The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

(Thank you <3)
(also uh. trying to type up a response is a Trip with the friends active lol)

Rin nodded again, taking another deep breath. "I know he isn't. I'm only…I don't know. I just wish I could fix it somehow." he wrinkled his nose faintly, shaking his head and trying to chase away the lingering thoughts, the worrying about what had happened. Why was Arquis being like this? Why was his lover pushing them away like this? He just didn't understand, and perhaps that was one of the worst parts. That he didn't know what he had done wrong. Had he done anything wrong? Was it better or worse if he hadn't?

(the what? omg wait I forgot about the April Fool's thing that's so funny, bee syrup is making me laugh)

"I think," Honey began hesitantly, "that maybe what you need right now is a good distraction. This whole thing with Arquis doesn't seem like it's gonna away, at least not for a while. And since there's nothing you can do to, uh, fix it, I feel like focusing on it is only gonna lead you in circles. 'Cause you'll wanna do something, but there's nothing to do, y'know?" He felt his cheeks go hot and cleared his throat. "Or, uh, if you wanna keep talking about it, you can. I don't wanna, like, cut you off."

He hadn't meant to make Rin feel like they were annoying him and Ari by talking about the situation; really, he just wanted to help get his mind off the whole ordeal. The more he thought about Arquis, the more he'd worry that he'd messed up, and the more he worried about that, the more he'd want to make it up to Arquis. The cycle wouldn't end until Arquis came around and apologized, and who knew how long that'd take.

(kghsbkdjh I love April Fool's on here, andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) is the best)
(also not me having a similar situation to Rin, where someone close to me (tho not an S/O) is being an ass for no reason, oof–)

Rin took a deep breath, nodding faintly. "A distraction might help." he agreed, looking over at Honey and exhaling, trying to push away the worry and concern for Arquis. Arquis was an adult, who could and should communicate his own problems. It was not Rinlos's job to baby Arquis and force the other man to communicate with him. If Arquis had a problem, Arquis should be the one to communicate it. "I'm sorry for interrupting your time together, too."

Ari shook his head a little bit. "It's alright, Rin. We don't mind." he replied softly, rubbing Rin's back gently.

(oof indeed, that's the worst! also, do we wanna do a time skip to night soon, maybe while they're playing cards or something? I'm not sure what else there is to do with this situation without it getting repetitive haha)

"Yeah, it's all good. Not your fault he's being a di- well, uh. The way he's being," Honey concluded, a little sheepish. He rubbed his knuckles against his jaw as he pondered over what they could do as a distraction. He and Ari had just been struggling to find something to keep themselves busy with. Surely there was something that would work.

"We could play cards for a bit?" he suggested after a moment of thinking. "I'd have to run and get some, but that'd only take a second. I think Pretty might have some stashed away in her room."

(yeah, a timeskip would be good lmao, I'm getting kinda stuck with how to move it forward. Do you want to do the timeskip, or do you want me to?)

"It's alright, you can say he's being a dick." Rin replied with a quiet laugh, still leaning into Ari and seeking that physical comfort. His love language was physical touch, and they tended to seek it out a lot, but especially when they needed some comfort or help. Ari knew that, and sat with his arms gently wrapped around Rinlos.

"Cards sounds fun." Ari said, giving Honey a grateful smile. "A good distraction. Would you mind grabbing some, then?" sitting around and talking in circles about this would help no one, and playing a game would help distract Rinlos. It would probably help, anyways. He hoped it would. If Rin just sat and dwelled on what had happened, nothing would change beyond how much stress the bard was feeling.

(I've got it! I'll just skip to the end of the day, like late afternoon/early night)

Honey nodded, got up, and went to go fetch the cards. He ended up coming back with two or three different decks and a stack of different board games. They kept some in a storage closet in case any of the guests ever got bored during their stay. Most people didn't use them, but every now and then they came in handy. He set them down on the comforter, climbed back up, and began to shuffle through one of the decks. He dealt out the cards, then got ready to play.

By the end of the day, Honey was pretty worn out. They'd spent hours playing different games and talking, and it'd left him almost completely drained. He ended up with his head tipped against one of Ari's shoulders, his eyes half-lidded.

"Might need to call it a night," he mumbled. He'd really been trying to stay up, but he knew at any moment he was going to drift off. He turned his face inwards and attempted to kiss Ari's jaw. He didn't quite make it, his lips instead brushing against his neck. His accent thick, he whispered, "Mm, 'd walk back to m' room but 'm too tired. 'Less you wanna carry me back. 'M prob'ly too heavy."

(thanks!)

Ari turned to Honey when the young man leaned into him, smiling softly at the blond. "You can stay here, Honey. Your room still isn't quite…ready to be slept in, I think." he remembered the state it was in, and shook his head. "As long as Rinlos is alright with the three of us all staying together, then I see no reason that you cannot stay here tonight." he looked over at Rin, who smiled a little.

"I don't mind if Honey stays." they said. The games had certainly helped to cheer them up, though they could not quite stop the way that their mind continued to dwell on Arquis and everything that had happened recently. What could they do to fix it? But the games had helped. It had at least been a good distraction, to laugh and talk and chat with Ari and Honey, even if he had not been able to fully tune out their thoughts and worries on the situation.

Honey yawned into the back of his hand and, in a very soft, slurred way, asked, "Rin, y'sure y'don't wanna go check in with your guy? Things might've blown over."

He wondered why Arquis hadn't stopped by at any point in the day. Maybe he really was just done with Rin. The bard might return to find his bags gone and the room empty. Or, even worse, maybe the nobleman would be sharing the space with someone else. That would likely crush them. He knew he was assuming the worst, but he couldn't help it. His thoughts just naturally wandered that way.

"Might not know where you are," he mumbled out loud, more to himself than to Rin.

Rin hesitated for a moment, then shook their head. "I…I'd rather wait for morning. Maybe a good night's sleep will help us both." he said, looking over at Honey and shrugging their shoulders a little bit. "I don't want to confront him right now." not tired, not having spent so much time overthinking all of it. Any discussion that would happen now would just be borne of their own overthinking, and it would be hard to actually have a good, rational discussion.

Honey nodded, too out of it to understand the maturity of Rin's decision. "Mm, 'kay. That's settled, then. 'S nap time."

He swayed as he stood and started to make his way over to the bed. As he crossed by the window, however, he paused. There was someone on the pathway to the village. They were blurry due to the dimness of the street lamp, but he swore the stranger looked a little bit like Arquis. He squinted. He'd been wrong; the man looked a whole lot like Arquis. Whoever it was had black hair and was wearing a long, dark coat. They were tall, pale-skinned, and moving at a casual pace, their hands shoved in their pockets.

Honey turned away from the window when he realized he'd been staring in silence for a while. He hoped it wasn't Arquis. Even more than that, he hoped Rin hadn't seen him pause. If Arquis really was going off somewhere without telling them, it'd probably hurt his feelings.

Rin had not noticed that pause, too busy getting comfortable on the bed. It might be a bit cramped, with all three of them on that bed, but it was doable. It would be fine, probably. It was a big bed, and it wasn't as if any of them were shy about getting close to each other. He snuggled down into the blankets, their eyelids already drooping. They were tired, and the events of that day had taken a lot out of them. It really had. They just wanted to sleep.

Ari, however, did notice that pause, and cocked his head a little bit as he looked over at Honey. "Something wrong?" he mouthed, not wanting to disturb Rinlos.

Honey drummed his fingers on the windowsill. If he pretended everything was fine, then he'd be lying to Ari about some potentially significant information. What if that was Arquis, and he never came back to the inn? What if this was Rin's last chance to see him? On the flipside, what if that wasn't Arquis? He'd risk getting Rin all upset again for nothing. It could even drive a deeper wedge between the nobleman and the bard.

'Not sure,' he mouthed back. When he was sure Rin wasn't looking, he gestured to Ari as if he was putting on gloves, then nodded at the window, hoping he'd put the pieces together. He added a shrug for good measure.

Ari straightened a little bit, brows drawing together at the gestures. 'Leaving?' he mouthed back, glancing down at Rin, then back over at Honey. He hoped that Honey was wrong, or that that was not what was happening. He knew how much RIn liked Arquis, how much Rin had fallen for the nobleman already, and it would break Rin's heart to just be…abandoned like that, if that was indeed what was happening.

Luckily for them, Rinlos's eyes were already closed, and he was beginning to drift off to sleep already. That, in itself, was good, since it meant that he was not going to be hearing or noticing what Ari and Honey were doing. It was also not great, though, if he was sleeping as Arquis was slipping away.

Honey turned back to the window and squinted, watching the pale figure. It certainly did look a lot like Arquis. He didn't seem to have any bags or suitcases with him, which Honey took as a good sign. That didn't mean he definitely wasn't leaving—he lived in a mansion, he could afford to replace a week or two's worth of belongings—but it did mean it was less likely.

'I don't know,' he mouthed to Ari, then punctuated that with another shrug. 'Don't think so.'

The whole situation was perplexing. If that was Arquis out there, then where was he going? It was nighttime. Was he out looking for Rin, since they'd been gone all day? Why wouldn't he think to check Ari or Honey's rooms first?

Or maybe he was looking for someone else entirely; someone in the village. Honey didn't think he knew anyone out there. He hadn't been there for that long. But maybe he'd visited the inn more in the past, and this all had been some kind of a ruse. Get Rin on his side, get them to help him flee the palace, and then ditch them when he didn't need him any longer. That could be why he was acting so cruel out of the blue.

Ari frowned a little, then nodded. 'Come back to bed, then.' he mouthed. 'We can worry in the morning.' he patted the bed gently, casting another glance down at Rin. He reached over to gently smooth back some of the hair from Rin's forehead, the gesture soft and soothing as he tried to help Rinlos fall asleep. He looked back over to Honey, gaze flickering around the room for just a moment. "Come to bed." he said, aloud htis time. "We can talk about everything in the morning." no need to wake up Rin, who was so close to being asleep. It would be cruel to awaken him.

(hey, sorry this took so long! I've been kind of busy lately, and I feel like we're in a point where there's not really much to write about? I don't want to just skip ahead to the trial, but I'm not sure what to do to make it more exciting rn, you know?)

Honey did as Ari asked, settling down on the bed beside him. His gaze lingered on Rin. There was no way to tell what his future would hold, but the blond had a feeling it wasn't anything good. Men didn't sneak out in the middle of the night to buy their lovers flowers or chocolates. He knew this because he had, on more than one occasion, been the one that men had snuck off to. He hoped that out of all the possibilities that Arquis wasn't having an affair. Anything else was preferable.

Even as he had that thought, however, he wasn't sure it was true. Addiction was also plenty bad. He'd met drunkards before, and gamblers, and much more. A lot of them had been good people backed into a corner. They weren't proud of the things they'd done, but they'd done them to survive. He related to that.

His head began to feel heavy. He let it drop to Ari's shoulder. Normally, on days he hadn't been out much, he'd be yearning for some exercise, but he just wasn't feeling up to it. All he really wanted was sleep, and he felt himself getting closer and closer to achieving that goal.

(it's totally fine, and I get it! I'm not really sure what to do either, tbh. We could do a few quick little mini skips to get to the trial, if you like? That way we're not doing just one big skip, but we can get to the more exciting bits?)

Ari and Rinlos both fell asleep pretty quickly. Ari was in the middle, one arm wrapped around Rin and his cheek leaning against Honey's head. Rin needed that comforting touch, even in sleep, and Ari had always been willing to grant it. Even when they were younger, Ari had always known that sometimes, all Rin needed was a hug and a soft, gentle touch.

(oh, maybe? I'm definitely skipping to morning because everyone's asleep right now, so maybe we could do an initial confrontation scene between Arquis and Rin? as in Rin knows that Arquis left the inn last night for some reason and asks him about it in their room, and Arquis lies and says he doesn't know what Rin's talking about—even though there are maybe clues around the room that prove that he left? like his shoes having mud on them, his jacket from the previous day having a leaf on it or something, dark circles under his eyes from being up late, etc? that argument would be pretty engaging, and we could just leave off on doing Ari/Honey's part for a bit since they're not doing anything that interesting rn)

(ooh yeah that sounds good! Maybe in the morning Ari and Honey told Rin that Honey say Arquis leave the hotel? bc they were worried that something else was going on? and then Rin goes to confront him and Arquis just deflects him?)

(yeah! do we want to actually write that part, or do we just want to start with Rin going to his and Arquis's room with the assumption that Honey/Ari have already told them?)

(whichever you'd prefer, though I was leaning towards having Rin going to their room with the assumption he was already told?)

(yeah, I like that better as well! I imagine them being told wouldn’t be that interesting of a conversation, while the confrontation with Arquis will be very interesting—I know you sent the last message, but would you prefer to start or should I?)

(Exactly! I can start or you can, whichever)

(I can start it!)

[Day Sixteen]

By the time sunrise finally began to brighten the sky, Arquis was more tired than he'd been in his entire life. After his trip out into the village, which had taken longer and been much colder than he'd expected, he'd come back to the inn, undressed, and climbed into bed. Although the events of the past day had left his body utterly worn out, he hadn't been able to sleep a wink. At first, it was due to the adrenaline rush, then the paranoia that had crept into his mind. Every time the building had so much as creaked, he'd swore it was a guardsman coming to get him. His poor heart had felt like it was going to burst from his chest.

Even as he sat in the light of day, which was streaming in through the window, he couldn't calm himself down. It wasn't as if he was more safe in the light than the dark. Sooner or later, someone would find him. The thought made him feel jittery. He supposed he could also blame that feeling on his second cup of coffee. He'd fetched the second after the effects of the first had faded, and he was considering getting a third. It wouldn't help settle his nerves, but then, nothing would. Eating anything would only cause his stomach to cramp, and coffee was the drink he was most accustomed to, so it'd have to suffice.

Rinlos had awoken at around eight in the morning, and Ari and Honey had told him, gently, about what Honey had seen out the window the night before. About seeing Arquis leave, but they weren't sure if he had ever come back. Rinlos had taken the news surprisingly well, and had gotten breakfast, and some coffee, before heading to the room he and Arquis had been sharing since their arrival at the hotel. He knocked, waiting outside for Arquis to answer the door. He wanted answers, and he was going to demand that Arquis give them to him. If they were breaking up, then he was going to make Arquis say it. Out loud. To leave no question of just what was happening here.

Arquis froze when he heard the knock, then let a slow breath out through clenched teeth. This was what he'd been waiting for. They'd come for him. He wasn't surprised to see that his hand shook as he set his coffee aside. All his life had been building up to this moment. He tried not to panic as he walked to the door. He'd dressed for the occasion. His outfit was clean and classy, and though it wasn't as neatly pressed as he would've liked, he still looked like a gentleman. His hair was neatly combed with a bit of gel. He was wearing cologne and his gloves, and he assured himself that he couldn't be more ready for the occasion.

He opened the door. Surprise flickered across his face. He hadn't been expecting to see Rin, especially not after the heated words they'd exchanged the day prior. When they hadn't returned to the room that evening, he'd assumed they were taking a break. It'd stung, but he'd known he deserved it, which had made the hurt easier to swallow. Seeing them again brought all of that pain to the surface.

"Rinlos," he said, his brow creasing. "Good morning."

"Good morning." he said, softly, taking a deep breath and trying to steel themself. "Are you ready to talk to me, or are you going to yell at me again? Because if you are just going to get angry, then I'm going to go back to Ari and Honey's room." he paused for a long moment, then pushed past Arquis and into the bedroom, not giving Arquis the chance to tell them they could not come in. "And it would at least be polite if you told me if you're planning on breaking up with me." his voice trembled very faintly, just for a moment, and then he cleared his throat and steadied himself again. "Either do it or don't, but you don't get to do this to me."

Startled and more than a little confused, Arquis shut the door behind them and glanced his way. He briefly wondered if this was some sort of nightmare; it seemed to make absolutely no sense. He'd snapped at Rin the day before, certainly, and he'd planned to apologize for his behavior eventually. He'd been hoping to do it in a letter, since he'd figured he probably wouldn't there for too much longer.

"Breaking up with you?" he echoed. "I am very sorry, but I haven't the faintest idea of what you are talking about. If this is about yesterday, then I will agree that I did not handle our discussion in a proper manner. There was no need for me to be quite so aggressive. I was having an off day, and I lashed out. It should not have happened, but it did. For that, I apologize."

He expected that to be the end of it. He turned away, clearly dismissing the topic, and picked up his cup once more. After a sip, he remembered that it was down to the leftover grounds and placed it on the desk.

"Yes, that, and you left the hotel. We had a fight, and you left the hotel last night, Arquis, what else am I supposed to think? Clearly you didn't want to be around me, to the point that you left. If you're…if you've found someone else, at least say that to my face. That's all I'm asking for." Rin replied, not liking how distant Arquis was being with this. Before, if Rin had expressed insecurity, or that he was upset, Arquis had been there for them. Had comforted them, tried to make things right. Now, Arquis seemed to just…be dismissing them. As if he didn't even matter, and he couldn't understand why.

(oof not Arquis not assuring Rin that he hasn’t found someone else, what a mess)

Arquis kept his expression flat, even though he was internally quite shocked. How had Rin been spying on him the previous night? That seemed unlikely. He hadn't heard a single footstep behind him the entire way to the village, and out on that valley path there was hardly a good place to hide. They must've seen him go through the window, he figured, which he could use to his advantage. It'd been very dark out when he'd left; there was almost no way he could've gotten a clear glimpse of his face.

"I am not sure I know what you mean," he replied, his tone cool, nearly indifferent. He didn't want to lie and say that he hadn't gone out in case they had irrefutable evidence, but he didn't want him to know the truth, either. All he actually wanted was for them to spend a wonderful day together—it very well could be their last. With a sigh, he held his hand out, hoping they'd take it. "Rinlos, please. I have already admitted that I made a mistake yesterday. Must we continue to bicker?"