there a problem, sir Basilio?” a lady’s voice damn near made him jump out of his fur.

To the knight’s credit, the woman was hard to shake and seemed near hard to offend without making a jab at her or somebody else. Those blue eyes of hers were some of the coldest things on the island, but it weren’t a mean chill. More professional-like, like Lord Louis’s even.

“Not a problem.” he spat out quick, “just a matter of repayment, issall.”

The knight shifted her weight, keeping herself dead in front of the spine of the door so nobody would be going in or out without it knocking into her. 

Would it still be a hinge? Might be more of a Eupha question instead of a Del one for a change, since it's her home and all.

That's right, Eupha knocked next to their door last night! No need for his head to start spinning just 'cause their doors did.

“Repayment?” she echoed like the word was near foreign to her, “I hardly see what would warrant such a thing, you are our superiors for this venture. We are all acting towards a common purpose, so any aid given or received is of equally mutual benefit.”

He raised a brow at her for playing that card now that the job turned more how she wanted it to than what her “superiors” had been ordering, but while her mouth twitched like she realized it sounded like a pretty polished load of bollocks she stayed firm.

“Nothin’ at the Honeybee benefits Lord Louis any,” he rolled his eyes at her as he shifted his weight. “Your man considered taking us there at all to be a risk to him and the Magnus Brothers don’t just ignore favours like that. So…” Basilio took a breath as he glanced towards the sunrise and tried to keep his tone professional, “when the rest of your people wake up, would you like to let me handle breakfast?”

Her posture softened up the second food was on the metaphorical table, long ears almost perking at the word breakfast when her eyes widened in attention.

“I figure that’s fair enough fit, meal for a meal,” he clarified quicker than she could answer, though the suggestion that it could also give the rest of the elda’s companions a chance to see how they felt about the sort of food he could do dried on his tongue from a bad batch of nerves.

“I would be most grateful,” her eyes had a sparkle not unlike Lady Junah’s despite not literally having that nidia shimmer though her smile stayed fairly “prim”. “Regardless of anyone else’s feelings on the matter, I would be delighted to partake in your cooking!” the knight dipped her head like a half-bow, though he could practically hear her cursing the eugief’s name.

“Me and Dell’ll be at the Hearth for a while, so just… let me know,” he finished awkwardly as he desperately tried to feel like he wasn’t running away.

Hearing a clatter from the cabin behind him sounded like she was trying to force the issue of the rest of ‘em waking up early. The eagerness felt like something between a compliment and the result of someone who was highly “food motivated”. Helped his gut feel less like a kicked hive ‘bout the whole thing too.

By the time he actually got to the Golden Deer Hearth Del had already got a skillet and fire clear for him, with Graco the fisherman frying some of his early morning catch on the bare grill so only the side stewpot was free. The main one in the middle bubbled happily with Cervo’s signature fresh breakfast jam. 

Today’s batch was mango from the smell of it. Basilio could definitely work with that. Griddle cakes could go awful well with it, could nearly make a normal cake out of ‘em if he got them tall enough and layered right. Though that’d probably be a bit much for a breakfast.

Krozelli tended to show up closer to lunch to help swap out the sweet jams for savory stews, if he had a hunt he could afford sharin’. It seemed to him like the man’s been having better luck since Eupha got back safely, since he’s been able to swing it nearly every night since. So he could make the dessert offer later to help burn up any jam that’d need scrapping otherwise.

But for breakfast, highlighting more fruits could be fun. 

Pitaya’s a fun one to say, and the ones they have got a real nice dark pink on their insides. Nothing like the white fleshed “dragon fruit” he tried back in Brielhaven, and he figured the locals wouldn’t like that term much anyway if they’ve got their own fancy “Dragon” fruit. 

Banana’s most fun to say “wrong”, but almost too easy, since the granny that offered him some peach-turnips on Del’s first day sick shared a recipe for bread with them. Feels more like a thing to keep in his back pocket until he’s at a more normal oven, like the Honeybee’s or a runner’s.

Lychee’s less fun to say, too much like “leech-y” to be proper appetizin’, but still got a pretty mild sorta sweet to it. Less drastic than the passion-figs, and the weather’s definitely too warm for a figgy pudding to feel right. Though the folks ‘round here do use spices more to cool down than warm up, so he could ask if they’ve got anything of their own like it sometime. If he remembers.

Coconuts got a bit too much texture for a batter, ‘less he wanted to make it look more like hash browns, but Cervo’s got a “milk” made from them which might be a fun twist on it. Didn’t even need to worry about the wheat flour situation, given their agreements with Montario.

So, after getting the tavernkeep’s blessing 'cause the way the mustari all seemed to like sharing still felt funny to him, he got to work setting the side stewpot with enough griddle cake batter for folks to set themselves up with it however they’d like. From there he could work on some for the elda’s crew, with maybe some smaller compotes of his own.

Could even add some peppers to one, might balance with the mango nice. Making an omelette between cakes would be quick enough, so spice or savory would work with that.

Though for all the commotion he’d heard when the knight went back to her people, the red head showed up all on her lonesome looking cool as a cucumber. Maybe a touch put out by the lack of meats this early in the day, though she tried to keep that close to her chest.

“Try to leave somethin’ for the rest of yer mates, yeah?” Basilio asked with a smirk as he flapped a couple of cakes onto a plate for her. “Though, if there’s anything you were hoping for, I could see what I can do. ‘Specially if you’ve already got something in your runner you’d like.”

She acknowledged him well enough, but not enough to disrespect him or the food to risk saying a peep or let anything grow cold, though on this island that’d be a hell of an accomplishment. Even with the sun barely raising its burning head, he could feel the air making his fur start sticking.

She quickly proved to be more the omelette type, and he was nearly tempted to test his luck with that “crunch” she mentioned liking from her Captain’s (likely) mistake by letting a bit of shell slip in. But nah, if he was going to give her some texture, better make it golden brown and not look like he was trying to be mean or careless.

Even with the flappers she was leaning more towards the hot jam than the sweet ones, so adding a bit of extra peppers seemed like something she’d enjoy.

“I’m impressed by how light your hand is with these, thank you for allowing us to partake,” she said with a smile that seemed wide by her standards, bit like Del when he was more “public”. Though her using “us” sure felt funny with how late the rest were. “You must have many years of experience, even with nearly a decade of handling my own forging I could never compare.”

“You’d be wrong ‘bout that,” Del smirked beside her, and Basilio was mildly worried he should have given his brother more of the warning to not take too much given he was just making a blasted layer cake for himself. “Not everyone gets to grow up with a kitchen. Self taught too.”

“A most remarkable talent indeed,” she said with more amusement than surprise, “no wonder even the knowledge broker in Brielhaven couldn’t help but allude to the younger Magnus brother’s reputation where ingredients were involved.”

“Did he now?” Del asked with more worry than Basilio thought the compliment warranted.

“Quite,” she nodded like she wasn’t phased by his shift in the slightest, far more eager to dig into the eggs Basilio slid her way with an almost childlike joy to her face.

Her eyes went to Graco’s leftovers, drying on the line by the counter for others to try as his "payment" for the day while the man went back to work. “My own cooking, I will confess to avoiding most seasonings, to appreciate a life’s natural flavors to their utmost. But your handling of them with these fruits is quite adept; Might I try how you’d prepare a fish?”

He didn’t even need to ask for Cervo to get one off the hook for him, though the mask made it hard to tell the man’s thoughts. “Just a normal one, or would you like to help me taste test somethin’ I’ve been tryin’ to figure out?”

“An experiment?” her eyes lit with curiosity, “I don’t suppose a bit of both might be possible?”

“Sure thing,” he grinned as Del’s eyes widened as his fur went on end. “Oh belt up Del, I ain’t asking you to try this again. I got the message the first time: No mushrooms for ya.”

“Oh I am most familiar with edible fungi from my ventures!” Hulkenberg perked further, “Neither animal nor plant, most curious in origins and textures but most delicious when one knows which may or may not be sup upon.”

“ How often did you poison yerself on your own with the inedible kind?” Del asked her warily.

“Not enough to prove fatal as of yet, thankfully.” She replied with far too much pride to be healthy for her, but was enough to get a groan from his brother to hide what could’ve been a laugh otherwise.

Her excitement was palpable as he put the fish in front of her, half of it done to Del’s typical standard and the other coated with a honey-mushroom glaze. He had hoped mixing fish and sweets would’ve been right up Del’s alley, and a nuttier mushroom would’ve helped the two flavors marry more than maybe tolerate living together, but nothing’s worked out yet.

Even if it won’t be Del’s thing, he was pretty sure there should be something tasty there. Just hadn’t nailed what mushroom or fish were needed for it, since royal honey seemed a sure thing. But if the prince’s knight has been living off the land on the coast of denial for the past ten years or so wherever her hopes took her, she might have the experience to know what they’d be.

She nodded appreciatively as she tried his “baseline” first, before moving to the latest mistake. It at least took her by some surprise as she chewed thoughtfully, but unlike Del’s previous time as his taste buddy her smile never left her face.

“A curious mix indeed, one I find most intriguing,” she concluded as she continued to look pleasantly lost in thought, “it almost gives something of a rush to finish the rest as quickly as one can!“

“Helpin’ keep ya fast in a fight was part of the idea,” Basilio admitted as he took a plate and a seat of his own for now, “I just don’t know what’ll make it click yet, y’know?”

“These are local mushrooms I presume?” She asked, and hummed when he nodded, “perhaps those that grow in the pantry might have more power to impart. When I questioned him, worrying this was yet another sign of the fool’s neglect for all outside his interest,” Hulkenberg scoffed like Del did when he got the sort of tired of Basilio’s antics sleep didn’t much help with, “Neuras had assured me they were a perfectly healthy- albeit rare- delicacy, only found near where the run off of a runner’s heart found purchase. But what would be a better fish …?”

“I’ll certainly give Gauntlet Shrooms go next time I’m able, thank ya! Wouldn’t mind you helping me with finding the rest of it either, if you’re willing.” Basilio grinned at her toothily. 

“I’d be honored,” she bobbed her head in a bow, but her face remained as serious as she’d be when Del had her dead to rights in her board game, “though the sea has so many options …”

“Lots of speedy ones too,” Del agreed, much as he still probably wouldn’t care for their end goal. Talking about the pros and cons of fish or where they’d be found was far more his interest than Basilio’s, he just cared about how to best cook the things to make sure they were tasty.

It was a small comfort that icebreaker kept the two debating even when the clemar and her captain caught up, leaving Basilio back on the cook top. There was still plenty of time for a good breakfast for the lot of ‘em before Will made the zip back to Grand Trad, and while Del might not trust any of the elda’s people it was good to see him being a bit more civil with some of them.

If Basilio was being honest, he was getting worried for Del. Worryin’ being second nature to him, and that not helping his health any, sure, but…

Even a fool could see while his brother could click with some people, talkin’ to too many tended to drive him up a wall and being polite to all of ‘em would keep him up there all bloody day. So he was worried ‘bout Del trying too hard to make the restaurant stuff work when it weren’t.

He pictured Del as more entertainment as he pleased than a constant hosty type, but he was pretty sure Del couldn’t see himself doing either. That he was just humoring Basilio again, like…

Well, he didn’t want to linger on what it felt like to him.

But Del was still trying, he even gathered up some baskets to bring fruits to Miss Fabienne when Basilio nearly forgot! He was pretty sure the bananas and watermelons would be a nice ol’ hit on their own, especially with Maria, so it wasn’t even like he wasn’t thinking ahead ‘bout it.

Just, Del was no good at worrying about ‘imself, so that had to be Basilio’s job. Couldn’t afford to not be good at it, not with the standard Del was settin’. Couldn’t afford to slack off, even with Lady Junah helping where he couldn’t like she did.

Maybe part of why he was kinda hoping he could help Lady Junah keep Del’s heart more open. ‘Cause if he kept himself all walled up, and it broke again, he’d have no one to help him fix it. Basilio’s only good at making Del open up ‘round others in bits and pieces, but listening to Lady’s Junah’s songs made Del look like he wanted to do it on his own, if only for a little bit.

He was getting the last of the baskets when he saw Del pull Will aside, but for once he looked almost friendly. Closer to him poking to hear ‘bout the fantasy story than… nearly every other time he spoke to, and probably threatened, the kid.

Whatever it was made Will excited enough to dart off on foot instead of his usual trick. Basilio was still half tempted to make a chase of it, which he chalked up to his old pacing trick meshing with the kid’s own nervous energy in a bad way.

“Del, you remember we need him to go, yeah?” Basilio complained half-heartedly.

“Not my fault the dolt forgot what day it was.” Del scoffed as he rolled a hand. “Bastard already complained ‘bout how the church could be with purifying equipment, and him bringing it up at all made it sound like it’s not the sorta thing their little priestess or anything here can help with either. If we’re already trying to get there early, he might as well get something useful done.”

“Ah, discount day! Good thinkin’, Del!” Basilio chuckled to himself as he tossed a look to where Will ran. “Chief did say somethin’ ‘bout their temple being full of rancid magla. Wonder what goodies they found back there that’ll get a nice boost outta some proper fixin’.”

“They found the lance, so what should anything else matter,” Del shrugged like he wanted to be the most boring man in the bloody world. Basilio’s face must’ve said as much, as Del rolled his eyes, “I told you I’ve got something bugging me, so I’m only up for going this bloody early to give Wels a holler. If I’m quick about it they might still be loitering ‘round the recruitment center.”

“Oh, Wels? Wanna ask ‘em to swing by the Honeybee later? If you’re pulling a string too hard you’ll be owing them a drink or three on top of it, yeah?”

“Doubt they’d take us up on it, but sure, I’ll ask. Otherwise… a bottle of Maskado ‘17 was their go to, wasn’t it?”

“Sounds right, but good luck finding one in Grand Trad.” Basilio said with a snort that Del waved off. Not that the bribe would have been as effective if it were too easy to get ahold of.

Lo and behold, the boy was back trying to carry a fair haul of gear with an emphasis on tryin’. Made more obvious by the clemar behind Will doing a far better show of it with nearly twice the load. The less said of either of them versus Hulkenberg , the happier their prides would be.

Not that this was much of a surprise though. He saw what passed as “sparring” between Will and Hulkenberg when Basilio got tired of fighting with her on the deck with all that sea air and well… she was definitely more the humoring sort ‘round the boy is all he’s saying. 

Bit like watchin’ a numpty bite of a mutt carrying a stick over twice its own size compared to a still training hunting puppy and the pup’s own mother carrying proper kills.

None of the junk felt actively dangerous at least, but something about the lot of it was enough he could see why the elda pup would swallow his pride and ask Sanctists for help to make sure they were safe for him and his crew.

Would it bein’ an Idlesday make showing his face to those bastards even worse though?

“I can help carry some if you’d like some backup,” Basilio offered as he gave a wicked looking armor piece a testing flick, that still nearly made the twerp tip over.

“Yes please!” Will laughed with an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Magic I’m good at; lifting, not so much.”

“How’d you even drag all this rubbish out with ya?” Basilio asked with a skeptical look at the kid.

Will held his hands out towards his “helpers” like he was a proud parent, of two equally sick-of-his-shit teenagers despite the both of him being his elders. Or maybe because of that.

“You’d think either of the ones actually stealing this stuff would bother carrying them, but no,” the clemar snarked to himself.

“I’m in charge of our more “as needed” supplies,” Will puffed with a funny amount of pride for being the designated heal-mule, “and… uh, Heismay mostly carries our sell-ables. Which can still end up pretty heavy!” he added defensively when he saw Del raise a skeptical brow. “It’s just easier for us this way! He frequents magic shops more often than we do anyway, with his hours, so it helps for him to have the extra cash on him already if I’m busy with something else.”

Del gave a cruel smirk like he was half tempted to point out that there wasn’t a single armor in their arms that was less than twice the geezer’s size, but kept any jabs to himself for a change. Prolly ‘cause they did kinda fall into a similar dynamic, if things were just the two of them. 

“Honestly, I could prolly handle the rest too, might need some extra trips, but if this ain’t a trip you need to be makin-” aaand Hulkenberg didn’t even ask before literally adding her pile onto what Basilio just took on. She half looked like she expected him to buckle a little, but the reminder that she’s dealing with actual muscle impressed her before she turned on her heel.

Didn’t keep Basilio from glaring daggers at the clemar to not repeat her bloody stunt.

“U-uh, no, I was going to be coming anyway to check on the Halian refugees,” he assured with a healthy amount of respect for what being able to carry twice his load said about what Basilio could do to him if he cocked up a joke.

Didn’t sound like a lie at any rate so Basilio shifted the gear in his arms as he made to get it on the runner, coming face to face with its ladder . He felt his ears get tilted as he looked up to where he needed it all to be, and back down to where his arms were too full for this shite.

Will made a strangled squeak of a noise that might have hoped to grow up into a laugh before it was taken before its time when he realized what wouldn’t be “up” easily or quick. “Give me a minute, I think we can get the stowage entrance down lower!”

He took to the bars like a monkey, light and quick as he was, and was out of sight before Basilio could so much as huff. The hum of the heart coming to life felt stranger on the outside, but like Will promised the runner pulled a squat like a nesting hen. Barely a breath more and Will got one of the hulking doors outside the brother’s “room” open to form its own ramp inside. 

“It’s not in great shape, but it works!” Will said proudly, face red and haired mussed from the twerp’s exertion. He heard Will huff softly to himself as he brushed his bangs from his forehead and stretched a hand like it stung as he went to where the teleporter igniter needed him.

“Sums up most of this bloody rustbucket,” Del muttered to Basilio as they got aboard, so Basilio could at least find some rope to make a proper bundle of it all for easier carrying.

“At least we can’t feel it teleport, which is more than most vehicles I’ve been shuffled with,” the clemar retorted as he gave some of the engie’s spare glasses and doodles a peek.

“Unless somebody takes a bit he ain’t supposed to,” Basilio said with a toothy teasing grin his brother’s way.

“Oh belt up, you know how much spare crystal can sell for.”

The clemar looked between the two like he had half a brain to ask, but the other half was stronger. But he still had that look where he had to ask something , “I thought most with an interest in selling magla crystals go for Cigniters.”

“Takes too long for the buggers to pay for themselves,” Del explained with a shrug, “the build up’s minimal for most people and the one time I got to try a hit of one I felt like I’d been hit in the lungs, not me head.”

“Not that Del’s much for messing with his head at the best of times. His is too important for that.” Basilio pointed out as a matter of fact and his brother nodded with a slight huff.

“Thanks for the warning,” the noble said like he was makin’ a serious mental note about that. “I’d heard mixed things about them in Grand Trad, but physical pain isn’t a complaint I’ve heard before. Our Captain gets more out of spare MAG than most people, but I was leaning against one out of more concerns for how it might affect our Archetypes than our strategizing capabilities.”

“Even the fool I bummed it off of knew better than to risk a puff before any sort of mission, so as long as you’re not worried about unplanned engagements it might be fine. I’d recommend askin’ somebody who’s made the plunge already to try it yourself before risking buying a bloody thing.” Del suggested, as he gave himself a moment to think. But his posture and eyes grew sharper and dark. “Ceiba might be willin’, if you catch him in a good enough mood. You know him?”

“I believe I heard of him, was he in maintenance? I don’t think we met at the party,” the clemar’s words were tricky but honest enough. Man still grew tense as he gave a wry grin, “I will also confess, I don’t have high hopes of staying in good enough graces to stay aboard the Charadrius once Will steps down, given my… outburst.”

“That’s purely Lord Louis’s call, so you’ll just have to see at the hand-off,” Del said dismissively, giving Basilio a side glance to check his own thoughts.

Basilio’s tail gave a short half-raise. He didn’t lie , but he phrased it to avoid a clear answer, and somebody still gave Ceiba a beating, which would be a lot easier for these folks than Hector (and Glodell). Del’s tail gave a low curl back, but the clemar didn’t seem to notice anything off.

The flash was way more noticeable down with the bloody thing than it had been when he stayed on the upper deck. ‘Nough to make his breath catch, half expecting to feel a crackle along his bones like the old days.

Wouldn’t have been so bad if only Del noticed, but the clemar caught it too.

“Are you alright?” he tried to ask and it was honest, the worry behind it all, but that wasn’t the sort of thing neither brother wanted anyone they couldn’t trust yet knowing.

“Too bloody bright! I kept up top the last few times after being point-blank on the first. Worse than I remembered it bein’, is all.” Basilio hissed as he tried to shake the shock away.

“SORRY!” he heard Will shout back, so Basilio was prolly being too loud himself too. Will looked a lot more normal when he caught back up with ‘em. “Neuras didn’t need to change the positioning, so we could just use this door.”

“Obviously, we woulda felt it if he had,” Del scoffed, as he practically shoved the kid aside to knock the loading port down more than “open” it. “You really think you’re strong enough to stand with Lord Louis when this causes you problems?” his big brother asked as he looked the kid top to bottom as if they weren’t just about the same height.

“I’m smart, I’m quick, and I’m lucky. It’s the other things that I’m not.” Will shrugged back.

“That first bit’s soundin’ really debatable,” Del deadpanned but made sure he had all the fruits for the Honeybee he had wanted, and wrinkled his nose with a glance to the ladder. “I’m gonna to grab some spare meats from the pantry to even this out more; you lot go on ahead.”

“Alright; Strohl, you wanna switch with me?” Will asked as he held his hands out for the stuff for the church run. “Sunshade’s closer to the buildings you purchased anyway, isn’t it?”

“You don’t have to prove yourself to him like this, Cap-” Strohl said in a scolding tone, but the elda swiping the stack, and nearly dropping it, killed the objection before he could finish. With a tired sigh he conceded and picked up what Del left behind, “Alright then, if you’re that sure. I’ll see you back at the Honeybee.”

Will struggled to make a thumbs up through the cuirasses and heaven knows what all else it was, barely getting his head over the top of it as he looked up at Basilio expectantly.

Like he didn’t just render Basilio taking his load bloody pointless, as he narrowed his eyes at the failure of a showoff skeptically. “I ain’t taking that for you either.”

“Of course not, I got it!” Will lied far too cheerfully as he took off with a near skip. Which was prolly an honest to god trip he just hid pretty good.

“If you try riding yer sword like that, I’ll cut you with it meself.” Basilio warned as he followed behind enough to make sure the fool didn’t drop anything in his struggle. And he knew it was warranted ‘cause even Gallica had the same idea as she refused to take her proper perch to follow behind, lower than her normal and with a careful sort of slow.

Though, once the boy got a handle on it, and things shifted less, Basilio did let himself get closer to a normal talkin’ distance. “You really okay going here, after all you said?”

“Yeah, if anything I feel a little safer knowing Junah’s sister heals people here.” Will said with a smile, and looked a little nervous when Basilio’s head snapped to stare at him.

“Her what ?!”

“O-oh. Riiight,” Will trailed off with a cock up grimace, “She, uh, she did say she wanted to keep that secret. With how dangerous she said her work could be. Is singing really that cutthroat?” Will asked back, though Basilio couldn’t tell if it was a redirect or trying to throw the man a bone by pointing out how clueless he was about parts of her life too.

Basilio’s face and tail still went tense as he glared at the kid.

“Get serious, Bas”, he said, “You’re being ridiculous“, he said. Well now who’s the fool Del, ‘cause at least he was trying to nip this in the bud before things could get serious!

“... Older or younger?” Basilio asked first with a glare.

“Secret; no fair dodging the question.” Will chided weakly. “Me filling in for you and Fidelio has mostly been me trying to keep up on shopping trips so far, so I don’t get it.” he admitted as he looked away like if he’d been a paripus he’d be drooping with guilt all over.

“Bloody beginner,” Basilio scolded lightly as he tried to hold back a growl. “It ain’t about her songs; sure, rivals can give her a hard time when they think they’ll get away with it and there can be some creeps among her “fans”, but they’re both typically solo threats. It’s her making her stance with the Count as public as she’s been that brings the real trouble; everything from religious nuts to Royalists who’ll believe any slander thrown Lord Louis’s way that are hoping for an easy way to strike at him, even before the king’s magic made him untouchable. Since she’s not the easy pickin’s they were all hoping she’d be, anyone else she’s close to risks being the weakest link, see? Like a big ol’ chain a people, trying to hurt folks by association.”

Will’s brow pulled tight together as he puffed a sigh. “So, if it’s more about using her to send a message, these groups are most likely to do something at her shows or a public event?”

“There ya go,” Basilio praised dryly, “though I ain’t too worried ‘bout the Opera House gig. Way Del tells it, as far as messages go, Forden and their lot have too much riding on this tournament to risk anything going sideways on ‘em either. Anyone who touches that stage should be as safe as if the king’s magic was protecting them too. Anything the church might miss, we won’t.”

“Thinking you're safe and being safe are two different things,” Will said to himself thoughtfully, though from his expression the thought grew darker, “especially with the church involved.”

“We don’t actually know who started the fire back then,” Gallica reminded him gently, but her words left a bad taste in her mouth from how it puckered. “Not that their messages did the elda any favors.”

Basilio gave a curious hum for the kid to continue. 

“My hometown burned down years ago. Only elda lived there, so we all know why it happened.” Will told him. “I don’t remember a whole lot from back then, even before the fire. I barely even remember my mom, but- but I know she died protecting me.” Will said carefully, like the memory was trying to slip away. “Nearly every other survivor has some scars to show for it, but not me.”

Something there almost felt familiar, not even like a picture but more of a feeling of seeing a woman’s back, but whatever it was slipped faster than sand and left not a grain of it behind.

“I don’t got a whole lot of memories from growing up either, nothin’ ‘bout any parents, good or bad,” Basilio shrugged. “Some folks like to say it’s “normal”, all part of growin’ up and all that, but Del’s wondered if it’s my head deciding they’d hurt too much to keep. Self-defense like- like how your jaw can bite through animal bones easy but it won’t get ya finger if it gets in the way.”

“Maybe,” Will said almost in a daze, “but it’s hard to not to feel bad about it sometimes.”

“Yeah, it’s not great. Honestly, Del and I couldn’t tell ya how old I am for sure, we’re just usin’ Del’s best guess based on his age most o’ the time.” Basilio told him in an attempt to be lighter.

“... And how old is he ?” Will asked like he half expected Del to pop up just to yell at him.

“Secret!” Basilio grinned back viciously.

“Yup, I deserved that,” Will nodded to himself with resignation as they reached the doors. Boy took a deep breath at the threshold before putting a smile on.

The knife-eared geezer behind the podium was already giving the kid a nasty glare, type that made it feel like Will’s already been stuck dealing with this guy too often by either’s count. Though, was also the type that made it look like one visit was too many for the both o’ them.

The addition of a particular paripus and the sheer amount of cursed items made the old man grit his teeth but try to look all good and proper, way a “holy” man should be actin’.

“Are you sure you can afford this?” Basilio asked maybe too late in the game, but the kid didn’t flinch from it.

“I’m more worried about the materials, but I think I’ve got enough. Just leave it to me.”

“Aye-aye,” Basilio dropped his quarry in front of the fart and made for the door to do just that, but the kid backed up against it like he thought that could keep him from leaving.

Will tried to look dumb, but he wasn’t all that good at it as he glanced at where the “faithful” could head deeper in. Like where Saint Rella might be found, if she’s in this joint at all.

“Del put ya up to this then?” Basilio asked dryly and the panic in Will’s wide eyes answered for him.

“... I-it’s not like he’s really asked me for a favor before.” Will mumbled with a half-shrug, “He kinda gave the impression that he’d be angrier at me turning him down than you would.”

“Good instincts there, pup. One problem,” Basilio snickered lightly before grabbing the kid, armor and all, under the arms and lifted him to Basilio’s eye level with a smirk. And turned so when he did drop the twig the door would be clear, raising a playful brow at Will as his tail swayed like a laugh. 

Something behind all the loot covered Will, feeling more metal than the liquid it moved like but without any temperature to it, and it did make the boy heavier by the time it was done. Taller too. 

But not by enough to matter.

The glowing eyes of the Thief blinked at Basilio blankly over its snout, its feet still left in a dangle over the floor as the still-taller-by-enough man maintained his grip on the funny shaped fella.

“Oh. I, er, forgot to set it back to the Cleric for church…” Will mumbled, his weird cord of a tail stayed eerily limp behind him. It wasn’t curling like Del’s would if he thought this was funny too, or thrashing like he was annoyed. Not that Basilio knew too many rodent leaning folks to say how they’d react, ‘cause he was pretty sure eugief didn’t have tails the way paripus did.

Those who had come to pray were already whispering in a tizzy over the “blasphemous” use of magic that left Basilio mighty tempted to chuck the kid at them to see what would happen. Not that he would , not when hitting the pews would hurt Will more than any of those horned gossips.

Will was nearly red from either his own mess up or all the judging eyes on him when he made himself look normal again. The shift in size actually let him give Basilio the slip easy, since it left Basilio’s hands in the wrong spots to be holding the “real” him, though it didn’t look like he meant to.

“I’m sorry, I just… Since Fidelio doesn’t ask for much for himself , I wanted to help, and he didn’t make it sound like you’d be mad !” Will’s voice cracked a tad as he couldn’t meet his eyes like before. “At this rate I’m pretty sure I could name my kid after him and he’d still hate me! It’s not as easy as doing things for him I was going to do anyway like when you ask me to keep Junah safe or stay on task so you won’t need to… you know.”

Basilio’s mouth was pulled by the corner, hearing how much his words had sunk in for the kid. Not that he didn’t mean it when he warned his guys to keep serious, but it still felt nice in a weird way to know his word was taken to heart.

He was less sure how to feel about protecting Lady Junah being something he was “going to do anyway”, but that could just be how the kid was. He’d definitely had less time with her, with all this zipping about to the Honeybee. She’s way too famous to risk coming along for these trips.

Though, it also meant Del was also getting less time with her, alone or otherwise. Basilio too, obviously, but while he enjoyed her company it wasn’t like him seeing her was important .

“You realize that without me coming back wit’cha you’ll havta carry it all on yer own, yeah?” Basilio asked with a crooked grin.

“... I’ll make it work somehow,” Will’s face was less sure he could than his voice was. “Brigitta’s shop isn’t that far if it turns out to be mostly extras.”

“Brigitta’s shop”? The hell was he on a first name basis with the likes of her ? It’d been a while, but Lycaon’s been a name in the igniter trade too long for Basilio to not recognize it. Hell, they’d sponsored an event they had to be at with Lady Junah once, not that Del liked talkin’ ‘bout it.

“That who your other “boss” is?” Basilio asked as he narrowed his eyes at the kid, looking for any hints of hesitation and found plenty .

“Nothing with her merchandise, just enough favors to let me shop there. I could tell you later?” Will offered with a nervous glance at the hand’s worth of Sanctists listening to them.

The lines between a scared man’s honest words and fake ones could be blurry, but given how close the church was with all things igniter, and their stance on his tribe, Basilio accepted it.

“Fine, fine. An’ You can tell Del ‘n Maria they’re gettin’ their way this time too,” Basilio rolled his eyes as he gave the poor errand boy a slap on the shoulder like he was tagging out of a match.

He could feel all the eyes on him as he headed off to the side path, but churches ain’t supposed to be “private” enough to actually have spots be off limits. Not accordin’ to Del, who’d heard it from Lady Rella’s own mouth for why she could keep them from being tossed out like trash.

There was a scent the incense and cleaning supplies couldn’t fully mask. A scent that he’d never forget, with how often it lingered in his dreams or he chased after it in his sweets. Royal honey, like the type he’d use for an Adamantine cake when he could afford it, mixed with enough florals that he’d never mistake this one for a food, and the sweet must of old paper.

Further he followed it, the stiffer his tail became and his hands felt so clammy it was like they were itching for his axe. He worried his tie a little instead, partly to focus on the feel of the silk instead but partly to make sure it was on straight and everything.

Still nearly ran off like a spooked useless moron when he caught a glimpse of her wings.

“I’ll be with you in a minute,” Saint Rella said as she scribbled something down, a strange metal cage of a flower with a purple crystal center spinning beside her inkpot. Actually seeing who had gotten so close surprised her, which made two of them really. But her surprise made the fake plant wither and dissappear in a jiffy.

Basilio lost his tongue but raised a hand like a greeting. Hopefully. Probably. In that she’d see it that way, not like he was frozen all stiff like an idiot! Not like he wasn’t an idiot either.

“B-Basilio?! What are you doing here?”

“Will needed help carryin’ stuff- S-so I offered him a hand.” Basilio smiled sheepishly more from nerves than anything, trying to get his tongue to behave more “proper” like on Count business.

Rella cocked her head at him like she wasn’t sure if he was trying to have a laugh at her expense. “I mean, in Grand Trad.”

“Pup’s- I mean, Will’s not much of a liar,” Basilio’s grin felt more honest with that one, “I don’t think his heart was in it. The second Del sussed him out, he wanted to try getting us some “work experience” in the area.”

Lady Rella pouted to herself like she’d rather Will had decided that before he got her involved. “I had heard Fidelio was remarkably clever…”

“Del prolly- p-probably, I mean, would’ve caught on to it sooner if he’d been up when they used it us back to the mustari’s village the first time!” Basilio said like a brag, “Me n’ Del- Del and I,” she hid a smile at his correction that made his face hot, “wanted to make sure we thanked you properly while we were here, so I figured I’d pop in and see if you needed any help. If I could?”

“I’m just glad to see you two have been doing so well for yourselves,” she said, but her smile was tense and pinched. Not a word was a lie, but more like being under Lord Louis’s banner made how “well” the Magnus brothers were doing more emotionally complicated for her.

Still, her smile softened into something thoughtful as she gave him a quick top-to-bottom once over, “I could use some help getting some herbs from the back, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“‘Course not, lead the way!” Basilio’s tail wagged quick enough to get a breathy laugh from her.

“So what kind of “work experience” did he have in mind for you two?” Lady Rella asked as she led him through a door hiding as a bookcase down a windowless hall, notably less pristine than where most visiting folks would get to see. But it was familiar, in bits and pieces. Like where she had Del bring him to get him fixed up during the riot, after she had a spat with the big wig who was on edge from the chaos his brother brought to their doors.

“Nothing serious! I told him I liked to cook and there’s this Inn in the slums run by a single mum that’s done well by him that he figured could use some extra hands, if Del and I were willing.” Basilio swallowed as he tried to make his tail less of a feather duster when it kicked up enough to make her cough, much as she tried to play it off as her own thing.

A right nasty fit too, almost like if Del’s chest had a spasm. Maybe even more than “almost”. 

The wheeze in her breath as she tried to catch it was too familiar to ignore; he and Del would sound like that but virtually nobody else he still knew.

“Are you alright there?” Basilio raised a hand in case she needed help keeping steady, but she shook off the offer without so much as grazing her.

“It’s just a- a chronic condition. Nothing to worry about.” Lady Rella lied with a gentle smile. Her mask flinched when she saw how his ear flagged it.

“Really now?”

“I…” she tried to start but gave a tired sigh, “I suppose it’s not terribly different from what you’re used to, is it?” Seeing him nod that it at least looked similar, her mouth tightened. “Perhaps the simplest explanation would be that it’s more of the inverse to what you know.”

Knowing what an “inverse” meant would prolly help, but he nodded along like he was following.

“The truth is I… didn’t do the best job of healing you boys up the first time,” Saint Rella confessed. “It wasn’t what I was used to, but I can’t use that as an excuse; I knew I wasn’t doing it “right”. Around that time I had noticed that when I'd use too much magic at once, I’d get these… pains that medicine struggles to address. When I was in the mage academy, my professors theorized it was a case of my body building up more magla than it should be able to handle, causing it to also overreact to its absense, due to... my own anxiety leaving it in a constant fight-or-flight position." she admitted with a self-depreciating sort of laugh as she started to reach for her right arm to comfort herself, froze realizing what she was doing, and let her arm drop before giving a soft sigh, "When I was treating you both, I saw that a lot of your body's magla channels were terribly damaged, to the point there was even some crystal build up. I- I chose to heal you “wrong”, to reduce as much flow to those areas as I could in hopes of the crystals breaking down on their own, but that means I’ve put you in a similar position to the one I’m in: a constant balancing act between having "too much" magla and "not enough".”

Basilio’s brow furrowed as he cocked his head to roll that in his head. It didn’t sit right. “But we and our mates back then had aches like these since before you patched me and Del up.”

“Magla solidifying in a person’s body was treated as theoretical at the time, but based on how magla crystals can affect the animals around them it was proposed that it could have more visual and mental symptoms than other forms of mineral build up. This mineral brings more pain through the body with it the further it gets, obviously, but also caused…,” Lady Rella took a guilty breath, “drastic changes in mood or behaviours, shadowed features, and… glowing eyes.” 

He felt a chill run through his spine, all the way to his tail. Basilio knew what she was trying to say, ‘bout the burn outs lying half-dead in the streets, but that wasn’t where his head wanted to stay. 

All he could think about was the first time Del seemed to lose it, from what little of the riot he could remember. Or when a new recruit had tried talkin’ like those bastards who used the igniters too much, and didn’t get a chance to make that mistake again.

Or most recently, Del picking up pillow feathers like they were pieces of broken glass.

“Does it mess with how clear you remember things too?” he heard himself ask softly.

Lady Rella looked surprised at the question, before looking off like she was trying to remember. “I don’t recall any memory based symptoms. With how closely I believe magla and emotions are related, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn they could amplify particularly emotional memories.” She swallowed before looking up at him gently, “have you been experiencing this often, Basilio?”

“Not me,” he corrected, tail limp. “My memory’s plenty fine, only fuzzy on stuff even Del can’t be reminding me ‘bout from when we was kids, but Del’s… He makes it sound like they get too sharp. Forgets when he is, if something happens that reminds him in a bad way.”

She huffed to herself softly, “and of course he’d be the sort of troublesome patient who’d keep this to himself.” He could nearly pinpoint when “Lady Rella” became “Saint Rella” again as she stood straighter as she took in a breath, like it was inflating her back up and left her looking calm as can be. “I’ll look into it, and let you know if I find any treatments that may help him. I’ve heard of similar conditions following soldiers when they try to leave the battlefield behind them. If it turns out the crystals haven't broken down and are the cause of his problem, I’m sorry.” 

Basilio stared at her like she was speaking in a whole different language, but her remorse was painfully clear. “After what you had been through, I shouldn’t have made that choice without asking if you would both be comfortable with the changes I intended to make to your bodies.”

“What’s there to apologize for?” Basilio asked, “Del asked you for help, and you did. The thing I said, it ain’t like it happens all that often, honest. The aches are more common for sure, but we can get those herbs you had told us ‘bout just fine!”

“They still work for you?” she asked with a surprised smile that made his stomach drop.

“You mean they don’t help you anymore, Lady Rella?”

“W-well… No , b-but as long as I get to slip away to expend my magla in smaller, safer, bursts I’m well enough!” Saint Rella’s smile grew a little more sly at the confession. “Besides, I like how healing others makes me feel, even without framing it as my own “treatment plan”. Having the excuse just helps a little, if other members of the church feel that I’m getting too “generous”. As if hoarding does any good." she grumbled mostly to herself as she wrinkled her nose at the thought.

He nearly mistook the flutter in his chest as an episode in the making. Even now, she still cared so much about makin’ sure it weren’t just her or her own being taken care of.

“Helping those in need,” just like Will’s folks. Hell, if Will hadn’t thrown his lot in with Lord Louis to keep her boss off the throne, maybe she woulda been one of them. A real one of them, not like how he and Del were just watching them. Or more like Lady Junah, if her church still refused to play nice with an elda.

Basilio wasn’t sure how that thought made him feel, aside from giving him that buzzy feeling that normally meant he should be going for a run or some reps to settle back down.

“It ain’t like we were ever gonna be much the magic type anyways,” Basilio pointed out with a wry grin bordering on a sneer. “So, I don’t think knowin’ this would make Del any less grateful to you, for saving us. Doesn’t mean a lick to me; not sure anything I could do would be enough to thank you.”

“I hope living well could be enough of its own reward,” she said, like reciting scripture, but he was pretty sure that weren’t one. Her eyes looked sad as she looked away. “I wasn’t sure if my choice might end up hurting you more than I ever thought it could. If you stay with Will’s people, and learn how to tap into Archetypes of your own, that magla could have helped-”

“Coulda-woulda-shoulda’s all just dissappointin’ talk to me,” Basilio waved off before he had to hear her get too down on herself. “Ain’t like you “coulda” known ‘bout this stuff way back then either, right? I’m more impressed that you and that old school of yours figured so much of this stuff out!” He grinned toothily back at her.

She looked more doubtful like she still thought she “shoulda” known the future somehow, almost nostalgic like Del looking at his workbook. “It feels like it’s been longer than it has been some days. A shame those days were cut so short; Junah and I hadn’t even formally finished our schooling before it closed. I’ll bet she’s still writing herself off as a “dropout”, as if it was our choice!”

“L-lady Junah?” Basilio sputtered as he felt his tag raise up in surprise. “Y-you mean, like, the songstress Lady Junah, our Lady Junah?!” 

Lady Rella chuckled to herself, soft as rain on a hard roof and smile sweet as her smell. Same sorta smile he’d seen so many folks give Lady Junah he’d lost track; only one of ‘em he cared ‘bout keeping track of was his brother’s. Or like Eupha’s had ‘round Will, an awful fond type.

“Oh! W-well, yes. We were… roommates, you could say,” Lady Rella’s smile widened so much she hardly had space left for her eyes. “I will confess, I rather miss being able to see her so often! She had quite a talent for magic that I’ll admit I am still rather envious of. Though, even with her now getting the chance to not only see the “Archetypes” we used to study first hand but use them, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a day I haven’t prayed for her safety...”

Basilio’s tail was still wagging from seeing her happy, but there was a wiggly feeling in the back of his head that made his own smile tenser. ‘Cause, he’s foolish, but he ain’t that foolish.

He’s heard soldier types who had proper schooling talk ‘bout the sorts of things that would go on, with them finally loose from prying eyes. ‘Specially when it came to interests that weren’t always in line with continuing a bloodline, so to speak, and their “roommates”. 

Though, being a bloke meant most of the ones he’d heard talk went the other way. Lotsa panicky stuffed shirts trying to downplay a thing or three no matter how much they had been the one getting flirty over a lousy drink or two. It weren’t like he didn’t know that liking one sort didn’t mean the other was any less appealing, sometimes you just gotta go with what life gives ya! 

He was here after all. But… uh…

Still put the worry in his head that he was that foolish, actin’ like he had any sort of shot if she had an ex like Lady Junah …

Not that she seemed to notice his troubles any, as she focused on leading the way, to where the smell of herbs were escaping their big ol’ boxes, out past the church’s kitchen.

Lady Rella’s wings ruffled themselves as she passed it, and the scent of the tea cakes the church would offer, as she got the sort of sneaky brightness Lady Junah’d get when she was about to pester for something shiny in a shop they might not have been s'posed to go to.

“When you finish here, would you perhaps like to bring some sweets back with you, for you and Fidelio? Or anyone else?” she asked with a grin just a touch too wide to be “polite” as her fingers tapped together softly, as if he could ever tell this woman “no”.

“Sure thing, Miss Fabienne’s girl would probably enjoy a treat too!” Basilio’s throat nearly acted up on him. “Sh-she said you know her a little? Maria, cute little bird with two wings of her own.”

“Oh! So, you’re helping at the Hushed Honeybee Inn?!” Lady Rella lit up further, as if there was anywhere else in this city that would “risk” letting a couple of paripus lads handle another’s food. “I have heard quite a few praises for the dishes there!”

“Haven’t been there yourself yet?”

Lady Rella’s wings dropped, not low enough to touch the floor but still visibly deflating, as she scoffed to herself getting the storage door open. “I’d love to, but I get an earful for so much as going down Sunshade to heal those I can as it is. And even those trips are only thanks to my “excuse” to keep my superiors from stopping me from going where I’m most needed outright.”

“I’m getting pretty good at most of ‘em, Miss Fabienne’s recipes I mean,” Basilio confessed more than bragged with how nothing about his body was feeling right from hoping he wasn’t mucking everything up. “S-so, if you can’t go to them, I could try making them for you?”

Her silence felt like an eternity, but maybe heartbeats just make it seem like time’s going faster. But she wasn’t mad yet, nothing visible at least, and he really had thought she’d been cheery enough for most of their conversation that he hadn’t been too forward.

Doesn’t mean he couldn’t have barreled himself over whatever edge he was too dumb to see, but he had thought he was being careful.

“You’ll be in Altabury soon, won’t you?” she asked quietly, thoughtfully like there was something she was weighing in her head.

“B-by the ninth I think? Gotta make sure the job’s done for the Count before the tenth and all-” the words tumbled out before he could even try to tame into something more proper for her.

“And the tournament’s event should be that night, correct?” Saint Rella asked like she hardly had a reason to know it herself.

“Y-yeah, so Lady Junah’s still gonna have some free time before the show.”

“Would an earlier meal on the tenth work for you?” she asked like it was as simple as how he was finding the weather.

“I… I’m not sure I’m followin’.”

“Junah had mentioned there being plans to leave for Altabury tomorrow or the day after, and I figure you’d be much too busy immediately after your arrival on the ninth. So, either before the event on the tenth or some time after the eleventh would seem like our safest bets, doesn’t it?”

A part of him wanted to give himself more time, given how crunched things were starting to sound. But Del’s voice in his head kept him from voicing that.

“Things won’t be going back to “normal” when we get back with the lance.”

“Y-yeah, I could try swingin’ something more breakfast-like or a brunch ‘fore things go down. Not sure Del would let me live down havin’ a day with a Saint on “Saint’s Day” anytime soon.” Basilio mumbled more than joked.

“Then it’s a date,” she grinned back at him as she took a funny looking writing stick from the supply room’s record book to scrawl an address onto a scrap of paper for him, “I’ll be looking forward to it!”

Basilio was never more grateful Del made sure his work suit had good pockets, because if he hadn’t had somewhere to put it he’d be panicking over dropping or crushing the fool thing for the rest of the day.

“Thank you, Lady Rella,” he heard himself say, but it sounded too quiet and empty to sound like him.

“Well, don’t thank me too much! You said you’d be willing to help me with these, right?” she asked as she gestured to a box high above her head, but would be more than an easy reach for him. “There’s a few things like this I’d like a hand with moving to places they could be more accessible, if you can?”

“Of course! No trouble at all,” Basilio grinned back at her, hoping he looked more "him". The smell from the herbs were heavier than they were, mostly the size that felt like it might cause a person trouble.

And if helping her with her chores gave him more time to see his hero, how could he ever complain?

Basilio had spent more time in that church than he had ever thought he would. Still less than when she had first taken care of him, but that was an exception for too many reasons. Waaay longer than he had pegged Will’s errand to take, though the lunch rush shouldn’t’ve hit yet. There might even be a chance for Del and Maria to dig into some of the teacakes he got if he booked it.

He tried to ignore the look the flop eared executioner gave him as he ran to the Honeybee. He knew he saw the bastard smirk, like he thought he knew him. Thought he could judge him.

Not as a Magnus. Just as a fellow killer, pretending they're not ‘cause it’s their “day off”.

He knew he left his axe behind, didn’t want to risk another “incident” like Del’s, but the absence felt like a weight of its own sometimes. Like he was missing a limb or something.

But the heads the Count saw him roll were different. He’d see all manner of tribes, only type of blood he hadn’t shed yet was an elda’s and god, he was hoping he could keep it that way. 

Everyone knew to be an executioner in Grand Trad would be seeing mostly paripus and nidia paying for crimes that prolly weren’t even theirs. By extension, they knew that the paripus desperate enough to accept the relative “safety” of the job was a traitor.

Basilio’s axe swung to cut the rot out of this world, not help it spread along like that coward.

No way they were the same.

“Fec- Finally,” Del corrected like he knew how quick that first syllable got Miss Fabienne’s head to snap towards him, her eyes narrowing but gave an accepting nod at the lack of a swear. “If you took much longer, I was gonna be going after you meself.” Del gave his customers their orders with a quick “meet you in the back” tilt of his head.

Given how much Basilio had to make up for, and had a bag of teacakes to drop off for the lot of ‘em besides, it wasn’t like he had much intention of going anywhere else.

“So, how’d it go?” Del asked first with a grin, and Basilio froze up too much to do much but shrug. “C’mon, you were gone too long and smellin’ too sober for it to have been that bad, Bas!”

“S-she said she’d be lookin’ forward to seein’ us in Altabury,” Basilio mumbled meekly as his tail wagged. “Helped her move some stuff they used for medicines and incense. Good talk?”

Del’s smile got softer the more Basilio’s vocabulary suffered. “So, ya still got it pretty bad, huh?”

Basilio nodded quick to that as he grabbed a pan, before noticing just how much Del and Strohl had brought in with some panic.

“Del, you don’t really think she’s gonna be able to use all this ‘fore it goes sour, do ya?” he asked as his tail slowed to a stop.

“What’d you mean?” Del asked with concern, “it ain’t that much, is it?”

“Not for the Charadrius, but the Inn don’t get that many mouths to feed on the daily and the skyrunner’s got an ice room , Del!” Basilio pointed out and Del’s face fell with a grunt.

“R-right. My bad. So, how’s the damage?”

“Without freezing anything, stuff’ll only do her good for a few days. If we can get ‘em frozen and stay there, it’d be a different story; fruits and veggies can be even better chilled than raw.”

“We haven’t seen so much as an ice box, have we?” Del asked as he looked accusingly at the eyes blinking back from the mouse hole to the fish on the hanger. He cocked his head at the fish as he gave it a firmer think, “Is that why you thought your bite was “sour”?”

“Nah, wasn’t that dry and it wasn’t like it was anywhere near spoiling if it was still plenty tasty to ya,” Basilio shrugged as he gave a look under the counters. There was a box there, but it didn’t feel like it had any magic to it. Igniter fueled ice boxes were wicked expensive besides.

“Order up, boys,” Miss Fabienne warned before seeing what had gotten them distracted. But she didn’t look guilty, or worried, or anything like that as a single corner of her lip pulled up. “I can show you both how I was going to preserve these later, if that would make you feel better.”

“No way we’ve got enough jars for preserves,” Basilio muttered as he eyed the bananas. “though, I heard you can make a good sweet bread with those. Could make 'em muffins for easy eatin'.”

“Is that so?” she smiled up at him as her pupils widened a little like Del’s did when he got interested, “I’ll need you to get me some details there, but I had other plans in mind. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to show me how you handled the “eugief twist” to my omelette as well? I don’t get them often, but anything that can help a person feel more at home is welcome here.”

“S-sure thing!” Basilio agreed as he hurried to take some pressure off the boss.

It hadn’t been until well after the lunch rush was over that he had time to really think, much less follow when Miss Fabienne beckoned them to the back. With both brothers in tow she reached to a high shelf to pull a small collar out from behind a crate nearest the corner lantern.

Not just a collar, as the teal crystal shone with flecks of cyan and magenta. An igniter. Older than they were from the look of it, but still got the crackled frost look blizz models tended to get.

“I’m only holding onto this for Maria, with my Darling’s blessing.” Miss Fabienne said as she looked at the old weapon fondly. “Though, I hope she makes more use of it like how I do than he had to,” she added as she wrapped it around her hand instead of wearing it as intended.

She took a hand’s worth of bananas and held the igniter over it as she made the outdated relic brrr to life, frost turning the whole stem of them brown. Though her face fell with worry like she wasn’t sure that’s what these fruits were supposed to still look like if they were good for eating.

So obviously Basilio just plucked one off to give it a test nibble Just to put her more at ease.

“Looks funny, but taste’s still good!” he assured, “might wanna try this to fight some of the island heat too,” he told his brother idly as he gestured for Del to try one for himself.

He didn’t actually see Del eat the thing with how quick it was gone, but the peel was proof it happened. He gave his big brother a “Where? HOW???” look as Del gave it a thumbs up of approval and a stuck out tongue for Bas being “too slow”.

Miss Fabienne took a breath of relief… or a tired sigh of them being fools. “Her father was with me the first time I tried this. We were in the middle of a heat wave and I was desperate to keep all of my stock from spoiling. He had mentioned using it to make ice for Maria’s mother, to try and fight her fevers to buy the doctors more time, so I hoped I could do something similar.”

Miss Fabienne’s softness made more sense with treating it as a tool. Basilio’s no stranger to seeing folks use fire or lightning ones to start campfires, part of why the former’s more in fashion for new recruits, and it wasn’t too different from a proper ice box if he thought about it. 

“At the time, I thought his insistence in keeping an eye on me was from thinking I might be desperate enough to pawn it to keep the Honeybee afloat. The idea that he couldn’t trust me was maddening, but in hindsight I think he was more worried it would backfire on me, given its age and my inexperience.” She chuckled to herself like she found the whole thing foolish now. “When the silly old goat saw it worked, I think he nearly shed a tear that it could still do something right. So, when Maria got old enough, I was going to show her how to freeze her own food with this too.” Miss Fabienne’s smile grew tighter, “There’s… not a lot left from him I can give her. But if this can help keep her comfortable and safe that’ll be more than enough for both of us.”

“He didn’t leave a will?” Del asked like he felt that sounded wrong.

“He didn’t trust it would be respected by our “authorities” if he had,” Miss Fabienne said with a wry smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “it’s more that he was a modest man.” The smile fell as she looked at the igniter, “A practical man, if sometimes a stubborn one. But that can make it hard to make sure she gets things that will feel like him, if she needs a reminder to comfort her.” 

Basilio kept quiet, given how much something like that might have made his childhood gaps less gaping.

“Maria mentioned trying to remember her other mama’s lullabies, with the uh…” Del’s voice trailed off in embarrassment rather than say the word “flute”.

“She told me,” Miss Fabienne said, like that was its own relief. “It’s not one I know, unfortunately. Ardea should have an ear out for it, and I am grateful he’s here so she’s not completely separated from her tribes,” she added as she put the igniter away for safekeeping, though something made her tone get just a touch bitter. “But this would be far easier if her mother’s fool of a family realized what a mistake they’re making before it’s too late. Her father didn’t even have that much with his age, and I’m not as close to any rhoag patrons in particular…”

Del gave a nod with a thoughtful look, before giving one to remind Basilio to hold up his end of their food-trick-sharing as he went back to the front. Which Basilio was rather grateful for as he gave a thumb’s up back.

He heard Del say something to Ardea, which Basilio was assuming was to see if there were any leads Del could “keep an ear out for” too now that it’s proved to be something he remembered and hasn’t been answered yet. 

“So, how did your eugief friend like her omelets?” Miss Fabienne asked as she pulled out some eggs to bring to the front griddle.

Basilio focused on getting some rice out, “Our Rabbit came from closer to Brielhaven, so her local grains were of the more waterlogged sort, and she’d say it’d be best as a way to turn her dinner leftovers into a breakfast. So she’d have already had the rice all mixed up with other veggies, meats, or even some broth to soak in some extra flavor if she had it, but plain can work in a pinch. Not sure if it’s got more regional versions, like I don’t think those with more of a thing for Grits would work as well, but I have heard of a dish usin’ noodles the same way-”

It was weird to have that much attention on him as he worked. Or maybe it was talkin’ through what he was doing that made it feel so… technical. But he didn’t seem to be trippin’ over himself to lose her any.

But talking was easier in the galley than where all of her customers could see and hear him. At least, for anything aside from the food. She seemed to notice that, after they got a Maria seal of approval for his efforts, as she “encouraged” him to help her clean up.

“Was there something bothering you?” she asked gently, and since he couldn’t make out Del’s words from there he figured that should be a two way street.

“Just… thinkin’ ‘bout some things. Worried ‘bout Del a bit,” he admitted, which got a look like she expected as much. “I’m not- Normally Del’s the one who’s thinkin’ ahead for us. Makin’ plans. Not me. So this whole thing… it’s… not really his thing.” Basilio shrugged as he put more of the frosty fruits in her almost-ice-box. “Not that I ain’t plenty grateful, Miss Fabienne!” He hastily added with a smile that felt too forced, “Honestly, it felt real nice for Will to hear me out ‘bout this whole thing. For somebody other than Del to take my weird thoughts seriously for a change and all. I never woulda figured somebody’d go this far for the likes of us.”

“You’re worried your brother won’t be able to leave his fighting days behind him, aren’t you?” Miss Fabienne asked like she’d been looking at something familiar for a while.

“A practical man, if sometimes a stubborn one.”

“Del’s… not so good at including himself in plans, sometimes. The sort that has an “after” to them,” Basilio agreed with a shy nod. “It ain’t normally a problem, but it still worries me sometimes, issall. But then it leads to bits like this, where he’ll put up with something he don’t really want to do, ‘cause he knows I do, and that’s… gone real bad for us in the past.”

He could barely hear himself as he made that confession.

“So, you’re worried he won’t go looking for something he’d enjoy more either?” she asked with concern, not questioning him at all. Just trusting his read on his brother was right.

“Just a bit,” he said a little more dismissively than he meant. “‘Specially if he don’t think I could handle most of a restaurant’s needs on me own, like you do.”

Her smile grew a little tense. “I… had hoped my Darling would be joining me when his work was done. Not that I hadn’t been running the Honeybee just fine before him too, but…”

But doing it all by herself hadn’t really been her plan either.

“At least you got Maria?” he said hopefully and she nodded.

“I’m not sure what I’d do without her,” her smile grew larger and stronger, but the grief was still in her eyes. “And I have other means of support. An understanding community. My Darling’s connections. Will and his friends, when he’s able.” she listed off easily. “And you two have been a help too. Thank you for that, and being as kind to Maria as you both have.”

He felt his face get too warm for it to not show something but he managed to nod an acknowledgement, and the way she smiled seemed like she could tell his tongue got caught again. She gave a nod as she made her way back to her spot at the counter, leaving him with his thoughts until somebody needed him.

It’d be easier if he could make sense of them too.

The clemar had come back to the Honeybee after he saw his displaced people too as it turned out, though Will had run off not long after the noble showed up with the excuse of “wanting to see what Gloamhall had in stock”. 

Basilio hadn’t even gotten a chance to ask the kid what Brigitta could have needed him for, with how soon he seemed to come and go.

Honestly, Will looked mostly awkward the few times he wasn’t too busy to notice him around. The few times he tried to press about it seemed to have been that the kid hadn’t known he was helping Basilio talk to a girl . Which, fair enough with how stupid it prolly felt from all sides, but Basilio couldn’t imagine what Del had said to sell him the idea on otherwise.

At least Basilio wasn’t the only one thinking their elda was acting strange, with how being ditched disappointed the noble. Enough that he was desperate enough to try striking up a conversation with Del, maybe encouraged by Del’s willingness to engage with the knight earlier.

“-You should wait until the market’s good enough to sell those buildings for a profit at least.” Del corrected something the clemar said.

“I have no intentions of becoming like "Lord" Hydran,” the noble replied like he’d been insulted.

“Listen, rebuilding ain’t gonna be an all-at-once thing.” Del said from his seat as Miss Fabienne didn’t have anything better for him to do for now. “You gotta focus on which buildings matter most and where they should go to make future building easier. Don’t just hope that your old ruins are a fair enough footprint to follow either!”

“True,” the noble admitted. “Halia had started as a more ramshackle settlement, so this does offer a good opportunity to make some improvements. But that doesn’t mean I will risk leaving any of my people unhoused by selling the homes I got for them to fund the houses they’ll eventually get.”

“Sounds like you’ll be making an Inn early on then, to give the people and builders more temporary beds close to “home”,” Miss Fabienne teased as she gave a patron their drink.

“It’d help establish a kitchen, small storehouse, and how you’ll be making sure your water’s good too. A more generalized Inn can cover a lot of early needs quick.” Del agreed with a grin.

“Admittedly, so can a farm if you go big enough.”

“The point of a farm is to work the land , so good luck having one be close enough to do any good and stay useful if you put too much focus on the sticks first.”

The clemar hummed an acknowledgement of Del’s counter as he doodled on some paper, noticing he had half of Basilio’s attention. “Are you alright, Basil-” he cut himself off awkwardly like he just remembered why Maria kept getting Del’s name “wrong”.

“Can’t complain, this is all just way over me head,” Basilio replied dryly with a shrug.

“... Have I done something to offend you?” the noble asked him like he could tell that wasn’t it and was genuinely bothered by not noticing if he had done so sooner. Enough to make Basilio doubt himself a little.

“Not to me , but… do you got a problem with your given name?” Basilio tried to keep his body language languid and calm. “The pup mentioned the other night that even he doesn’t get an exception with ya, and it sounds like you and he go almost as far back as him and Gallica.”

“Ah. The “Big Brother Leon” joke, I take it?” Strohl sighed with a small smirk, “it’s not a problem , but… I suppose it might be best compared to if someone outside of the two of you used your shorthands for each other? For now “Leon” lies with the ruins of Halia, with my parents. Perhaps it’ll feel right again when I’ve made more progress rebuilding it, but until then “Strohl” feels best.”

“Did it look like I mind any when Lady Junah calls me “Bas”?” Basilio asked the clemar with a partly raised brow, and the noble gave a small nod to concede that point, successfully burying how close the bloke’s comparison fit. “He seemed kinda bummed by the rejection for it to have been a “joke”, mate,” he pressed though he was failing to keep his tail swaying casually. 

“Truly?” Strohl’s eyes went wide as he leaned back a touch, “i-it’s not like I meant any disrespect to him. I thought he was just trying to tease me, given that he’s our leader.”

Basilio’s ears went straight back as his eyes narrowed at that confession. In the same beat Del went from exaggerated nonchalance to rapt attention.

Del smiled . “Oh, that changes a lot . Didn’t figure you were the type.”

Strohl looked between the quick change in the brothers and how opposite their stances were now with a healthy amount of concern. 

“Oi! You’re supposed to let them know that sorta deal when you turn ‘em down, not after!”

“What?” Strohl breathed at Basilio’s snap blankly.

“C’mon Bas, back off. He saw the elda first.” Del chided and Strohl's eyes widened with panic the more Del's smile did.

“Well he didn’t ask me for help!”

“Neither did she, you doof! You decided to stick your nose in this mess all on your own.”

“... Not my fault he wasn’t as obvious or cute ‘bout it.” Basilio scowled, turning back to the clemar. “I mean it mate, you had better let this be until the little lady gets to try her luck. If he turns ‘er down, then he’s all yours to fumble however ya like.”

“Fumble? I feel like you both lost me somewhere,” the clemar turned to give a helpless look to the local informant. “Ardea?”

“De Haliaestus?” the knowledge broker tipped his cap with an easy smile. How many names did these noble types need anyway? Lord Louis’s only got the two! And nobody uses his other one!

“If I pay your tab will you please explain what’s going on right now?” the clemar asked with a sigh like his coinpurse was going to regret this.

“Full story or just what you need, boss?”

“Basics should be enough for all of us.”

“Oi, that’s cheating!” Del snapped with a mean grin as he turned the ishkia’s way, “I’ll double it if ya don’t, and I actually know what yer tab is.”

The clemar sputtered as Basilio sighed at Del’s little test. “E-excuse me?”

“If yer so “clever” I’m sure you can figure it out on your own, “De Haliaestus”,” Del mocked as he let his head grin atop an open palm. “I just know it’s funnier if you can’t.”

The noble straightened at the challenge, looking between both brothers as the info broker gave a shrug when Del passed him his dues to keep his mouth shut.

Del mimed rubbing coins together as a silent taunt to see if the noble would rather “raise” and make it a money game, making the ishkia in question raise an equally curious brow with a grin. Basilio kept his gaze on the horned man cool and even, not risking so much as a glance around to the other paripus patrons that could give him a tip off.

With a sigh, he chose the easy solution, as he turned Basilio’s way, “I am assuming that something I said came off as more “suggestive” than I meant. I recognize I compared him to a younger brother in the first place, but I had no intentions of lessening his independent efforts by trying to tie his candidacy to a house as minor as mine is.”

Basilio let his good ear raise questioningly as he gave a hum, “So… you’re thinkin’ more like why Lord Louis got made into a “Guiabern”? Adopting a genius to take over ‘cause old man Guiabern couldn’t raise one ‘imself before death started knockin’ sorta thing, merit-oc-racy like?”

“Exactly,” Strohl nodded with some relief, “I… wasn’t taught to treat family in terms of “affection”, given how my own relatives shuffled me around after my parents' passing.” His mouth went tense at the “shuffled”, like the man was half tempted to say what they saw him as.

Guess even “noble” orphans are just a different type of burden to those sorts of rotten grown ups.

Wasn't even a "grown up" who got him orphaned in the first place. Strohl’s folks would’ve still been around if not for Lord Louis’s orders, wouldn’t they? But Lord Louis ain't that much older than him or Strohl, so even seven years ago he would've still just been a teenager 'imself.

“So, by a buncha idiots then,” Basilio said with a smug snort. “‘Cause that ain’t how we paripus see things like family at all. If you don’t like ‘em, there ain’t much point to sticking together.” He sat back and didn’t say a peep more, ‘cause the pup being on the right track didn’t mean he’d have to go giving the full game away, as Del watched with a curious pout.

“Would you care to explain?” Strohl asked carefully, and he was close but Basilio made a noncommittal grunt. “... Please?” he asked with a slight huff, and Del gave a snicker.

But a pass is a pass.

“First of all, wouldn’t matter how you “meant” it if you’re the one to put being family on the table only to take it back last minute ‘cause they took you serious, that’s just bein' cruel.” Basilio told him with a jabbing point, and the boy nodded well enough along looking ashamed. “We don’t joke ‘bout that. If somebody else offers it to ya, and it ain’t like some stranger mocking ya or trying ta weasel themselves close for somethin’, then only way it wouldn’t be insultin’ to ‘em is if you explain that it’s ‘cause that ain’t the sorta family you had in mind for ‘em.”

This “noble” might’ve had the humility and good sense to just ask ‘bout what he didn’t bloody know but Strohl must’ve been a lot dumber than Del worried ‘cause he still looked lost.

“... He means you just told us you wanted to share a bit more than a bed with the kid.” Del helpfully informed the lad like he caught a canary, which made the man go paler than his hair.

“And you’re going right in the drink if you try it, ‘cause you had your chance already and you blew it!” Basilio added with a sharper glare, but while he didn’t take his claw back he did let both his ears ease up to be a bit more “friendly” about it.

“I-I didn’t! I-I mean, he’s an elda so he shouldn’t have taken it that way!” Strohl practically squawked as he tried badly to keep from going pink, “Not that I know much about how elda would consider “families” either…” he admitted to himself softly like he surprised himself.

“Boring,” Del groused a cocked pout, his typical glare back with some added edge from disappointment, though their clemar looked thoroughly distracted by his own thoughts. “That could’ve settled things pretty nicely, all things considered.”

“Oi! Who's side are you on, Del?!” Basilio spat as he took a swipe that his brother easily dodged.

“My side, obviously. Just saying’, if all you care about is everyone “being happy” that’d just ‘bout cover it.” Del gave a careless enough shrug, but if he didn’t care he’d have let this go already!

“ She wouldn’t be! The whole reason this started was ‘cause thinking he already had a girl made ‘er mopey!”

“Then you’d just need to help cheer her back up, ya muppet.” Del teased as if his brother wasn’t glaring daggers at him, Strohl thankfully seeming completely at a loss for who “she” was.

Admittedly, his crew’s only got four “ladies”. Nobody in their right mind would call Hulkenberg “little” either, same with Lady Junah if they’ve got sense no matter her height. She gets scary if you poke her ‘bout that too much. And between Eupha and Gallica it seems obvious, don’t it? He should be more careful ‘bout that; he’s lucky Strohl’s either being real polite or awful daft.

Last thing Basilio wanted was to embarrass the bird by making more folks aware of their “plan”. Feelings were private , but it was different when he let Del in on it. It’s about Del’s feelings too.

“And what if I can’t ?” Basilio hissed and that finally got some sense into his brother went wide eyed and nearly choked on his drink.

“You sayin’ the date actually went somewhere, Bas?! That’s not what it sounded like before!”

“It weren’t a date, but…” Basilio pinned his stupid tail with his hand, “I offered to meet up when we got to Altabury and- a-and then she said “then it’s a date”, so…” he trailed off with a shrug.

Del stared at him in shock before turning that distant look to his drink as he got lost in his head. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t sting to see Strohl seem more happy for him than his own brother did but… he could see how it’d worry Del. 

She was still with the Sanctists and the sort of world Lord Louis was trying to make weren’t nearly as kind as she was. But a fair world for the strong was still better than the one they had.

Was it, if it was still one that’d make her cry? That would want to keep her from helping the sorts of people the world would rather see thrown away or left to rot, just like her own “superiors” do?

Wouldn’t she rather have a world based around folks “helping those in need” like she did?

“Then we’ll need to make sure Neuras doesn’t get too distracted with sightseeing along the way, in order to make good time for you!” Strohl said with a kinder sort of thoughtfulness than Del’s. “Is she also part of the tournament?”

“Not ‘fficially,” Basilio muttered, and made the mistake of shifting his weight off his tail, sending the cushion next to him flying to the floor as the damn thing let its feelings be known.

Maria got to it before he could, and her smile was far too telling. “Did you get to talk with Miss Rella?”

Basilio nodded as that name made Strohl sputter in shock as Del offered the guy a “ now you get it” set of near vibrating nods of his own before his brows dropped low in thought again.

A “yes” was not enough for this girl to let him be as the smile somehow got bigger.

“... I offered to make her dinner when we reach Altabury, since she’ll be in town too.” Basilio shrugged as his tail did the rest of that talking.

“See?! I told you talking to her didn’t need to be scary,” the child beamed like death wasn’t a mighty fine option still to make this talking stop.

“... Where will you be cooking then?” Strohl asked with worry.

Basilio’s brain halted before his head hit the table with a groan. Sure, she gave him an address, but with his luck she just gave him an apartment the Sanctists had got for her or something her parents had. No bloody way a family of ishkia nobles would let a “filthy” paripus so much as breathe near where their food was kept, much less cooked, even if Lady Rella didn’t realize yet.

“ There’s my brother,” Del muttered with a chuckle as the pup offered a soft “uh-oh”.

“W-well, if all else fails she has already seen the runner.” Strohl suggested with an edge of sympathy-panic to his tone. “I’m sure we could convince Neuras to get power to the kitchen.” More to himself he muttered, “making it and the lounge look more presentable for company might be the harder task… Perhaps Junah could-” 

An unintended whine on Basilio’s part cut the man’s efforts off.

“What else did you do?” Del prodded him with a literal prod to his shoulder.

“Well… Well if it were just her using the phrase out of habit, I might… be barkin’ up the wrong tree?” Basilio admitted into the table. Del’s jabs got more insistent to get him talking, though Basilio tried to swat the hand away. “She did mention how back in their academy days, Saint Rella and Lady Junah used to be, uh… “roommates”.”

“O-oh?” Strohl sounded like he nearly choked on either a laugh or his spit.

“... Bas you could say we’re roommates, you don’t gotta overthink everything .” Del sighed at him and the jabs became a far less pokey hand on his shoulder.

Maybe Del had a point. Maybe the sorta soft look she had wasn’t too far off from how Del could be if the two were alone. Like Miss Fabienne watching Maria flit around as her happy li’l helper.

“Aren’t all of you “roommates” on the gauntlet runner?” Maria asked innocently, before he heard a patron get her attention. Probably to get her away from this conversation specifically.

“I dunno… Ain’t those sorts of distant schooling where folks liked “experimenting” with the sorta things their big fancy families wouldn’t be approvin’ of? And Lady Rella was sounding mighty fond of Lady Junah when she came up. Type to pray fer ‘er, awful worried ‘bout her future-like...”

Strohl was definitely trying to hide the fact he was havin’ a laugh at Basilio’s expense, but he couldn’t even blame the guy. “W-well, that would explain why the two seemed close. But, with Junah’s current fame and the rumors about Junah and the Count I think being worried for her is fairly natural. So it wouldn’t need to be anything that… dramatic.”

“Rightly too,” Basilio could hear the smirk in Del’s voice and the hand on his shoulder gave a reassuring pat, “we’ve had to deal with more than ‘er fair share of idiots hoping to make a name for themselves at the “dulcet diva’s” expense. You hadn’t been sharing those sorts of stories with the Saint before she got wistful, had ya?”

Basilio scoffed as he lifted his head enough to give him brother a scowl, “‘Course not, I weren’t trying to scare her!”

“Was thinking more ‘bout the ones that might’ve impressed her,” Del shrugged with a grin.

“C’mon Del, you can’t really be thinking winning scraps would be impressive to a healer .” Basilio pointed out glumly as he looked to the side. Enough to see some of the paintings from all the places the elda had been.

Sights like that might be closer to the mark, not that he had any pictures of ‘em. Lady Junah often raved about the sights from the Charadius mid-flight, especially when she got to see Brielhaven all lit up at night from up there. 

Up in Altabury they’re supposed to have that big fancy floating rock, and Del liked his sketches from his workbook well enough. Maybe he could try his hand at some doodles of his own.

“-Oi, you still in there Basilio?” Del’s voice cut in, but when Basilio turned to look at him Strohl was grinning.

“Do you think she’d be more of the artistic type?” Strohl’s smile didn’t feel too mocking as he took in his engie’s art for himself, his own gaze lingering between some crystal filled ruins that left him looking somber and the shimmering sea wall. “You probably have a better idea of where Neuras keeps his art supplies by now than I do. Though I would ask him first. Hadn’t he said something about making some new pigments from some of the fish from back then?” 

Basilio did remember something like that, with the knight wanting to eat anything that moved.

“Oh? Feels like it’s been ages since you’ve tried drawing. Want to hit up a shop for some supplies of your own, now that we’ve got the coin?” Del asked with genuine interest and a smile he tried to turn into a smirk when he remembered there were folks around. “We’ve got room for a sketchbook, so I don’t think looking into colours could take up that much more space.”

“Maybe…”

“It’s common for nobility to have an appreciation for the arts, so I think it sounds like a fine idea! My own parents had encouraged me to try poetry and the like, not that anything really stuck with me.” Strohl’s eyes were a sad sort of fond when he brought up his folks.

“And if you hadn’t heard me, I was saying you could try tellin’ her ‘bout how things went down with the human in Eht Ria, if you think most of our other stories wouldn’t be up her alley.” Del looked away a bit, like he was feeling a bit embarrassed from being proud of that too.

Or maybe it was more like he was embarrassed by realizing they didn’t have too many others under their belts that were like it.

Even on a good human hunt, it was normally more about stopping the bastards than helping anybody. The Count never bothered to see how the locals were, if there were any left.

Some days he had felt proud enough about the fact he weren’t trying to bleed them dry for his “protection” like a thug, either before or after, but others…

Others, he wondered how many stories like Halia there had been. How many Strohls there are.

Lord Louis was a hard man to read. Not that he didn’t admire the man! He was impressive as all hell, easily the strongest man he’s ever met! But… there was always a distance with him. 

Sort that made a man feel almost unreal, like a story ‘bout some invincible hero-type brought to life more than somebody who had ever been a kid like the rest of them.

Real different sort of “admiration” than the type Lady Rella Inspired.

“Think Lady Rella would like any of the fruits from there?” Basilio asked thoughtfully, since he remembered Eupha saying something ‘bout how her people would use their vegetables as greeting gifts.

“A basket might be a good idea,” Del agreed as he nodded along. “Gifts are pretty safe as a conversation starter and even if she doesn’t want any for herself we could put in enough for her visitors to take. Like how Giddeaux framed his freaky fish plan: kill ‘em with generosity.”

“Won’t you already be cooking for her? Adding more food might not be in the best taste,” Strohl pointed out and Del glared at him for the use of “taste” that made the noble shrug like it was on purpose. Ignoring Del, Strohl tapped a finger to his chin, “is there something more personal that you’d think she’d like? Like, flowers? Though, we could use those to spruce up the runner…”

… That did bring something to mind. Not that he’d know if she remembered, with how long it had been.

“There could be something, but the general store ‘round here won’t have it. Last time I saw some was back in Brielhaven,” Basilio sighed, and Del perked in curiosity.

“If we left now, do you think they’d still be open?” Strohl pressed before he remembered why they were even in Grand Trad, “I-if you think Fabienne could spare to lose you for the rest of the evening, of course. Just- since we are getting more pressed for time.”

“C-C’mon, I was already late today, don’t go pushin’ it!”

“If you must ,” Miss Fabienne said with an exaggerated sigh despite her teasing sort of smile, “if it’s for our local Saint, you boys best be getting her something nice.”

… Oh he’s a dead man .

“With ears like that, you’d think I just scolded you,” Fabienne chided with a bright snicker, but that didn’t exactly help get them to perk back to “normal” with the pressure she added. “Even with lower prices, Idlesdays aren’t too much of a hassle. You’ve both done more than enough.”

Basilio was still pretty sure he was dead with extra steps.

“Both?” Del said like a question but just gave a nod instead of push, in favor of grabbing Basilio to drag him along. “O-okay, uh, thank you ma’am!” More quietly he muttered, “Don’t question it Bas.”

“Is this what getting fired feels like?” Basilio questioned anyway after they were out the door.

Del opened his mouth to answer, but paused as he tried to remember if he ever had a job before either. Like, a normal one, one that ain’t actively trying to kill you, that he could have been fired from without being its own death sentence either.

The silence felt like a “no”.

Strohl looked at them both like he realized this and since unlike him they were a coupla nobody paripus orphans and not some fancy-schmancy noble type this was probably not normal. Or, it wouldn’t have been for a more “normal” person.

“I’ve never had an actual job, so I wouldn’t know either,” he shrugged weakly.

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in a little deeper why don’tcha, trust-fund,” Del scoffed as he tried to tug Basilio to the runner again.

“I- I didn’t have a trust fund!” Strohl sputtered as he tried to keep up, which was made easier by Basilio mostly slowing Del down.

“‘Scuse me? Didn’t you just tell me you were able to pay off multiple houses for “your” refugees using that “inheritance” from those parents of yours?”

“Well, yes, but it wasn’t like I got it immediately!” Strohl scowled as he managed to find his pace.

Del winced before looking up to the sky to try to not murder the guy. “So, it was a “fund” entrusted to somebody else until you were old enough or did something to “earn” it?”

Strohl lost said pace as he took too long to think about how exactly Del said that. “Oh no .”

“Congrats pup, you’re a trust-fund baby!” Del waved back to him with a faux-cheery pep in his voice and zero intentions of waiting up for the guy even though leaving was his plan .

“You don’t need to say it like that!” Strohl squawked after them.

“How’d you rather he say it, if you didn’t even know what the thing was ?” Basilio asked back as he waited for the noble, try as Del might to keep him moving.

“J-just not that !” Strohl’s face was pretty darn red from embarrassment, despite the dark helping hide his shame a little . “I know I didn’t have a “normal” upbringing, but I didn’t think they had time to leave anything for me! I might not have tried to join the army if I'd known!”

“Didn’t you just say you never had a job?” Basilio cocked his head as he asked, and Strohl grimaced back.

“... I don’t suppose a “Captain Klinger” rings a bell for either of you?” Strohl’s face said volumes about how he felt about the overweight bellend.

“ Oh ,” Del shared a very similar strained look of disgust, “ugh, that does explain a lot.”

Or at least the part about Will getting his powers from saving both he and Strohl’s hides from a Human attack .

“Yeah, I didn’t get to stay part of the army long enough to earn any money from it.” Strohl huffed quietly as a fist found his hip, “Because our “superior” decided that no survivors were preferable to actually being strong enough to end the threats he threw his recruits into while he ran and waited for the blood to settle. All in “Lord Louis’s name” even!” Strohl spat at stonework, “So, yes, technically , Will and I might count as deserters, but I swear on my family’s name it was not by our choice.”

“Let’s just say, Lord Louis hasn’t particularly cared ‘bout him being gone for a while,” Basilio smirked as he offered a pitying pat to the guy’s shoulder. “He definitely wouldn’t hold his head against any of ya.”

“Could check about raises though,” Del admittedly softly, getting a soft elbow to his shoulder to at least not openly hate his own people. “What? Klinger’s share has to go somewhere . Without any idea what happened to him, it’d just stay part of our supply pot, so now we can adjust that.”

“... I wish I could take some credit for it.” Strohl muttered darkly. “But no , Sanctoress Johanna’s “demon baby” settled that for us.”

Del stifled a snicker badly , barely managing to compose himself to mock, “I knew the bastard was a whiny coward of a bigot but I didn’t realize he was that “childish”.”

“Del!”

“What, that is what she was feeding all them kids to, weren’t it?” Del grinned wickedly.

“Yeah! That’s why that ain’t right!” Basilio scolded with a scowl.

“At least this Captain was actually eaten by a human, eh?” Del teased with a more nostalgic look in his eye. “Can’t really say it doesn’t suit him either.”

“The deserter responsible for that one managed to get a clean break too,” Basilio agreed with a smaller smile, “Though, she was mostly lucky nobody really asked any questions ‘bout it.”

“Why would they? Everybody knows eugief only had three claws, and the thing that tore the throat out of the bastard who wanted us to throw our lives away had five . It was way too small to be any paripus, like the rest of us, so it “had” to have been a Human’s.” Del’s smirk grew.

And between being “eaten” and her paperwork being Jada’s , the only way anyone would know about Rabbit being wingless was if one of them blabbed. Even Glechom stayed sober enough not to risk that when the Shadowguard traitors came ‘round, given they would’ve needed to mutiny otherwise. At least she let them end up with the Count instead of the dirt or the gallows.

He hoped she was still safe and happy with her sister. Jada was fine company when they had been near her hometown, even if Rabbit didn’t like them enough to be caught dead in a bar with any of ‘em given half a chance. She didn’t speak badly about them to her family at least.

… Unless she just really didn’t want to risk them hearing what her actual name was?

“It’s not an uncommon story, is more our point,” Basilio told Strohl with a shrug, “person who’d be most likely to care ‘bout finding that sorta thing is our Del, but we all know Klinger’s MO.”

“Joining Lord Louis at this point is as good as desertion anyway,” his brother agreed smugly.

“Admittedly, Will and I had tried to join before the King’s funeral.” Strohl said weakly.

“... I don’t suppose you had the sense to sell the igniters you got from enlisting, since you don’t need ‘em?” Del asked as the thought hit him, frowning as soon as Strohl shook his head.

“They didn’t even survive the first “mission”,” he shrugged with a tired but mildly amused sigh, “and now Will tends to keep any he finds anyway , “just in case”.”

“Del, they ain’t ours,” Basilio warned his brother quickly before Del could get too “thoughtful” about that bit of over-honesty.

“I don’t think Will would mind parting with them if you need them more!” Strohl chimed happily like he didn’t know he was great at finding the worst things to let his big brother know. Or he secretly really wanted the bloody things gone, and Del’s pockets were good enough for him.

Basilio was inclined to think Strohl wasn’t actually smart enough to be intending the latter.

“Will do~” Del hummed along with a face that meant he was thinking of something that was more of a “Del, don’t”.

It was something of a mixed blessing that Will agreed to make the quick trip to market, when they caught up with him in the magic shop.

On the one hand, their debts to him were piling. On the other hand, this did give him a chance to at least literally pay Saint Rella back for something that was twelve years coming, with a bit of interest ‘cause of his interest. On the tail’s end, Will was dangerously good at making these debts to him not feel like debts, more like friendly favours. 

Brushed the whole thing off as him having his own “friend” in town to catch up with. For Eupha’s sake Basilio was really hoping it weren’t the dating kind, ‘cause even without Del pushing Strohl earlier, with a name like Alonzo the sweet bird might be barking up the wrong tree herself. 

… He shouldn’t be mixin’ up his terms like that, a bird barkin’s just weird .

“You sure that’s all you need?” Strohl asked, and shifted on his feet when he saw Basilio nod. “Should we catch up with Fidelio, or see about finding the tavern Will was invited to?”

Basilio raised a brow at the guy with a smirk. “Really just gonna snoop on your “captain” like that?”

“I-it’s not “snooping”.”

“Ooo, stalking outright is it? Bold.”

“I’m just worried ,” Strohl objected, face more flushed than he’d want to know from the sternness of the rest of it. “The first time we met this “Alonzo”, I’m positive the cad helped a pickpocket get the better of us just so he could use a departed ally’s keepsake as a bargaining chip. And now the rake’s bringing a teenager to a tavern, saying lines like “you were my destiny all along”?”

Basilio tried very hard to ignore the suspiciously Del-like voice in his head having a ruddy riot at the odds if both he and Eupha were romantically screwed in the not-fun way. Tried to ignore the one more like his own that was more than agreeing with Strohl’s worries too.

But if he’s got Strohl on his side, sabotage could be very, very possible. 

“Alright, I’m up for some party crashing! Where to?” Basilio asked, but saw how much the worry was already gnawing at the Halian. “Seriously? Eager to wreck a night out and ya don’t even know where the buggers are ?”

“I’m afraid not, I just know it’s not the Greatest Catch and I don’t know how many other places would serve an elda, given some of our… prior difficulties.” Strohl’s head angled like he was subconsciously putting a horn out in self defense.

“No worries, I've gotcha. He was headed to Angler's Square, yeah?” Basilio pressed and grinned at the nod, “If it ain’t a spot for grub, the tavern Loveless had bunkered down in might be our place to start. Del’s said he’s pickier than he looks with locales. Got a good sense for what places ain’t serving swill from his old man and heard the royal magic triggered for his sake from nearly starting a bar fight over hearing a clemar tellin’ porkies ‘bout the Runner Queen.”

“Is that what they call Lina Kayden these days? Even with her dropping out so early?” Strohl asked with a laugh, as he followed Basilio’s lead without question or complaint.

“Folks been callin’ her a lot of things, but lazy ain’t one of ‘em! Seen her tossing brutes ‘round the coliseum to get her shop’s name ‘round too. Got one helluva swing with that ‘ammer of ‘ers!” Basilio praised with a wide grin.

“Oh, believe me we know ,” Strohl chuckled in earnest, “she was particularly pushy when trying to ask about giving our runner a once over to learn a trick or two from Neuras.”

Having a bit of back and forth ‘bout the sorts of candidates they’ve actually seen or faced in the tournament already helped keep Strohl’s nerves from winding him too tight or stripping him soft. But when they approached the square, there was a crowd dispersing with deafening whispers.

Whispers and worries about a “brave young elda” who pretended to work with a wicked cur called “Cuculus” to bring justice down upon his neck. A king candidate who cost another sweet faced fiend their head, and the pity folks felt for the boy who collapsed in shock at the sight.

Strohl was quicker than he looked when the man broke out in a run. Basilio didn’t see as much reason to rush.

He’s seen similar before, though not in this town. Brielhaven’s looser about “justice” than Grand Trad and its gallows, preferring to see wrongdoers try to earn their atonement in the Coliseum and die trying, or tossing weighted bastards to the sea to see what the water made of their guilt like most ports did. 

Seeing Will sitting on the flagstones, staring blankly at a pool of blood as Gallica tried to desperately pull his attention away from it, still managed to rub his fur wrong from tail to ear tip by death’s own boney hand. 

Will didn’t even respond much to Strohl giving his shoulder a shake, and Basilio wasn’t boorish enough to butt in there. But Del taught him better than to trust his eyes with these things.

Not when his nose hinted at a different story, as Basilio approached the blood. It was blood, that was certain, but he’s seen enough butcher shops and battlefields to know people from cattle.

“Hey, Strohl,” Will’s voice was as distant as his eyes when he did seem to finally notice the man, “Do you remember the riddle Alonzo gave us, the night before the funeral?”

“... I suppose that was him, wasn’t it?” Strohl said weakly after a pause, his guilt chewing at his words. “He asked us “Where is one sure to find the kind-hearted in this country?”, right?”

“Up on the gallows,” Gallica answered somberly, “because true villains never face judgement.”

“The first thing Gallica and I saw in Grand Trad was a paripus saying he was innocent too, right before they-” Will cut himself off with a shudder. “If only the “virtuous” suffer, then how come a con like Alonzo let them say all those things? He wasn’t a slaver. He didn’t have any hostages! He wasn’t responsible for anything that bastard did to his hometown! Or his mother-” Will’s words choked on an angry sob. 

“We… had seen the two in the crowd that day hadn’t we?” Strohl asked gently, like he was hoping focusing on earlier meetings would help the pup settle safely, “he was with an older paripus woman, trying to find her a better spot to watch the royal funeral. Bet he was happy he hadn’t, with how that turned out-”

Basilio ignored them both as he risked touching the blood, to see if there would be a tell in the tackiness to make sure it was real. The bit of cut hair caught in the clotting was at least, a lighter blue than Will’s and from a nidia’s head from the way it shimmered. Real pretty shade, just like Lady Junah’s eyes.

But the blood was colder than it should have been, if it had come from a person’s neck and was already this dark. The spray wasn’t as drastic as it should have been from a beheading either, but fit the pooling of a punched bloodbag plenty well. 

Strohl was already giving him a funny look, so he wasn’t about to actually taste anything. Basilio gestured to Strohl to stay with the kid, while he’d see if he could still catch up with the blade that drew it all.

Turned out Strohl didn’t know his military signs too well, but a few more bumbling charades seemed to fill in the gaps. Gallica was intrigued enough to follow him for a change. 

“Are we going after the killer?” she asked with a sharp tone, type looking for blood, despite her downcast eyes having more doubts about what wanting it said about the sorta person she was. “It might not be a good idea. The landowner got the crowd pretty convinced he was in the right.”

“Let’s just say this ain’t the first time I’ve seen a nidia pull a disappearing act,” Basilio replied as he took another sniff and changed course. The blood he was tracking prolly got caught on the guy’s coat, from the bit he saw turn into the next alley. If it had only been on the blade, only an idiot wouldn’t’ve ditched it or anything he used to clean it off in a canal by now.

The fairy gasped, “Y-you don’t mean that was faked, do you?” Gallica’s face turned sour as she gave a growl, “I know bonding with him gave us the “Faker”, but come on ! This is way too far!”

“Shite, I’m goin’ up against one of youse gone rogue?!” Basilio hissed as he pressed against a corner to keep from getting seen. Two figures, one wide and one with a flash of Junah-blue hair, entered a ground level apartment. The wider one had the ears of a roussainte from the silhouette he could see against the curtained window.

“N-no, sorry,” Gallica swallowed like she was torn up about saying more. But this prick helped press her buttons enough to weigh in Basilio’s favor. “Will getting close to certain people helps him learn new Archetypes, even if they don’t have the power to use them. Like I can’t, because I’m a fairy, but our bond gave him and everyone with Archetypes working with him access to the “Mage” and “Wizard”. Or how helping Maria taught him to use the “Healer” and “Cleric”.”

“So, I shouldn’t need to worry ‘bout getting meself axed for stepping in without my mine?” Basilio asked with some relief.

“No, Alonzo’s definitely no fighter. Please don’t make this worse by killing him either!”

“Aye-aye,” he stalked up to the door, ready to breach. “You want to hear anything from him first, or see ‘bout getting them two here? I can try leavin’ a trail if the sods pull another runner.”

Gallica looked even more torn than before as she gave a snarl of a scoff, “I’ll tell Strohl you at least found one of them. Unless you think Fidelio’s closer?”

“Nah, our supplier’s out by the market stalls and if he’s on a wine run for a buddy he won’t be any closer. I’ve got this handled, don’t you worry none.” Basilio reassured as he waved her off.

He didn’t even need a “proper” breach, with how shallow the lock was. The two men weren’t loud enough to take away from the sound of the pins as he finagled them with his claws.

But their voices stopped once they heard the handle turn, letting the paripus step inside, casual as anything. The roussainte looked damn near ready to piss himself right there, but the dapper dish of a nidia had more of a spine than that.

Would almost be a shame if Basilio had to mess up that pretty face of his.

“I’m sorry, this is a private meeting,” the nidia who’s hair matched his eyes smiled with a threatened sharpness to it that still left him annoyingly nice to look at.

“I’m sure. Not the first time I’ve seen a man makin’ his own funeral arrangements,” Basilio shrugged back, eyes already finding the machete that caused this mess laying on a table beside the balding man. Along with the bloody cleaning cloth, ‘cause they were idiots.

Better news for him than them, as he cracked a wicked smile.

“I hardly see what I could have done to get Fidelio Magnus’s attention,” the nidia offered as he backed up towards the stairs. His better bet of escape, with how close the front window was to Basilio and there being too much countertop in front of the one he could see in the back kitchen.

“Lost that coin flip,” Basilio quipped dryly as he stayed in place. “Haven’t heard much ‘bout who the elda candidate’s been workin’ with lately then?”

“I-I’m sure you’ll find everything should be in order with Lord Louis, myself, and Cuculus,” the larger idiot sputtered like if he could faint on command he would in hopes of getting ignored.

Basilio’s eyes narrowed at the wrong name, and the nidia’s did the same for him catching it. “Don’t got any business with a Cuculus . “Alonzo’s” the tosser our boy was meant to be meeting tonight and I could swear that was the one he was cryin’ over right now. That’s the bastard who’s got a lot of bloody explainin’ to do, from where I’m standing.”

“Alonzo’s” jaw set as he took one glance to the back, maybe fancying it as a poor man’s feint, before making a break up the stairs. Basilio caught the machete from the table as he knocked the other man off balance, driving the blade down into the man’s shoe hard into the wood floor.

Bastard wasn’t screaming like he hit his foot, but the angle should be such that he couldn’t get it out with the blade there. Trying to force anything else in hopes of escape would make his next trip to the cobbler’s hit him dead in the wallet.

“You stay right there or my axe finds you next!” Basilio barked at the coward as he left the blade in its pin, the old git staring up at him like he was death itself as he nodded for his life.

With a snarl Basilio made chase up the stairs, and the open window at the top nearly had him. But the smell of cattle blood was behind him. So his elbow followed it, and got a pained wheeze as it knocked the wind out the paydirt it found there.

It shouldn’t have been hard to grab the man from there, tossing him in front of Basilio over his shoulder so he could make sure the slippery sod wouldn’t be getting away this time. But when Basilio reached for where the man’s collar should have been, where he knew it had been ‘cause he nearly scratched his shoulder, the body that should have been under it shrank away.

Felt oddly like when Will ditched the Thief on him that morning, but Gallica said this man couldn’t do Archetypes. The weight that pushed itself past his legs was far smaller than a grown man was anyway, ‘specially since it weren’t like the nidia had been starting on the short end.

Good thing for Basilio he wasn’t one to freeze when things didn’t add up. Was prolly the same sorta trick this arse used to make losing his head as convincing as it had been to the poor kid.

The coat and its shorter occupant made to dip into a side room, but the idiot tried to shut the door behind him in hopes of slowing Basilio down. Slowed himself too much instead, and from the sound of it Basilio slamming into the door slammed him into the wall behind it.

Whatever the size trickery had been was gone when Basilio successfully caught him by the shoulder this time, tossing him to the ground to make sure the bastard was pinned and prone this time. Basilio’s full weight on the schemer’s legs and back should be harder to shake off.

Didn’t take too long of the pretty boy’s curses to hear three voices at the door downstairs. He wasn’t sure if even Strohl could get the oversized knife out for the other guy. Hadn’t really thought that far.

Hadn’t thought much ‘bout what it might look like either, having a good looking sorta bloke on the ground under him in a bedroom and all, when Will caught up. For a second he wasn’t sure if he might’ve been adding to the list of reasons why the kid’s face was as red as it was. 

But it’s not like they weren’t all dressed proper! Bastard ain’t that pretty anyways, and you ain’t supposed to be thinking ‘bout dumb shite like “looking awkward” in a bloody scrap!

“You should have warned me you were workmates with a bloodhound,” the nidia huffed jokingly to the elda, like the poor kid weren’t still catching his breath from either his hurry or the stairs.

“ Wolf , prick,” the paripus corrected as his fist helped reintroduce the fool’s face with the floor harder than he needed to, getting what prolly counted as curses from the fancy fucker. Though the apologies for the blighter’s “poor turn of phrase” were a surprise, muffled as they were.

Will gave Basilio a pained look like he wanted to tell him off for getting too rough despite his own hurt. But he didn’t, taking a sit on the floor in front of them both. “What the hell were you thinking , Alonzo?” he asked softly, voice rough from his emotional pain and physical exertion.

“That I wouldn’t be needing to explain myself to you this soon,” the nidia admitted. Seeing his attempts at levity continue to fail made his face fall slightly, though the smug smile largely stayed. “You heard the townsfolk reject my funds once already. I had convinced Daturam this was the best way to clear himself of crimes he was forced into, see that my people get the recompense I desired for them, and you get some further support for your campaign as I already told you. A set of wins all around.”

Will was pale as a ghost and looked like he might be sick right there when his own “win” was added to that list. Panicked eyes went right up to Basilio’s as he’d already know why that was.

No wonder the kicked pup looked like shite, thinking a friend killed himself over a contest he’d be dropping out of by the month’s end. Would’ve still been thinking that’s why this pompous git did it too, if Basilio hadn’t gotten his nose in it and caught the bastard for him.

“I was going to have the landowner give you a letter and my funds in my stead, so you could offer them to the village for me. They’d have no reason to refuse such generous aid from one who had already helped bring an end to their suffering.”

“You didn’t need to die for something like that…” Will said in a somber near whisper.

“Well, obviously,” Alonzo nearly snickered and just as nearly got his nose broken with how tempting he made knocking his face into the floor. But Will caught Basilio’s hand in time, and the nidia looked appropriately grateful their fool still liked him that much. “... I am sorry I didn’t let you in on my plan. I knew you’d be against it.”

“You don’t bloody say,” Basilio growled, “it’s almost like it’s goddamn stupid or somethin’...”

At least the nidia’s dislike for him was mutual. But despite the glare Basilio got, the remorseful look he gave the kid seemed honest enough. “I’ll admit… I… I had fun , setting this up. Tricking you, the pageantry of it all. I was looking forward to how you’d react, to be quite honest.”

“UGH, seriously!? Can I meet just one nidia who ain’t like this?” Basilio asked the ceiling.

“Liars, you mean?” Alonzo asked dryly, which … yeah, no, Basilio could see how that might’ve come across as such ‘cause most people were the sorta stupid to boil this tripe down like that.

“No, you moron, soddin’ artists .” Basilio groaned, and got a sputtered laugh out of Will as the scandalized pretty boy struggled to look up at him to see Basilio was serious. “Yer talkin’ showmanship bollocks now. Magicians, actors, even Lady Junah’s a sucker for this shite! Never met a nidia who could tell a lie worth a damn, but showoffs ya sure seem to got in spades.”

Basilio was pretty sure he didn’t get the man’s jaw enough to have broken it, but it was hanging all the same. Made it easier for a disbelieving laugh to tumble out of it before it got mad enough Basilio got off the punk to make sure he didn’t break a rib.

Will let the man gather himself before offering a weak smile, “I can still give your money back to your village if you’re more comfortable with that. Just… please don’t do this ever again? I don’t want to lose any of my friends, and the last thing I’d want to hear is that it was for “my sake”.” 

“Friends, still?” Alonzo teased with a snicker that got strained as his guilt caught up with him, “... I’ll gather my funds so we can have it settled the next time you’re able to meet with me.” He had a sparkle to his eye that had nothing to do with his tribe and everything to do with Basilio being tempted to knock his teeth out, “Though I don’t think I can quite promise you that.”

“... I vote we let Strohl see if he can change his mind,” Gallica muttered darkly as she dropped herself on her boy’s shoulder, like his own personal devil. Basilio was tempted to offer his own “services” too, but she had a good point. Strohl knew ‘em all better, so should be his bagsy.

“It’s okay, Gallica,” Will smiled wider as he shook off her excellent advice, “I trust him.” As Basilio debated on chucking them both out the window, to see if hitting the street or stream would knock some sense into these weirdos, royal magic be damned, Will’s smile turned meaner. “Alonzo already knows his mother won’t forgive him if he seriously went against her wishes like that.”

Alonzo’s face dropped like a stone, stunned enough for his tongue to lose its silver. So their elda still had enough sense to earn his right to not be defen… defnstra… not-thrown-out-the-window.

“You might want to step in if we don’t want Strohl to mess the other guy up too badly though,” Gallica warned, but Will just gave a mean little laugh like he thought it was well deserved. The nidia gave a sigh accepting that if he “needed” the man in one piece, he had to face a possibly proper ticked off Strohl to do it.

Basilio dusted himself off as he got back to his feet, not sure on if he should offer Will’s “friend” a hand up for being the one who got him down in the first place. Couldn’t say he had a good read on the bloke yet, past the lousy first impression.

The nidia seemed to respect that well enough, retrieving his hat from where it had fallen from that weird trick he pulled. Didn’t seem to have too many hard feelings about the harsh treatment either, doffing it with an infuriating smirk as he left despite his blooming bruises.

Offering a hand to help Will get back up to his feet was easy, and not just ‘cause the kid barely weighed a thing on his own.

“Thank you, Basilio,” Will said softly, prolly too embarrassed by being tricked so easily to meet his eyes. Or his neck being too tired to bother, Basilio could understand either one.

“Nothin’ for it, mate, you’ve done plenty of good turns for me. Sorry your date was such a bust, though,” Basilio shrugged back with a chuff at the end that made the kid turn red.

“I-it wasn’t- I don’t think- Not my type?” Will stammered after a few tries and Basilio felt a wave of relief that this was hopefully one worry for Eupha’s sake he could lay to rest.

“Smart man! Better taste than I got, if he got me in a good enough mood,” Basilio admitted with a snicker and a wolfish grin. “Nothing serious of course, with his type! ‘M not that stupid.”

“But, Rella?” Will asked like this weren’t making sense to him. So, sheltered. Nothing new there.

“Yeah,” Basilio answered easily, but finding the rest felt heavier. “She’s… That’s a more serious one,” he admitted, “Not the sorta woman you can really forget, even if there’s prolly no hope at anything. But even if there ain’t, it… does feel good, to let her know she’s appreciated for all the good she tries to see done. Admired? I dunno- That’s she’s inspired things, y’know?”

Would probably feel better saying it if he’d ever done anything in his life worth admiring half as much as her. Not that Will would really know how that feels, he’s right up her alley, ain’t he?

Weird thought, isn’t it? 

“Oh,” Will said to himself softly, looking proper pleased in a shy sorta way. “S-so… it’s not too weird to like both?”

“Not to me. Or Del, or Lady Junah,” Basilio said as he knuckled the knuckle head’s hair behind his headband. “Don’t think Strohl’d think anythin’ odd with it either. He seemed more worried ‘bout the guy you was with being untrustworthy than anything shallow. But if anyone does try to give you trouble over what ya do or don’t fancy, you can always send ‘em my way.”

Will gave an unsure hum at that, but the small smile felt honest again. Couldn’t blame the kid for still looking troubled after being the focus of a scare like that. Any reasonable man would.

“Told you so~” Gallica teased, and Will raised a hand to his shoulder like he was this close to flicking her off his shoulder like she was a rude beetle. “Hey! Me being right is a good thing!”

As much as seeing his twisted friend was physically okay helped him look “normal” again, the needless bit of trauma-drama still left their elda fairly shaken. Too much to ride his sword even. If Del heard the whys enough to question it, securing their ride to make sure their jobs all kept going smooth seemed as good an excuse as any. Not that Del should be given any reason to.

Far as Del should know, it all went right as rain. He found their herbs without the elda’s folks hearing a word about why the brothers would need them and Basilio’s whim was a success too. Wels would get their bribe, so whatever was buggin’ Del shouldn’t be a bother for much longer.

Was only Will’s crew that cared enough ‘bout the kid to catch the small signs he was still off. Everyone from Neuras during the quick blip back, to the eugief glaring daggers the brothers’ way that Del rolled his eyes at thinking it was just the old bastard’s “normal”, to Hulkenberg practically forcing the pup straight back to their room to rest and get the day’s weight off him.

Part of him felt colder, wondering how they’d react if Basilio hadn’t helped and their boy was still that distant eyed mess. Not even from any worries at being blamed for it, despite it being his request that dragged them out there. Just…

Just might’ve been a bit long since he saw a lot of people caring at once, maybe. Even back on the Charadrius, that didn’t really happen. Hell, if it’d been Lord Louis’s men who saw him like that, he might’ve gotten the boot right there or worse , no matter how strong he normally was. 

… But Basilio’s one of Lord Louis’s men too, and he didn’t . Didn’t hesitate ‘bout seeing things set back right for the bloke either, just like Del’d always tell him not to. 

“Hesitate out there, and you’re dead.”

Felt better about doing it than if he’d just kicked the pup down further for his own “hesitating”.

Better than he does wondering what that’s supposed to mean for him now, as he worried the black velvet bag he got for Lady Rella’s gift between his fingers. The way that became more of a habit with his tie, the only bit of the proper white-clad colour he had on him these days.

He knew what Del was afraid of. Wasn’t like it didn’t scare him too, especially because the mere idea was scaring his big brother as much as it did.

But what else was he supposed to do if the world they were fighting for still wasn’t right?

Chapter Text

9/6

Fidelio had gotten up earlier than he meant to on the day of the “festival”. He half suspected his brother’s snoring had been the cause, since that would be far from a first, but it could have been his nerves getting to him. It’d be the last time they enjoyed solid steady land for a while after all.

And then the world’s “normal” was going to change. As much as a selfish part of him wanted to pretend it wasn’t.

Either it’d be Lord Louis bringing Forden to an end or this lot proving they were traitors. He could only hope they aren’t that braindead, and that the broad strokes could remain the same. With him and Bas going back to their stations for whatever comes their Lord’s way and Lady Junah staying loyal and free to flit and flirt as she pleases out of harm's way.

Didn’t make sense to worry about lives he wouldn’t be seeing on the daily. So he wouldn’t.

He was going to be a “good” brother and let Bas sleep, given how out of it he seemed the night before once they got back to the island. The bit he pulled out of the clemar had it as Bas getting the jump on a couple of cruel tricksters, but something wasn’t quite right with that story. Prolly meant the bastards did more damage than Bas figured he made them pay for. 

But there was a knock by the door that made the dolt bolt up on his own. Bas’s head was already looking for a fight, until he saw how calm Fidelio was. Seeing him fall back into their normal gave Fidelio some hope the rest got the sour note his night ended on out of his system.

“Good morning~” Lady Junah’s voice cheerily sing-songed past the door. “You wouldn’t believe the sort of clothing they offer out here! I’ve got the cutest thing you boys have just got to see! You two up yet?”

“Trap,” Fidelio stated coolly.

“Sounds like Lady Junah to me. Pretty hard to copy ‘er, ‘specially when she’s this happy.” Bas pointed out as his head was back on enough to make that call for himself.

“Didn’t say it wasn’t her,” Fidelio rolled his eyes, “but there’s no way there’s not a catch for her to be that peppy this early.”

“You both know I can hear you,” Lady Junah complained and he could practically hear her putting her weight on her hip in an exaggerated show of annoyance. “Come now, since when has your dear ol’ Junah ever done you wrong?”

“Pretty sure this was the same sorta line she gave about that dress from the show at the Lycaon banquet without warning us she was lookin’ for someone to lace her up,” Fidelio warned Bas as he gave the door an unimpressed glare.

“Ah. Right. Trap.” Bas agreed as he frowned at the door from the memory.

Lady Junah broke into a laugh that bled into a groan of annoyance at how she wasn’t helping her case. “Okay, okay, that’s fair. I did say I was sorry for giving you that sort of surprise!”

Oh yeah, she lied about feeling sorry about it for sure. Easy to feel “sorry” after she got exactly the sort of reaction she was hoping for outta them.

Not that he could fully complain either, but that was half her fun.

She gave a softer sigh, “I’ve got trousers on this time, how’s that? And obviously I’m decent enough to be out here , aren’t I?”

Fidelio narrowed his eyes at the door as there was definitely still a catch. But Bas was always the easier one for her to convince.

“Alright, we’re both up and dressed ‘nough so nothin’s stopping ya, Lady Junah.”

She hummed a bright tune to herself as she smacked the poor door aside with her open palm with enough force for it to finish a rotation on its hinge as she bounced in. There was a bundle of cloth tucked under her other arm which felt additionally suspect given her sunny mood.

She was technically wearing trousers. At a glance everything looked more than alright, heavens help him have they all seen Lady Junah wear things far worse as far as showing skin went.

But typically that’s because she had a thing for lace, not due to the fabric itself being nearly see through !

“Well~” Lady Junah sang more than asked as she gave a cheery twirl to show herself off. She even pulled her hair over her shoulder to give them a “better” look so they could tell exactly what she couldn’t be wearing underneath her fancy find.

It looked like a two piece white swimming top with a subtle gold flower pattern keeping everything in place with either clever stitchwork or a modest prayer, a red belt nearly as loud as the knight’s hair to make sure her sheer white trousers didn’t leave her too exposed, matching red shoes, and a mix of sky blue jewels and gold jewelry that suited her like a dream. 

(Not that she couldn’t make a potato sack look amazing, but he might think this suited her better than that not-so-hunting frock she’d been such a fan of lately. Almost a shame she didn’t wear earrings more often, with how the crystals helped draw your attention towards her eyes.)

“Isn’t it just darling ?” her smile felt teasing because she knew she had them both staring. He couldn’t even say when she had tossed them a look over her opposite shoulder. But at least Fidelio could honestly say he peeled his eyes off of her first.

“... Gonna catch your death in that if you tried wearing it to Altabury.” Fidelio dryly pointed out partly to see her huff to pay her back for fishing for an answer she knew was as obvious as breathing.

“Well that’s why I’ve got to make the most of wearing it now !” she pouted back as she dropped her mystery bundle on an end table to cross her arms at him. “Honestly, with how light the fabric is it’s a Godsend in this heat,” she added as she “dusted” off a pant leg which showed just how “airy” it was and much more of her legs would be showing clearly if not for their loose fit.

(… Heaven help him if she actually tried swimming in that. Or if it rained, the real godsend it’d be otherwise. Hell, if he was seeing things right it wasn’t just a swim top , the trousers might be “hiding” that it’s meant to be a full set of swimming clothes, based on the bit of gold flowers peeking above her belt-)

Fidelio was not allowed to keep his eyes down there. They were her bodyguards ; bodyguards need to be people she can trust, which means no matter how she teases they can’t be the type to risk her worrying about if saying the wrong thing would have them put her in any danger.

“Seamsters must’ve been quick to have all of that made for you already.” Fidelio thought aloud as he tried to keep his eyes focused on her bracelets or her face.

“Oh no, it wasn’t made for me! Not literally anyway. This “Troubadour's attire” was based on a set of garments discovered in the Dragon Temple they offered us as a reward for returning the truth of the Dragon’s Priestesses to them. It just needed a bit of fitting!”

“They got the “fit” right, alright,” Bas complimented, as if that ever did anything but encourage her to keep pushing their limits! He panicked as Fidelio gave him a half-hearted glare, “I-I mean the colors look awful nice on ya, Lady Junah! The bobbles match your eyes.”

Idiot couldn’t have missed his point harder if he tried .

(And was also objectively wrong, because the only way a gem could really match her eyes was if they were opals, or something that could have that nidia sort of shine to their facets. There wasn’t a hint of her pastel pinks or greens in those sky blue crystals. Same way that treating her hair as just being “gold” would mean you were ignoring the way it made rainbows in the light.)

“ Thank you, Basilio, at least one of you remembers your manners.” Lady Junah smiled at him as she rolled her eyes into a pout at Fidelio.

“Bit of a shame Lord Louis won’t be able to see you in his colors for some time, unless those fools in engineering finally get the temp control in the Charadrius to something reliable.” Fidelio shrugged, ignoring the jab while keeping an eye on her reaction.

Lady Junah didn’t flinch at the Count’s name, or seem any bothered by treating the color as a symbol of loyalty to him in either direction. Her pulling a face at the ship’s failings was as much true to her as it was generally accurate if the ship got a little too high up. Heavens knew she suffered for it more than the rest of them or the crew, with the sorts of fashion she fancied.

(Maybe if some arrogant tosspots got off their arses and ran the boiler half-way decent most of their men wouldn’t be going around in full armor to keep what little heat they had on them.

He’d say one thing about the elda’s searunner: even bunking in stowage was fairly comfortable, if only because the heat of the heart and the chill of the sea were basically balancing out.)

“If it’s part of a set, the elda’s crew’s playing dress up with the rest I take it?” Fidelio asked.

“Everyone but the old men,” she agreed with an airy laugh, and winked. “Though, I didn’t give Neuras much of a choice.” She smiled wickedly as she gave the cloth she came in with a pat.

… Okay, if it was meant for the ishkia at least that meant this was going to be a Bas problem.

Bas’s head was in the same place as he looked at the bundle skeptically, “... What’s the catch?”

Junah looked very tempted to argue there didn’t have to be one, but a giggle fit kept that from solidifying. “Fiiiine, fine. They were going to have it fitted for him because it’s not supposed to have a shirt. The dears were trying to be mindful of his wings. I just thought having it fitted for that shut in would be a waste when I just happened to remember Basilio’s measurements.”

Bas gave Fidelio a questioning look, a bit of worry on his brow. Fidelio shrugged back since it’s not like it mattered to him any. That didn’t seem to help his brother very much as he turned a frown to the cloth and made the mistake of looking back up at the hopeful diva.

So Bas wasn’t given an order to tell her no, and his kid brother gave a mildly resigned sigh, “You’re not trying to make me look stupid for a laugh, yeah?”

“Oh, of course not!” Junah brought a hand to her chest in an honest look of appallment, lifting it to her mouth as she looked up in thought. “Honestly, it’s a shame that the “Ronin” thing was so small it couldn’t have fit anyone other than Heismay, even with me giving them Fidelio's measurements too. You boys could have matched…”

“Would take more than that for you to get me to lose my shirt,” Fidelio smirked at her, given the only criteria he could guess for “matching” and that nudist still making the cut. “We’re not all exercise junkies like our Basilio.”

The dolt in question could afford to be less smug ‘bout the natural results of having as much tolerance for staying still as drops of water on a hot plate.

“Don’t be such a stick-in-the-mud,” she faux-huffed back playfully, skipping over to pull him up by his arm, “Just because I figured we could give Basilio the room to change doesn’t mean you were left out~ You boys do make it so hard for me to set up surprises for you!”

“And what exactly is wrong with what I’ve already got?” Fidelio scoffed but didn’t put any real effort into stopping her beyond a token attempt to grab his coat that she and Bas foiled. He raised a brow at his brother when he pulled the houndstooth fabric out of reach.

“Don’t act like you ain’t dying out every time you go out in that thing, Del.” Bas teased with a snicker. “ Mine’s bad enough on the beach as it is and my layers aren’t half as thick as what you like!”

“And it’s a festival , Fidelio, where’s the fun in wearing the same old thing as any other day?! Besides, aren’t you at all curious about what the Old World looked like?”

“Can’t say that I am; they’re a bit too busy being dead to matter either way,” Fidelio kept his narrowed eyes on his coat and her grip on his arm tightened as she got him out the door.

“Oh, come off it, I promise you’ll be plenty covered still! If you really hate it there’s plenty of uniforms to choose from too.”

He wasn’t going to give Bas the pleasure of knowing he was right at how sodding hot his turtleneck would get in the sun. Especially if they’re going to be by the surf for the actual “festival”, making the wool get all damp and heavy even if the sun had mostly set by then.

So there wasn’t any harm in humoring her. Nothing more to it than that, if anyone prodded.

Less harm to him than the knight from what he could see of her, standing “guard” in front of their party’s room. The elda might have had a point about her not being natural.

“Is she dead ?” Fidelio asked quietly with equal parts humor and shock. But the knight turning to look at him from the hint of noise answered that question. Unless one of them was like Zorba.

“She said she was fine…” Junah replied but she didn’t sound like she trusted her words either.

At that point the lady Knight seemed to have guessed what the whispering was about and stood tall and proud, “I assure you this isn’t nearly as hot as it looks. Though I am quite taken with their craftsmanship.”

Fidelio didn’t quite manage to stifle his impulse to tap on the shield now attached to her arm as he approached and to his further surprise it didn’t sound metal. More to her point it didn’t burn him for trying either, it was still plenty cool to the touch.

The red head gave a nod to agree with his quiet assessment. “‘Tis an amazing feat of metalwork, is it not? The colours have been treated with the same methods as they use for making their helmets, but otherwise I have been told this is nearly entirely original. For it to survive Drakongrace Shinjuku in such excellent condition is quite remarkable.”

Didn’t change the fact the woman was standing in full plate armor under the full weight of the early morning sun on hotter-than-hell island, happy as a clam in high water.

(High water was sounding really nice already, just looking at her would be enough to make a man sweat. )

“Even the mail?” Fidelio asked in shock as he noted just how full the armor was, fidgeting with his collar to try and let some of the heat plaguing him escape.

“Indeed, though that was where their metalworks had to do the most "fitting" for me, and the ease of adding layers underneath it for extra comfort means I will most certainly be bringing this with us to Altabury.” The nutjob said with a smug grin, like she weren’t planning her own funeral with all the giddiness of a wedding.

“Sure those heels wouldn’t give you any trouble in the snow?” he asked as he made a small gesture towards her feet, “Or are you hoping the sand ‘ere will be enough of a “test run”?”

“A bit of both, I’ll admit,” she bobbed her head like a nod, “though you’ll rarely find a lady of Montario who hasn’t been forced to learn how to safely tread on ice in even the most impractical of “fashions”, be they noble or knight, so I like to think I’m particularly sure of foot.”

Right, her name was “Hulkenberg”, wasn’t it? Should be a family of big wigs from the east. Would explain how she got a gig as cushy as a princeling’s guard dog as young as she was. Realizing she didn’t earn it would more than explain her reluctance to accept she failed at it too.

“You planning on visiting your family in that thing next?” Fidelio probed with a mocking smirk, and the woman’s ear flinched, not terribly unlike a paripus’s could when bothered.

“I… doubt we’ll have time for such a venture,” she said with some discomfort as she crossed her arms and looked off into the trees. “We’ll all have better things to do in the days to come, them included I’m sure.”

“Sure there isn’t anywhere you’d like to visit?” Lady Junah asked with the sort of smile she’d have when she saw something to toy with.

“I was told there is a pressing issue to ensure we stick to our timeline, but if any occur to me past that I’ll see that Neuras knows.” the knight replied with a knowing smile toward the brothers’ room.

Leave it to a bloody noble to snitch once he knew something worth a damn.

“Is anyone still changing in there, or may we go in?” Lady Junah looked past the knight meaningfully as she tried to ignore how Fidelio was glaring at the door.

“No, I’m simply testing to prove the claims about this material’s ability to stay cool despite the sun. All should be more than decent.” the red-head waved them along and Lady Junah put a hand on the woman’s arm with a delighted giggle before pulling him along again.

“I’m back~” Lady Junah chimed, as Fidelio got to see how everyone else’s “festival” fashions were going.

Seeing the mustari girl huddled up and hiding in her helmet and spotted cloak did not bode well. And not just because seeing the way it made all of her eyes glow was downright creepy.

“Oh, Eupha changed back already?” Lady Junah pouted, “Was it too much for you, love?”

“I’ve still got most of it on!” the girl’s bright voice echoed oddly under the three eyed fish bowl, “I just, uh… decided to try again when everyone’s here and see how I feel about it then?”

“So, yes,” the noble dressed more like a coliseum scrapper shook his head at their diva with an amused disbelief. “Honestly, I can hardly blame her when both you and Hulkenberg left her behind like that!”

“Hmm? Why would Hulkenberg matter?” the priestess’s head tilted at the man, “I don’t see how her still being in here would help me feel less underdressed.”

The noble looked half-tempted to explain himself before looking to the elda and Fidelio for some form of support why an “underdressed” girl might take issue with being left alone with two young men she’s only known for a matter of days. The elda looked as helpless or confused as the mustari sounded, leaving Fidelio as the only person left with a lick of common sense.

But like hell was he going to voice it next to Lady Junah! Especially if the girl in question was so sheltered she was just embarrassed instead of having actually felt any danger from the morons. 

Bas might’ve been right about her being as dense as he was.

Fidelio did give the songstress a half-judging glare for how insensitive she’d been to the lass, which might’ve cowed her a little as she gave a guilty shrug.

“Everything’s in the upper room; your “Survivalist” gear is the one with the hat!” Lady Junah informed him with a cheer that felt a touch more forced as she gestured towards the ladder.

“The uniforms between the blue tie and the yellow one are the ones that fit me, and Junah said we’re basically the same size,” the eyesore of an elda added. Who also really made a man question how “coincidental” these outfits were because c’mon? A tunic and shield as blue as the kid’s hair ? Even had its own gilded crown-y version of his stupid headband.

(Though, it was sayin’ that the Old World had some weird opinions on how many folks needed to  have bucklers on ‘em, or how small the people using them used to be if these were actual “shields”. ‘Specially since the elda’s wasn’t even on his arm like the other two fighters, and was nearly hidden under a full nearly cliche cape. )

Fidelio shrugged off the tip but, since he came this far, he at least gave the things a look.

He’d at least grant them that his was fairly tame in terms of colours, mostly being shades of orange, browns, and beige. Not even a buckler in sight. 

Plenty of good quality leather travel pouches though. Enough to take the place of his backpack if he needed to, with space to spare. Feeling out the bits of armor designed to hide under its weighted capelet even got him thinking it wasn’t a terrible match for his usual needs on the field. 

Without the capelet, the silly feathered hat with a pair of goggles made useless by being put over the thing’s wide brim, and the gauntlets, which would all just be adding more heat, it looked… reasonable, he supposed. A “survivalist” like she said, or maybe a desert ranger’s gear at heart rather than the suits he had grown fond of, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Still felt like a fool to have gone this far for her, but if he’s feeling dumb he can only imagine how Bas would be feeling if he’d been stuck with one of the garish ones. Fidelio was finishing up fiddling with how many bloody belts there were when he heard Bas come in below, with Lady Junah’s declaration he looked “positively roguish!” in a way that would make any man act a fool. All the more reason to hurry up to keep his out of any trouble.

“I told you he’d ditch half of it,” the fairy teased from her boy’s head as soon as she saw Fidelio. Who, he couldn’t help but notice, had also been spared of this nonsense. What, they didn’t have a doll’s wardrobe to ransack for her too?

“Oooh, I always thought orange would look good on you! Aren’t you just dashing!” Lady Junah preened and allll thoughts of slinking back into his romper were lost to him. Particularly as she stressed this put him in her colour for a change, which made his pulse jump and throat go dry. Because heaven forbid Bas have all the idiocy in their bloody family.

Not that wearing her favorite color meant anything the way Louis’s fondness for white became. Her playing him like a fiddle again didn’t mean he’d lose sight of what loyalties mattered.

“See Del, actual colours ain’t such a bad thing!” Bas chuckled to himself.

Fidelio made a point to look at what his brother was stuck with as he smirked, “At least mine ain’t gonna make anyone worry ‘bout me being colour blind , Bas.”

That bloody shade of red again on a blue teetering on the edges of black and purple felt like a weird choice. The trousers themselves were fine, could even be passable swimwear on their own if he didn’t want to make them more “normal” by throwing a pair of boots and a shirt over it. Aside from how loud the belt was the only other bit of note was how the brass bobbles for it seemed oddly oversized.

“Ha ha, ‘least now I have an excuse to keep from dying all day,” Bas rolled his eyes at his brother as he gave a stretch from his fingers to tail. Bas cracked an eye at Lady Junah, “Yer sure nobody’s gonna make a ruckus over me being out like this, yeah?”

“How could they when they gave it to us?” she asked with a mischievous smile that screamed that she hadn’t asked the locals a damn thing.

“Oh, I recognize those!” the priestess said as she took off the bucket at last as she gestured to Bas’s belt, “The medallions are based on the drums of a storm god!”

Bas gave a mildly surprised hum as he gave one of the brass disks a short sharp tap, his tail giving an extra lazy wag at the hollow metallic ring it had.

The girl nodded to herself as she pulled her cloak off over her head and Fidelio was starting to see where her problem was. 

Enough that even Bas was doing that thing where it was very obvious he was trying not to look any lower than the girl’s face. Which was the correct thing for a decent man to do.

At first it looked like a bloody tiny sleeveless short dress over a pair of trousers. With how much she normally had covered, even showing that much skin giving her pause made sense. Especially if her hair was hiding that the “dress” was backless and tied only along the sides.

Except they weren’t trousers. They were chaps . With nothing underneath them, as far as he could tell and he wasn’t going to dare take a second look to correct himself!

Fidelio instead kept his attention on Lady Junah, who was seeing more why the poor girl’s reaction was more than reasonable as her eyes widened in concern as she nodded stiffly.

“The shoes are quite comfortable! And I do like most of the accessories, like the headpieces?” the mustari said with enough trepidation they sounded more like a suggestions as she went, though the antlers were cute enough on her. “But the actual clothing is rather… breezy.”

He could’ve lived without hearing that description. So could the elda, whose face was giving his cape a run for its money, and Bas who seemed tempted to grab the noble and run to “be safe”. Not that said noble looked like he’d be one to complain ‘bout the rescue/retreat either.

“Nope.” Fidelio stated dryly to Lady Junah as he dropped the stupid cloak he was not wearing in this sodding heat over the girl’s shoulders to turn the mustari around to get her into what was working as a changing room.

“Nope?” the girl parroted in her confusion, as she looked like his implication wasn’t strong enough . Or she was worrying over how her “breezy”-ness was going to work with it being up a fecking ladder , like she hadn’t needed to go down them in the sodding thing in the first place.

Admittedly, she did have her own home she could have changed in, obviously. But the idea of her walkin’ around in that weren’t too much better, unless she was hiding in her cloak again.

“Seconded.” the clemar said with palpable relief.

“If you’re not comfy in it, there ain’t much a point in wearing the thing for fun ,” Bas told her. “It don’t matter if it “matches” anyone else or not, as long as it makes you happy. Honest.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty safe rule of thumb I think,” the elda agreed.

Fidelio wasn’t about to risk turning at all when he heard her start to climb after an unsure hum on her part. Not that he cared enough to need to murder anyone else looking up in hopes of seeing something.

Now if this were Lady Junah, that would’ve been a very different story.

“I didn’t know you had a tattoo, Strohl!” the elda chimed at the clemar, possibly his own attempt to help the lass’s privacy with an easy distraction with a safer show of skin.

“Oh, that?” the noble looked to his left, not that he was trying to actually see the bird on his bicep. “An impulse from when I turned 18. I got the idea from my family crest.”

“Don’t those things hurt?” Bas asked, and Fidelio grit his teeth for what he could see coming the second these idiots saw his back.

“Eh, I think my artist said it depends on where you get it. This one went by pretty easily.”

“Good luck finding one willing to work on an elda, no matter how much you’re willing to pay.” Fidelio warned, seeing the elda’s train of thought plain as day on his face, “though, ‘least your colour should be “normal” enough to not hear that bloody excuse, like Inc used to bitch about for being a bit too "green" for some bastards.”

“I wouldn’t even know what I’d want,” the elda shrugged but his eyes kept wandering back to the older boy’s arm, “but it looks cool.” A noise behind Fidelio made the boy look higher, “Oh I didn’t realize there were flowers on the girls’ too!”

Eupha had gone for one of the blue and white uniforms, and having long sleeves and tights back seemed to put her much more at ease as she swayed the pleated skirt around. Fidelio could see why the flowers there got the boy’s attention, ‘specially since the one he saw in “their” size had that motif on the jacket instead.

“Well, isn’t that simply darling!” Junah’s voice was bright as a star as she pranced around the younger girl to ensure it was worthy of her seal of approval. “I suppose some styles really are timeless,” she added teasingly with a flick towards Eupha’s tie, “I wonder if Neuras has a spare tie pin, having an igniter like his might make for a fun “pop” even if we don’t really need them.”

“Who the hell has “spare” igniters they can just “lend” out?!” Fidelio spat with more shock than scorn.

“Rich morons,” Bas supplied quick enough with a thoughtful smirk.

“Or the wealthy in general,” the clemar agreed dryly with a tilted nod.

“He is rich enough that he’s working with us for free …” the fairy muttered mostly to herself.

“W-well, I don’t think we’d really need to bother him!” Eupha objected, nearly the color of her brother’s own eyes, “I’m quite content with this as it is!” she added with a small swipe at her skirt that made it start swishing like her cloak all over again, bringing a further smile to her face.

“See? Lookit that face now; that’s why the feel’s the most important bit,” Bas grinned with a content shrug as he gave a stretch to his feet. 

“I’ll say, I bet her smile alone would be enough to knock everyone out!” Junah giggled as the poor lass panicked as she tried to go as straight-faced as she could.

Bas rolled his eyes at their diva and tried giving the mustari a “she don’t mean it like that” shake of his head with a well meaning smirk as he cracked his neck. “So, if it’s all the same with the rest of ya, I’ll be seeing how the beach’s doing.”

“That does sound like a good idea, maybe somebody needs-” the elda’s words caught with a hiss as soon as Bas turned around, much as his brother tried to ignore it. “Wow. I thought you didn’t have any tattoos, Basilio.”

Fidelio almost understood the mistake, with how unnatural the dark scarring cracked his skin like he’d been carved from stone. Bas always scarred dark, but the sharp angles and straight lines stemming from a single point on his right shoulder could look “artistic”, he s’posed.

The ear on his unscarred side cocked back in some annoyance as his tail went stiff as a board, but Bas didn’t bother facing him. “Nope. That hurt enough as it was, thanks.”

“Was that from facing a Human?” Eupha asked as her third eye stayed dead on it. “That wound must have been terribly cursed when it occurred...”

“Nah,” Bas’s tone stayed clipped as he tossed his words over his better shoulder, “Igniter. Early Umbra model.”

The elda’s eyes widened like he knew what that meant, much like Junah’s, as Bas headed out. But the islander and noble looked more like they were picturing it coming from a nasty fight.

A mistake like that could be real dangerous for their mustari, being the gullible type already. Bastards wouldn’t think twice about trying to rope a naive girl into that hell and she’d likely only think once if it was framed as “helping” somebody else. 

Either the elda, the eugief, or the brothers would need to warn her. Or even Lady Junah, if she really knew what Bas was saying and Eupha needed a softer touch.

(Though nidia weren’t really given the “offer” the way the “lesser” tribes were. Did she get roped into one of them activist talks?)

The elda swallowed some discomfort but tried to hide behind a sheepish smile, “I am thinking about seeing if anyone needs something from the mainland before heading back to the Honeybee, so I’ll be at either the beach or the runner if anybody needs me!”

Seemed like most of his lot were beach-bound after that, with Junah catching the knight as she left so the two could attempt to lure out the ishkia with an “old world crossbow” or somesuch to keep him from growing mould. Eupha checking on her church and clearing some of the details 'bout what their "God" looked like was natural enough, and the noble claimed he’d be heading there after giving his thanks to the local smith for his services.

Junah tried to rope Fidelio in her antics in securing her “fellow artist” too, of course. He’d even been half tempted to take her up on it, but he had other potential problems to weed out. 

Wasn’t like letting her do things on her own had worried him enough to stop him from humoring Bas with their “side job”.

(Naturally she wouldn’t want to risk losing track of both brothers for long to make sure she knew what they knew. Not after she made the effort to make sure they were still in their room before.

Only reason that made any sense for why she’d look put out by him granting her that freedom. 

Wasn’t like there was much good he could do for either of them by keeping her close at this point, given the sort of plotting she’s already made herself a part of.)

Lucky for him, the chief wasn’t too hard to find. Didn’t take long to realize nobody else’s clothing got as orange as his, and it was fairly predictable for the chief to be overseeing the prep work for their “festival”. He even ditched his mask so Fidelio saw when the man noticed him too.

As an older brother himself, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what he’d be burning to ask.

So the poor man was caught for a loop when he got close enough for Fidelio to get it out first.

“What exactly are your sister’s intentions with my baby brother, chief?” the paripus scowled as he put most of his weight on his hip, claws in his pockets to keep it from being a threat. Wouldn’t want anyone seeing him looking dangerous towards their boss without good reason.

The mustari’s words stumbled into pieces as he was put literally on the back step already, but he had enough sense of humor to him to look more amused with a curious half-smile than offended. “I… Pardon? I do believe that is my line.”

“Oh? Has Basilio done anything to make you ask?” Fidelio scoffed with a doubtful shake of his head as he stared the taller man down. He couldn’t keep himself from smirking for long, “Far as he’s concerned, he was completely sure there wasn’t a questionable thing ‘bout your priestess’s little late night visit. Took me laying it out for him to even see why this might be a question, and only then did the doof tell me she already offered to help him learn how to swim 'cause he's always sunk like his head's full of rocks. So, are these both “normal” for you folks when you’re friendly, or should one of us be getting worried?”

“... Ah. I, uh… I see.” the chief put his free hand, the one not carrying that massive staff, to his mouth as he looked like he was getting worried already. His third eye didn’t wander around as much as his sister’s did when her gears started turnin’, as the man’s two normal eyes furrowed in thought. “I can’t say they are unusual for us, I did notice the mainland has stricter policies on what is and isn’t considered decent where things like bathing between genders are involved.”

“Offering a couple of outsiders from another tribe residence isn’t unusual?” Fidelio raised a brow at how obvious a lie that was, and the man’s face flinched like the truth of it pained him.

“As a people, yes, it’s unheard of. I’ve played no small part in this being the case up until now.” the chief confessed with all three eyes shut in a wince. His gaze looked dangerously close to pity when they opened again, but the fond smile gave some hope it wasn’t meant for him . “But Eupha’s reasoning was very much like her. She said that the two of you didn’t have a place to call home outside of your stations, so she wanted to know if we could provide one if you were both interested.” The smile dropped but the pity didn’t. “And from what I’ve seen, that leaves the two of you far luckier than most unhoused paripus I’ve encountered on my travels.”

Fidelio gave a frustrated hiss of a breath, but that was generally fair enough. And that was what the girl would figure, when Fabienne asked about where they’d bother setting up shop.

“Listen, if this is just how she is, then as long as Bas keeps callin’ her “Lady Eupha” you’ve got nothing to worry ‘bout. Only way she’d be getting her feelings hurt is if she’s tryin’ to flirt wit’ him, ‘cause it’s not gonna get through to our blockhead at all .” Fidelio offered the man with a shrug.

The mustari looked confused so Fidelio took a small breath, “You’ve been on the mainland long enough to hear some of the things they say ‘bout us paripus, yeah?” Fidelio watched the man shift uncomfortably from the corner of his eye and cracked a mirthless grin, “Figured as much. No worries, this one ain’t that bad. You know the one with the pulse and the pout?”

“A paripus will take in anything with a pout and a pulse if it’s within their means?” the man asked more than recited with an awkward stiffness like he was bracing for scolding.

He wasn’t fully wrong as Fidelio barked a bitter laugh, “When the hell did they add “within their means” to it?! Good luck finding a sod who’d give a damn ‘bout that! I’d leave that bit out if I were you,” Fidelio’s snicker tapered off with a shrug, “Rest’s true ‘nough though, especially for a guy like our Basilio.”

He ignored the itch in his throat as he didn’t meet the man’s eyes. Eyes too close to Bas’s shade of red, even if the pupils were wrong. “We had sisters once. Not for long, and they were all older than ‘e was back then, but even the oldest weren’t too much younger than yours is.”

(Or maybe Xan was older, if she weren’t just tall for her age. That bleeding heart of hers burned her out fairly quick so Bas might not even remember her as well, not like Giggles or Pol.

Not that it did either of them any good, from what he saw in the chasm.)

“Were they nobility?” the man questioned and got another snicker.

“Wouldn’t be dead if they were, now would they?” Fidelio asked cruelly, only to shrug like it didn’t bother him as the other man’s heart dropped. “Nah, the “Lady” bit would be thanks to Lady Junah. ‘Sides from them or other soldier types, she’s been the closest girl he’s known and as her bodyguards I told him to keep things professional. What I think happened is more like he’s got an empty box in his head where our sisters used to go, and he put ‘er in there to keep things simple. So if your sister’s been feeling too “familiar” to ‘im…” Fidelio mimed letting something held between his hands drop that he turned into a “and that’s that” splay of hands.

“So you believe his intentions are… brotherly?” the man said with some surprise.

“Not sure where else this “Lady” thing could be coming from, unless it’s just him copying her “sir”ing him first.” Fidelio waved a hand in front of him dismissively. “He’s still not the type of guy who’d mean to hurt a girl’s feelings. My brother’s just dense as a bloody brick when it comes to noticing that sort of attention is serious .” Fidelio cracked his neck, “So, what about hers?”

“I… honestly have no idea.” the chief said as he looked at the ground in thought, but they were the type to make him smile fondly. “There’s many things in life that she’s denied herself to better serve her role as a sacrifice. Now that she’s freed of it, I don’t know where that will lead her.”

“Lotta help you are,” Fidelio grumbled, but it wasn’t enough to make his own smirk drop. 

“I am incredibly grateful for your perspective on this matter,” the chief said with a more than polite enough bow for a man of his station, but that ain’t changin’ the fact Fidelio gave more than he got . Still, the man turned his smile his way, “And I am equally indebted to the perspectives you’ve all given to her .”

That undeserved praise made Fidelio go stiff as he looked away. “Talkin’ to the wrong person there, mate.”

“You may not have aided in getting my sister out of the temple, but I assure you that you’ve made your own impacts on her as well.” Eupha’s brother’s smile grew, “I could not tell you the last time I heard her speak of anything that could involve her in future terms outside of her duties. And yet when it comes to traveling with you all, and the possibility of the two of you returning to our island with her, she shows me she’s now willing to consider her own future.”

Oh. So that’s what he was trying to say about “denying herself”. Wasn’t just her staying single.

Thinking in terms of any futures had always been something Fidelio struggled with too, even when guys like Inc would be sharing them in the facility, but that was more about not having any real hopes for one. Making sure he and his brother were getting by day by day was enough for him, with fewer disappointments along the way.

“Well, ya should be thanking Basilio for that if you ask me, but I can give him the message.” Fidelio shrugged weakly. Even if his dolt didn’t mean to, that sorta long-term thinking is the type Bas’s silly “hookup plan” would obviously be encouraging her to have.

Which might be part of why his idiot won’t just leave his stupid crush well enough alone either.

… So the bastard can’t really fault him for doing the same, yeah?

“If it turns out she does want our Basilio, I wouldn’t mind.” Fidelio warned with a smug smirk, though the idea of anything actually happening did make the man’s face go tight. “Though if I were you, I’d be a lot more “worried” about whoever the hell you let tailor that mess with the minidress she showed up in today. ‘Cause I wasn’t about to let her back out looking like that .”

Edeni’s eye twitched, “... Is that so? I will confess, I… only saw Eupha briefly this morning so I couldn’t be sure if she had changed or not.”

Fidelio snorting at the word “briefly” didn’t do the man’s blood pressure any favors.

“Unless Eupha was wearing tights a lot closer to her natural colour under those chaps…” Fidelio drawled, and boy were the knuckles on the man’s staff getting tense. “I’ll admit, wasn’t looking that close, just saw enough to make her looking uncomfortable in it strike an old nerve.”

“ Thank you for your concern, ” Edeni said with a nice enough grin, but there was a fun edge to it like somebody was in for one hell of a storm. He cleared his throat like that was the only cause for it, “I would be most grateful if you would continue to look out for Eupha when you are able.”

“Glad to hear you don’t mind me “overstepping”!” Fidelio grinned back with a lot more teeth. He was half-tempted to ask if he needed a hand with an upcoming “accident”, but… on the other hand, Junah’s outfit turned out fantastic. And Bas seemed to like showing off well enough.

It wasn’t like he had any actual complaints about his own getup either, if it was in better weather.

“I hope you and your brother both enjoy the festival,” Edeni told him with a formal nod as the island chief stalked off brisky like he knew exactly who he needed to have “words” with.

Fidelio was even more tempted to follow the man just to see what someone that straight-laced could do . But he and Bas would need to get ready to head out soon if they wanted to see Miss Fabienne and Maria for a send off, so he’d unfortunately have to pass on the show.

He was surprised to see Bas with what looked like a book on his lap, writing stick in hand. He half expected their dork to be on the hunt for pretty shells or dragon crystals along the beach, either to add to what he bought Saint Rella or just to keep as a shiny souvenir for himself.

That seemed to be more of Junah’s current interest, near dancing along the edge of the tide, her shoes safely in the capable hands of the knight following behind as her own were filled by a growing collection of bobbles. A similar hoard of shells, stones, and seaglass was growing beside the ishkia man looking over Bas’s shoulder.

Yet the man’s attention was solely on whatever Bas was doing, rambling to his brother with a wide smile and wider eyes.

It was then Fidelio recognized the pad Bas was holding was a sketchbook , not his workbook, as he kept looking from his linework to the growing sand sculpture of the mustari’s dragon god. The ishkia man noticed Fidelio before Bas did and was eager to beckon him over.

Bas was getting real dark under all the attention, but he kept his eyes on his parchment, the dragon erupting from its curled almost egg-like wings much like the idol was intended to look from what he’d been gathering.

“The old boy was telling me neither of you had ever worked with pigments before!” the ishkia man said, like not being able to afford the bloody things was a rarity .

But… not quite true.

“I might’ve, when I was barely a bite,” Fidelio admitted. “The wax kind, when mam and her fam didn’t need ‘em for candles.”

That got Bas’s eyes on him, a small surprised smile at hearing him willing to think that far back.

“Well, I’d say this is a remarkable first showing, wouldn’t you?” the ishkia insisted, and he was right. Not that the colours technically were.

“Why’re you makin’ it like it’s lit up already?” Fidelio asked, as the sketched dragon stood bright from the warm dancing flames Bas was making up against a starry night sky almost darker than his trousers without it going black.

“Gonna be too dark for sketchin’ when it’s “right”, innit?” Bas mumbled.

“Art isn’t just about what you see!” the ishkia chimed in. “It’s about expression ! Look at his use of movement , the contrast ! We’ve got a real talent on our hands.”

Fidelio couldn’t tell if Bas was blushing because he was happy or if he was wishing the fires were real so he could chuck himself in.

“What’d’you mean “expression”? There’s no faces ,” Fidelio pointed out.

“Dragon’s got a face,” Bas objected weakly.

“He’s expressing himself ! Do you not get any of his feelings, as the artist, m’boy?”

It… it was dark , a bit spooky with it being a dragon and all and the shadows the fires gave it, but the warmth did make it almost inviting. With how the hulking thing seemed to be hatching from its wings and the fire, “hopeful” came to mind but he wasn’t sure if it was the dangerous kind. 

That’d depend more on if it was the type to raze everything to the ground or fly off to see what the world had in it. If it was roaring to the starry heavens as a threat or to celebrate its freedom.

Unlike the real thing, it was also alone. No smears of colour for any people for scale, just the dot of a moon, even though there were plenty he could add from how much bustling was around.

“You gonna be giving this to your "date"?” Fidelio asked as a small smile pulled at his own face. To his surprise Bas shook his head.

“Maria won’t be able to see the real thing, and they’ve already got spaces for it, so I was gonna be givin’ it to ‘er so maybe she’d feel less left out,” Bas shrugged. “I-I mean… If it was for her, I could do it later-like, but since this is somebody else’s “god” I weren’t sure a Sanctist would…” he trailed off as he scratched at his ear. “Figured Montario’s floatin’ rock might be more her thing.”

“You best be sure to sign your work when it’s done,” the ishkia reminded with an odd sparkle in his eye. “You never know what a “Magnus original” might be worth someday to the right person.”

“Like, how you’ve been doodlin’ yer face in the corner?” Bas asked awkwardly.

“Quite so, though it’s hardly been just my dashing countenance! Making one’s mark is important, old chap.” the ishkia insisted as he smugly nodded in agreement with himself.

Seeing Bas hesitate, the man brought out a fresh page, “There’s no harm in practicing first to find what feels best for you. As long as it’s something you can be proud of.”

He and Bas traded papers, the ishkia putting the sketch between a few other blank pages to keep it safe from the sand and spray, as he rattled off a few common types of signatures. Nicknames, like “Bas”, initials, symbols like part of his own that Bas found the most memorable.

It all just left Fidelio feeling out of place, ‘cause he didn’t want to make Bas stop just yet. But that’s why he came out for ‘im, ‘cause Wels wouldn't be waiting all day. He even has the bloody wine for them, so even if whatever the link between “Grius Alces” or whatever Maria’s papa was named and the elda was harmless, blowing them off would be a rude waste.

(Though he was now regretting not listening to his first instinct and picking up art supplies for Bas while they were in Brielhaven. Kind as it was for the ishkia to share his own-)

Junah’s shriek from the water made him drop that thought. His claws were out before he could think in the same beat that Bas dropped everything because they had one job. 

Only for her soggy weight to rush into him, the high pitched noise breaking into a laugh. “I found one! Look, see?! A dragon crystal! A real dragon crystal!”

“Well I’ll be, let me have a look-see, my dear,” the ishkia offered, but Junah made a shallow swipe for him to keep his distance so Fidelio and Bas could have the first peek.

It was almost shaped like her Masked Dancer if the chains came from her back, or a really scraggly attempt at making a fairy out of glass. Felt like nothing when she dropped the crystal into his palm and looked so delicate he couldn’t see how some of the hexagons connected.

Pressing it with a finger only made it bend, not break. It didn’t look much like any igniter crystal he’d ever seen.

Bas looked between the strangely flexible gem(?) and Eht’s effigy with a confused cock of his head, “Are ya sure it’s a dragon, Lady Junah?”

Junah giggled as she shook her head, “It’s more like “crystals made by dragons”, like how oysters create pearls but with magla, than “dragons made of crystal”.”

(Lady Junah was fond of pearls, wasn’t she? Like that ring she picked up not long ago, not even bothering to check if it fit her.

The way the gem shifted in the light like her hair was pretty too. Not as pretty as she was, obviously, and not like a girl like her needed to hear it. Certainly not from him.)

“Looks like this one would be too small to use for anythin’, but could it make a decent bit of jewelry?” Fidelio asked, gesturing to her earrings for example.

“That is a thought, though without a partner a pendant may be for the best.” Junah said with one of those winks like she was trying to make a man get the wrong idea in his head. “Unless you’d like to help me look for another?” she added with a growing grin.

“I’ve got a delivery to make in Grand Trad, since my check ins are handled.” Fidelio shook his head, rolling his eyes at the pout she gave.

Bas gave a small hiss of surprise, “Shite, m’bad, I completely forgot about Wels!” He scribbled something in the corner of his sketch to finish it before slipping it protectively between other pages like the ishkia showed him.

“And don’t forget to make yourself decent before we go. Unless you want Miss Fabienne and Maria to be seein’ this much of ya.” Fidelio warned lightly, getting a groan from the shirtless wonder.

“Why’re you saying that like you don’t gotta change, Del?” Bas asked with a skeptical look.

“Because my outfit has enough parts to it to count as real clothes, Bas.” Fidelio smirked back as he tapped the toe of his boot on some dry wood before gesturing to his top. “You know the rules to make sure you don’t gotta bother with tryin’ to serve nudists.” 

(Speaking of nudists, where has the eugief been anyway? Not that he’s complaining .)

“C’mon Del, that’s not fair!” Bas whined.

“Take it up with the tailor, if anything’s left of ‘em, ‘cause it’s not my fault my stuff came with a shirt and shoes while yours didn’t.” Fidelio prodded back, though he did remember an “alternative”. “If you don’t want to go back to your normal “look”, you could switch to one of the uniforms like the priestess did.”

“Oooh, there’s one with an armband that might match your eyes!” Junah added excitedly.

Bas gave a small hum like he wasn’t fully convinced, but it did offer her a small smirk. “Y’know, Lady Junah, if yer serious ‘bout finding another bit of magla, Eupha or Gallica might be of more help. They’ve got better eyes for it than the rest of us, don’t they?”

“Oh!” Junah gasped as she brought her hands to her mouth thoughtfully, “You’re right! Maybe they’ll see something. Well, wish us luck~” she sing-songed as she caught the knight by her arm to begin her newest batch of “recruiting”.

“I’ll get your art to the runner and see if I find the Captain along the way,” the ishkia offered, carefully tucking the piece under his arm when Bas cautiously parted with it.

Bas gave a weird look Lady Junah’s way instead of head straight to the elda’s cabin. Like he wasn’t sure what to make of her. 

(But it’s not like he knew, did he? Fidelio hadn’t said a thing .)

“Hey, uh, Del?” his brother began like he was torn on if he should be saying anything. “It’s… not weird to keep some secrets, yeah? Like, family stuff?”

“Nah. What’s it about, Bas?” Fidelio asked with a curious brow because of all the questions Bas could have asked he hadn’t been expecting something so benign. He led the way to the cabin so Bas wouldn’t risk forgetting.

“It’s… The elda let slip he heard somethin’ ‘bout Junah’s family, not realizing that it were the sorta secret she didn’t tell us about.” Bas mumbled awkwardly as he scratched at the back of his neck while catching up. “So- I don’t know what I should be doin’ with that now, issall.”

“Like, her sister?” Fidelio asked and got his brother to gag on his spit like he’d got it in one. “Bas, we knew this already. You’ve talked to her .” he chided their idiot as he snickered.

“I have?!”

“C’mon, you know the one. Blonde little nidia, more hair than height, wicked skittish, often tries dressing up to match her big sister when she’s at a show that’s really been stressin’ her.” Fidelio reminded as he rolled a hand along. “Sure, Lady Junah never introduced us; never technically said a word about her littlest stalker, but the only other way they could look that similar was if Lady Junah was her bleedin’ mother and we both know she’s too young for that.”

Bas blinked blankly at him after looking up to check his memory came up empty.

“She ran headfirst into the table with the flowers that one time when you spooked her by asking if she wanted a lift to see over the crowd?” Fidelio offered.

“Oh!” Bas said with a snap as that clinched it, only for the excited grin to fall into a distant dejected stare, “Ooooh. So that’s why Lady Junah was so cross wit’ me after, huh…”

“Prolly,” Fidelio shrugged back.

(Lady Junah had been awful ticked. She even wore her headband lower for the rest of that tour so the poor thing wouldn’t need to feel as self-conscious about that nasty bump she got.

If they had told Lady Junah they saw her sister sooner, would that have changed anything? Would she had taken it as them trying to make the squirt a hostage, or could it have helped her see them as people she could trust with what little family she kept close despite the risks?)

The weight of a guilty conscience lifted, Bas had an easier time running ahead to the elda’s cabin, giving Fidelio a chance to collect their own things to take back to the runner early. It wasn’t like they had brought a whole lot with them off the thing in the first place; mostly clothes.

He tried to ignore the empty pillows and their collected fillings, since fixing them was still beyond his abilities. Again, not that it’d matter if he never came back, but he just didn’t like the thought of having left behind problems for the people who let him and Bas stay under their roof for free. 

With their things packed up, following Bas was just the natural thing. Mostly to make sure Bas didn’t leave his new “gift” behind if he really was fond of it, and to check that Junah wasn’t pulling his tail with the uniform she recommended.

“It’s just me, Bas,” Fidelio announced as he headed up to the “changing” room, where he saw the rest of “his” Old World outfit too. The hat, the gloves, and ringed capelet.

It would be less hot in Grand Trad. And if the festival itself was at sundown, it'd be cooler when they came back too. So, maybe he could give it a try.

Just so Lady Junah couldn’t try complaining about him not wearing it “right” later, obviously.

The gloves didn’t even put too much pressure on his claws, keeping them comfortable and didn’t put the fabric in as much risk of tearing. And if he wore the goggles instead of treating them like a hat band…

“Hey, Bas,” Fidelio said as he turned to his brother with his arms held out, “what tribe am I?”

The goggles would make his pupils harder to see. Gloves for his claws, hat for his ears, and a shirt long enough to coil his tail under without getting too pinched up. The only “tells” left would be his teeth if he didn’t keep his trap shut or if someone checked the sides of his head.

Bas cocked his head at him for a beat before cracking up. “Ah, so that’s what Gallica meant! Lady Junah really weren’t kiddin’ ‘bout keepin’ you covered up, huh?”

“Yeah, feels almost like I could pass-” his words tripped on his tongue as the weight of that hit.

Stupid. Pass as what ? 

They were supposed to be fighting for a world where nobody had to think about garbage like that anymore, of any tribe.

“It’s different when yer doin’ it for fun instead of it feelin’ like something you gotta do, right?” Bas asked as he fiddled with the armband that finished up his own outfit, looking soft like he saw right where Fidelio’s head went. His grin went wider as his tail turned just as playful. “C’mon, keep it on, Del! Just for today! Lady Junah hasn’t even seen the full thing on ya yet~”

“Belt up,” FIdelio chided as he at least got the goggles off his face, taking a moment to idly wonder if it was a coincidence the purple of it nearly matched his own hair. Setting it back around its hat, he gave his brother a dry look, “Pretty sure that thing’s taken 5 years off ya.”

“It do , don’t it?!” Bas beamed with a cackle that bled into a sigh, “Almost feel like a bloody recruit or sumthin’ again if I’m honest.”

“Pretty sure that means I’d look exactly the soddin’ same in all of ‘em. Even the skirted ones,” Fidelio glared at the nearest offending uniform.

“Wouldn’t mean they’d look bad on you though!” Bas smiled like the fool thought it’d be more of a compliment than it felt like so Fidelio tried not to look at him too harshly for it. “It feels a bit weird but not too shabby otherwise, I don’t think! But the stuff on the band looks almost like letters, don’t they?” he asked as he toyed with its angle.

Fidelio gave the red thing a look, but he had to agree. Almost like a K or an F, but the parts connected wrong, so it must’ve been from a different alphabet altogether.

“I think the rubbish Lady Junah tried bribing the ishkia with earlier had the same marks.” Fidelio said, “but yeah, not a bad look for ya. Definitely more than decent for the city folk.”

Bas gave a hum as he looked at his left shoulder, “Maybe I should have something on that side more, to take some eyes off me scars. D’you think somethin’ like Lady Junah’s pauldron would work on me?”

“Nah, you don’t need the bulk weighing on you anyway.” Fidelio dismissed with a smirk. “I think your work clothes are still the better fit as is, but if you’re thinkin’ of adding colour there you might want something more green, like your shirt, or get a bit more white back on ya.”

“You sure a white sash wouldn’t look more like a bandage ?” Bas asked with a titled look.

“Mmm, maybe,” Fidelio shrugged as he made sure all the pieces of the “Bushi” outfit were accounted for and added to their laundry sack, “as said, I don’t think there’s much that could improve it.”

The praise made Bas’s tail nearly knock one of the clothing racks over in its delight, getting a panicked hiss out of Fidelio as he hurried to keep it from falling and making a mess for anyone else. 

“C’mon you klutz, we’re burning daylight!” Fidelio scolded as Bas snickered at seeing his tail get all fluffed up again. Seeing his older brother out in public in his old fashioned thing only made his doof’s grin wider because he could feel the damn thing burning into him too.

The elda was smart enough to keep his own trap shut about it, but not smart enough to keep it from smiling.

As soon as they hit Grand Trad, Fidelio slipped out of the runner, a bagged bottle in hand, to check in with Wels. Just on the off chance knowing the right thing could change what the elda was plotting. Maybe keep his crew from doing anything too stupid to take back.

The alabaster rhoag was waiting among the stalls next to the recruitment center, trying to look like an average merchant to reduce the chances of their fellow soldiers seeing them talk to a “traitor”. They gave a small snort at seeing the bright orange garb Fidelio was wearing.

“You know what they say about beggars and choosers,” he grumbled, as if this was just him trying to avoid his usual style in an effort to lay low, which got a sympathetic nod.

“Just know I ain’t doing this just for the likes of ya. If that bastard Rhodanthe were still around, between ‘im and the Shadowguard, my “side business” would be cooked. So be sure to pay things forward with the red-tressed knight that cleared your way here, got it?”

“Sure thing, since she’s with us these days putting in a good word’s no trouble,” Fidelio agreed with a shrug despite the sting of a lie on his tongue, before pulling enough of the bottle out to show the label. “Figured getting this for ya wasn’t any trouble either.”

Wels gave a breathy laugh as they eagerly traded paper for glass.

“Any other notes that might not have made it in?” Fidelio asked as he flipped through Wels’s copies, the slight burn of the letters hinting this was the result of an igniter that used heat to echo the ink from the original since traditional presses were harder to come by these days.

“Grius was the man’s birth family, Alces was the name of Arvid’s first wife as far as I can tell. Maybe he figured an ishkia name would be a better fit for a task as “noble” as being the Prince’s tutor in swordsmanship,” Wels shrugged, “couldn’t tell you why he later enlisted in the state army under his old name, having had that much of the king’s respect from his mercenary days.”

(So, Maria has her mother’s name. Makes sense, if their relationship couldn’t be made official. Can’t much argue any confusion about who her mum would be either, so it would be “easier”.

And yet the elda had met this “Arvid” under his army cover. Was the man trying to hide his ties to his halfblood daughter? The man who raised her couldn’t be that heartless, could he? Not if he was with a woman like Miss Fabienne.)

Wels didn’t seem to think they had much to add so they ended their “break” early, leaving Fidelio alone with their notes. Where a familiar face stared back from his official sketch.

Fidelio’s claws risked tearing the pages as he finally placed how he knew the bastard’s mug. Figured he saw the purpose of hiding his ties to the royal family too.

There was no way in hell the elda couldn’t know he was introducing the brothers to the family of Lord Louis’s first assassin to fall due to the King’s Magic.

(It would’ve been different if he had been just another casualty Glechom’s wild shots or Zorba’s stupid stunt. Hell, Zorba already paid for it all, so if they had to tell Maria at least that would have to be the end of it.

But if she tried to voice her honest feelings about the man who took her papa from her, they’d have to defend their Lord’s honor. No matter how much it’d further break her heart.

Not that they had a full picture of why the fool had tried to take Lord Louis’s head when he did. Rhoag tended to be a patient sort, especially the older ones like he was, so their revenge plots tended to follow the slow path.

Like spreading the sorts of rumors to rob a man of a promotion they knew he did more than enough to earn, because they took issue with his age and ideals. Forden was a true rhoag in that sense, nothing but the long game with that snake.)

Focus. Was this what the elda was after, with Drakodios? Revenge for Maria’s Fa- Arvid Alces, or to finish what the old man couldn't? 

Didn’t seem much like his style. The noble’s, maybe, what with his own motive to see Lord Louis burn given the Halia business, but not the elda. The elda’s too soft to be seeking out that sort of wetwork.

No, if this was only about revenge, there’s no way the Prince’s former knight would be with them either. Even if she believed the claims about Lord Louis’s hand in her charge’s disappearance, she wasn’t the type to tolerate bloodshed without purpose . She’s made that abundantly clear.

It said Arvid had a history with the King’s mage academy too before Forden's push to get it shut down, so it wasn’t like he had tried to kill the Count because he’d rather the Santifex get the heirless crown.

… Unless the heir wasn’t dead?

As the Prince’s tutor but without significant status beyond that, did he know something the knight wasn’t allowed to? She’d been looking for him for years after he went missing, was that because she was set up to fail by her own allies until they felt the prince was safe from something they couldn't handle on the record?

Something that the prince's tutor didn't feel he could afford to wait on any longer, with the boy's life being nothing but a liability to anyone who took "his" crown.

Why else would the Prince’s own bodyguard be supporting anyone else’s claim to the throne, after refusing to accept the official word that he was dead for so long? 

He had hoped she just had enough sense to see Lord Louis hadn’t done a thing to her boy, but with her being one of the ones seemingly set on betraying him, it made more sense to be doing it for her boss than anyone else.

(Not sure what that sort of conspiracy would be called, but if they want to put their boy back on the throne he was “meant” to get, that might make them “Royalists” for now. Ironic, since they’d likely be the same bastards who set up the succession crisis that enabled both Santifex Forden and Count Louis to fill the resulting power vacuum and caused this mess.

Hell, that’s how he and Basilio ended up with the Count’s forces out in Oceana.

… Junah showed up not terribly long after that too. Was it on their orders, even then?)

Was this the elda’s- the Royalist’s game, to have Lord Louis and Santifex Forden take each other out, to get the major suspects behind the Prince's attack out of the way? Or let Lord Louis think he had the means to kill Forden, let the Royal Magic do its thing so the attempt would get him killed, and then use the real lance to make sure the Prince could claim the crown uncontested if the King's magic no longer accepted the original line of succession?

The second theory's still not much the elda's style, but the first one would might explain the first question on the elda’s mind back when Lord Louis told him he could ask anything. “Did you kill the king and prince ?” 

Lord Louis wouldn’t ever take credit for something he didn’t do, didn’t say a word about the king’s whelp either way. But having killed the King himself would still make him a “threat”.

(Does Lord Louis think the brat might still be kicking around somewhere too? It’s not like they’d need to be on the hunt for someone who was fine keeping quiet so far.)

Doesn’t matter.

What does matter is that fucking elda playing him and his brother for damn fools. 

What else could the bastard be thinking, introducing an orphan and a widow to two officers working for the man who broke their family. Doesn’t matter that it’d be their man’s fault he died.

What did matter, was getting Basilio and-

Fucking hell , he can’t even kill the bloody elda out here! They need to get the runner back to the island to get the lance to Lord Louis on schedule or he’ll go on the bloody warpath on all of them .

Including him, Bas, and Lady Junah. So Fidelio can’t let that happen, temper be damned.

Getting Bas and leaving needs to be the first step. What he has to say to make that happen can come later.

There was more of a crowd in front of the Hushed Honeybee Inn than he expected. Half wondered if Miss Fabi- the proprietress had taken his questions about more outdoor seating seriously.

But no, it had been from a full banquet table being set up out front. Most of the fruits that couldn’t fit in the chill chest the day before from the look of it, alongside a bunch of different breads and her usual dishes.

“Mister Fiddle!” the pup’s cheer made Fidelio’s stomach drop. Mar- the halfblood bounded up to him, excitement as clear as the bright grin on her face. “Thank you for all the food yesterday! Miss Fabienne said we didn’t really have room to keep it for long, but since we couldn’t go to your festival today we could make our own for everyone here! So all of our neighbors can get to know each other over some good food, so nobody has to feel scared of anybody else!”

His mouth was too dry to reply, but he hoped giving her a nod would make her leave.

He had to run. To fight, to scream, to something that wasn’t having this goddamn kid look up at him like she could trust him, like he wasn’t only out here because he was working for her papa’s killer.

“Are… you feeling alright?” she asked because she didn’t know. Couldn’t know, but he couldn’t just tell her . If he’d been where she was, Del would’ve- “Are you feeling lost again?”

He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came up like he was some bloody rookie. Should be thanking his luck it wasn’t his breakfast either.

Fidelio did have the sense to keep the runt from taking his hand, much as that only worried her more and left her scampering to her mother.

“The Inn’s empty if this is too many people for you right now,” the older paripus told him gently, like she was just as clueless about who that elda had brought to her doorstep.

(Was she? She had to know who killed her man. Had to know who the brothers were, right? They gave her their real names, and even if their first names had been more common he’d let their family names slip to her pup. But nothing else she’d said or done lined up with that at all.

Why would she have been so nice to them if she knew that they-)

“Where’s Bas?” he got out, and thankfully he wasn’t far squatting to be closer to eye level with a scrap of a paripus lad the halfblood seemed to be friends with.

But being so close to her meant he was with that fucking elda.

Bas barely needed to be called, seeing whatever hell his brother looked like, so Fidelio could focus on just getting away from prying eyes and ears inside.

“Del? What’d Wels say?” Bas asked as soon as the door was shut.

“We need to go,” Fidelio said instead.

“What?! You just got here, Del,” Bas objected, “I mean look at how many people they’ve got! Like a nice little neighborhood bash!” Bas forced a wide smile on his face, “The girls even gave you some nice credit for it, since you brought them so much the could afford to share the extra-”

“Basilio!” Fidelio snapped with a ragged breath. “ We can’t stay here .”

Bas flinched but he stayed stubborn, taking a seat while he pointed to the one across. “They’re acting like we helped ‘em set up something good here, Del. You need to give me a reason to go this time, ‘cause I’m not seein’ why we can’t enjoy it some.”

Fidelio stayed standing, but his eyes got stuck to the wall behind Bas. The one with all the landscape sketches, showing the elda’s travels. 

Seeing Basilio’s already up there made him feel like something might break if he didn’t hurry.

(He could see why the Sanctists’ faith got as far as it did, preaching ignorance as a virtue. Praying that they could just make their problems go away or become someone else’s.)

“Are you two okay?” the elda asked as he came through the door. Looking like he hadn’t a clue.

“Don’t you of all bloody people give me that, like you don’t know a goddamn thing!” Fidelio snarled at him, enough to make the boy jump like he should. Bas’s tail sprang up in alarm as he looked to him for an answer. “Bet you fancy yourself a right clever bastard, knowing we can’t do a thing to ya without leaving us stranded with Lord Louis’s men coming for our heads next!”

“W-what?” the elda stammered.

“You knew full fucking well that their man was the one from the royal funeral, didn’t you?!” Fidelio accused, though Bas paused like he wasn’t able to follow yet. “Arvid "Grius" Alces. The fool who triggered the royal magic, before Lord Louis put him down like a dog.”

That made it click into place, as Bas looked between them both wide eyed before everything he had sagged under the weight of his words while facing the door.

“I…” the elda started before the shock stole the rest. “I… didn’t think it mattered.” he admitted as he looked between the brothers and the shame sank in. “Miss Fabienne knows why I chose to follow Lord Louis, despite what Grius made him do, s-so I didn’t realize this would bother you so much. And I… I didn’t want to risk his actions changing how you saw them by saying anything.” 

“You really think I’m going to believe that load of bollocks?! Don’t think I don’t notice whose name you didn’t say!” Fidelio spat with a brief bitter crack of a laugh, and he faintly heard Bas whine like a warning. But Fidelio didn’t hear the doorknob click and he wasn’t looking down so he kept going. “If you really didn’t think there’d be any “problems” with Lord Louis’s men being in a joint like this, did you warn his fucking kid that’s what we are before you let her get close?”

The elda’s smart mouth failed him that time, as he stared like a rabbit in a trap.

“I should see you dead -” Fidelio seethed, only to be cut off by a shriek. But not from a person. 

A flute.

He barely had a breath before the girl holding the blighted tube rushed to put herself between them and the bastard that betrayed her family in the first place by bringing them there. Two more twerps followed behind her, a clemar runt and the paripus Bas had been speaking to. 

A part of him was glad that she’d be in better company with the three of them gone.

“I’m sorry.” the elda said as much to the kid he supposedly cared about as the brothers. “I… didn’t think this far ahead. I didn’t think coming here would hurt anyone. I just wanted to help-”

“We’re leaving ,” Fidelio interrupted, and this time Bas rose to his feet to follow though he moved like it’d be easy to knock him off them. As he passed by the kid looking caught between him and the elda he let the portrait from Wels’ copy drop so she’d catch it. “We didn’t know. He did.”

“Papa?” she murmured in surprise as she stared at his sketch.

(The kid was almost lucky, in a sick way, given how rare getting a nice picture of your loved ones could be unless you had enough reeve to burn. But here she was getting one for free.

The lease they could do for her, really.)

He heard Bas offer the halfblood a hushed apology as they passed her on the way out. Didn't sound like the elda was dumb enough to chase them, so maybe he was going to attempt some damage control to buy them all some time to settle.

Despite the flute’s whistle it looked like the crowd didn’t pay them much mind. Maybe it had been part of some soddin’ game the pups had been playing, or the noise was lost in all the mingling.

The only one who seemed to notice them heading back to the runner was the proprietress herself, and she had the sense to keep her distance to prioritize her actual pups no matter her concerns.

Less he thought ‘bout why she looked at them with that strange pity as they left, the better off he’d be.

The farther they got the more Fidelio felt himself go slack, with the vicious hum of fury dying out and leaving him hollow.

Because a ridiculous part of him was starting to believe the kid could have honestly just been that stupid. No other part of this attempt to make the brothers go soft made much more sense.

Didn’t make his earlier theory less likely. But in its own way the kid trying to sway them from Lord Louis for the sake of the son of that worthless spineless “idealist” of a king because the missing idiot was “supposed” to inherit the crown made more sense than the elda being part of some Sanctist’s plot who would treat paripus like disposable test subjects given half a chance.

“‘M sorry I didn’t listen sooner. Didn’t notice anything was up…” Bas mumbled from his side.

“Not your fault. Bastard knew to hide it, that’s where all the trouble came from.” Fidelio replied as he let his shoulder knock his brother’s arm a little. “... Part of me wishes I just let it bloody be, ‘cause it’s not like we’d be likely to come back anyway…”

Bas gave a thoughtful hum but knocked his shoulder back, despite how much more weight ended up being behind his and making his older brother stumble with a dry chuckle.

“Feel bad for the girls mostly.” Bas admitted, which got a hum of agreement.

(Assuming the mother wasn’t in on it. Trying to manipulate them, to make them leave Lord Louis vulnerable as her own petty revenge, by letting them think people like them could be “normal” after everything they’ve done. They’ve seen how smooth she could play it when she wanted to.

There was always a catch. He knew that already. So why does he still let it surprise him?)

The ishkia knew better than to ask questions at least and had enough wits about him to let the runner’s heart give Bas enough juice to make something to help him destress. So Fidelio helped where he could, pulling out ingredients as Bas asked for them mostly.

It smelled like he was making something closer to a teacake with the base of the benevolent bread he learned on this runner, using bits of fruit from the island Fidelio hadn’t purged. He idly wondered how the old bat would feel about one of his recipes getting twisted.

The experiment didn’t quite set right the first time. Bas said something mostly to himself about the fruits adding too much moisture, that being why teacakes preferred having them dried. But the bit Fidelio tasted anyway still tasted plenty good to him, like most everything Bas did.

(‘Side from mushrooms. And some bugs. And the growing list of monsters Bas isn’t allowed to bring back to the Charadrius anymore, which has a distressing number of different Gelatinos ‘cause they had trouble convincing Bas that the very obvious bits of people in them were, in fact, people bits .)

But being in the kitchen still helped Bas look less kicked, even if being in a kitchen was part of what made ‘im hurt in the first place. Asking for more was just being greedy, as life’s shown.

The elda knew better than to ask anything else when he finally caught up, pausing only to take in the maybe concerning amount of less-failed teacakes before doing what they needed him to. Because at this point even being in Eht fecking Ria was a blessing.

“At least we learned a lot there, didn’t we? ‘Bout that how to make somethin’ of that “dream” of yours if we want to.” Fidelio asked as he rolled a roll between his hands the sort of way he only would when he wasn’t hungry and Bas couldn’t bitch about him playing with his food.

“I… yeah,” Bas’s smile wasn’t a lie but it was strained.

Fidelio couldn’t really know how long they stayed on the runner to decompress. Just that from the sounds of it both the ishkia and elda had the good sense to bail.

“Sir Basilio, sir Fidelio, are either of you in there?” Eupha’s voice called from the door making both brothers jump, “the festival will be starting soon!”

“We’ll be there!” Fidelio barked back, sharp enough that he figured her pause was from some surprise before confirming she heard him and scampering back off.

“... Why?” Bas asked as he gave his brother a surprised skeptical look, “won’t make any difference to them if we just wait here ‘til it’s time to go, will it?

“Lady Junah’ll be there, which means we’ve still got a job to do.” Fidelio answered dryly. Dry enough to make his brother scoff. “Besides, d’you really want to risk the rest of them realizing something’s wrong? I could maybe get away with that, but you’re let yerself get too loud 'round them for somebody to not notice you’re gone.”

Bas gave him a scowl like the “somebody” meant someone specific instead of it being a simple matter of numbers and odds. "So, just... act normal?" he clarified with a frustrated sigh.

"Much as you're able for now, to keep from rustling feathers and throwing Lord Louis's plans off." Fidelio agreed, "think you can manage that for the night, Basilio?"

(He warned Bas not to get so bloody attached. If he'd kept more to himself, he'd easily get away with not saying a peep all evening. Fidelio's bristly "normal" is as normal as breathin' 'round these bastards in comparison.)

"Don't got a whole lotta choice, do we?" Bas asked, face tightening before forcing a grin that nearly passed muster. "So... I'll just try to focus on the positives we've still got."

Fidelio's was far smaller but wasn't as forced seeing his brother manage that much so quickly.

The sunset had been beautiful and the dragon sculpture turned out close enough to Bas’s sketch that the pup didn’t miss as much as she could have. Especially compared to the derpy looking thing sitting in their plaza. Kinda a shame the more detailed one was only sand.

Not that Fidelio should even need to see this island again. If he’s lucky.

Never could tell if he’s been the lucky type. He’s breathing , so his luck can’t be garbage. But the fucking elda’s on his way back so obviously he’s not lucky enough to be spared his bloody mug, letting out a growl to warn Bas.

“H-hey, I’m sorry about… earlier,” the elda tried to start, and Bas made a point of not looking at him that made the kid wince like he’d been shouted at.

“You did your job, so I'm not going to make a scene out of it,” Bas said evenly as he would by Lord Louis’s side as he chose to look out towards the water.

“I’m sorry that made enjoying the party harder for you too,” the elda said softly. “I saw you two left before they brought out the Dragon Tears for us. Did… either of you get to try them?” he asked weakly, “I thought they were pretty good-”

Fidelio saw Bas’s face and ears fall, much as he tried to hide it. He’d prolly been hearing the mustari raving ‘bout their rare treat more than most and fresh fruits were some of the safest foods he had. Even if the “side effects” Fidelio had heard about would’ve made partaking in them their own “risk”. A risk confirmed from seeing how hammered the elda’s people got.

(Which was why he talked Bas out of giving them so much as a nibble.

It would have been easy for Bas to join the knight and the priestess getting silly. Tease the old bat over taking the “tears” so literally or the noble for being such a lightweight.

Would have been easy to just let his brother have one good time while he watched over Lady Junah solo. She’d even stayed sober, so she shouldn’t have been too much trouble.

Just like it should’ve been easy to keep his temper to himself and let Bas enjoy the halfblood’s party too. He could’ve mentioned who her father had been at any other time. Or not at all.)

“You seriously think either of us could afford to get pissed like the rest of ya?!” Fidelio snapped, but he still saw Bas flinch.

The elda paled, looking like he was tempted to cry like a bloody infant. His fairy had less reservations.

“You just said he did his job, back off!” she snapped with her wings in a flurry like a wasp giving a warning. “It was a party and the mustari haven’t given us any trouble in weeks , so what would be there to go full “bodyguard mode” over?!” The fairy settled back on her boy’s shoulder as she crossed her arms and legs like some frustrated fancy noble on her “throne”. “Will just wanted to make sure you both heard about writing down your wishes to give to the bonfire.”

“It’s not like we believe much in those things anyway,” Bas shrugged, like he wasn’t lying through his teeth. 

Fidelio didn’t. Lord Louis didn’t. But Bas wasn’t as hopeless as life left the likes of them. 

“Not sure how a lance is s’posed to be grantin’ any “wishes” anyways,” Fidelio grumbled.

“I… just figured any extra bit of luck for the journey couldn’t hurt,” the elda mumbled, “and if you needed any help writing them down… it’d be the least I could do. But if you don’t, I can ask someone else. Like, Strohl, or…” he looked at his fairy like she was the next runner up.

Bas’s ears did perk a little there, which made Fidelio’s stomach churn.

“Don’t you lot hang out together all the time?” Bas asked the boy before turning away again with a “not like it matters to me” shrug. “If you’re the type to like stories, wouldn’t ya rather be giving the priestess a chance to gab ‘bout her island before she leaves it behind?”

Oh goddamnit he’s still on this?!

“Oh, that’s a pretty good idea!” The fairy turned to her boy brightly, “This will be the first time Eupha’s been away from the islands overnight, won’t it? You know what leaving your home for a journey feels like better than anyone! But if there’s somebody else you’d rather ask, I could try-”

“No, I think you’re right! It might be fun to find out more about what this festival means for her people too.” The elda agreed, but still looked put out as he glanced at Bas’s back. “Thank you. I... If there's anything I can do to help make up for my mistake, let me know. But even if either of you can't think of anything, I still want to try.”

Bas didn’t look back as he heard the boy walk off. But he did flick his closest ear Fidelio’s way before turning to his brother like he could feel a lecture coming. “It’s not like being mad at him changes me givin’ her my word. I told her I’d try to give her as many chances alone with the kid as I could, and it got him out of our fur.” Bas paused a little before looking more towards the village. “Besides, you ain’t really gonna tell me you think she’d be better off left on ‘er own right now, are ya? I mean… She’s never really been as far from her people as she’ll be going…”

“Not on her own,” Fidelio agreed with a sigh, “but you don’t think her brother wouldn’t have preferred to get a last minute chance to give her the sorts of heads up he would have wanted to know before he left her behind for the mainland last time?”

That wiped any traces of annoyance off Bas’s face, leaving him looking more thoughtful. “Ah. Good point, Del, wasn’t thinkin’ ‘bout how her family would be feelin’ ‘bout her leavin’ too. But even if he asks her to join him tonight, it don’t mean she’s gotta say yes or anything, yeah?”

“True,” Fidelio nodded, but Bas still looked uncomfortable about something , with the way he glanced between the elda’s crew by the mustari’s bonfire and the wannabe-sea-runner. “Ain’t like being down here will do us much good, if you need to talk,” Fidelio shrugged as casually as he could. “We’ll have a better view from the deck anyways.”

Bas’s smile was strained as he nodded, and Fidelio recognized his mistake too late. 

Bas hadn’t been looking at the people , as he gave the statue a last glance like he was trying to convince himself he didn’t need to bother with burning any scribbled nonsense. But before Fidelio could swallow his pride enough to offer they do it anyway, Bas was making a brisk pace.

Fidelio tried to ignore the pinch of his claws into his palms as he followed.

A part of him was tempted to check on the lance, since even the ishkia was still at the party, dancing with the locals like he could hide the fact he had enough status to him to have been classically taught once upon a time. Fidelio had seen the type enough at Lord Louis’s events to tell, from how even he kept his torso despite trying to look like he was just another flailing coot.

(He said something to the noble about a lance replica he finished, right before they caught up with him and the elda right before the crier showed his mug, hadn’t he? Was that what he’d been too busy with to eat with them at the Honeybee?

Would the priestess even tolerate a fake made of her God’s “divine” vessel, or would she have been pushing for a means to get the elda’s job “done” without handing her Lord over to theirs ?

That could change how he was feeling about her “involvement” with this crew a fair amount.)

He tried to tap both feelings down for now. If he couldn’t be sure the lance he found aboard was real or not, it’s not like he could try turning it on the elda anyway. Can’t very well wield both if he found two of them, and even if Fidelio passed one off to Bas and gave him his orders…

They… do still owe the elda something .

He owes Bas big for souring his whole bloody day too. He can’t much help it if he needs to pour even more salt into the cuts he’s caused either. He warned Bas about getting attached.

At least the view from up top felt partly worth pulling him farther away. They could even see the elda and the mustari hurrying past the runner to the bonfire. And yet…

Fidelio gave a cruel snicker from the railing and Bas groaned as he ran a hand through his hair, vaguely waving at the two with the other. “Why the hell did she put her bloody mask back on?! She knows she’s cuter without it! I tried to tell her Lady Junah was just pullin’ ‘er braid earlier! She can’t still be takin’ her seriously, can she?!”

“You can lead teenagers to a crime scene, but you can’t make them get a soddin’ clue.” Fidelio teased as he cackled into his claw-pricked hand, making Bas groan louder with more a snarl as both hands took purchase on his head like he could shake their idiocy out through him.

Though, the two were talking, and the girl broke off like there might be hope for her yet. More so when she returned without her fishbowl on, to Bas’s relief. But she had changed back into her full Shaman nonsense, which was less of a relief all around. Least of all for the blushing elda.

“... Can’t tell if that’s an improvement or not,” Bas mumbled into his hands after failing to pull his face off so he wouldn’t be able to watch their ongoing wreck anymore.

“Technically it’s flirtier. Didn’t know the antlers glowed in the dark like that either, so they look nice.” Fidelio offered as positives, but was hoping this was going to give her big brother a chance to actually see what he had warned about. “At least she had the sense to be armed ,” he noted as he pointed out the crosier on her back.

“Not really, heard before that type of stick’s used more for their priestesses ritual dan…ces…” Bas informed him before his mouth caught up with what it was saying enough to trip on his fears about just how not suited for dancing around her stupid short dress was.

“ Still not looking like she’s got real tights on under those chaps,” Fidelio added with a wince.

… Maybe the chief would fry everyone down there before Lord Louis needed to learn anything. Fidelio could probably run this can to Altabury in time by (mostly) himself if he had to. Hopefully.

Or less hopefully, maybe she brought it along more to pass it to the kid as a thank you for askin’ her out in a more “practical” way, since her Summoner seemed to like her religious sticks more than her God’s lance in a fight. Felt a tad silly to him , a smacking stick and a poking one ain’t that different if you’re using it as more of an igniter than a weapon, but whatever works for her.

Either way, not Fidelio’s problem right now.

Particularly not with Lady Junah chatting with the two of them once they left the fire’s side. Who knows what about. Could be anything as “innocent” as pestering about wishes to…

To what to do about the brothers, with the way she noticed her audience up on the runner. Giving him and Bas the sort of smile that she trained to reach her eyes even though they saw she didn’t really mean it, compared to how she lit up chatting with the elda and his people.

He… really couldn’t afford to keep Bas in the dark for much longer, could he?

But he’d let Bas vent his worries first, as he watched one of those kids with the bunny-flower style masks doodle in the sand as their pot-headed friend played beside them. Maybe they were even chatting, with their masks helping keep their words a secret from prying eyes like his.

Secrets had been building up a lot lately. Not quite the same as a lie in their master’s eyes, but it’s always been a dangerous game to keep any for long. Which was why it would be for the best to have them come out here, now, than later where He could hear.

So Fidelio braced himself to hear out the doubts these fools had been sowing in his brother, despite all his warnings, to squash them the best he could before they could get him killed.

He gave Lady Junah every out he could think of when she insisted on butting in. Even gave her and Bas his previous theory about her and Forden, so if she really wanted to convince him of her loyalty she could have easily ratted the Prince’s people out.

But she didn’t take a single soddin’ one. 

Leaving her with just enough warning to scare her, and not enough info to stop him from convincing the Count if he needed to. He’d need to correct throwing Forden's name around to Bas later, ‘bout what Arvid’s involvement actually means for them beyond mucking up everything for them back in Grand Trad. 

But Fidelio had done his brother enough harm for one night. Far too much, if anything, given protecting him was the only thing that should’ve meant a damn thing anymore.

So if Bas doesn't want Lady Junah to die, that's... just what Fidelio's got to keep possible for as long as he can. Not because of what he wants, but to just let one bloody thing go his little brother's way for a damn change.

They hadn’t even bothered going back to their cabin, since their room in the runner was right there with all of their things. Though Bas got it in his head to try slipping into the elda’s bunk just to see if he could fit in a "real" bed for the night, with… mixed results, to say the least with how many different smacks and swears that lead to. 

Bas seemed content enough with his weird huddle to make his shedding the elda’s future problem, despite how his tail seemed to thunk into something like it was trying to tell time. Seeing his brother have an attempt at fun took some of the day’s worries off of him. 

Given his own options would have been his original cotton bag, stealing the noble’s bunk, risking an assassination attempt via eugief in the man’s own tent, or being murdered by an unclear number of angry birds for taking any girl’s bed, Fidelio’s choice was obvious. 

And left him with their “room” by himself for a change. Bas’s workbook was open among the ishkia’s desk things, on one of his more drawing focused pages. The old man might’ve pushed him to try testing out some charcoal with a sketch of a feather as dark as Bas’s hair and some colored pastels with a bright blue nidia’s eye by the pink and gold shimmer in it.

Not that the narrow pupil of it was shaped right for it to be just a fullblooded nidia like Lady Junah. Raised questions about what that dark feather was meant to represent to Bas too.

‘Least he’s proving he’s a talented fool this time.

It’s not like Fidelio’s that much better, given he’s wasting another chance to find either lance.

Much as he loved to chide Bas ‘bout getting too attached, he knew this wouldn’t be aching so bloody bad if he hadn’t been guilty of the same damn thing. Not enough to make him forget his debts, but enough to maybe wish they had maybe met Maria’s father instead, those years ago.

If… If it would have still left them on the same side as Lady Junah and the rest. Not that he could risk saying it. Come too far, spilled too much blood, and from the wrong people, for any of these fool regrets to matter .

Because the Count will kill them if they try doing anything but what they’ve been doing. Fidelio has to keep that in mind, because he can’t trust that Bas will. They’re strong, but not that strong. Nobody is.

He’d be right to put their ungrateful arses down anyway. They were nothing without him, just like he told Bas.

And there is nowhere they can go that their master or their enemies won’t find them.

Chapter Text

9/7

It was hard to not feel the festival had been something of a bust. Some suspicions had been confirmed, which was valuable information, but the patches that remained were dangerous.

How did Del find out? He told Bas he’d seen the others testing the lance with his own eyes, but when ? How?!

Heismay had been with them every time they so much as considered bringing out that lance; he would have ratted Del out in a heartbeat if he had heard the paripus, especially if there had been any chance of a witness with a limp. Neuras never sat the runner down, so nobody could have seen them through the portholes, and they had nearly always been sealed shut besides! 

Everyone had agreed they’d keep their testing inside the runner, hadn’t they? So how did he-

Not that it mattered in the end. 

She should have seen this coming. Should have assumed there was a good reason behind the two distancing themselves last night. Should have been prepared for them to grow wary again.

The one saving grace she had, was the luck of catching Bas voice his doubts before making herself known. Junah hadn’t expected the brothers could be swayed, in spite of Will’s hopes. 

Hopes that she couldn’t even trust he’d given up on, considering his stunt with the Honeybee. 

Hopes that now risked exposing one of their hidden aces to the enemy, because Will didn’t want to treat those two as a threat. Because he rightly believed they were better people at heart than how working for Louis made them act, but misjudged how hard pulling them away would be.

Not that she didn’t understand. She knew how sensitive those two could be better than anyone. Genuinely sensitive too, not just them tossing around death threats at the silliest of offenses like a noble given half a chance to flaunt their name.

Even Del’s dismissal sounded more rooted in what that monster’s bloodsoaked path had already cost them, more than believing in the world Louis was offering them like Bas asked.

She couldn’t blame anyone for fearing Louis, them least of all. She’d seen first hand the horrors that followed that man’s wake, for his friends and foes alike, and traitors always fared the worst by far. She’d even lost count of how many times getting as “close” as she had nearly killed her.

Would have killed her, if not for the Magnus brothers. Not that Louis hadn’t saved her on occasion as well, but… it didn’t feel like he cared really, beyond having the opportunity to remind others his power was far from some idle threat.

He’d never check on her or attempt to empathize. Not like those two did, though you’d be hard pressed to get Del to admit he was doing it. Those two were the closest thing she had to “friends” on that hell of a ship, since even her “fans” could have mixed intentions. But not them.

Junah wished she didn’t know how many scars on those boys were from protecting her, and if Del had lost his stupid foot or worse to that Human she would have been beside herself. To say nothing of what it’d do to Bas; he’d always worn his heart on his sleeve.

She saw how shocked Bas was when Del accused her. Del must have been putting himself through hell, keeping something that devastating to himself. A hell he chose to stay in, given his insistence on keeping the burden of reporting her to himself too.

Not that she heard much of anything they said past that. She knew her limits, but she didn’t know what would have happened to her if she had been caught lingering any longer.

“Startin’ to think we’ve never seen the real you.” Del had put it, she recalled wryly. A truer sentence than even he could know for any nidia worth their salt. Only their own parents ever got to see their “real” selves, and hers can’t even say that much. If Rella’s parents really “counted”. 

But to hear the truth would always sting, especially after working so closely for three years .

Maybe she should have stated her dislike of Forden more explicitly, so Bas could have proven at least that part of Del’s fears was unfounded. Give Del the question of who else she could be working for to chase as a possible excuse for why he didn’t tell Louis anything sooner. 

Not that she really could. If she had denied Forden, and Del hadn’t made the connection between them, Grius, or the Prince, then she would have risked exposing their true intentions.

But she knew the both of them would know she meant every word of her promise.

She also knew they wouldn’t have missed how she pointedly avoided declaring any loyalty towards their “Lord”, only basic facts about her standing with the count.

They would have known she was lying in an instant. Those two had a knack for picking up on falsehoods that made them invaluable to a man who detested being lied to like Louis did. 

Bas had told her more than once that her “having fun” didn’t count to him, and Del would let her get away with nearly as much even if he’d act like he wasn’t.

Now, Del caught her, dead to rights. But she wasn’t dead yet. 

Nobody was. And with the brothers being as on edge as they were, that spoke volumes.

This wasn’t just them waiting on Louis’s call. She’s good, but Louis couldn’t like her songs that much. They all knew when it was about something serious her word would never convince him over either brother, much less both. 

But Del told Bas to keep his mouth shut anyway .

Del was hoping to hide it under the rug; that his warning would be enough to scare her straight. He wasn’t even just protecting her with that stunt, if he claimed Will’s people were found lacking he wasn’t kidding about Louis not being the type to question the culling of some fresh blood.

She couldn’t be sure if this was proof that Del liked her crew more than he’d want to admit, ever the surly prickle puss, or his effort to repay the debt he’d feel he owed for taking care of things.

Shame that they’ve all come too far to risk losing ground now.

Junah hoped she could make up for some of what she was going to put them through. Give them a taste of fun during this last trip together, since they had been so distant during the celebration. Maybe it’d even help put them at ease that she “learned her lesson”.

It really wasn’t fair that Rella could get them squabbling and racing like kids with just a touch of reminiscing over a patch up from over a decade ago and a “medical suggestion”. Not that she didn’t understand, Rella’s always had that sort of gift with people, a “velvet touch” as Mother said. It’s not like she’d fare any better if push came to shove and Rella was asking. But still! 

If she had asked them to race, to make them show off or stop moping, Del would’ve been ignoring or arguing with her all night even if she did get Bas onboard! And Bas would only be on her side because he’ll always take any excuse to exercise!! And there’d still be the (slight, if Bas knew what was good for him) risk of him trying to make her join in, which would be Hell!!!

So, what was the best way for their “Lady Junah” to act normal in spite of everything? A song? Is that too obvious? Or are those songs the only reason they’re as fond of her as they are?

Not that she was confident she would be able to do the sorts of songs they liked best right now. The other treat she had in store would be best to bring up at night, when sleep might help the two feel more reassured no one else would be spying on them.

“Are you alright, Junah?” a careful voice cut through, but Junah had been too well practiced to let it make her jump. Eupha was giving her the sort of curious worried look that had always meant Rella was about to get nosy, but Eupha still struggled to speak up the same way.

It really was hard to look at this girl without her sister coming to mind. Ever since she heard her use one of Rella’s favorite excuses back in the Dragon Temple. “Those born into blessing must give back in turn. Such a duty is no more than simple common sense.”

“Noblesse oblige” , as Father would put it. Poppycock, more like, especially coming from him .

“Nothing serious, love, just… concerned,” Junah admitted as she gave a sigh and a stretch against the runner’s railing before looking back out to sea, as if wondering when the cliffs of Montario would come into view. “Eht Ria had been so kind to honor us with that festival, and those ridiculous brothers barely spoke a word to anyone all night. Honestly! Who’s ever heard of a paripus playing wallflower at their own party?!” she huffed more playfully than she felt.

“Is that so unusual?” Eupha’s eyes glittered with pure open-minded curiosity, the sort that made Junah wish she could have taken her to the Academy.

Not that she hadn’t had the same thought for everyone , given their Archetypes. Though Will, currently trying to hide his own Magnus brother inspired moping by aiding Heismay with some fishing while they were still able to take advantage of it, was probably the only other person who would really appreciate it. Him or maybe Gallica, if fairy magic was in any way “compatible”.

Oh God would finding out if it was compatible or its own “thing” entirely have been fun! What she wouldn’t give for those days back. Especially if it meant Rella would get to mingle with the rest of them too, between classes or the like.

“Paripus customs have a lot of respect for celebration. Even honoring their dead aren’t somber affairs for long, dancing the night away to see their loved ones off with a smile.” Junah told her lightly, a smile pulling at her lips. “Basilio’s a bit more “traditional” than Fidelio about that sort of thing, but it’s not really like either of them to just disengage completely like that, so I’m worried.”

Eupha hummed to herself lightly, a delightful almost bell-like pitch that made Junah hope the mustari might have some cultural songs to share in addition to the dances she had seen performed around the fire. But a sharper note heralded their priestess finding a spark.

“I could offer to show sir Basilio how to make one of my people’s dishes, do you suppose that might help lighten his spirits? There was an imported spice Miss Fabienne used that he expressed an interest in comparing with one that grows fairly well on our islands.”

“That sounds like a delightful idea!” Junah smiled brightly, though more forced than she had hoped it would feel. “Which leaves me with our sweet cynic,” she huffed softly, “wish me luck.”

Junah followed Eupha inside, though Eupha had nearly missed that the brothers were in the lounge rather than their “room” further below so Junah had to catch the poor dear by her coat. Del’s eyes were immediately on the two like he was on alert for threats while Bas’s stayed stuck to his long worn workbook again, practising in one of the areas he had done a number of delicious looking food studies.

“Oh, there you are!” Eupha chimed at the correction, and her voice got Bas’s wary attention. “My apologies if I am interrupting your studies, sir Basilio, but I was wondering if you still wished to compare Miss Fabienne’s “redgrass” to my people’s “Saffron”.”

“This some kind of distraction?” Bas asked bluntly, ears cocked back in annoyance or as an intentional warning, voice nearly a grumble that left Junah on edge. But this silly girl didn’t so much as blink as she nodded after maybe half a thought!

“Well, yes.” Eupha said brightly as Junah remembered why she needed to actually make plans when dealing with overly honest people. “Given your discomfort with the sea from the safety of dry land, I was concerned about how well you’d be faring on it. I mean no offense, and if you’re currently fine as you are, just know that my offer still stands if you think it may be of aid later.”

Junah quietly thanked whichever god wanted to take credit for Eupha actually having a good read on what was or wasn’t an acceptable answer around these boys right now. She knew an honest soul is what they’d need to hear, but she didn’t realize it might give her a heart attack.

Del stared at their priestess like he wasn’t sure if she was stupid yet, getting a scolding pout from Junah in turn, as Bas’s head was thrown more for a lurch as his ears sprang back up. The younger brother snorted a snicker after a beat, choosing to close his book with a sharp grin.

“Sure, good enough time for lunch as any!” his smile felt forced, but his tone was closer to his lighthearted normal instead of his working one. “How much do ya think we should be whippin’ up?”

“Oh. I hadn’t considered that yet.” Eupha admitted as all three eyes drifted to the ceiling before her normal eyes shut as she tilted her head in thought. “It would be rather rude to not make enough portions for everyone , would it not?”

“As if the eugief would touch a damn thing I make, but sure, I think we can swing it!” Bas laughed as he gave the top of her head a playful rub as he passed her to reach the kitchen.

Being reminded of Heismay’s distrust made Eupha’s brow furrow thoughtfully, third eye screwing shut as her conventional ones pinched in a mental debate. 

Not that it kept her from following dutifully behind. Leaving Junah free to steal Bas’s still warm seat, while Del was able to continue to check in on his brother through the pass-through.

“Hmmm, Fidelio, would you mind showing me how that game you and Hulkenberg play works?” she asked as she perched her chin on the heels of her palms.

Del was less than impressed, but seemed open enough to keep acting like everything between them was normal as long as someone as unrelated as Eupha stayed in earshot. “I’ve seen you play against her before, Lady Junah, you can’t pull that “let the rookie win” stunt a third time.”

“I only did it once !” she corrected with a pout at getting “caught”.

“Glodell had mentioned you got him with that one too!” Bas tattled through the window.

“It hardly feels like he should count,” Junah wrinkled her nose at the both of them, though she couldn’t quite see Bad from where she was, as Del set up the board with a smirk at the jab.

Not that it kept him from making a jab at her too. He set the board up so she was white instead of him for a change. Meaning she’d be making the first move.

She tried to keep her expression even at the sight, but Del’s ear briefly cocked like he still caught some of her disappointment. His ears were less expressive than his brother’s given their shape even when his walls were lower, but he’d be a fool to think he didn’t have his own tells.

“What? You’re in the right colour for it,” Del said dry enough she couldn’t tell if it was another snipe.

“I told you I’d be making the most out of this darling gift, love, and with Neuras’s nifty little washer, why not?” Junah replied as she let a hand grace the edge of the troubadour’s top. “Besides, I thought this might be a new favorite for you,” she added with a wink and a purr.

“Hardly see the point there,” Del stated coolly, looking more like she was a pest than a model.

“Spoil sport,” she huffed softly and was pretty sure she caught a fishbone fly through the kitchen window and bounce off Del’s head, though she definitely caught the glare he sent Bas’s way. 

At least one of them was still on her side in some ways. Just not the one needing “convincing”.

Junah was never one to enjoy a loss, so she couldn’t throw him the match as a bone even if she thought it would help ease his worries, not that she’d need to for him to win. She’d still give the game her all, as a show of respect.

But it was easier to eavesdrop on their pair of cooks than to get herself to say much of anything, letting the clacking of pieces speak for themselves like Del was.

“So, part of my surprise had been that Miss Fabienne had said that her spice was a “grass”,” Eupha was saying, with a slight rustle of a reed basket’s lid being lifted, “This is Saffron.”

“Well ain’t that a pretty flower,” Junah could hear a smile in Bas’s tone. She tried to ignore the chill that ran through her at the word, and the ways Del went straight and sharp when he noticed. It’s not like she knew what a “Saffron” even looked like yet, she was just being foolish.

“Indeed, and most valuable to us. They only grow in small amounts and each blossom only has three threads of the spice so each is rather precious. But when properly dried even a small number of threads can impart a lot of flavor, and if one didn’t know where it came from I could see it being mistaken for a short “red grass”!- er, sir Basilio?”

Oh no he ate it raw didn’t he.

“Can see what you mean ‘bout dryin’ it,” his voice had a wince to it and since Del wasn’t looking at the board Junah risked leaning over the table to see what in the world Bas got into this time.

Eupha looked like she was trying not to laugh as Bas tried to rub the taste off his tongue with his hand, like he sometimes would to groom his ear, and the purple crocus in her hand had three yellow stamen and two red styles left, not three. And like seeing him wasn’t enough of a lesson, he plucked the last two off and held them out in case anyone else wanted to try it.

Which Del did, because he was also at his heart, a fool. A very clever fool who looked as baffled by the taste as much as it displeased him. “Kinda metallic, ain’t it? Funny for a flower.”

Eupha was faster to rescue the last example so Junah wouldn’t be as tempted to see just how bad it could be, and dropped it into a small clear glass of water, quickly gaining a golden tint.

“This is what gives our Amber Stew its name,” Eupha explained, “it is also the same spice we used to dye our chief’s golden robes, that my brother now wears! When I was little I’d help pick these flowers too, as it can be harder for our elders with how low to the ground they grow. I’d even heard a story growing up that the red color had come from how much effort had to go into gathering a small jar’s worth of spices-” The girl went on with a smile before seeing something around Junah that made her pause, “N-not that picking them drew blood ! It’s perfectly safe!”

Junah felt Del’s eyes on her too. She felt herself breathe slowly, like she was supposed to. Eupha was saying all of this with a smile, like it was a task she had wanted to do. Not forced to.

It was only a type of crocus. An edible crocus at that. Handling it wrong wasn’t going to make anyone sick. Eupha’s flower was safe. She was safe. Everyone was safe.

“Flower’s prettier without the red bits anyways, innit,” Bas commented idly as he took the bloom between his fingers, and after visibly deciding against putting it in the spiced water like he was worried it’d count as flower-autocannibalism chose to stick it in the top of Eupha’s braid.

That gave Junah something a lot more interesting to focus on.

“Aw, look at that, it matches your eyes,” she teased with a titter, catching the girl’s shy blush before taking her proper seat back and willed her silly heart to go back to its normal pace. 

It was just a flower. A cute “useful” flower. Not poisonous. Not dangerous. Nobody was tied up. Nobody was going to be denied any meals. Everything was fine .

Sitting straight meant she was looking straight at Del who had that sort of “worried, but I’d rather eat a vesp than say it outright” weight on his brow as he stared back like he was looking for something. Junah cocked her head at the kitchen window as if to ask about them instead.

Del’s mouth quirked in amusement as he rolled his eyes, giving a shake like he was told it was nothing, but he didn’t believe it was “nothing”. Most curious~

Though, perhaps not the kindest thing if Del really had seen Eupha with them when they were testing Drakodios’s limits. And told Bas as much, even though he sounded so normal with her.

Del moved a piece forward to remind her about their game rather than risk a word with those two so close, and she narrowed her eyes at the board as she tried to remember if it had actually been his move. She raised her eyes as she loomed over the board to see if he knew the truth to give it away, but his smug face only told her he found her paranoia to be hilarious right now.

She tried to keep her thoughts on the game, but bits of the other two would keep getting in the way. Eupha openly wondering about all the ingredients that were so new to her, Bas expressing some interest in her methods of making medicinal herbs more palatable, nothing major.

Until Eupha’s stew was brought to a simmer, and the girl started chanting.

“N’do, n’do, n’do, ioni!” followed by Bas repeating the phrase with a hint of a question from his unfamiliarity before she even needed to ask.

“O-oh, had someone already taught you this one, sir Basilio?” she could practically hear Eupha blushing.

“Sorry, did I do it wrong? Most times I was taught to say or sing a thing while cooking, it’d be ‘bout gettin’ the timing or texture right. Was this one not like those little ditties?”

“It’s an incantation meant to make it tastier! I was just… surprised, as it’s supposed to be something of a secret among the mustari,” Eupha admitted and got a hum of understanding.

Del slowly turned to the kitchen with a deeply skeptical sort of confusion pulling down his jaw. 

Junah was more focused on if she could feel any magic behind the words themselves. She never quite had the talent for it that Rella did, that’s what helped make her so good at pulling hexes apart. Junah’s talents had been more about emulation, vocalization, and expanding on the sleight of hand tricks that had helped her earn some reeve when she was on her own.

“It’s not like you haven’t heard of vocal magic before, Fidelio. I told you it’s one of the oldest forms we know of, thanks to its importance to music,” Junah sighed as she supported her cheek on a fist as she took one of his pieces. “Archetypes make heavy use of it too, and you’ve heard us all fight with them by now.”

Junah realized too late that sounded like a threat, particularly paired with putting him in check, and Del certainly heard it that way. God, why couldn’t this be simple? She might be a spy, but she rarely needed this double-speak stuff given how much of her job was spent on her own.

The distinct sound of the pot being taken off the heat helped take her mind away from how else she could mess things up. “Behold! The Amber Stew; one bite, and you will feel power well up inside you.” Eupha proudly announced. “Now, bowls, bowls…” she muttered to herself as she started getting portions ready.

Del raised a brow at the girl’s rhyme like he was tempted to poke her about it, but let the impulse to rib her over something cultural pass without comment. Which was odd, because she could swear this paripus looked like Fidelio. Though he did get her into check. Without cheating.

“Watch it, Lady Junah,” Del warned her dryly.

“I know, I know, you’re always telling me to be more careful,” she conceded but managed to at least keep the game going. “Though, before we left, did I see you having a word with Edeni?”

“Just had some cultural questions for him, figured might as well have some words with the guy.” Del deflected, “Like, apparently co-ed bathing really isn't a big deal out there-” This time Del dodged the flung fishbone and gave his brother a catty smirk before carrying on so Eupha wouldn’t notice they were “fighting”. “I heard Altabury had a larger mustari population, so wasn’t sure if this might apply to their hot springs too, but he didn’t get out that far to say for sure.”

“Shame, wonder if we should be askin’ more how the other Etoreika sibling’s journey had gone, see if he had made any friends along his way.” Bas replied, looking like he was trying very hard to not glare at his brother for whatever the heck brought bathing up to no real success.

“Etoreika sibling ?” Eupha echoed like she bit into a bug shaped lemon as she got two dishes ready to share, Bas plucking them from her offended hands to pass them through the window.

“Ain’t that your family name?” Del asked her as he helped make sure he and Junah’s bowls didn’t make so much as a clatter. Though perhaps tellingly he did not give the offered silverware similar treatment, because heaven knows the second Bas had his back turned petty things like “spoons” were more of a joke than a suggestion. Not that Bas had to know.

“No, it’s a title given to our priestesses, believed to have come from an old word for “sacrifice”. So while I do share it with my mother, that was simply a coincidence.”

“Do you think the meaning might have been flawed due to the… misunderstanding?” Junah asked with a grimace at the understatement.

“I am unsure,” Eupha admitted with an almost lost look, “Given how many have been lost bearing this title with pride, I don’t know if we should try to restore the previous meaning. It is possible I will be the last of us to have it bestowed upon me.”

“Wouldn’t that be makin’ it your name, Lady Eupha?” Bas asked thoughtfully. “I mean, your people were already considering ya to be pretty special ‘cause you’re from the chief’s family, didn’t they? So passing it down to yer own kids or husband or something shouldn’t offend ‘em.”

“M-my…?” Eupha half got out as she shut down with a blush.

Junah leaned in closer to make sure she heard and saw things right. But no, their dear Eupha definitely had a crush. Junah nearly thought that was Bas maybe-flirting again, but he and Del are very proud of their family name so that sounded more like he was ruling himself out . 

So, if her crush was someone who didn’t already have a family name of note that left only Will and Gallica. And one of these felt like the safer bet, given her previous behaviors. Meaning…

Eupha likes Will? Oh, was that why the dear was up on the deck with her earlier? She could have said something if she had plans! Honestly, the shy ones could be so hard to read…

But Bas seems to have something of a soft spot for her too, not that Junah could be one to talk. And Eupha didn’t seem too bothered by getting involved in cheering him up. So, what is this?

“Bas being stupid,” Del muttered like her question was plain as day on her face. As soon as the two cooks brought the rest of the batch to the strategy room for everyone else to eat together, Del slouched over his food like Bas hadn’t scolded him a million times before. “ He thinks he’s making friends by playing matchmaker or something.” He held out a hand as if to say “so, you can see how well that’s working for him”, though it did seem to be working pretty well there.

… And if everyone else was eating up front, Bas was probably considering himself terribly clever right about now. Getting her and his big brother some time “alone”. As if he didn’t know why now was not the time for his well meant attempts to address… whatever this was.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure if any of them knew what this dance was meant to be at this point. Too opposed to be allies, much less friends, but too concerned for each other’s well being for far too long for her to consider them enemies. She didn’t know if the brothers still could.

“Sooo, what’s the problem exactly?” Junah asked, and Del put his piece to get her in check. Or, she thought it was just check, until his tail curled and he showed teeth.

Checkmate.

“That’s not exactly an answer, Del,” she pouted at him.

“You know exactly why getting close to your people will be a problem for him, Lady Junah.” Del seethed, quiet and cold as he leaned in close enough to make sure he wasn’t overheard.

“Does it look like he’s in despair to you?” she replied just as calmly, an attempt at a smile ghosting her lips. “I don’t want to see either of you hurt. Even if you can’t trust me right now, you haven’t heard her lie to you yet, have you?”

Del looked away first with a scowl. He took a moment to think before looking her in the eye again, tense like he was prepared for the worst, “Did you put her up to that “offer” of ‘ers?”

“I told her I was worried about you today if that’s what you mean,” Junah admitted with a shrug.

“No, the one from the 4th,” he clarified, and his ear twitched like he was annoyed at her honesty or his own difficulties trusting her words on his own.

Junah blinked and couldn’t help it as a conspiratorial smile grew on her face, she couldn’t even keep up her attempt to keep her voice down, “What did she do ?!”

“Nuthin’,” Del said tersely as he backed off, not quite pink but mildly panicked like he believed she was clueless and had shown more than she could give back.

Which meant she knew she was clueless about something these boys had been up to, and this would not stand! “You can’t just hold back on gossip with me, Fidelio!”

“It ain’t gonna be “gossip”!” Del growled back, but his tail was stiff like when she succeeded in ruffling his feathers, not thrashing like he was about to start lashing back.

“Is it a serious sort of nothing, or something harmless but maybe embarrassing~?”

“A nothing sorta nothin’, ‘cause it’s nothing !” he stressed so she sighed.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry for pushing, Del.” She apologized as she let herself indulge in Eupha’s stew instead. Junah was surprised at the mix of honey and fish, but she did taste something familiar from the Honeybee. Guess that helped answer Bas’s question about Eupha’s spice.

Del’s eyes practically lit up when he did let himself dig in, drinking the soup from the bowl like a cup since he didn’t have his younger brother to pester him about minor things like “table manners” or “actually savoring the food” give or take an expletive. This would not be the only time Bas would be whipping up this one. A part of her wondered if he’d like her own favorite dish this much if she asked Bas for help, as much as he hated her anywhere near a kitchen.

She vaguely remembered when she’d wolf down meals nearly as fast, scared that someone else would take it from her or her mealtime would be arbitrarily declared to be over to punish her. Not that the brothers had ever mentioned being sentenced as she had, before Rella found her and had her parents step in. Mother had a field day making Juani unlearn those “lessons”.

Del’s sleeve caught on his lip as napkins were neglected without someone to be an example for, showing a sliver of a green and brown bracelet he hid but never took off as far as she knew. As a further apology she slid her remaining half to him, but he only glared at the perceived bribe.

Not that he’d let unattended food last long, given he knew it was safe to eat. So she smiled, innocent as she could. “Sooo, if Basilio’s playing matchmaker, is he the reason why Will made his wish with Eupha last night?”

“Only ‘cause he used her to get the runt off our backs,” Del shrugged as he got both dishes ready for the sink. “Idiot seriously thought to ask us to go to that wishy-washy rubbish first.”

Ah. That further explained Will’s moping. But there was still something she was missing.

She knew why she had a soft spot for these boys. But Will’s motives were stranger, since the brothers were bouncing between snappy and standoffish for the most part but he still thought he had more of a chance to convince them to leave Louis than tricking the man with a fake lance.

Junah had a suspicion why Neuras had spoken up for them when she wanted to get Rella, not that she’d ever ask about it. Will chose to stress the mistake that could have been by taking the two off the island early, all because Bas had a hope for a future without any more fighting in it.

He’d even taken the boys all the way to Breilhaven, though Strohl had also put a word in there. 

“You know, if you or Bas needed help thinking of something to write, I would have helped too. All you needed to do was ask ,” she pouted back, pillowing herself on her crossed arms as she leaned though the passthrough.

Junah heard Del scoff, and she thought she caught him looking back her way. With how quick he was she couldn’t be sure as he slunk off, and she didn’t think going after him any further would do either of them any good for now.

She flopped herself down on the table and gave a small weak groan at realizing just how many of them might be hurting after Saint’s Day.

The Magnus brothers retreated to Stowage after lunch, Del swiping Will’s volume of Pride and Persuasion to have something of his own to read while Bas went back to his workbook, so Junah hoped to use the chance to keep the others informed on Del’s current suspicions.

Eupha had gone up to the watchtower to likely have words with Heismay over his attitude towards the paripus. Junah couldn’t help but hope he’d be more willing to hear her out, as he shouldn’t be able to dismiss her thoughts as easily as he could Junah’s due to her privileges.

He hadn’t even brought Rella’s family name into it. She knew all too well how much she’s benefited from their support compared to other nidia.

Still, this left her with Hulkenberg, Strohl, and Will, who’d already gone off to train on the deck. Hopefully the brothers would take that at face value if they stumbled across them at a bad time.

Though “train” appeared to have been something of an overstatement as Strohl was greener than a spring pasture and Will was still moping like a lonely kitten left out in the rain. Hulkenberg gave her a strained “why me” sort of look as she took notice of their fourth party.

“Fidelio brought a book down with him so I think we have some time.” Junah said quickly as she took a seat by the bow of the runner, “Is everything alright?”

“I’m as well as can be expected,” Strohl groaned, but there wasn’t any haze in his gaze despite his poor constitution. “Should we be expecting any changes in plans?”

“I’m still up for convincing Louis to attend my show. It’d likely seem more suspicious if I were to stop pestering him at this point, given how many he’s already missed this year.” Junah looked out to the surf before giving a sigh, “Fidelio told me he saw us testing the lance, and apparently he’s let that put the idea of us being assassins in his head-” Will’s groan cut her thought short.

“It’s not just that.” Will sighed as he pulled his knees up to his chest to set his head on them. “Fidelio got a file on Grius, with his whole name, so since Grius died trying to kill Louis-”

“EXCUSE ME?! And you’re only telling us this now ?!” Junah snapped at him, making him pull himself tighter as he looked up at her wide-eyes. “Oh heavens, no wonder those boys have been miserable, finding out that Louis is why Maria’s an orphan would make them feel terrible!”

“... Are you being serious?” Strohl asked Junah after giving a confused look to Hulkenberg that their knight raised a perplexed brow at.

“Of course I am!” Junah swatted the question away, “I know how they get on the job, but they’re more sensitive than they seem. They’re orphans too, they know how hard that makes things.”

“It was hardly like the two were unaffected by Louis’s hand in Halia’s fall either,” Hulkenberg reminded him as she held a thoughtful fist to her chin. “I suppose they could have been more surprised by your own bluntness in your inquiry, but I am inclined to agree with Junah. It might not be enough to shake them of their duties, but they are not wholly supporting of their master’s atrocities either.”

“If they know Arvid Grius was Arvid Alces, the Prince’s tutor, should we assume they know why he tried to kill Louis as well?” Strohl asked. Will and Gallica shared a look, but they both shook their heads like they were unsure.

“Fidelio asked if Forden put me up to anything, but that doesn’t mean-” Junah’s mouth snapped shut when she heard the runner’s door open. A glance up confirmed Heismay was still in his Watchtower, based on the part of his ear she could see.

Basilio came around the corner before she could wonder if Eupha was still up there with him.

With his axe on his back, like they were right back at the start. He stretched like maybe it was more for some practice swings, but he noticed the tension in the air as soon as he was seen.

“Back to this bloody dance again, are we?” he grumbled, but an ear cocked up to the watchtower like he could hear what was going on up there. And whatever he caught made his expression soften with a tired huff.

He took a seat, making their odd square more of a trapezoid with Junah making it dip oddly around the runner’s shape, and put his axe down on his left side.

Nobody could get back inside without passing him, but he wasn’t keeping his weapon on his dominant side like a quiet compromise. If they shouted, Heismay would be able to swoop in from above too, which would help keep Bas from doing too much damage on his own.

“Guessin’ this is about what Del was on about last night?” Bas asked the runner’s deck more than the group or Junah. 

Taking a deep breath to keep himself calm, he looked Will dead in the eye. “Del thinks the lot of ya want the Count dead.” His eyes drifted more to Strohl’s with a nod, “I could understand if the Shadowguard’s up to it or you do, since me and Del could waste our whole lives away without even gettin’ a fraction of all that you lost to ‘im,” Bas turned more to Hulkenberg and Gallica as Strohl stared at his white knuckles like he was trying to will his shame away, “But, the rest of youse don’t much feel like the killin’ kind to me. So here’s how this is gonna work: We talk ‘til you prove one of us is right. Alright?”

Will swallowed, but gave a nod.

“So, let’s pull the bandage off of this mess, since I apparently didn’t ask it clear ‘nough the first two bloody times:” Bas hissed to Will with a near growl in the back of his throat, “Why did you really seek out Lord Louis?”

Will pulled his farsight mirror out from the Prince’s scabbard to show Bas instead as Junah’s breath caught in her throat. Enough for Bas to look at her like he was hoping she’d say why she thought it was a big deal before staring at the sleeping boy tangled in blooms of melancholia.

“Shhhould I know who this is?” Bas asked like he found the non-sequitor amusing despite himself, “‘cause, uh… this lass’s pretty and all, but I don’t see what yer tryin’ to say here.”

“It’s the Prince,” Will replied. “He’s alive, but under that curse. Louis was the only suspect Grius-” Will’s mouth turned wrly, “ My people, had, and I was the messenger to let him know that the Prince’s condition only got worse when we got word the King died. We’re running out of time, so our only hopes of curing him are either to find the curse’s formula or kill the caster.”

Bas blinked as he took a loooong breath out at that, but his ears stayed attentive. “Yer joking?” Considering how close Hulkenberg looked to pulling a mutiny, Bas corrected himself, “Yer not joking. Are you sure this is the, uh, Prince though? ‘Cause he’s lookin’ kinda…”

“His Highness takes after his mother,” Hulkenberg said dryly.

Bas gave her a skeptical look back that would make Del proud. “I know the noble types ain’t a fan of what “wearing the horns” can mean romantic-like, but the Royal family’s still kinda well known for having a pair!”

Junah opened her mouth to object, before just grabbing Will’s hand so she could take a look at the Prince for himself. Strohl looked over her shoulder to check the same thing.

“Oh, well I’ll be. He’s right . At this angle the Prince almost looks like-”

Hulkenberg’s mouth was tight as Junah lost the nerve to finish her sentence.

“Not all “half”bloods get such an even split,” Hulkenberg said softly. “His mother was indeed an elda and there were suspicions that this may have inspired the attempt on His Highness’s life.”

Bas gave a sympathetic hum as Will put his mirror away. “So- what’s your plan with that? You just want the Prince alive or wit’ his crown an’ all?”

“He’s my best friend,” Will said instead as he fiddled with a blue bracelet on his wrist, “he took me in when I had nothing left, we turned 18 together this year but he couldn’t even be awake enough to celebrate that. I don’t care what he wants past that, but I can’t let him die like this .”

Junah tried to ignore how familiar that felt. How it brought an image of Rella, so many years younger, finding her from the sound of her voice among those blasted Erika flowers so vividly to mind. Not that she got to have her 18th birthday with her dear sister either, with how the church kept dragging her hither and yon for heaven knows what anymore.

She didn’t get to have her 19th with her either, but that’s because Junah found a job of her own. The same job that kept her by a monster’s side instead of the angel that showed her what real hope could feel like. A hope without the claws of fear dragging it down until it tasted like despair.

Bas nodded with a distant look like he could relate to that more than he wanted to say. “And you’re sure that’s all you want here? The Prince of yours up and kicking?”

“That’s why I joined the tournament: to get close enough to Louis to either find the formula for the curse he placed on him, or find some clue to point me to who else might have it.” Will stressed, and Bas’s ears didn’t twitch at anything.

“I concur,” Hulkenberg nodded, “I was not initially privy to any of this. I was only taken on upon Alces’ death as I too was present for His Highness’s attack and I had many questions about Alces’ motives. I had never known him to be a vengeful man. I swore my life to my liege, and I will do all I can to see that he keeps his . It is not my place to question or object to His Majesty's will if he would rather have his people give voice to who they wish to lead them.”

“If anything, after Grius established his plan, Will questioned his decision fairly often,” Strohl added, “I wasn’t intended to be a part of this, so I couldn’t give much of an opinion of my own.”

“I… Yeah, he did.” Gallica said with a downcast look, but as the intended messenger who would have given Grius the kill order she kept quiet.

“So, the Glodell business?” Bas asked, and Will nodded.

“I slipped away from the Soiree so I could see if the formula was in Louis’s private quarters. Junah caught me when Gallica and I found some papers that looked promising,” Will’s smile was tight as he bobbed his head her way, but he got the phrasing smooth enough that Bas’s ears didn’t seem to treat it like a lie, “Glodell saw us and thought we were working together .”

“I introduced them to Rella afterward to see if the formula was what they hoped it was. Both for protecting me from Glodell and because I didn’t see any harm in it,” Junah added with a shaky breath. “They teleported us to see her, so I could put everything back before anyone noticed.”