[Claude lets the quiet stretch on as he polishes off his steak, washing it down with more wine. He can hold his alcohol, but it and the food are both making him feel pleasantly fuzzy, so he doesn't feel the need to rush Hayame. Even in silence, he enjoys her company.]
Huh. [He had no idea what she'd ask, or say, but it wasn't that.] I didn't expect we'd have that in common... What's he like?
[Proud and cold, like Hayame? Competitive like his own brothers? He hoped, at least, that he wasn't cruel to her as Shahid was to him. Not having a throne to compete over had to help, but jinba were surely under all kinds of other pressures that would strain a sibling relationship.]
[As much as she sometimes wished for it, there was no comfort for her to be found in drink- no pleasant haziness or soft blur. She was a little jealous of humans for that, sometimes.]
I have many half-siblings, actually. But only Yubari and I look passable as brother and sister.
[They both were spitting images of their dam, and so each other. They were closest in age, just one foaling season apart. Birthed when the broodmare forced to bear them was younger, before she started losing them more frequently before finally succumbing to one that wouldn’t come out. But she doesn’t know anything about that Armless woman beyond what she looked like from a distance, and how she sounded when sent off to stud. Yubari, though-]
… He is the only one I trusted. And the only one who believed in me- that a mare could become a warlord’s horse.
[Something to have in common… her gaze grows distant, her fingers rub absently along the stem of her wine glass. What was he like… ? Even that, she would have known better if she herself were less cold, and more kind… if she had let him call her “sister” in public…]
He was not as good a shot as I am, but he was a fine archer. A better craftsman- he made my arrows. He was loyal… more understanding. … Kinder.
[(If she went back… if she survived by some miracle… Perhaps she could apologize-)]
[It's perhaps the first time he's heard an admission from her, even indirectly, that she values things like understanding and kindness, to mention them as positive traits in her brother. He smiles, bittersweet though it is.]
It sounds to me like he admired you. [Even if it riles him to realise her best goal had been to be someone's horse, once.] Honestly, I'd like to meet him someday.
[When all this is over, and her world is restored. It still might sound like a fanciful idea now, but it's one he's determined to cling to.]
It's for the best that he isn't caught up in all this here, though.
[If pressed, she would deny that she valued those things. They were just traits, that's all, easy ways to compare her with Yubari. Weaknesses that men were allowed to have, and women were not.
But.]
To his misfortune, yes.
[He had admired her. He was the only one who had, who hadn't been scared off by her demeanor and her iron, who was willing to help her prove herself as a warrior despite how she treated him, and it had nearly gotten him killed... and now risked being labeled a traitor's brother. She almost says that Claude surely wouldn't be able to meet him, that if Zenith were right it wasn't for the best at all, he was gone with her world, but-
She refuses to believe that.
Her lips purse again in thought, lapsing into silence before her fingers leave her glass to find the gold chain around her neck, the one that disappeared into the tight bindings around her breasts.]
Can I? I'd love to. [Claude's eyes light up, and he's already getting to his feet; it would be far too awkward to lean across the table, so he moves to Hayame's side instead to better see the sunbeam.]
It can be a nice little introduction to what I'll see in person, eventually.
[An idea he's not going to let drop in a hurry, whether it's a reasonable one or not.]
[At the party Liem Talbott had organized in Alenroux, when Claude had stumbled upon her in the makeshift privacy of one of the tents, she had hidden her bead from him. From everyone, not just him. But now she has offered, and he has accepted, come over to her, and so... she pulls the iliachtida from her tight breast bindings and cups the bead part in her hand.
Her lips purse, again, over his assertion that he will see it for himself... But she doesn't tell him he won't. She just thinks it.
Slowly, an image coalesces in the bead's surface. A military camp, mostly human, setting up for the night, and amongst their number is a male centaur with an unmistakable similarity in looks to Hayame- the same mane, the same sort of face, the same dun coat. He sees to his duties, unpacking and preparing supplies...]
That is Yubari.
[Where she'd sent him, back to their master to tell him the location of the hidden village where she'd been taken prisoner... now back to take the village by storm. On this day, the day that repeats itself over and over in her bead... He probably didn't even know if she was still alive.
[He watches as the image takes shape, and the jinba's resemblance to Hayame is striking, even if she hadn't said a word to explain who he is. Claude watches 'Yubari' assemble supplies, he wonders how many times Hayame has watched this scene play out, just how often she'd been alone with that sad expression and the iliachtida in her hand.
More often than she'd ever admit, he supposes, given how she had reacted back in Alenroux. What would she say to him, if she ever saw her brother again in person? Maybe she'd simply struggle to find the words, as she often does.
His hand finds her shoulder, and he squeezes gently, now more sober than before.]
You'll see him again.
[She would get there, and things will be different, and they'll be reunited. They have to believe that it's possible.]
[Claude’s wonderings were probably right. Hayame has watched this scene, and the other scenes that the sunbeam bead deigned to show her, countless nights since she had been given it by the Tribune. At first, she told herself she was looking for signs of falsehood in it, just trying to make sure that she wasn’t being deceived, that it was something she could trust in… but she’d eventually had to admit that it wasn’t that. That she was just lonely, the only jinba in a strange world when there were so many others who deserved to survive and would fight better for her world and its people than she could. That she felt if she didn’t look and remind herself of what home was supposed to look like and be like that she would go mad amidst the strange sights and experiences of Kenos.
But it had always been alone. She’s never shown anyone else what was inside. Even just the brief scene feels too exposed, too raw, like she’d ripped open her breast to show off her auxiliary heart. So after just a beat more, just long enough to watch Yubari set a crate down and look off towards the mountain with a worried expression on his face…
Hayame withdraws Meridian’s energy from the bead and cuts the vision. Her fingers curl around it and then banish it back to the tight confines of her breast bindings, and-]
Your food will grow cold.
[She says that, but. Her head has turned slightly, inward and to the side, just enough so that her cheek could rest against his knuckles where his hand rested on her shoulder.]
That's what you're worried about? [He teases, but his voice is gentle, leaning in to press a kiss to her hair. He knows it's not food that's on her mind, not really. That the worry on her brother's face for her was surely a reflection of her own feelings.]
We'll make it in time, and both your brother and the village will be safe. I'll do everything I can to make that happen.
[It sounded like bluster, but he had once saved an entire continent from destruction. Why couldn't he somehow find a way to save all the people Hayame cared for, too? They had to try.]
[He always sounds so blissfully confident and sure when he says those things, and Hayame thinks that a lesser woman (a more trusting woman, a softer woman) would be tempted just to believe him because of that. She can't, though. She almost regrets it, but she can't. Not that easily.
... But he had promised to be on her side, and so she cannot blame him for being there, either. Still, what is she supposed to say to those foolhardy, heroic lines? The kiss he presses to her hair is more the type of comfort she preferred, silent and subtle, (not- not that she preferred kissing!), not requiring an answer from her, but the rest...
Her hand moves, perhaps to cup his cheek or pull him closer... but instead her fingertips pinch his lips closed.]
[His heart skips a beat when her hand reaches for him, as it always does whenever she reciprocates affection from him... only for his mouth to be pinched shut.
Oh.
He lets go of her shoulder and makes an exaggerated face of surprise, along with a muffled noise that might be an indignant 'hey!'. She's supposed to love his corny lines??? (no)]
[She has very powerful fingers, and even though he moves, she doesn't actually release his lips.
The problem is, she hadn't actually thought through what she was to do after she shut him up. (The good thing is... she seems to be increasingly distracted from her sadness.) Her own lips purse in frustration, a hint of color rising on her skin, trying to make sure she doesn't pinch too hard.]
[He blinks, and, unless he wants a bruised mouth for decidedly unattractive reasons, he should probably listen, so he gives an 'uh huh' noise and a comical little nod.
(If his antics cheer Hayame up even a little, then... bonus?)]
[Carefully, she removes the pinch from his lips, slowly pulling her hand back as if daring him to say more. And, to be a good role model... she moves to resume eating herself, intent on polishing off a good deal more of the food on the table.
[Claude is giving her the full pathetic kicked puppy eyes as she removes her hand, and sits back down in his seat, looking appropriately chastised. Then he resumes eating, to try to conquer the last plateful he can manage. He's starting to feel pretty full anyway, but at least Hayame can finish off the things he doesn't. Maybe next time he'll offer even more food, seeing her appetite for himself.
He does keep giving not-so-subtle glances to her in the meantime, though. Or clearing this throat. Is he allowed to talk yet? Does she have anything else to talk about, or would she prefer the silence persisted?]
[Those puppy dog eyes won't work on her! She doesn't stop him from talking again now that she's released him (as long as he doesn't bring up foolhardy heroic lines about making it back to her world, anyway), but she herself does focus more on eating... Until she's decimated a lot of what he provided. But considering her size, maybe it wasn't so shocking.
When she finishes, though, she folds her napkin and bows her head.]
Thank you for the meal.
[She is... not aware of the courtesy. Should she offer to... clean? To wash dishes? There is an awkward moment where it might be obvious that she doesn't know what to do... until she stands, adjusting her clothing and... looking as if she's about to... leave?]
[Claude looks disappointed that she's seemingly getting up to leave on such an awkward note. He hadn't expected her to clean -- this was his treat for her, so of course he wanted to treat her like a guest -- but it seems she hadn't intended to linger anyway.]
Oh, okay? I'll see you then. Did you forget to take care of something?
[He's not really expecting an explanation, though, getting to his feet to start collecting empty plates.]
[Hayame... pauses. Hesitates. She thought she had figured out how best to smoothly go about this, but. ... It would not be shocking to be wrong. She has never spent the night in a home, beyond the one she had spent Blight-wrecked on Claude's living room floor. She has never had to account for anyone else that wasn't a stall neighbor in the stables.]
... I need to bathe.
[Well, "need" was a strong word, but she preferred to do her bathing at night... and she'd scouted out a public bath nearby on her way here...]
I did not think your bath would be... large enough.
[She needed something at least as large as the ones at World's Edge to be comfortable, and she'd just assumed...]
[He just has a small, standard apartment, suited for human-sized occupants. If Hayame makes a habit of staying over, he's going to need to look at getting a place suited for her. But he'll take it one step at a time; no need to move things too quickly and scare her off.]
I'll clean up here and get the bed ready. I mean, if you want to stay the night? [She said she'd be back, and he assumes it's not just to hang out.]
[The all too easily summoned flush is back on her skin, constantly betraying her despite her best efforts. She almost opens her mouth to ask if that had not been clear before, if she had perhaps misunderstood, but no, that would complicate things, wouldn't it? She should just roll with it, like she did such things all the time-
Get the bed ready... Her skin grows more rosy as she prepares to temporarily escape, pausing in his entranceway with her tail swishing. Manners...]
The only thing I'll need... is you back in my life.
[He adopts a dramatic tone, even as he he leaves a stack of plates next to the sink. You know, like she's going on a long expedition to some far-flung land, and not a few blocks away to a bathhouse.
Then he peeks at the doorway, and flashes her a wink.]
[... She was a fool's fool to think he might have said something practical!!!! Like... like shaving oil or... or soap! Hayame bristles with embarrassment in the entranceway, prancing in place and stumbling over something to say to make it clear to him how silly such lines were, but the only thing that comes out is a flustered,]
I am leaving!
[And the door is... Okay, she doesn't slam it, but. She shuts it... firmly!!!
Her walk to the bathhouse is more of a stomp, red-faced and scaring a few people in the streets to get out of her way, but in the bathhouse... she calms back down. The pools are big enough there that she doesn't need to worry about her size, the water is hot... and she has always taken a certain degree in comfort from being able to cleanse herself. It is relaxing. And even if she thinks... the rest of the night might not be so relaxing... that from now there is... sleeping...
Just about an hour later, she is back, rapping her knuckles on his door again. This time, though, there is a bit of dampness clinging to her skin, her not-quite-dry hair piled atop her head in buns, her tail tied up, and a bundle of towel and toiletries in her arms.]
[He laughs at her dramatic flounce -- can't pinch his mouth shut again if she's running away! -- and leaves her in peace to stomp off. In the meantime he does as he says and gets the bed ready, new sheets and all, along with doing the dishes... which results in only a minor disaster of one plate crashing to the floor. He's scrambling to find a broom when Hayame knocks.]
Welcome back! [He answers the door, broom still in hand and looking slightly sheepish.] Er, how was the bath?
[Nothing to see here. He's definitely not a klutzy rich boy who's still kind of a disaster when it comes to cleaning.]
[She'd even hit a sweet spot in the evening before the rush, so she hadn't even had to deal with sharing the water with many others, which was a bonus...
But as she lets herself back in and balances with one hand on the wall, twisting about to repick her hooves, she... cannot help but look at the broom with a rising eyebrow.]
[He hides the broom behind his back... which is even less effective than it already was when she's taller than him, but he tried.]
Nope, no problem! Just finishing tidying up. You go ahead and make yourself comfortable.
[He turns (still not really hiding the broom) and goes to finish sweeping up, whistling innocently to try to hide the clinking of broken ceramic. Everything's under control here??? It's fine.]
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Huh. [He had no idea what she'd ask, or say, but it wasn't that.] I didn't expect we'd have that in common... What's he like?
[Proud and cold, like Hayame? Competitive like his own brothers? He hoped, at least, that he wasn't cruel to her as Shahid was to him. Not having a throne to compete over had to help, but jinba were surely under all kinds of other pressures that would strain a sibling relationship.]
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I have many half-siblings, actually. But only Yubari and I look passable as brother and sister.
[They both were spitting images of their dam, and so each other. They were closest in age, just one foaling season apart. Birthed when the broodmare forced to bear them was younger, before she started losing them more frequently before finally succumbing to one that wouldn’t come out. But she doesn’t know anything about that Armless woman beyond what she looked like from a distance, and how she sounded when sent off to stud. Yubari, though-]
… He is the only one I trusted. And the only one who believed in me- that a mare could become a warlord’s horse.
[Something to have in common… her gaze grows distant, her fingers rub absently along the stem of her wine glass. What was he like… ? Even that, she would have known better if she herself were less cold, and more kind… if she had let him call her “sister” in public…]
He was not as good a shot as I am, but he was a fine archer. A better craftsman- he made my arrows. He was loyal… more understanding. … Kinder.
[(If she went back… if she survived by some miracle… Perhaps she could apologize-)]
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It sounds to me like he admired you. [Even if it riles him to realise her best goal had been to be someone's horse, once.] Honestly, I'd like to meet him someday.
[When all this is over, and her world is restored. It still might sound like a fanciful idea now, but it's one he's determined to cling to.]
It's for the best that he isn't caught up in all this here, though.
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But.]
To his misfortune, yes.
[He had admired her. He was the only one who had, who hadn't been scared off by her demeanor and her iron, who was willing to help her prove herself as a warrior despite how she treated him, and it had nearly gotten him killed... and now risked being labeled a traitor's brother. She almost says that Claude surely wouldn't be able to meet him, that if Zenith were right it wasn't for the best at all, he was gone with her world, but-
She refuses to believe that.
Her lips purse again in thought, lapsing into silence before her fingers leave her glass to find the gold chain around her neck, the one that disappeared into the tight bindings around her breasts.]
- Do you wish to see?
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It can be a nice little introduction to what I'll see in person, eventually.
[An idea he's not going to let drop in a hurry, whether it's a reasonable one or not.]
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Her lips purse, again, over his assertion that he will see it for himself... But she doesn't tell him he won't. She just thinks it.
Slowly, an image coalesces in the bead's surface. A military camp, mostly human, setting up for the night, and amongst their number is a male centaur with an unmistakable similarity in looks to Hayame- the same mane, the same sort of face, the same dun coat. He sees to his duties, unpacking and preparing supplies...]
That is Yubari.
[Where she'd sent him, back to their master to tell him the location of the hidden village where she'd been taken prisoner... now back to take the village by storm. On this day, the day that repeats itself over and over in her bead... He probably didn't even know if she was still alive.
Her expression is... sad. Despite herself.]
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More often than she'd ever admit, he supposes, given how she had reacted back in Alenroux. What would she say to him, if she ever saw her brother again in person? Maybe she'd simply struggle to find the words, as she often does.
His hand finds her shoulder, and he squeezes gently, now more sober than before.]
You'll see him again.
[She would get there, and things will be different, and they'll be reunited. They have to believe that it's possible.]
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But it had always been alone. She’s never shown anyone else what was inside. Even just the brief scene feels too exposed, too raw, like she’d ripped open her breast to show off her auxiliary heart. So after just a beat more, just long enough to watch Yubari set a crate down and look off towards the mountain with a worried expression on his face…
Hayame withdraws Meridian’s energy from the bead and cuts the vision. Her fingers curl around it and then banish it back to the tight confines of her breast bindings, and-]
Your food will grow cold.
[She says that, but. Her head has turned slightly, inward and to the side, just enough so that her cheek could rest against his knuckles where his hand rested on her shoulder.]
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We'll make it in time, and both your brother and the village will be safe. I'll do everything I can to make that happen.
[It sounded like bluster, but he had once saved an entire continent from destruction. Why couldn't he somehow find a way to save all the people Hayame cared for, too? They had to try.]
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... But he had promised to be on her side, and so she cannot blame him for being there, either. Still, what is she supposed to say to those foolhardy, heroic lines? The kiss he presses to her hair is more the type of comfort she preferred, silent and subtle, (not- not that she preferred kissing!), not requiring an answer from her, but the rest...
Her hand moves, perhaps to cup his cheek or pull him closer... but instead her fingertips pinch his lips closed.]
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Oh.
He lets go of her shoulder and makes an exaggerated face of surprise, along with a muffled noise that might be an indignant 'hey!'. She's supposed to love his corny lines??? (no)]
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The problem is, she hadn't actually thought through what she was to do after she shut him up. (The good thing is... she seems to be increasingly distracted from her sadness.) Her own lips purse in frustration, a hint of color rising on her skin, trying to make sure she doesn't pinch too hard.]
... Are you going to eat your food now?
[Blinking or nodding would do...]
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(If his antics cheer Hayame up even a little, then... bonus?)]
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Very well.
[Carefully, she removes the pinch from his lips, slowly pulling her hand back as if daring him to say more. And, to be a good role model... she moves to resume eating herself, intent on polishing off a good deal more of the food on the table.
She wasn't kidding about the two stomachs.]
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He does keep giving not-so-subtle glances to her in the meantime, though. Or clearing this throat. Is he allowed to talk yet? Does she have anything else to talk about, or would she prefer the silence persisted?]
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When she finishes, though, she folds her napkin and bows her head.]
Thank you for the meal.
[She is... not aware of the courtesy. Should she offer to... clean? To wash dishes? There is an awkward moment where it might be obvious that she doesn't know what to do... until she stands, adjusting her clothing and... looking as if she's about to... leave?]
- I shall return in about an hour.
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Oh, okay? I'll see you then. Did you forget to take care of something?
[He's not really expecting an explanation, though, getting to his feet to start collecting empty plates.]
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... I need to bathe.
[Well, "need" was a strong word, but she preferred to do her bathing at night... and she'd scouted out a public bath nearby on her way here...]
I did not think your bath would be... large enough.
[She needed something at least as large as the ones at World's Edge to be comfortable, and she'd just assumed...]
Is it... ?
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[He just has a small, standard apartment, suited for human-sized occupants. If Hayame makes a habit of staying over, he's going to need to look at getting a place suited for her. But he'll take it one step at a time; no need to move things too quickly and scare her off.]
I'll clean up here and get the bed ready. I mean, if you want to stay the night? [She said she'd be back, and he assumes it's not just to hang out.]
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[The all too easily summoned flush is back on her skin, constantly betraying her despite her best efforts. She almost opens her mouth to ask if that had not been clear before, if she had perhaps misunderstood, but no, that would complicate things, wouldn't it? She should just roll with it, like she did such things all the time-
Get the bed ready... Her skin grows more rosy as she prepares to temporarily escape, pausing in his entranceway with her tail swishing. Manners...]
Do you... need anything? While I am out?
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[He adopts a dramatic tone, even as he he leaves a stack of plates next to the sink. You know, like she's going on a long expedition to some far-flung land, and not a few blocks away to a bathhouse.
Then he peeks at the doorway, and flashes her a wink.]
Just kidding. I'm good, thanks.
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I am leaving!
[And the door is... Okay, she doesn't slam it, but. She shuts it... firmly!!!
Her walk to the bathhouse is more of a stomp, red-faced and scaring a few people in the streets to get out of her way, but in the bathhouse... she calms back down. The pools are big enough there that she doesn't need to worry about her size, the water is hot... and she has always taken a certain degree in comfort from being able to cleanse herself. It is relaxing. And even if she thinks... the rest of the night might not be so relaxing... that from now there is... sleeping...
Just about an hour later, she is back, rapping her knuckles on his door again. This time, though, there is a bit of dampness clinging to her skin, her not-quite-dry hair piled atop her head in buns, her tail tied up, and a bundle of towel and toiletries in her arms.]
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Welcome back! [He answers the door, broom still in hand and looking slightly sheepish.] Er, how was the bath?
[Nothing to see here. He's definitely not a klutzy rich boy who's still kind of a disaster when it comes to cleaning.]
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[She'd even hit a sweet spot in the evening before the rush, so she hadn't even had to deal with sharing the water with many others, which was a bonus...
But as she lets herself back in and balances with one hand on the wall, twisting about to repick her hooves, she... cannot help but look at the broom with a rising eyebrow.]
Is there a problem... ?
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Nope, no problem! Just finishing tidying up. You go ahead and make yourself comfortable.
[He turns (still not really hiding the broom) and goes to finish sweeping up, whistling innocently to try to hide the clinking of broken ceramic. Everything's under control here??? It's fine.]
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