royac

[royac]

my partner doesn’t use pet names nearly as much as i do, which is very funny because i will crack my gay little knuckles and say some shit like “good morning my sun and moon, my loveliest boy, my baby my sweetheart my darling dearest” and he will reply “hello adrian”

[royac]

Turning to follow William and reaching a hand out in confusion, the Changeling paused just steps behind him. Charles could almost hear their heartbeat in their ears when their dear, lovely husband asked Krares what he knew about lycanthropy. Well, way to be subtle. They thought, frowning. They turned their gaze on William, narrowing their eyes as Krares spoke.

William, oblivious to Charles' piercing gaze, focused on the Leonin intently. To an onlooker, he might have been seen as someone who enjoyed a good story, but anyone with half a thought would've be able to piece together why William had asked.

William thought back to the previous night, wondering if he had missed something. An anchor. Maybe that's it. Char wasn't around when... He turned around then, noticing Charles' gaze. He smiled, and hoped that that would be enough to dissipate their expression.

It worked - Charles' gaze softened, and they rolled their eyes. They couldn't stay annoyed with William for long.

"Thank you for that insight, Krares!" William turned back to the Leonin, beaming brightly. "I will definitely keep that in mind. Not for me though. Totally not for me." He turned back to Charles and winked, then gave his husband a thumbs up. Charles looked at William with a deadpan expression.

Clapping his hands together, William turned a final time to the Leonin before saying, "I think Charles and I have been in this dusty room a little too long, and, uh, I'm not gonna lie to you... my sides are really starting to hurt again. But thanks again for the info! Again, not for me. Was just wondering. Well, if you're still in town for the next few days or something, we can share stories! I'm just a trader, but I bet you have some pretty cool tales. We'll bring Shade!" With that, he turned and walked out of the room, again smiling and nodding at Charles, as if his blatant lies were convincing.

"Thank you for indulging my husband, Krares. I hope that we see each other again soon." Charles rubbed the back of their neck, embarrassed and annoyed that their husband shared that information. Despite that, they smiled warmly at Krares before turning and following William out of the room.

When the Changeling caught up to the Werewolf, they let their hand be taken, lacing their fingers with William's.

"My love... You know he knows now, right? Do you think it's a good idea for someone else to know about you?"

"What are you talking about?" William asked innocently, "He totally doesn't know. I'm great at lying?" The pair laughed as they continued walking through the fortress streets. "Besides... I think he was on to something. I think I just need to keep in mind that I need an anchor. But, I mean, I have one. And I'm sorry, again. I won't let that happen again, I promise." He squeezed Charles' hand three times.

"It's okay. I know."

[royac]

Charles laughed when William clapped, despite feeling a bit uneasy at the noise levels their husband made. William had always been slightly more boisterous than Charles - getting older, Charles had definitely settled into a quieter persona, while it seemed that William only got louder, as if to compensate for Charles' soft spokenness.

While William started flipping through different books, mumbling something about 'the missing puzzle piece,' Charles felt their blood run cold when they heard laughter. "Will..." he whispered, looking around, "You're being noisy and there are other people here." William turned, smiling, and then said, "Don't be so anxious. I really doubt someone would be getting irritated at us for talking and clapping," Still, he reached out a hand and grabbed for Charles', squeezing three times when his husband reached back.

As Charles squeezed back, a familiar voice called struck through the silence. A weight was lifted off of Charles' shoulders as they realized who it was: Krares. As the Leonin continued, Charles felt their face turn red at the insinuation that they were the source of the noise. The couple turned, and Charles shook his head.

"That definitely was not me - I know how to be respectful when you're supposed to be quiet." They nudged William, causing him to wince. "Oh, William, I'm sorry." William shook his head and smiled.

"It's fine, Char." He then turned to look at Krares and held his hand out. "Anyone whose friends with my husband is friends with me! I'm William. You can call me Will. Charles is the only one that uses my full name." William's eyes crinkled as he spoke, his smile reaching them.

At first glance, Charles and William didn't seem to share many similarities. Charles' skin tone was much darker than William's, and it especially looked contrasting given how pale the werewolf was. William's hair was jet black and messy, barely reaching past his ears while Charles' hair was dark brown, smooth, and long. William's face was covered in tiny stars scattered across a canvas of warmth - and his eyes were impossibly green.

Underneath the differences though, the couple had similar smiles - their eyes crinkled with the same warmth.

"This is Krares," Charles said, "He's already won over Shade. You know how she just loves everybody though."

[royac]

Donna Tartt, from The Goldfinch (2013)

[royac]

The steps the Changeling took led him on a path home. He opened the door quietly, holding the basket toward his chest. If William was asleep, he didn't want to disturb him.

"Charlie?" His shoulders became tense upon hearing William's voice call out to him. "My love, why do you insist on using that nickname?" He said back, voice above conversational tone, but not quite a shout.

"It's cute!" As Charles closed the door behind him and stepped into the kitchen, a figure entered the doorway, leaning against the frame. William looked at his husband, a smile on his face. His eyes were tired, dark, and the bags under his eyes could probably carry all their groceries for the next few weeks.

Despite that, he looked happy. Charles smiled. William shifted slightly, moving onto his left foot, and held his bandaged stomach with his left hand (also bandaged). Charles moved to put the basket on the counter and then turned to look at William, frowning.

"Do those hurt?" William shrugged.

"A little bit. Does that hurt?" William responded, pointing to Charles' cut.

"A little bit," the two lovers burst into laughter, which abruptly ended when William laughed just a bit too hard and ended up on the floor, kneeling over in pain. "Oh, Charlie, what the fuck, how did you get me this bad? You're weak as shit!"

"Adrenaline?" They both laughed again. Charles helped William to stand, then said, "Let's go change that bandage, you've had it for a few hours too long."

They spent the next thirty minutes carefully changing William's bandages, which left the black-haired man wondering why Charles hadn't bothered to do anything with his scar.

"You know, since you can change your shape and all, do you think that's gonna scar? You could probably just get rid of it." William lightly traced over Charles' cut, and Charles placed his hand on William's.

"But it looks cool. I think I should keep it."

"Ugh, why do you want a reminder of me hurting you," William frowned then, looking away. Charles shrugged, then said, "Don't you think this is gonna scar?" gesturing to William's side, "It's only fair that we have matching scars. It's cooler than matching tattoos!"

William was silent for a moment, but smiled before saying, "So, last night... I know we already talked about it, but it... it was just so weird. Do you think the library has any books on Lycanthropy? I just don't understand what happened. And it's not like my parents are here to tell me what the fuck that was."

"We could always go look." Charles wanted to ease William's troubles, but was never much of a scholar. He was an extremely chaotic child with a penchant for chucking books at others, not combing through them. He wanted to help William ease his nerves, and if looking through books would do it, so be it.

After changing, they both were out the door. William tensed as he walked through the streets, hand in hand with Charles. Something about the air felt... different. The werewolf would occasionally look at the sky, squinting up at the clouds.

"Don't worry, my love, we'll figure out what's going on." William turned to look at Charles, who was looking at him with affection. He felt the Changeling squeeze his hand three times.

'So... Charles doesn't notice it...' Maybe this was some stupid werewolf thing. Maybe this was just a change in the weather. William had heard a few rumors of attacks in other cities... and hoped that this feeling wasn't some sort of weird premonition. 'Ah, Will, don't be stupid. It's just getting colder.'

As they entered the city hall, they wandered past the clerk, both of them offering a friendly wave and smile. William, unlike Charles, loved books and frequented the library. The clerk looked taken-aback by Charles' wound.

"If he's concerned about this, he should see the other guy," Charles whispered to William. Despite his best efforts, William chuckled, and squeezed his hand three times back.

As they entered the room, the air was thick with the scent of aged paper and leather, mingling together. Sunlight filtered through the cracks on the window coverings, casting warm, golden beams that seemingly danced and shimmered over the shelves as the clouds moved.

"Okay, so... where do we start? You know I don't really do a lot of research." Charles mumbled, already feeling overwhelmed.

"...You know, I didn't actually think we would make it this far. No offense, babe." William put his hands on his hips and looked around. Not many people visited the library as he did, so he was sure they were alone, and didn't keep his voice down as he said, "Well, let's go check over here," he pointed toward a section on history. "At least we don't have to go to the back room! It'd be way more crazy to look through. There's scrolls, and some freaky looking books. Okay!" He clapped loudly, not knowing there was someone in the adjacent room, and paying no mind to his noise levels, "Operation William and Charles do research: GO!"

[royac]

Charles felt his eye twitch as he stood there, holding a basket of pan dulce, while the young baker continued asking him questions. “I just don’t understand how you fall like that? Did you trip going down your stairs? Did you fall onto a-“ Charles pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand and then tilted his head at his current conversational partner and smiled his most charming smile. “Darling, I fell, as simple as that. No need to conjure up silly stories,” he spoke gently through half-lidded eyes. The baker’s face turned red and she smiled, then apologized. Charles paid for his bread and smiled at her one last time before turning around and walking away. As he walked away, he grimaced and sighed. At least he still knew how to charm someone. He continued walking, turning left out of the market. His boots thudded quietly against the cobblestones. Looking at the basket, he thought about the night before again. He probably wouldn’t admit it to William, but the cut did sting. As he passed a small puddle, he looked at his reflection and frowned. No, it didn’t look good. It sure as shit didn’t look like he just fell. He turned away from his reflection and gripped the basket a bit tighter. The two of them would need to problem solve for the future. “If this happens again I think you need to get me into the basement, I hate that I hurt you. I’m sorry. This has never happened before.” Charles sighed. William was probably still asleep - it hadn’t been that long. Might as well continue walking to clear his thoughts. Maybe he could troubleshoot. Lost in thought, the changeling continued forward, not paying much attention to the world around him.

[royac]

It had been a long night. The joyous air of reunion had been replaced by one of dread. Charles sat in the bed, looking at William. His face was flushed and he looked exhausted - Charles, after having been with William for years, had become familiar with the different phases of the moon. Very familiar. With that, they had also taken to documenting most of William’s… side effects. In short, they were pretty familiar with William and Lycanthropy… but after last night, they felt that William hadn’t told them everything. Yes, it had been a full moon, but it was rare to see William seem so… not himself. William had told Charles that he had a hard time controlling himself during full moons, but last night was different. Charles shuddered as they remembered the look in William’s eyes last night. They absentmindedly reached up to touch the fresh cut that now adorned their face, vertically across their right eye. “Did I do that?” William had asked, crumpled on the floor in defeat. Charles sighed - they hated that he felt so bad. They knew he didn’t mean it. Charles stood up and went to their kitchen. They grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a note, letting William know that they would be back soon, they just wanted to go grab some things for him. They knew that William loved pan dulce and figured that it would be something nice to bring up his spirit. Charles was a shit baker, and Xavier was probably just a bit too busy to help them out at this point, so they decided to head to the market. Grabbing their satchel, they went back into their bedroom, dropped the note next to William’s nightstand, and then kissed him on the forehead. “I’ll be home soon, my love.” Stepping out into the streets, Charles pulled their green cloak over themselves a bit tighter. They started walking in the direction of the market, careful not to step into the puddles that filled the uneven cobblestone streets. The smell of bread and spices was already filling the air. It was early enough in the

[8:14 PM]morning that there should have been some life, but the streets seemed calmer than usual. Looking around, Charles pondered, for just a moment, if something was amiss, but their mind was too preoccupied with William’s… As they stepped into the market square, they noticed a few of the folks looking at them strangely. Approaching one of the stalls, the young woman turned around with a gasp. “Charles? What happened?” Oh? Oh. “Ah, sorry, does it look bad? I slipped and fell.” She raised an eyebrow, then said, “It looks a bit more than bad! How hard did you fall?” “I definitely ate shit. Do you have any pan dulce?”

[royac]

Charles nodded at the response, noting how his companion's voice dropped in volume - and he knew better than to pry. In the safety behind the walls of Bruver, surrounded by knights, in the company of his family, he had never felt threatened. Shade looked from one adult to the next, furrowing her eyebrows. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she felt the mood shift. Shrugging, she moved back to devouring her meal. Xavier also took a moment, sensing the shift, but smiled at the Leonin nonetheless.

"Thank you! I really pride myself on making a good meal." He offered a thumbs up to the Leonin, and then whisked away the dirty plates and silverware.

After he watched Xavier leave, Charles turned to Krares once more, "Well, I think I should probably get Shade back home. Our parents should be back soon, and I've spent wayyy too much time with this little one," he smiled and rubbed her hair, earning a loud groan from the child. "If you feel like you're interested in asking for help looking for whatever it is you're looking for, I might see you again just around the city, or you can come here," he reached into his pocket and produced a small scrap of paper. With it, he wrote his address. His penmanship was, for lack of a better word, awful. Terrible. Looked like a kid wrote it… but it was hopefully legible enough for Krares to read.

Shade jumped off her chair and ran over to the Leonin. She wrapped her arms around his arm, rubbing her face into his fur.

"Shade, boundaries?" Charles sighed. Shade smiled, let go, and ran back to her brother. "See you later, Mister Storm!"

Charles and Shade gave one more smile, another wave, and then turned to leave. As Charles walked out of the inn, he thought about the previous few hours. That had been nice - it had been a long time since he felt so comfortable with a new person. He hoped that he'd take the time to come visit. The earlier trepidation he felt about Krares had all but disappeared. Hopefully that was the right feeling.

[royac]

Tilting his head, Charles looked at his new companion with a curious expression. 'I wonder what he's looking for... if he's in the town any longer than a few days, maybe Will and I can help him out?' A small part of him felt that unease reappear in the back of his mind, but again, he pushed it away and blamed in on an overarching anxiety from the rumors of death that surrounded the town.

Lowering his voice, he said, "Depending on what it is, just let me know," he smiled again. It was a warm smile.

As Krares explained the patterns that adorned his fur, Charles lifted his eyebrows in surprise. 'The storms themselves?' Shade must have had a similar thought, as she blasted out, "The storms? Isn't that supposed to hurt? Blaze told me I can't play when there's storms outside because lightening could hit me and I could explode," she turned and stuck her tongue out at her brother. In response, Charles ruffled her hair and rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me for wanting you to live," he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

In the midst of their sibling tomfoolery, Krares spoke up again. Charles and Shade turned back to look at him and they both smiled. "I have sooo many pretty things, I'll find some more stuff for you!" Her grin widened, a toothy (albeit with some missing) smile that was as charming as a mischievous sprite. Charles smiled back at his new companion, warmth billowing out through his chest. This was nice - he found himself hoping that Krares did stay for a few days in the town - at least until nightfall, when Will returned.

Overhearing Krares' comments, Xavier said, "Oh, it will, don't worry. I'm a great cook," his chuckle echoed through the inn, a sunlit ripple of laughter. When the bowl of soup appeared before Shade, she dug in in only the way an energetic 9-year old could.

As she ravaged her bowl, soup spilling onto the bar, Charles stared at his sister with a plain expression, then he cast a sidelong glance at Krares. "I think being chaotic is part of a Changeling's core-being," his expression was still plain, but his eyes weren't able to hide the love he had for his sister, crinkling as he turned back to look at her.

He took a small bite of his own meal, then asked, "So where are you from?"

[royac]

Her real smile, a grin that challenged the boundaries of her face

[royac]

As his tone became more serious, Charles felt the hair on their neck start to prickle. He wanted to ask more, but wasn't sure if that would be crossing some sort of boundary. He almost never spoke to those who came from outside the Fortress; his parents did all the talking when he was a child, and William took it from there. He had never been one for conversation - that had been something that came to him as adult. As such, he decided against asking Krares about his adventures... for now. If the Leonin decided to stick around Bruver, he might grow more curious.

"Well, Bruvers' never been the subject of any attacks that weren't enough for the Knights to handle. All we can do is hope that it stays that way. I'm not really a fighter myself, I don't know what I would do in a combat situation."

"What are you looking for? If it's a thing, I've grown up here, I know about every nook and cranny there is to know about this place. If it's a person, well, I know a few people. Most of them are in this inn, though," he laughed. If his parents had been here, they probably would have told him not to pry - but Charles didn't see it like that. His earlier trepidations had mostly vanished at this point, and the changeling felt genuinely curious about what could bring an adventurer to his city. He mostly spoke with traders, merchants, and the like - no one this mysterious had ever caught his eye before.

Charles smiled as the Leonin continued, mentioning William and Xavier. Before they could open their mouth to reply, they felt something crawling up their back. Turning their head, they noticed that Shade had reappeared - although back in her other form.

"I betcha have lots of fun stories, mister," she said, eyes twinkling. She had only arrived for the latter portion of the conversation between the two individuals, something that Charles was thankful for. She didn't need to worry about anything other than what she wanted to have for lunch.

As she hung around her brother's neck, she smiled at Krares again, "Like the pretty things on your forehead," she pointed to her own forehead and continued, "Did your mom give them to you? My mom gives me pretty things too, like this!" Shade hopped off of Charles and reached into a small bag, pulling out a small, opal crystal. It was small, about half the size of her palm, and circular. It glowed slightly in the sunlight that illuminated her palm.

She leaned over toward Krares and put the opal crystal onto the bar before walking back toward Charles and hopping onto his back again.

"You can keep it! Something to remember us by!" The young girl smiled again, her toothy grin expressing genuine delight. Charles looked back at Shade and matched her smile. "Our parents are traveling merchants, they always bring back little trinkets. I used to get them as a child, but Shade's the youngest, so she's the defacto getter of all things cool, pretty, or nifty." They said. Charles opened his mouth again, but was interrupted for the second time when a quiet bell rang.

"Order up! On your way, Charles, Shade, and our wonderful new friend!" Xavier's warm voice called out as the clanking of silverware began to grow closer.

[royac]

After shaking his hand, Charles felt more at ease. He was being ridiculous for nothing - perhaps these feelings of trepidation were brought on by the growing anxiety after hearing of the attacks in other areas.

"She may be curious, but I'm trying to teach her some manners. I don't want her to get a reputation like I did," he said sheepishly, patting Shade on the head. Groaning and wiggling away from her brother, Shade moved back toward Krares, unabashedly combing her hands through her fur now that he'd said he didn't mind.

Taking a step back, a familiar mist began enveloping her body as her tanned skin quickly began growing fur. A moment later, the changeling girl had taken on the form of Krares... but very tiny compared to the real thing.

"Blaze look! Don't I look cool?" She laughed, spinning around.

"I also told you not to do that in front of people," Charles said, frowning. Ignoring her brother, Shade laughed again and bounded off toward the kitchen, calling for Mr. Miles. Turning back toward Krares, Charles said, "Sorry about that. Again. She's just so much energy." His face was a bit red and he felt embarrassed at his sister's boldness. He was able to take his mind off it the encounter soon enough at Krares' next comment.

"Oh, trust me, you'll love it. What did you order?" Charles smiled again at his next question. "The owner, Xavier, is one of my best friends, so we come here a lot. Shade asked to come here, she's kind of obsessed with his soups." Charles laughed now, putting his hands on his waist and shaking his head. "She's honestly a little obsessed with him. She just loves him, he's like another sibling to her. I'm glad that William introduced us all." His voice softened at the mention of his partner.

Settling into the chair next to Leonin, Charles asked, "Are you passing through? Or staying for a bit? I can't imagine traveling is the safest right now..." Charles frowned, thinking of William. Just a few more hours. "My husband is traveling right now, with my parents. He's supposed to be home today - well, okay, everyone is supposed to be home today, which is why Shade's probably so amped up. I usually don't worry so much, but - have you heard of the rumors? Of the attacks around here?" Pause. "Ah, sorry, didn't mean to dump all that on a stranger." The changeling chuckled, "Do you get that a lot? Strangers dumping all their lore out on you? You've got a very calming presence." He smiled.

[royac]

As the trio conversed, a laugh brought them out of their obliviousness. Turning, Charles caught sight of the Leonin from earlier.

Unknowingly bristling, he thought, 'Oh come on, out of all of the inns, he had to go to Xavier's?' As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he did admit he felt a bit bad at his unfriendliness. 'All of these rumors of attacks nearby the fortress has made you paranoid, Charles...'

When Xavier turned toward the new patron, friendliness emitted from him in waves. In another life, he could have been a politician.

"Well howdy there, sir! Names' Xavier, the, if I do say-so myself, fine owner of this establishment. What can I get for ya?" Taking note of his order, he turned to Charles and Shade, waved, and then disappeared into the back.

Before he knew it, Shade had scampered toward the unfamiliar Leonin and reached out to grab at some of the blue on his fur.

"WOW! Look how pretty, Blazie!" Clearly fascinated, she ogled Krares, getting closer and closer to him until -

"Shade, sweet angel, you can't just grab people without their permission..." Charles reached toward his sister and gently moved her away from the Leonin.

"I'm sorry about that," he started, "She's too curious for her own good." Pause. 'Better stop acting like a weirdo or Shade's gonna catch on...' A moment later, "Are you just passing through? I haven't seen a Leonin around here in a while. If you're new here, get ready for some of the best meals you've ever had, swear. Xavier really is one of the best cooks I've ever met."

"YEAH! A LOT BETTER THAN YOU!" Shade snickered.

"...I'm Charles, by the way. Charles Hampton. This delightful little girl," he squeezed her cheeks, causing her to recoil and whine, "Is Shade, my sister." He reached his hand out to shake it.

[royac]

A shudder swept over Charles as they locked eyes with the stranger. The eye-contact was brief, but enough to make the changeling feel uneasy. Why, though, they weren't able to pinpoint. The unease left them almost as soon as it settled into their stomach, and they quickly moved on from the feeling. Their sister sighed, moving her attention away from the knight and back to her brother.

"Can we go get something to eat? Mom and dad said they aren't gonna be home for a few more days and I reallyyyy don't want to eat any more food you make..." she laughed at the face Charles made, "no offense. Will is the better cook and you know that!"

"You don't think I've gotten better?" They asked, pouting.

"Do you want me to tell you the truth or be nice?"

"...Okay, we can go somewhere," they narrowed their eyes at their sister, frowning for a moment before smiling again. They could never be mad at her. As they spoke, Shade pumped her fist into the air, twisting around in a delighted hop.

"Maybe we can go to the Dry Dog Inn? Xavier-"

"Hey, Shade, remember your manners." Charles chastized.

"OHMYGOOOOD do you think your ooother best friend is really gonna-" She stopped once she saw Charles' expression.

"Fine, MR. MILES, makes the best soup and I neeeeeed it."

"Yeah, we can go there," they reached for their sister's hand and squeezed it, "He's your teacher too, remember? You can call him Xavier when you're older." They smiled gently at their sister before leading her in the direction of his friend's inn...

...Coincidentally, the same direction the Leonin was heading.

'Okay, Charles, what's wrong with you? This guy is probably just a traveler. Your parents travel. William travels. Calm down, being stressed out over nothing isn't going to help Shade's rambunctiousness.'

They walked hand-in-hand with their sister, listening to her chatter, responding with an appropriate amount of "ah's" and "oh's" needed to entertain a child before arriving to their destination.

The Dry Dog Inn was one of the smaller inns in Bruver, but certainly one of the homiest. As they entered the inn with their sister, they took a left, choosing to sit near one of windows toward the back. Their entrance was no secret, as a familiar voice called out to them.

"Charles! And the lovely miss Shade! Welcome in... to the inn!" Cracking up over his own joke, his laugh was infectious, and the siblings couldn't help but join in. Getting out of their seats, Charles and Shade made their way to Xavier. Charles enveloped the dark-skinned in a warm hug. To an outsider, they were clearly great friends. The three of them continued their conversation, Charles oblivious to the other patrons of the inn.

[royac]

A splash woke them up.

"Wha-" putting their wispy hands toward their face, they shot upright and looked around the room, glancing toward the bucket on the floor, water dripping off of the lid. A moment later, they heard children laughing and the padding of feet as the sound became softer and softer.

"Shade..." They were mildly irritated, but only for a moment. Charles had been 100 times more obnoxious as a child, and they knew that mischievousness probably ran in the family. Pushing the covers off of themself, they swung their legs around the bed, stretching their arms as they did so. A moment later, a mist-like swirl formed across their limbs, fading away as flesh, hair, and bone formed.

Standing, they stretched one last time before walking to their dresser and taking out a white linen shirt, green cloak with gold adornments, black pants and finishing their look with the new boots William's brother had made them.

At the thought of their husband, a smile brandished their face. William was supposed to return today, sometime later in the day. Charles couldn't wait - they hadn't spent any time apart in five years, especially after moving in together.

"BLAAAAAZEEEEEE, come oooooon, you said you'd play with me!" A young voice echoed through the hallway, the pattering of footsteps becoming closer once again until a small figure popped it's head into the doorway.

"Shade, sweetheart, I also said that I would come get you from mom," Charles sighed, turning and looking at his sister. Shade's preferred form at the moment was that of a younger child, probably around the same age as herself, with fiery red hair, missing teeth, but the brightest smile they'd ever seen. They weren't sure where their sister found the form (maybe in a picture book?) but they were happy she found a form she liked.

"You were taking too long..."

"I, well," they stopped for a moment, "I suppose waiting for an hour can seem like an eternity, can't it?" They smiled, walking to the door and reaching their hand out. Hand in hand, the siblings walked through the doors of Charles and William's house, into the bustling streets of Bruver.

Charles sat across their sister on a bench, as they had been playing for around an hour, and Shade had an infinite amount of energy it seemed. They asked for a few moments before they would continue playing. As she waited, Shade had taken up with one of the knights, mimicking him. Shade had never been one to be respectful. As they smiled, they heard a loud laugh that caused their head to turn.

In the distance, they saw a large, white-furred Leonin with beautiful blue patterns adorning their skin. Bruver was quite a large city, but they hadn't seen a Leonin in person for quite some time. After a few more moments of looking at the stranger, who seemed to be searching for something, they felt the urge to walk up to him and ask him what they were looking for. They were still with their sister, though, and the thought left their mind as they turned back to Shade.

"Shade, honey, you done terrorizing the fine knights of this city?" They called out, standing up and walking toward their sister, but not without another glance at the stranger.

[royac]

tell no one. zalrika is hunting you

this crystal holds a plague. a plague that will destroy the world tree in alacria.

[royac]

the prophecy

"hand on the throttle, thought I caught lightning in a bottle, oh, but it's gone again."

Charles wrung his hands together, frowning at the all too familiar sensation. It had been... a while, since someone had brought him such a feeling. A lightness that had been missing from his life, since... well.

William.

He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Honestly, he hadn't thought of William in such a long time. Xavier had told him that it was normal to mourn, but that he couldn't let himself mourn forever. HA! Easier said than done!

He got up and walked toward his cupboard, reaching for the bottle, but stopping just short as fingertips brushed against the glass. A sour taste filled his mouth as he was hit with an unwanted memory, one of him and William dancing around the kitchen, room aglow from the refrigerator light, and a bottle in William's hands.

Moving his hand back, he instead placed it on his chest and sighed. Yes, he was feeling horrible, but was it worth fucking up his sobriety?

...Probably not. He would certainly regret it in the morning, if nothing else.

"Damn it."

It had been a year since William left, and the gaping wound in his chest felt as fresh as ever. He wasn't sure if it would ever get easier. How do you go from your first friend, first real love, first... everything? To this? This feeling as though he were a crumpling piece of paper burning to ashes in a fire.

He certainly hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Hell, even what they had was seemingly a lightening in a bottle moment. The feelings he developed for his childhood friend hit him hard and suddenly, like waves crashing over his hometown, and learning that William had always felt that way?

Charles had somehow found his way back to his bedroom and he fell onto his bed with a soft 'poof' as he melted into his covers. His hands found his hair again, though, this time, when his fingers intertwined with his hair, he pulled hard. His being itched with desire to drown out the thoughts, but he'd been sober for a year. A damn year! And he wasn't about to let a ghost ruin that!

"Fuck you, Will. Fuck you for doing this to me."

He'd been chasing that lightening in a bottle feeling since he left. Men, women, it didn't matter, he just wanted to feel something again. Everyone said he'd been softer, kinder, gentler, with William, and fuck it if it'd felt like he took twenty-steps back when he left. He hadn't even had the decency to tell him to his face!

He just left a fucking note!

"I don't want you to get hurt," was the last thing Charles read before he smashed the paper within his hands, then ripping it to pieces. Charles knew what he'd been getting into when he started dating a fucking werewolf.

Well, no, not really, but he knew that he was willing. He was more than willing to do anything if it meant staying with William.

"Gooood, you're so pathetic," he said aloud, blinking back the acid rain that was leaking into his ears. Why was he like this? He had had such a fun time tonight. When Xavier wanted to hook Charles up with someone, Charles felt knots in his stomach at the thought, but Xavier had promised that they had "so much in common!"

And, well, shit. They did!

He hadn't laughed so hard in a year!

So why was he crying?

Deep down, he knew. He was afraid of fucking this one up, too. Again, he knew that, realistically, there was nothing that could have been done about him and William. Nothing he would have said would have changed the other man's mind. Clearly, seeing as he skipped town like an asshole outlaw without giving Charles the choice.

But fuck it if it didn't make him feel broken.

As he lay there, ruminating in his thoughts, a flash in the darkness alerted him to notification. Wiping his eyes, he propped himself onto one elbow and reached for his phone.

Noah. He smiled in spite of his rotten mood.

'Hey, Chip! Just wanted to reach out again and let ya know that I had a blast tn :) If you're up to iiiiit I'd really like to see ya again tmrw after you get off work, lmk!'

His smile grew wider. He turned the screen off for a moment, placing his phone against his chest as he plopped back down onto his back. Chip. What a silly nickname. Something different.

Maybe this would be different.

"Please, I've been on my knees, Change the prophecy, Don't want money, Just want someone who wants my company."