The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Arquis smiled at them shyly, letting his eyes flicker over his features a few more times for confirmation. When he saw that they weren’t upset, he felt his heart skip a beat. He was still very inexperienced with romance, but he felt slightly more confident than he had before.

He returned to eating berries. This time, however, he specifically picked out the red ones. They painted his lips and the tips of his gloves a pretty shade of garnet.

Rin watched him quietly, unable to tear their eyes away from Arquis and the way the redness continued to stain his lips. Rin wanted to kiss him even more now, wanted to taste the berry juice from Arquis's mouth on his own. He couldn't tear their eyes away from Arquis's lips and face.

“You are staring,” Arquis said coyly, as if he didn’t know what he was doing. “Have I made a mess again?”

He plucked another berry from the bowl and bit into it, savoring the burst of flavor that danced across his tongue. He searched for another, but it appeared that the rest were of a different variety. That was a little disappointing; he’d been hoping to let Rin try one.

Though, of course, there was another way for them to taste it.

As if to suggest it, Arquis parted his mouth slightly and ran his tongue across his lips again. The sweetness was almost intoxicating.

Rin let out a faint breath, leaning forward slightly. "I…would it be permissible for me to kiss you?" they asked in a soft tone, gaze dropping to Arquis's mouth again, to the man's lips stained red with the sweet berries that he had eaten. They really did want to kiss him now, but would not without his permission.

“Oh. Oh, yes, please do,” Arquis breathed. That warm, fluttery feeling in his chest was back, and he let it spread through the rest of him. It was a bright, bubbly sensation that seemed to almost brighten the world around him; it was better than being drunk, better than anything he’d experienced in a long time.

He leant forward just a tad, still admittedly quite anxious. As he’d said earlier, he’d never kissed anyone before. He wondered if he’d be bad at it. Perhaps he’d be too awkward or tense. He could feel his shoulders going stiff already, though it was just from nerves. He wanted this—really, he did. But he didn’t know what he should do or how he should act.

Rin reached over to cup Arquis's cheek again, thumb resting along Arquis's cheekbone softly. They shifted closer, leaning in to softly press a lingering kiss to Arquis's lips. They made no attempt to turn it into a french kiss or anything like that. They pulled away after a long moment, but remained close, eyes opening slightly to watch Arquis and make sure that the nobleman was not upset by anything they had done.

Arquis was practically drowning in bliss. He let out a soft groan when they pulled away, craving more with an intense desperation. It took him several seconds to calm himself down, and when he did, he returned their gaze. His pupils were blown out from want.

“That was…” He was quite literally speechless. If he were in a normal state of mind, he would have felt self-conscious. It was just a simple kiss. But he was too drunk on touch to care. It was as if he had been starved of it, which wasn’t too far from the truth.

Rin smiled softly, turning slightly to peck a soft kiss to Arquis's cheek. "Was what?" he asked in a soft tone. "Was it too much?" they hoped it was not. It didn't seem like too much, but sometimes you couldn't tell from the way someone physically responded, whether or not they had liked it. A bodily response meant that the body's pleasure centers had been activated, but it didn't mean consent, nor that the person had enjoyed it.

“No,” he said instantly, giving him a dreamy smile, “no, no, that was wonderful. Better than wonderful. I cannot describe how good that felt.”

There was a smudge of red on his cheek from where Rin had kissed him, almost like a lipstick stain. It complimented his breathlessness and starstruck eyes perfectly. He pushed a hand through his hair, tousling it thoroughly.

“Can I perhaps return the favor?” His tone was earnest yet soft. He would accept whatever answer they gave, but he thought he should offer. He wanted them to feel as nice as he did.

Rin dipped their head in a faint nod. "Yeah. You can." they said in a quiet voice, their eyes slipping shut again in anticipating. They too had enjoyed this kiss, enjoyed the moment shared between them. This was nothing like with Lysander, nothing like what he had gone through with that man.

Arquis began by first pressing a very light kiss on their right cheekbone. He gauged their reaction, then gently trailed kisses down to their mouth. He exhaled ever-so-slightly when their lips touched. Rin tasted of tea and the faintest hint of sweetness from the berries. After a couple of seconds, he moved away, pressing their foreheads together before fully pulling back.

“Was that alright?” He suddenly looked and sounded a bit worried.

Rin was still cupping Arquis's cheek, their eyes flickering open again to look at the nobleman. "It was perfect, Arquis." they replied, gently stroking his cheekbone with their thumb. Arquis had tasted of the berries, sweet and soft and lovely.

Arquis sighed in relief. His nerves had worn off, leaving him feeling rather content, though his face was still rosy. He resisted the urge to nuzzle into their hand and instead gave them a small, sweet smile.

”I am glad to hear it,” he murmured. Some part of his brain was yelling that he should keep going, but he pointedly shut it down. They had progressed so much in just the span of a few hours, and he himself wasn’t ready for more. Not this soon, at least. It would be too much.

Speaking of too much, he realized that he was also feeling a tad tired. He had woken from a nap relatively soon, and he was still recovering from the poisoning. Perhaps he had bitten off a little more than he could chew. It had absolutely been worth it—he wouldn’t have traded the kisses for anything in the world—but his body seemed to want payback. It was begging for rest. In an attempt not to be rude, he stifled a yawn and tried to sip some tea to keep himself focused.

Rin pulled back in order to continue eating, but kept an eye on Arquis. When he saw the yawn, he smiled a little. "Do you need to sleep some more?" They asked. There was no judgment in their voice; Arquis was still recovering from being poisoned, after all. He probably needed all the sleep he could get. "I can move the lunch supplies off the bed, if you need to." They had mostly finished their food anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.

“It is best if I stay awake,” Arquis said, though he yawned again reflexively. “This will pass, especially if the tea was caffeinated. Most tend to be.”

He wrung his hands together, receiving just enough of a sting of pain to keep himself awake. It only lasted for a bit before the drowsiness returned, so he did it again, pressing down hard.

“I need to be alert in case someone tries to enter,” he explained.

Rin frowned faintly. "No, you should sleep. You're recovering from poison. I can just…go sit in the closet just in case. I need some time for meditation and prayer, in any case, and it would give me the opportunity to do so." They said. It wasn't that they were shy about their religious beliefs; they just didn't want to intrude on Arquis, when Rin knew that Kevra's deities and pantheon was different from whatever Anvillea practiced, and even then that didn't mean Arquis believed the same as much of his country. Rin had been raised attending services, had been raised knowing the Kevran monarch was a head of the church, and as a result was, while not exactly devout, a believer in some way.

Curiosity flickered through his groggy eyes, but it wasn’t in any way negative. “I did not know you were religious. You are free to do as you like, though you do not have to go into the closet. You can if you deem it necessary, but know there is absolutely no need to do so. Especially since I am not going to sleep.”

That last sentence wasn’t particularly convincing, even to himself. He could already feel the numbness of exhaustion overtaking him.

"I am not as religious as I could be, but yes, I am." They replied softly. "Now, go to sleep. Every will be fine. Besides, you need your rest for later." They got up from the bed, putting away the basket so that the bed was cleared up. Arquis would have plenty of room to stretch out and sleep now.

Arquis watched them go, a slight smile gracing his lips. A tiny part of him wished he would stay like they did the other night. He could almost feel the warmth of their arms around him. But that would have been selfish, and besides, he was still reeling from the kisses. He thought he’d melt if they did more than they already had, even if it was something they’d technically done before.

He actually managed to stay awake for about ten minutes. His determination had been genuine; he didn’t want to drift off and leave them on his own if someone came in. But eventually he sat back against his pillows—just for comfort, he assured himself—and his eyelids drifted shut. The next thing he knew, he was deep in a dream.

Rin, for his part, retrieved some items from his bag and then shut themself into the closet, setting up and taking time to meditate and calm themself before beginning to pray. Like any Kevran, they didn't carry much religious paraphernalia around with them, though if they came across a roadside shrine they always stopped to pay their respects. Here, without temple or shrine, they merely knelt, head bowed and eyes shut as they focused on their prayers. The only things with them were a necklace that they had retrieved, and a candle; the necklace had small icons of the more major deities, and the candle they lit before beginning their prayers, the necklace wrapped around their right forearm.

(since Arquis is asleep again and Rin is busy do we wanna skip forward to that night? I can start, unless you have anything else you wanted to do during this part of the day)

(that's what I was thinking lol. You can go ahead and start!)

(alright then, starting at night with Quirisa in the room! I’m gonna assume they’ve already eaten dinner at this point btw)

It was around midnight when Quirisa arrived, silent as a mouse and fully invisible. She materialized and dumped a pile of materials onto her brother’s bedspread. The heat of them radiated over to Arquis, who had been quietly putting on his trench coat.

“Here we are. You each get about three hot water bottles to put in your coats. I also got you guys gloves and some cocoa in thermoses in case you get extra cold out there. The cocoa was Marsiquia’s idea.”

“Thank you, Quirisa,” Arquis responded. He was genuinely touched by her efforts.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s just hope we can get you guys outta here without being noticed.”

She waited as he carefully placed his bottles into his coat, pulled his scarves up over his nose, and slipped on his snow boots. Her eyes curiously darted back and forth between him and Rin, though she didn’t say a word.

“Are you ready, Rin?” Arquis asked once he was finally finished.

(alright, thanks!)

Rin pulled on his own coat, tucking water bottles inside of it, and then adding a scarf and gloves. After that, he yanked on his boots. His bag was sitting to the side, ready and waiting to be grabbed. "Nearly." He replied, shooting a quick smile to Arquis as they finished lacing up their boots. They stood up straight, pulling on a hat as well to help keep their head warm.

“Alright,” Arquis responded, smiling back. He had the temptation to fix their scarf for him—it was slightly askew—but resisted.

Quirisa rolled her eyes. She bent to pick up her brother’s suitcases and passed them over. He took one in each hand. Though they felt light, he could already tell that they would feel heavy by the end of the walk.

His sister went over to stand beside the door. She folded her arms, trying to look bored but clearly itching to go. “Let me know when you guys are ready to leave, and I’ll take you outside.”

Rin picked up his own bag, slinging it over his shoulder, then lifted the lute, safely in its case, and held the strap for that in one hand. "Ready." they said, glancing at Arquis again, then back at Quirisa. They looked ready to go, if a bit tired. But they were used to being on the move a lot, this was nothing new for him.

Quirisa led the two of them out the door and down the hall, sticking mostly to the shadows. The Palace hallways weren’t lit late at night. There were a few candles set out here and there, but they didn’t illuminate much. She apparently didn’t need to see, however, as she guided them through the zigzag of empty halls with complete confidence. It was about four minutes before they were out in the snow.

She rapidly glanced around before giving her brother a nod. “Hurry on and get going. People usually don’t come out this exit, but you never know.”

“Goodbye, Quirisa.”

“Bye. Take care of each other.”

He turned away from her and took a few steps forward into the forest. They had to snake through the trees for a while to avoid being seen on the main path, which wasn’t a problem. Arquis had been through these woods enough times to know how to get out of them. It also helped that they were on a downhill slope; even if they got a little off track, they could reroute themselves easily at the base.

It was still rather cold, so he made sure to tighten his scarves around his face. The hot water bottles really helped. Their comforting warmth took the bite out of the freezing wind, which howled in his ears.

After a couple minutes of walking, he moved closer to Rin. He could barely see him in the darkness, but he could hear their steady footsteps. They would be more visible once they were out from under the cover of the trees and in the moonlight.

“Are you warm enough?” he asked quietly.

Rin stuck near Arquis, first on the way through the palace, then through the forest. They remained quiet for most of the trip, not wanting to interrupt Arquis's concentration on their current path. "I am perfectly fine." they replied softly. "What about yourself?" they were used to walking in all sorts of weather, and the cold didn't really bother them all that much.

“I am doing fine as well.” He ducked under a low hanging branch and readjusted the thermos in his pocket. The next time he spoke, it was extremely shy. “I am also quite glad that you are here.”

The forest was a bit scary in the dark, he had to admit. He’d grown up surrounded by it his whole life. He knew it well. Yet that didn’t stop him from seeing shadows moving in the corners of his vision or hearing imaginary footsteps caused by the crunch of his boots in the snow. He picked up the pace a tad, unnerved. Judging by his internal clock, they still had a lot of ground to cover in the woods, and he wanted to get it over with quickly.

Rin smiled softly, keeping pace with Arquis. "Mm, I am as well." they said softly. "Even if it is in…less than the ideal circumstances." they were still carrying their lute and bag; they always were, and were quite used to it.