skybreath

[skybreath]

upon descending his dragon and making his way towards the tavern, he certainly hadn't expected to find the high lord of the autumn court muttering to himself. bensen had a healthy dose of distrust in the other high rulers, his urge to protect yijun and the people he loved always paramount. but they did intrigue him, as did the possibility of actually getting to visit the other courts one day. "well, there's always one way that's sure as dragon fire for getting one in a better mood." he winks, pulling one riding glove off before biting the tip of the other and tugging it from his hand. "why don't you join me for a drink, fire lord?"

open starter from high lord suho ashway.

There had been a tiring panic within him that echoed in his mind, it made things almost unclear where they stood, he did his best to remain calm in the face of the uncertain, even if he did not indeed feel that way. it was out doors where he could feel grounded feeling the freezing breeze, a breeze that somehow lacked the earthiness that the autumn forest provided, that smell of home. the vastness of the dusk court did not help him feel any less trap top his demised . "what had began as a growing irritation is not a thorn on my side," he sighs as he feels someone else in the near. "pardon me, i am not a good companion at the moment." if he ever was.

[skybreath]

he has but a single mission at the markets today, though the amount of pretty things he's encountered along the way work to stray him from his true path. bensen has always tended to have a taste for the finer things in life, though one could blame his parents entirely for indulging him. he'd grown up with velvet lounges and jewels adorning his fingers, silver candlesticks that accompanied feasts in his household. it's no wonder he's drawn immediately to the sight of velvet and all that they place upon it. ben's eyes flick up to the merchant's face before returning to the perfume bottle, picking it up and watching as the brief amount of sun on the horizon casts through it. "do you think this says 'i'm sorry that i stood you up because i got stuck in a meeting'?" he questions, serious even as a playful sile appears on his face. he may not particularly have feelings for those that he brings to his bed, but he doesn't fancy hurting the feelings of those that he does. "or should i aim a little higher considering she's a barmaid at my favourite tavern and has the means to poison me."

( 𐫱 ) 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘆, 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁, 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁. don't  blame  them  for  taking  advantage  of  the  hustle  and  bustle  amidst  the  news.  even  dusk  court  fae  in  a  scurry  have  to  find  trinkets  and  wayward  purchases  for  their  upcoming  birthdays  and  celebrations.  zorya  has  half  a  mind  to  rent  out  this  stall  for  the  foreseeable  future,  until  they  depart  from  the  court  (  whenever  that  might  be  ),  but  utilising  this  space  is  good  enough  for  now.  bringing  out  their  wares  —  which  may  or  may  not  have  been  hazardously  borrowed  from  unassumpting  places,  and  also  left  over  from  their  time  in  the  capital  )  they  begin  to  arrange  them  against  a  velveteen  backdrop.  purple,  in  hue,  to  dull  out  the  light  that  might  cast  on  them  and  make  them  accidentally  disappear.  must  everything  be  so  difficult?  “if  you  wish  to  stop  for  something,  i  have  plenty  for  you  to  look  at,”  address  they  to  who  approaches,  a  shadow  casting,  and  they  do  not  look  up,  pressing  an  array  of  lockbox  keys,  and  then  a  perfume  bottle,  and  then  a  shawl,  out.  bits  and  bobs,  really.  “if  there's  anything  that  i  don't  have,  that  you're  interested  in,  i  can  get  it  for  you.  reasonably."

[skybreath]

[skybreath]

it seemed to be his perpetual duty to be somewhat like a father figure to the younger members of the spring family, though orion would hardly complain. if the cauldron had blessed him, he would have had far more children than just the two. "i'm glad you've found some joy while we're stuck here. i'm interested to see how different the songs here are to our own." always a scholar, always searching for what there is to be known. he falls into step with her as they head away from the archives, though he knows it will welcome him back later. "i'm certain that whatever you play is beautiful whether you have company or not." his smile is a soft thing, a similar one that his daughter receives. "have you been feeling well recently?"

Narcissa always feels at ease with orion, a father figure of sorts whom she had often looked up to, she always knew the archives of spring where a safe place because of him. "it has been a long while since i was challenged when it came to music, its so very refreshing i cannot help but wanting to devour it all while i have a chance." it was how she always lived, with borrowed minutes and hope she could accomplished anything in case the faiths tired of keeping her around. although surprisingly after the magics return she felt stronger, her illness hadn't stricken since then. "i would love the company, music is only as beautiful if it has an audience, wouldn't you agree?" she replies with a wide smile.

[skybreath]

he has no qualms with concealing information when it comes to the good of his own court. it keeps his high lord safe, his family safe, as well as the rest of the people he loves so dearly. in some ways, it goes against his nature as a scribe, his believe that information is there to be shared and consumed freely. but the day court was an old enemy, and unless his high lord plans on peace between the two courts, orion will respect as much. "all of the texts relate to each other and helps me gather better notes on my topic at hand." he answers in kind, for while their courts are not aligned, he has no reason to be rude to his fellow scholar. his gaze drops, taking in the hidden title and repressed a smile. they really were all alike, weren't they? "have you not been working on your own research, algernon?" he teases idly, leaning back in his chair to survey the scholar.

( 𐫱 ) 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗲. parchment  quick  to  be  hidden  beneath  the  page,  whilst  algernon  eyes  it,  then  intakes  a  breath  and  brings  himself  steady.  see,  this  is  the  reason  he  never  wished  to  be  part  of  the  inner  circle.  he  feels  as  though  he  has  been  trained  to  see  the  worst,  to  look  outside  the  scribed  words  upon  the  written  page.  and  that  simply  doesn't  do,  not  to  someone  who  intrinsically  wishes  to  study.  if  he  could  have  hidden  away  upon  a  mountaintop  in  the  dusk  court,  and  never  been  bothered,  algernon  would  have  chosen  that  willingly  as  his  fate.  “all  of  them  at  once?”  genuine  surprise  in  a  scholar's  tone.  instead  of  attempting  to  peruse  the  scroll  —  wouldn't  it  be  terrible  if  his  own  research  bleeds  out  throughout  the  rumours  bustling  through  the  halls?  —  he  skims  one  of  the  manuscript  titles,  offering  a  further  surprised  laugh.  “good  grief.  i've  not  seen  a  historical  tome  that  thick  since  we've  departed  the  capital.” in  truth,  algernon  didn't  think  the  dusk  court  capable  of  keeping  such  extensive  records,  but  in  the  same  vein,  there  seems  to  not  be  much  else  to  do.  a  tome  of  his  own  choice  rests  spine  -  downwards  in  the  crook  of  his  hand,  legends  of  …  just  visible  beyond  his  skin.

[skybreath]

he tends to make it his business to know of his counter parts in other courts. at the very least, he ensures he knows who they are if he ever has need of allying with another court for their information. one of the positives about having been cooped up in the same place as the entire continent has been the ability to match faces to names, get a sense of their nature. "yes, i've seen you between the stacks a few times, cerys." it was the nature of scribes to find themselves in the archives no matter what court they were in, all of them seeming to find the same comfort amount the history of the nation. his mouth near pulls into a smile at her next sentence, entirely unsurprised to find another scholar chasing down the same kind of path that orion was. "i have found one that speaks a little of vegetation here, but nothing else that you nor i wouldn't find in our own courts." his gaze pierces her own, brow creasing. "i don't think the scholars of this court have left all their tomes on the shelves."

the scholar had been drawn to the library of the dusk court as much as she would at any other court. though it was not her beloved stacks of knowledge at the dawn court, it held still a certain comfort, a familiarity when surrounded by knowledge, the smell of books throughout the ages something she could relax in, at least for a moment. though the situation in their world seem precarious and fragile at best, within these stacks she could pretend for a moment all was well. when cerys had entered the library, she hadn't been looking for a tome in particular, more so browsing to see what might be held differently here than in the dawn court. but she takes note of a figure, several books upon the desk scattered about with another in his hand. a sight she was certain many had seen her in before too, curiosity gets the better of her as she steps closer. " i am not one to judge, i'm sure i have been found similarly before by others. " cerys glances over the texts open, " not one in particular, no, though i am curious if any of these are exclusive to the dusk court, ones that we would not find anywhere else. are they ? "

[skybreath]

it's a welcome reprieve from his own thoughts to hear the interruption of her voice. raising his gaze from the book in his hands, it catches on the lone archeson sister. "hello, dear one." he greets, kindness in his tone as it often is for the archeson siblings. he closes the book, setting it aside as he nods, gaze flicking back up to the stacks before him. "already? that was quick. there is more though, hold on a moment." fingers trail over the spines of the books before he finds the right one, picking a few sheets out that he thinks she might like. "would you mind some company while you play? i should take a break."

closed starter for lord orion kwon — @skybreath

Narcissa had mastered yet another piece of music, her fingers devoured the music notes faster than a child with a slice of cake. having access to new music, music she had never played before set her mood in an euphoric manner. she's giddy as she walks into the archives, her eyes swiping amongst the faces until she recognizes one. "orion," she says approaching with quick steps, "i have finished this music sheet, i was wondering if there is more?" she asks in a ramble of words, itching to return to her piano. "the snow piles outside you see, it is the perfect weather to be bound to a piano."

[skybreath]

"it is not all i think of you, but it's a part of you that can't be denied." she deadpans, head shaking in quiet amusement. his son had taken after him in some aspects, apparently choosing to lift from the wilds of his youth before he'd met josefina. he'd hoped such stories would never reach his son's ears, but the court had seemed keen on passing them down regardless of such wishes. "you will always have our help. perhaps not always our high lord's patience, but we'll deal with that if we need to." he squeezes his shoulder gently, smile softening as he surveys him. "but my boy, if there comes a time where you know in your marrow that this is not something that will ever bring you happiness, i won't think less of you if you leave it behind."

his eyes round out amused disbelief — “is that all that you think of me?” he wasn't even mad, moreso shocked at the accuracy. at the end of the day, josie and orion knew him well: iain was his father's son, through and through. he was well acquainted with the legendary days of orion's youth and it seemed, was destined to follow in his footsteps. "i know," iain grins, layering his hand atop his father's and squeezing back in turn. "i am grateful for both of your help. honestly. i would be a ship lost in the night without you both. without everyone's help, truly. they've all been so kind as i learn the ropes."

[skybreath]

it was frustrating as always to not have all the information at his fingertips. he's not unrealistic enough to think he will ever know all there is to be discovered in this world or any other, but he doesn't think that wanting answers to their current predicament was too much to ask. brows flick up briefly in acknowledgement, head nodding. "i've read it before, i'm merely re-reading it to refresh my memory. if you're going to be here a while, you can take it with you then." he offers it in kind, the tome hardly detrimental to his own research. orion still finds it difficult to wrap his head around the fact that dragons truly exist when not a single person he's met had laid eyes on the best...until now. now, they're in plain sight, yet all the information about them is locked away. "strange to think that their existence was passed of ass mere folklore for so long. makes one wonder how much else could be real and hidden away, perhaps here as well." a smile quirks the corner of his mouth, almost conspiratorial as he directs it as yurim. "i've had the same thought about hidden books. perhaps we could search for them together."

“  thank  you  .”  she  grabbed  the  book  ,  her  tone  barely  touched  by  any  surprise.  yurim  expected  that  he  wouldn’t  have  any  satisfying  answer  to  give  her.  and  she  feared  that  no  living  being  other  than  the  king  could  unwrap  those  sealed  questions.   if  that  was  the  case,  she  wouldn’t  have  turned  to  books,  a  company  she  preferred  anyway  to  those  of  most  faes.  turning  back  to  her  pile  (  threatening  to  collapse  any  moment  ),  her  gaze  fell  to  the  tome  of  the  other,  sparking  her  interest  as  well  as  some  impudence  as  she  spoke  again.  “  have  you  finished  reading  this  ?”  yurim  asked,  expression  disrupted  by  the  slightest  raise  of  a  brow,  leaning  forward  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  open  book.  “  i  fear  so.  And  I  also  doubt  they’d  publicly  display  books  possessing  such  knowledge.  there  must  be  some  sort  of  a  secret  library  …  i  mean  these  flying  lizards  have  been  hidden  away  from  us  for  who  knows  how  long,"  she  shivered  slightly,  still  not  used  to  seeing  those  odd  creatures  occupying  the  sky  "  hiding  some  books  shouldn’t  be  too  difficult.”

[skybreath]

he watches the way her gaze flits over his books, settling on the spines on the ones in her own hands. "i am always busy with research." though he has not found as much as he would like in the library here, unsurprisingly. he knows full well that he has his own selection of books in the spring court that he keeps locked away at all times and he suspects they are much the same here. though he doesn't like how little he's found on healing magic and empowerment spells even with that in mind. "you seem to have plenty of your own reading planned." he nods to the ones in her arms, offering a thin lipped smile.

"no, that’s alright," jia hums — eying the colour of the tomes in his stack. from that alone, she knows none of them are of her interest anyway. from what she’d come to understand of the situation with the young king, jia doubted any of the books in front of him would help. she is careful not to offer this information, gathered from growing up in these libraries — bleeding them dry in the desolate years of her grief. let the old man tire himself out reading, straining his poor eyes while he poured over each line. besides, she didn’t really want to offer her name to another mainlander. she clutches her own humble stack of books to her chest, titles hidden between copies of adventure fiction. “you’re clearly very busy with important research.”

[skybreath]

"the woes of having a duty." he teases gently, his tone as soft as his smile to show that he was only joking. he's not terribly surprised by the way his new role chafes at him, well aware of the fact that he had granted plenty of freedom while iain was growing up. he hadn't wanted his son to end up like him, rebellious and pushing boundaries to outrun expectations. "perhaps spend less of that time speaking to pretty females, hm?" then his smile drops into a frown, his hand reaching out to grip iain's shoulder and squeeze gently. "i know it feels chaffing to bear the weight of new responsibility. it's made even more overwhelming by the circumstances we've all found ourselves in, but you will always have your mother and i to lean on."

"too busy," he groans, burying his face into the crook of his arm. when he took on his ambassadorship, iain thought he would have more time to get fully immersed into the role. with a handful of years on his side, he envisioned that he would be a perfect bloom in the garden of spring, a cicada song perfectly in tune with the diplomatic bodies of the other court. instead, he was here: all but tugging out the last few strands of dark hair he had left in his rapidly silvering hair. "my throat hurts all the time because of all the talking i'm doing." this was a startling realization for the male who had been born with the gift of the gab. one he was sure his father could remedy. "pa—" iain croaks, his hoarse voice coated with horror and alarm, "i didn't know i could sound like this."

[skybreath]

the corner of his mouth turns upwards in a smile as he listens to her, the way she approached raising their children always having aligned well with his own. it's why he had been so taken with her when they'd first met. orion doesn't much believe in cosmic forces when it comes to emotion, but seeing josefina with his son for the first time was the only thing close to convincing him. "i told her much the same already, don't worry." he hums thoughtfully at her statement, knowing she was right, though he's more focussed on whatever news she had to share. i am with child. immediately, a smile tugs his mouth wide, one hand reaching out to rest against her waist. "are you certain? fina, that's..." his mind catches up half a second later, his joy turning to ash, and he drops his hand as if she's burned him. orion's gaze falls to the floor, unable to look at her as the moments of suspicion and tension he's felt all fall into place. he shouldn't be surprised as he is, but it shocks him all the same to know that she had been with another man. she had been with another man and just like that, he is no longer the only father of her children. "who is he?"

hearing   the   statement   that   their   hundred   and   seventy   year   old   daughter   wanted   to   explore   on   her   own   was   not   what   she   had   hoped   to   hear.   having   to   tell   her   that   she   could   not   go   out   on   her   own   in   a   court   that   she   barely   even   knew   herself   was   not   going   to   happen.   "absolutely   not.   she   will   not   be   exploring   the   land   on   her   own.   if   she   doesn't   want   one   of   us   she   can   go   with   her   brother."   iain   was   capable   enough   of   keeping   her   out   of   trouble   at   the   very   least.   "yes   the   dusk   court   is   keeping   their   tomes   hidden   from   us,   we   would   have   done   the   same   thing   if   they   were   in   our   court.   that   is   not   my   concern   at   all."   she   paused   as   he   stepped   closer   to   her.   "i   am   with   child."

[skybreath]

while there wasn't exactly a threat hanging over their heads, such drastic change in the king and them all being without power for a time felt like one. it had helped to centre him once more on what was most important to him, putting aside the research he'd be so engulfed in for years. he'd started instead on looking into the magic they'd been facing, and reconnecting with his family again. iain and mairi had been simple, but josie was much harder. "i did, but she thinks she needs space to explore this court without her parents watching over her." the last thing he wants is to be like his own father, overbearing and stifling, but he will not allow danger to come to his children either. "if it's that you think the dusk court has hidden most of it's tomes from us, i've started to suspect the same thing." he teases idly, shedding his coat before he makes his way back over to stand before her. "what is it, are you alright?"

the   king   and   his   actions   were   something   that   the   commander   had   been   keeping   an   eye   on   herself.   the   last   thing   she   would   wait   for   was   instruction   of   that.   not   only   was   she   concerned   of   what   it   meant   for   each   of   the   courts,   but   also   her   family.   iain   was   naive,   mairi   was   rebellious,   and   orion   was   distracted.   the   last   time   that   they   had   been   remotely   romantic   with   each   other   was   not   something   that   she   could   recall.   “hello,   love.”   the   distance   between   them   had   grown   so   large   that   she   knew   when   she   revealed   her   news   to   him   that   he   would   likely   know   that   it   wasn't   his.   "of   course,   she's   at   the   age   where   she   thinks   that   she   can   make   the   best   decisions   for   herself.   perhaps   asking   her   what   she   needs   in   these   times   will   help   you   in   getting   her   better   advice."   josie   had   grown   up   with   an   overbearing   father,   he   was   constantly   on   her   to   be   something   great.   the   commander   held   the   same   for   her   children   but   would   never   push   them   to   point   that   her   father   did.   if   mairi   did   not   want   what   she   wanted   she   wouldn't   push   her.   “there's   something   else   that   i   need   to   tell   you.”

[skybreath]

it's not a rare for him to spend most of his time in the library. back in the spring court, he'd practically turned a corner of it into a second office, sprawling books all around, notes literally his desk, and him snarking at anyone who dare interfere with his system. orion certainly has no authority to do so, but he's done much the same in the dusk court. a table he'd found had been dragged into a corner, three books open and another in one hand as he scrubbles notes on parchment. he's so consumed in his work that he doesn't even hear anyone coming, looking up only when a shadow passes over the paper. "i'm afraid that while it may look indulgent, i do need all of these books." he hides his parchment underneath of of them, unwilling to let anyone but his high lord see what he is working on. "though if you need one of them, i can find you once i'm done with it to pass it along."

[skybreath]

*   /   closed for ; iain kwon ( @slivertm  ).

while his daughter seemed to have reached an age where she could not care less for his presence, he feels all the closer to his son since the boy joined the inner circle. pride was paramount in him for such a fact, his children always viewed in his eyes as his greatest accomplishment despite his academic success. worry for them would always be prevalent too, orion far too haunted by the sins of his past to ever make the same careless mistakes again. it's why he leaves his sanctuary of the library, seeking out his boy and settling at his side. "how are you faring, my boy?" he questions, voice light and open, seeking only the truth from him. "have your duties kept you busy?"

[skybreath]

*   /   closed for ; josefina kwon ( @ethercvl  ).

he's perhaps grown impossibly more protective since they've arrived in the dusk court. despite their powers returning to them, their king acting the way he does now leaves him on edge. his daughter was already sick of his hovering for the day, sending him on his way and putting him on the path to his final destination. the door to their room closes quietly behind him, a smile offered when his gaze falls upon josefina. "hello, darling." his hand twines gently around her own, raising it to his lips to press a brief kiss there before he continues into their room. the distance between them had crept up on him, the connection between them a mere sliver of what it once was. but that hardly changed the fact that she was his wife, the mother of his children. he doubts he could stop caring for her if he tried. "i'd forgotten how stubborn a 170 year old could be. mairi could not be less interested in taking my advice at the moment."

[skybreath]

the unknown bothered him. he could admit that with a whole world and the mystical forces that encompassed it, it was impossible for him to know all there was to discover. but when it came to things like this where it affected him, his family, his court? it bothered him that he didn't have any answers for them. shockingly, he's leafing through yet another book, brow furrowed in concentration before his peace is disturbed. raising his head, the corner of his mouth tugs upward as he hums quietly in acknowledgement. "it's temperatures are certainly no exaggeration. the first time i went there, i spent the whole time cursing the damn cauldron for creating such a place."

open starter

no  part  of  kai  was  settled  about  all  of  this.  he  appeared  collected,  unbothered  as  usual,  but  inside  he  was  growing  more  concerned  by  the  day.  he'd  never  really  cared  much  for  the  monarchy,  but  the  rumbling  of  a  child  being  king,  arrogance  and  cockiness  growing  by  the  day…  it  was  concerning.  but  the  young  autumn  lord  brushed  all  that  aside,  and  simply  glanced  around  at  the  skies  as  he  stood  in  one  of  the  many  gardens.  how  things  flourished  here  with  little  light  was  interesting.  "  now  that  we've  fully  left  autumn,  i  can  say  with  complete  confidence  i  may  never  wish  to  visit  the  winter  court.  "  it  was  just  a  little  too  cold  for  the  autumn  fae.