The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Arquis groaned but accepted their request. He lifted his head and smiled sheepishly at Ari and Honey. Honestly, he hadn’t meant to go that far, though he had to admit that the tone of Rin’s voice had affected him. It was the way that he’d said darling that had finally done him in. He could feel a simmering sensation within him that urged him to keep going. Perhaps he needed to run a cold bath for himself. He was getting far too flustered. The blush on his face could’ve been spotted from a mile away.

Honey was grinning wildly, but he faked a pout for just a moment. “Bard,” he whined. “Why’d you make him stop? You were just getting to the fun part!”

“They were right.” Arquis, back to playing the gentleman, lightly caressed Rin’s hand. “My behavior was a bit inappropriate. I should not have acted in such a way in front of guests.”

“Really? ‘Cause as a guest, I, like, super disagree.”

Rin stayed snuggled close to Arquis, laughing a little bit at Honey's words. "My apologies, Honey, but we are not going to put on a show for you and Ari." they remarked, leaning against Arquis and looking over at Honey and Ari.

Ari laughed, grinning. "But it was so sweet to see." he replied.

“I gotta agree with you on that one, stranger. The two of them together is, like…” Honey let out a long, low whistle and fanned himself with his shirt. A small part of it was stuck to his skin due to sweat. He pinched it, adjusted his clothes, and then waggled his brows hopefully at Arquis.

“That is very kind of you to say, Honey,” Arquis responded with a laugh, “but the answer remains the same. Even if I was comfortable with the idea, which I am not, there are other reasons as to why it cannot occur. You are still in quite a rough condition.”

Honey scowled. “So? What’s that gotta do with any of this? It’s not like you’re forcing me to say or do any of this shit.” He clapped his hand over his mouth and glanced frantically at Ari. “You didn’t hear that.”

Ari frowned faintly, eyes flicking between the three. He didn't understand what was going on here, what Honey was talking about. He knew that Rin had written to him about something going on with Honey, so had Rin been right? Is that what was going on here? He had no idea, but he didn't want to pry if Honey didn't want to tell him.

Rin winced faintly at the exchange. "Let's find a new topic." they suggested softly.

It was Honey’s turn to sulk. He detached himself from Rin and Ari and repositioned so that he wasn’t touching them at all. His gaze remained glued to a point on the furthest wall. Outwardly, it probably appeared that he was angry with everyone else, but internally he was just upset with himself. They’d been having such a pleasant time, and he’d gone and said the wrong thing. Like always. He was overtaken with a sudden sense of desperation. They would be much better off if he wasn’t there. He’d intruded into their room, made them all uncomfortable multiple times, and couldn’t even think of a new topic to discuss. He wished he’d crushed that flower under his heel and never went to find Ari.

Arquis, needing to diffuse the odd tension in the room, started to speak. “Ari, how much time have you spent in Anvillea?”

Ari considered the question for a moment, a faint frown pulling at his mouth for a moment. "About three or four weeks." He replied slowly. "I have some family that lives here, so I was visiting them." He gave Arquis a quick smile. "I don't know Anvillean as well as I could or should, but I'm doing my best."

Rin snickered softly. "Yeah, because you kept getting distracted during lessons, idiot."

Ari stuck out his tongue. "He was hot, okay? It's not my fault that he was more interesting than our boring ass professor."

Something about what he’d said interested Arquis, but he didn’t quite know why. It wasn’t the thing about the hot man or whatever Rin was teasing him about. He tilted his head as he puzzled it out in his mind.

“The only people who regularly have specialized lessons with specific professors in Anvillea are the wealthy or influential. Others tend to either have collective lessons taught by locals or enter trades. Is that different in Kevra?”

Honey couldn’t help but listen. He had to admit that he was curious about the lives of the rich and powerful. He’d never had much coin growing up; he often went to bed famished and exhausted. While he’d finally saved enough of his funds from working at The Cecilia Rouge to live comfortably, the threat of poverty was one that he would never outrun. He couldn’t imagine having the time to sit around and receive actual lessons. Everything he’d learned had come from experience and a lot of practice.

"We took lessons together." Rin replied. "Ari and I and a few other people." his gaze flicked to Ari, then back to Arquis. He wasn't sure if Ari would be willing to admit that Ari was a nobleman. It might raise…a lot of questions about Rin themself, and Rin didn't know if he was ready to tell Arquis that truth just yet. It was a complicated and difficult thing.

Ari bit his lip faintly, trying to think of what to say or do now. "Yeah. My family has some money, so that's why we got the professor." he knew that Rin would not want to admit just who they were just now. Hopefully Arquis and Honey didn't ask too many questions.

The conversation was really starting to upset Honey. The more they talked about formal learning, the worse he felt about himself. He’d never learned science, mathematics, or other languages. He could barely even read. Even worse was the mention of money. Everyone in the room had grown up with enough cash to afford professors. He remembered having to share blankets and cots with his sister and eat hardened bread crusts from the trash. There had been several instances where he’d been screamed at and even beaten for stealing scraps. The things he’d done to survive hadn’t been pretty, but he’d made it. And now he was surrounded by people who’d never had to do that; people who had treated education like it was no big deal. He felt stupid. He hated feeling stupid.

Arquis nodded, sensing a bit of hesitation but not willing to push the topic. If they didn’t want to spill, they wouldn’t have to. He didn’t want to make things awkward again.

“I see. Ari, forgive me, but I am blanking on your occupation. What is it that you do for work? Are you a scholar?”

Ari hesitated. "I…" his brows drew together faintly. "I am not quite sure the word, in Anvillean." he replied slowly, cocking his head and still trying to think of what he was going to say. "I suppose I will be inheriting my father's position. If he allows it. He…may choose my younger brother instead." women were sometimes skipped over in Kevra; it wasn't supposed to happen, but it did, and Ari's family was not quite as accepting as they should have been. "But I suppose I am a bit of a scholar. And a gardener." he shrugged a little bit. "I would prefer gardening, to be honest. If I could just do that for the rest of my life, I'd be happy."

“Inheriting his position? Are you a noble?” Arquis asked, surprised. “In Anvillea, only the wealthy deal with matters of inheritance. Others might take over the occupations or crafts of their predecessors, but the rich and influential are the ones who actually inherit estates and titles.”

Honey scoffed and crossed his arms. To think that nobles were so worried over something as pretentious and impractical as titles really pissed him off. They’d hoarded and wasted money with reckless abandon while he’d fought for his life in the streets. He’d earned scars like badges of honor while they’d stuffed their faces with fancy pastries and fretted over who would get their golden baubles. It made his blood boil.

Ari's eyes moved to Rin again, unsure of how much he could safely say without endangering Rin's secrets. "It's…he's of a bit of importance." he replied, slow and careful. He glanced over at Honey when the blond scoffed, wondering what had upset him so much. Had Ari done something to make him angry? He fidgeted for a moment, running a hand through his still-damp hair.

The blond saw the glance and actually scowled, which was enough to distract Arquis. “Is there something you would like to say, Honey?” he asked patiently.

“Nah, sorry, wouldn’t wanna interrupt. I know that I’m a lesser rank and all, so I gotta wait my turn, right?”

That stung. The nobleman flushed, bit his lip, and said, “Of course not. I… I am not sure where this is coming from. Have I done something to offend you?”

“Offend me?” Honey let out an abrupt, brittle laugh and squeezed his arms tighter about himself. “Why would I be offended? You weren’t really talking about me, after all. Only the rich. The important people, yeah? All the rest of us—y’know, the others you kept mentioning—don’t really matter.”

“That is not at all what I said,” Arquis argued, only to be cut off.

“Y’know, all this talk about the past has got me wondering. Ari, is there anything you wanna ask me? You wanna ask where I’m from?” There was something dangerous in his eyes. “Or how about my work, huh? Wanna know what I’ve been doing while the rest of you were having your little lessons?”

Ari's gaze flicked between the other three, uncertain and worried. What could he say? Clearly Honey was upset and perhaps angry, and Ari was not quite sure what to say. "I don't need to ask anything, Honey. I may be curious, but it is not my place to pry. If you want to tell me something, I will listen." that was safe. Right? Saying that was the safe option. It had to be. He hoped it was, anyways. If it wasn't a safe option…then he did not know what would happen.

Rin winced, wrapping an arm around Honey and trying to soothe him a bit.

Honey tore a hand through his curls with such aggression that he actually ripped a few strands out. His whole body shook as his lungs heaved for air. He pulled Rin closer to himself and hid his face in their chest. It wasn't fair. Nothing that had happened to him had been fair. He wanted to pummel something and yell at the lot of them until his throat was hoarse, but he also felt like curling up and sobbing. He wished he had Sugar. She wouldn’t judge him for how he was acting or try to console him with painfully kind words. She would just cuddle with him until he felt better.

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” was what he finally said to Ari. His voice was muffled by Rin’s shirt. “It’s whatever.”

Rin wrapped his arms around Honey, gently running their hand over his curls. "It's alright, Honey." they said softly. "Promise. None of us are judging you for not having the same things we did. We're all privileged in some ways, and it's…we know that. Okay?" he knew he was privileged for his upbringing, but it didn't negate the abuse they had suffered. It also did not negate how difficult Ari's transition had been at times.

(heading to bed, goodnight!)

Honey felt pathetic. They’d read him so easily. He hadn’t even had to explain what was on his mind; Rin sometimes seemed to know him better than he knew himself. It saddened him to know that the bard would eventually leave. They might never see each other again, especially not if he and Ari went back to Kevra. He smushed his face even further against them and quietly groaned. He’d miss them. He really would.

“Okay. Sorry. That was real dramatic and all, I just…” He’d have to be careful with his wording. “So many people come here that’ve got money, and they always act like they can have whatever they want. Like they can buy anything or… or anyone. And they’re not always wrong, but it gets under my skin, y’know?”

Arquis remembered his father’s habits and felt incredibly guilty. There was no doubt that Aurisi was the type of person that Honey was talking about. He’d mostly brought women to the inn or met up with them, if Arquis’s memory served him right, but that didn’t mean that he’d never bribed any of the working women there. He saw the world as his for the taking. Everything could be bought if his offer was high enough.

“Oh. I am sorry, Honey,” he murmured.

“Nah, it’s fine. I know I shouldn’t be blaming you guys for stuff other people have done. Sorry.” He lifted his head and reached up to gently pinch Rin’s cheek. A devilish flicker of a smile curled his lips, and he looked over at Arquis. He playfully wiggled his hips. “Little did you know, this has all been a plot to steal your lover. They’re mine now.”

Arquis smiled, relieved. “Ah. Of course.” He leaned over to peck Rin’s cheek. “Do you feel sufficiently stolen, my love?”

Rin listened quietly, still gently holding Honey. He laughed at the blond's statement. "Ah, I suppose I do." He replied, laughing as they returned Arquis's soft kiss. "A pity, but I suppose it cannot be helped." His gaze flickered over to Ari, and he spoke in Kevran this time, laughing as he spoke.

Ari snorted, shaking his head and laughing a bit as he shot back a retort in the same language. Clearly the use of Kevran had just been their way to keep the words spoken between them, and Ari switched into Anvillean again after only a moment. "Rin, you're awful." He commented, still laughing.

Rin stuck his tongue out for a moment, then turned to cough into his elbow. "Shush, you."

Arquis watched the exchange, at first with curiosity and then with amusement. Honey looked equally interested. The blond moved up Rin’s body and cupped his face in his hands, running his thumbs down their temples. It was a romantic gesture that was clearly all for show; he snuck a glance at Arquis to make sure he was still watching.

“Awful, huh? Wanna tell us what you said?” He leaned in as if he was about to kiss them, then paused and looked at Ari. His voice had taken on that deep, sultry tone again, the one Arquis now knew was performative. “Or how about you, handsome? It’s rude to keep a man in suspense. Are you gonna make me beg for it?”

“Goodness,” Arquis laughed, draping an arm over his eyes. Honey broke the scene for just a second to grin, then turned to look at Ari once more.

Rin was still coughing for a bit. He was better, yes, but still not one hundred percent, and this was just evidence of that. Ari reached out and handed them a glass of water, which they gratefully took. "I'm not telling." they told Honey, once they had recovered enough from their coughing fit.

Ari smirked. "Maybe I will." he replied, leaning just a little bit closer to Honey, a teasing glint in his eyes as he closed the distance between them until their faces were nearly touching. "You're very easy on the eyes, Honey." he remarked after a moment, voice quieter now because of how close they were to each other.

Arquis placed his hand on his partner’s back until their coughing fit had subsided. He was still rather worried about him, but at least their fever wasn’t as high as before. They might have a nasty cough for a while, though that cough didn’t seem like it would be truly dangerous. He’d just have to keep an eye on it.

Honey flushed, but he wasn’t going to give in so easily. He pushed himself off of Rin and shifted so that he was pinning Ari to the mattress. His calves bracketed his stomach; his hands were loosely wrapped around the other man’s wrists. He looked down at them and raised a brow.

“Mm, yeah? Now I really wanna know.” He let go of one of his forearms to tug on his shirt collar, pulling him close again. He wetted his lips slowly. In response to the compliment, he purred, “And you’re not too bad yourself, y’know. Wasn’t joking about that whole business earlier.”

Rin leaned his head on Arquis's shoulder, watching Ari and Honey with amusement in their gaze. He had no idea how serious either of them was, if they were sreious at all, but it was still entertaining to watch.

Ari smirked just a little bit, letting Honey move him about. He reached up to trace around the collar of Honey's shirt, hooking his finger into it. "And I was serious when I said sex does not interest me without an emotional or romantic component." he replied. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to get to know you better."

“And when you get to know me better, then…” Honey bit his lower lip hard and tipped his head back, whimpering softly. He panted a couple of times for effect before turning his gaze back on the other man. He was smirking. All of it was for show; he wouldn’t actually break Ari’s trust like that and cross the boundary that he’d set. But he figured that if the other man was alright with acting and playing around, then there was no harm in him joining in.

Arquis gently patted his partner’s knee. He, too, was watching the show. It was both mortifying and rather funny. In Rin’s ear, he murmured, “I would still like to know what you said, by the way.”

Ari laughed a little bit, gaze following Honey and smirking a little bit. "Perhaps." he agreed, gently pulling on the collar of Honey's shirt. "Though I am not sure you will still want to by then." he couldn't help the way that sentence slipped out, couldn't help his own insecurity with his body. Most days he looked in the mirror and he liked how he looked now, but he knew so many guys that had turned cold after finding out more about him. "But if you do…we'll see."

Rin turned to Arquis. "I'll tell you later." he replied softly, not wanting to interrupt Honey and Ari, and also not wanting to give away what they had said just yet. "Just remind me."

(I think we’re both on the same page but just to make sure Honey doesn’t know at this point that Ari is trans)

Honey fist-pumped and grinned. He gave Ari a quick peck on the temple in his excitement, then froze, apologized, and rolled over to Rin. As if he didn’t know that Arquis and Rin had been watching the whole thing, he eagerly filled them in. It was an odd jumble of sentences involving a lot of hand gestures that made the nobleman blush. When the blond was done, he returned to Ari and tapped him on the tip of his nose.

“Looking forward to getting to know you, stranger. All of you, hopefully.” He paused for emphasis and winked. “Oh, you’ve gotta meet Sugar! And Lovey. Have you met my sister? She’s gonna love you.”

(correct; Ari hasn't told him, and there's no physical markers that Honey can see that would give it away)

Ari watched him, laughing a little bit and smiling up at the blond. "I don't believe I've met your sister, though I could be wrong." he replied, pushing himself up on his elbows a little bit. "I'm sure she's wonderful." he had no clue who Sugar was, though he surmised that Lovey was Honey's sister.

Rin watched, smiling softly. Maybe this would turn out well; Ari and Honey could be a good fit together, and he knew both of them wanted and deserved someone kind and good and loving. Plus, Ari's slow, careful attitude towards sex might be helpful for Honey, considering the things the blond had gone through and had told them about.

Honey was rambling now, visibly growing more and more excited. “Do you like dogs? If you don’t like dogs, that’s not a dealbreaker. Dreamboat over there isn’t a fan, but, like, he’s already taken, so that doesn’t really matter. And gardening—you like gardening! Oh, I’ve gotta show you some of the flowers around here when it warms up. Springtime is gorgeous. Smells like this whole place is doused in perfume or something—that’s how many flowers there are!—and it’s so damn pretty. And there’s a farmer’s market in the closest village! There’s this woman who sells the best berry sorbet I’ve ever had. Do you like ice cream?”

Arquis stifled his laughter so that he wouldn’t interrupt Honey. He looked over and saw Rin’s smile, and his heart soared. They looked lovely. All he could hope for, really, was that his partner was happy.

Ari grinned. "I love dogs." he replied softly. "And ice cream." he let Honey ramble, just listening to the blond's excited chatter. He didn't mind, and Honey seemed so happy to just be able to talk and ramble about his favorite things about the local area. But at the same time, it made Ari more nervous for what Honey's reaction might be when Ari inevitably had to tell him the truth about his body and how he was born.

Rin kissed Arquis's cheek softly, snuggling close to Arquis.

Arquis was slightly less optimistic about this new relationship. While he trusted Ari not to intentionally harm, manipulate, or force Honey into anything—or at least he certainly hoped any friend of Rin’s wouldn’t do such things—he also knew that the blond had some pretty messed up ideas about his self-worth. He wasn’t sure if Honey had ever been in a healthy relationship. Boundaries would undoubtedly be tough for him. The nobleman had no doubt that if Ari asked for sex at that very moment that Honey would make a joke and comply, whether he wanted it or not. He wasn’t sure how much of his innuendos and teasing had been genuine interest. The blond had been taught that the only people who wanted him were those that had cruel intentions—who wanted him only for his body. Unlearning that mindset would be incredibly difficult. Perhaps he thought that the only way to earn and keep Ari’s attention was through physical attraction.

Honey, finally out of steam, let his head thump onto Ari’s chest. He sighed contentedly. “Damn, now I want ice cream.”

“It is midday,” Arquis reminded him.

“Mm, but it’s so good.”

(Aww I just thought of, like. later on when Ari and Honey actually have a more established relationship and Ari is like, at the point where he would feel comfortable with sex, and at this point he knows about what Honey's gone through and so he and Honey are,,, y'know, kinda in the foreplay stages and Ari's like "do you really want this or are you just doing this because you think I want this?" and Honey's,,, yeah. he has a hard time with that, maybe, bc like. maybe he doesn't want it all that much but he wants to try bc he cares about Ari but he's also doing it bc he thinks that's what Ari wants/needs in order to keep loving him and I just. Ari just cupping his cheeks and being like "I love you whether or not we do this, but I don't want to do this if you don't truly want to" and Honey just. breaks down. jskjafgd idk man, I'm tired and rambling but I think it'd be cute and sweet and also a bit sad)

Ari laughed a little bit, reaching up to gently rest one hand on Honey's back. "Ice cream sounds delicious." he agreed, closing his eyes and smiling softly. "Cold and sweet and tasty. I assume. I have not had Anvillean ice cream. I would assume it is the same or similar to the kind made in Kevra, in any case."

Rin smiled. "I don't think I want any, but if the rest of you do…" they trailed off, shrugging a shoulder and watching Honey and Ari for another long moment. He knew a relationship could be difficult for the both of them, but he thought that maybe it could work out. It would be difficult, and they would have to communicate with each other and maybe make some compromises, but it would be okay. Maybe. Hopefully.