who will forgive you if you can't forgive yourself?

Darios, Black Eagles Sword Instructor || penned by kuno || affiliated with The Officer's Academy

[grxstnnefealltoir]

a boop of the nose/a pat of the head || maria & darios

[princessmacedon]

"Cookies and cakes?" The young princess giggles as she dusts off her skirt, clung to by specks of earth from all her different roosts. "If I'd known earlier, I could've baked them myself!"

But the market will have to do for now, though it's hard to call that a loss. After all, Maria has extensively researched the sweet treats on offer, and after all of this has come to a conclusion of tremendous satisfaction.

"What kind of cookies and cakes do you like, Darios?" With one final brush, her skirt fans out behind her as they tread the familiar path past the gardens. "I like... hmm!"

Will he tell her if he knows her favorites first, though? She turns her gaze toward him from the corners of her eyes, knowing and playful.

"You first," she insists through a laugh. "I'll tell you one of my favorites for every one of yours!"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

"The next time we'll include it in our teatime plans, how does that sound? Specially baked specialty cakes," Darios lilts as he follows along to the market. The market the market, the best and worst place at times like these. He worries his coin pouch might fly off his waist at this rate. "What kind? Hmm..."

What a trying question that is. Their hums sync for a moment and it is as if they both are both too familiar and not at all with their favorite treats. "It is a court secret, you must - must - keep it." Of course he jests, his tastes are hardly that hard to catch.

"First... have you ever bitten into a cake so light, so fluffy that you might imagine yourself biting into a cloud? Yet when you let it rest on your taste buds, you are invited to a land of gentle notes of fruits from all over the world with a dash of sugar cooked such that it has become a new flavor entirely? I believe it's called a cloud cake. I've had it topped with caramel before and nothing can quite compare to it."

[bluegliez]

hand in unwashed hand

mission board — herald

[bluegliez]

Caspar is not a bad guy. He's not even a bad student, if one ignores the poor grades when it comes to more book-driven work.

Yet here he is anyway, punished for one reason or another. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot let go of his professor's hand. He's tried opening his hand, he's tried prying his fingers off, he's even tried running off - that just ended in him getting pulled back. Pets get treated better than this. Pets!

He has tried pulling Darios to a better walking speed, but he's still so slow. Can't the man break into a light jog or something? A brisk walk? Anything?

"Professor," Caspar says, with another tug. "C'mon, just a little more speed." He's dying: literally dying.

@grxstnnefealltoir

[grxstnnefealltoir]

Darios can't imagine what he's done - recently - to be tasked with such a duty. Perhaps the other staff looked at Rowan and decided that he simply had a penchant for dealing with the excitable but after the second attempt at escape, his feet have begun to intentionally drag across the wooden and stone floors. "We're not late for anything, Caspar - please ease up a bit."

"Rushing headlong is why you're here to begin with... if you keep doing so, then it'll be another week bound in this exact same manner. Patience is hardly a bad thing."

[willowitxh]

Relearning How To Trust (Among Other Things) || Darios & Thrasir

mission board: epidemic — non-mission task – jugdral report

[willowitxh]

That he opens hia door for her is a relief. She didn't understand why, but... it wasn't a bad thing. Thrasir offered an awkward smile back. Though as he pointed out her pages, she made a face. Certainly not an assignment she wanted. Her hand tightened around the pages, crinkling them a bit more.

"Others can try to get away with writing their reports or being lax with information or forgetting details," Thrasir murmured. "I on the other hand am required to make my report directly to the knights, without missing a detail."

Her voice was bitter. And why shouldn't she be bitter. It wasn't so much the report itself. If it was making the report that would have been fine. She could speak for as long as she needed to. It wasn't like Thrasir hadn't done so before. No, it was the other part of it that bothered her finally.

"They're checking that their pet lich is still on it's leash before sending it back to Abyss," she sneered. Though her voice was disgusted, a shiver ran through her, again discomforted by the thought of standing in a room and being silently observed not as a human but as a monster. "I was... hoping that... perhaps you could..."

She wasn't even sure what she was asking. Was she looking for someone to read over her report before she made it so that she could get through it quickly and hope that she had provided enough detail to avoid questions? ... or was she looking for someone to stand in the room with her as she made her report, make the report with her? Someone to shield her from the gaze of people who though her only a weapon to point at their enemies. Protection from the gaze of those who only tolerated her presence in their basement because she had proved useful.

Was she looking for someone who thought she was human to just get through the speaking?

[grxstnnefealltoir]

Darios recalls those days none too fondly. The covers needed such that students didn't get called in because of behavior the church found questionable was always a whole endeavor on its own. That Thrasir now must report in the same manner... he supposes that the Abyss is a stricter place than he gave it credit for.

"I can." He listens to her plight and answers as he always would when it came to her. Even were she not his sister, Thrasir deserves no less than his full support.

Thus he cannot abide by some of her words. As he turns and walks into his room, pulling a spare chair from the corner, his expression too turns. "But before we begin as such, I must stress to you to not say such things about yourself. Even if you are only repeating what ill-mannered ignorant fools are saying about you, those words should not be allowed any form of credibility. You are human." With this one life, in spite of any ailment upon you.

"I previously worked under the knight's banner so I'll be able to help you form it in a way that will knock those foul words right out of their mouths. Have you already begun?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

Long. "Since we returned from Elyos." He blinks as his subtle smile drifts into a flat line. A long time, truly — and he stops to ponder exactly how long it has been. Too many moons have passed since then, hasn't it? "After leaving for Gristonne, then Elyos, and returning to wave off the boat to Jugdral — I started to think about whether this was the right place for me."

And the answer was clear, as it always had been; and it sits clear, now. Zacharias makes that clear through the glance to the side, toward the ceiling and the wall, suddenly hesitant as the words catch on his tongue.

"I do not believe this was. I doubt this was where I was meant to be. But," his eyes drift up to his own hand, reveling in its freedom, "since the Church had caught wind of the orbs, and for what they had asked of those prisoners last year, I... I hold little faith that the Knights may be right, too.

"Perhaps my judgement is rash, however. I wish to... learn more before I commit."  

[grxstnnefealltoir]

"You... are a free spirit. That much is evident. These halls can't feel too different from a cage to you if you don't get out of them enough." If he'd nit been injured, Darios imagines the trip to Baile would have done good to placate these feelings a little but it would only placate not fix.

"It is true, there is always a call you must answer if you choose to start here, the question is how loudly such "request" is given. No matter what choice you make, I will support you... though unfortunately I must keep my own post as it is at the moment." There is too much to be gained from teaching and mingling with the others present, that this is the first time Zacharias has brought up these worries, Darios feels he must know that too.

"I suppose the question needed above all is, what do you wish to do?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

He is quiet for a moment. It makes sense — a king is a king, and to be forced into the shoes of a knight must be difficult. A king should work with other powers, not report into them; so Zacharias nods. "Of course. As a professor, you would have more flexibilities than anyone from the Knights would. It is more fitting of where you would eventually be."

And if, in the future, Zacharias has little interest in claiming such leadership; if, in the future, Zacharias does not seek to rule but instead support; then any position close to professor is not where he should be. Is that correct?

"I find it extremely still here, within this tenure," he admits. "That, atop being within the close eye of the Church — it leaves me rather uneasy to know that there are eyes around at all times." Quieter: "There are more options than to stay here, I know. But if the Knights allow me to stay by your side, then..."

He trails off. It is still too close for his liking. He isn't sure; he doesn't know; and he only continues to comb his hand through Darios' hair as he drifts into silence.

[grxstnnefealltoir]

Something flickers behind violet eyes and Darios tilts his head to the side. "Far more freeing even if at times tedious. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with such line of thought."

Zacharias' goes much further however. So Darios hums, revels in the comfort against his scalp. "I can attest personally that while there are still some eyes upon you, the knights are... expendable. The missions and patrols and all - the breaks between them are suitable and more often than not you're left to your own unless you prefer otherwise."

Now his hand toys at soft silver strands. "How long have you been thinking about it?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

He shuts his eyes and nods. "It seems that it was meant to be — a direction had been given to you when you awoke there." Fate, after all, has been defined from the beginning in his eyes; even if Darios may not believe in such paths, they all abide by it without knowing. "That, followed by the mirror... how quaint, indeed."

What does it mean, then, for him to have woken up outside of Garreg Mach? Is that why Zacharias sits in unease when he shuffles through papers, walks through lectures, and watches students fumble their casts? Did Darios experience the same?

...One more question, then. "Why did you choose to leave the Knights, then? Was it... solely for the first impression and the villagers? You could have still provided similar assistance to the Eagles, albeit without giving up your prior post."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

"At a point one must wonder if the choice is a choice at all." He likes to think that even if it is not, it is simply for the best instead. This path ultimately has led him to this moment after all.

Then Zacharias asks a question, one that's kept him up many a night before he made the choice he did.

"I could have, I know of many who do so. It's just that... I am a horrid knight. Being in such a position made me realize the difference between a knight and a king. A knight serves one cause, one person. The people they save come after."

"A king? A king must serve all. The people, the lords, the land, and any cause that is deemed worthwhile. You mentioned stillness earlier. It was that. It was suffocating. Being born, raised to do more but being so limited in power and ability... I think I'm too prideful to 'lower' myself in such a manner for too long. My ambitions far exceed what I can manage in that position."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

He is quick to interject. "It is not needed. I will find assistance tomorrow." Stay.

Er, but for the house... are they? He pauses, the stretch from the wound relieving itself from Darios' shift closer. As always, Zacharias is treated with more consideration than what is needed.

"There is a mix among the house. Some individuals uphold their noble principles, while others have... differing interpretations of what these principles mean. But this is as expected when both students and faculty arrive from all corners of the worlds." Then, he smiles, small. "If there is a group I believe has uphold these principles of honor and duty well, I would believe it to be the Knights, actually."

A pause. "What drew you to the Eagles, anyway?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

"Tomorrow then." Because what other assistance would be necessary aside from his own?

"The knights? I find they're a bit of a... well most of them are as you say but the church employs some interesting people as well." How could he possibly forget that stint with the traveling circus? Darios has to smile at the observation though. So not as uptight as he thought?

"When I was a knight myself, the mission into the mirror had me dispatched with a sizable number of Eagles staff and students. Of course it was a horrible first impression...part of me must want to correct that." He pauses then to think. Almost a year now since he'd made that change and what can he say of the man who made it?

"When I first woke up here too, it was in Adrestia and I only made my way here because of those villagers suggesting as much." Risyl only sits at his side because of their insistence. "I don't know if I believe much in fate, but time and again, I feel I've something of a debt to repay to that land and this is perhaps the best way of going about it."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

"Am I too optimistic?" Zacharias smiles as he glances down toward the tap, gaze flickering cross-eyed before returning its focus up to silver. "Do you believe my thoughts too occupied on such matters?"

He hums, shifting underneath the covers. His body tilts, achingly slow, so it stands more in-line with what he craves then: a hand in Darios' hair, gentle as it combs through. His core stings, suddenly sharp then dull — not that he seems to mind, beyond a subtle flicker in his expression.

"Forgive me." It is true, perhaps; Zacharias should not be preoccupied by such manners when their time is still moments away. "There is little for me to do beyond think in these moments."

If he must acknowledge it, then ( in a quiet murmur ) he will — why it is he itched to leave the infirmary, why it is he wished to return to structure: "Stillness is more unnerving than I would like to admit."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

"Then... we should talk about other things. The here and the now." It's a blunt way to change the subject, but the wince - the hand seeking solace in his hair - he'd much prefer to focus on this day and the coming ones.

"I shouldn't sentence you to work, but if you would like I can scribe your lessons for you at the moment. I refuse to let you go back until a week has passed so we must find some way around that stillness." Darios leans closer, raising such that Zacharias won't have to exert himself at all. "I've always wondered, are the Blue Lions truly as chivalrous a sort as they're made out to be? In staff and students both?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

Even if that was the case — that Rowan only enjoyed it because it was made by Darios — the trust held in him is what holds true. Clear as glass, a truth so evident that it could not stay caged within Zacharias; so he gives Darios' hand a gentle squeeze, glances over to see hidden silver.

"Perhaps it may have been the case: that Rowan cared enough for you that he was willing to take down all of poor-tasting broth — although, I doubt that was the story. Regardless, he held enough trust in you to even dare take a sip of what must have been nearly poison for him."

He pauses. Would he go too far if he were to continue? A brief moment of pondering, and he ultimately settles on no, it wouldn't be. Darios stands precariously atop the selfish whims of too many, expected to manage them all and some more. The history of both kingdoms, the memories it has imposed upon Aytolis—

"We will never know if that chef was afraid or cared genuinely about your assistance," he admits, quiet. "If they had lived through this hardship, if they had grown to see Gristonne as a force to be appeased... then it is up to us to rebuild what reputation we can, and to begin to heal what harm history has written to Aytolis.

"Which," he grazes his thumb slowly around Darios' knuckle, "given how Rowan and Lianna both see you, I believe you have already established an unshakeable foundation for."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

Reassurance after reassurance, Darios has to wonder if Zacharias would still feel this way if he'd been there.

He must chuckle at that. "I'd eaten it with him as well so maybe that too helped. Who would want to eat something that no one else is?" They were children, that sort of logic came into full effect.

"You speak so optimistically at times." It makes it easy to believe they can do it all. "However that endeavor has only grown more difficult as Gristonne has returned to those anti-social ways. Granted the loss of king and prince to the nation it's a vassal under now would be as good a reason as any, they aren't aware of what happened during that skirmish."

"There's much much too much to do. So much that a healing man should free his mind from." Grey eyes open and Darios' finger rests atop Zacharias' nose.

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

"What you call 'dumb' worked, however. Brilliance only emerges if one is willing to try, even if it may be the worst of ideas."

Zacharias hums; Darios glued to him in such a manner is endearing, and he chuckles softly as he tugs the covers up to their shoulders. He may be running hot, but this only makes the air a stark cold against gently flushed skin: the covers will help keep him warm while he hears more on Darios' histories.

"Impossible to express such frustrations... are individuals in Aytolis expected to be more tolerant?" Really, is there an expectation to be more blunt in Gristonne? "Or was it... greater respect for your status that led to such restraint?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

"I suppose but I have to wonder if it only worked because I told Rowan I made it." Dumb regardless but at least then a little more sensical.

Now Darios lets his eyes fall shut, lets his breath even out and he thinks back. "The people of Aytolis are nice, wonderful even. Despite the hardship Gristonne has given them, they remain as such. But that is the problem, Gristonne have them hardship, an perspective I could offer on them is colored by the fact that I... as Gristonne's prince were I ever unhappy it verged on a national emergency."

"It's difficult to wonder if people hold care for you or if they simply fear you that much... but I suppose its nothing compared to the pain that would inspire such reactions from people to begin with."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

"Merely a precaution." Zacharias laughs, and then, in sheepish admittance: "It is not uncomfortable there, either." Rather, the opposite, but that acknowledgement he will keep to himself. He tugs at the covers, rolled up against the side of his bed, and tosses it over them both — in case it grows to be too cold.

He hums. "A scientific endeavor," he lilts, "that ended up improving the chef's techniques and the recipe itself. The more you describe the broth, the more it sounds quite interesting to me... a broth that stems from an overly sweetened plant..."

But then, he pauses and tries to think with shut eyes. A Darios that was more bold, more willing to interrupt — Zacharias finds it hard to fully imagine. He smiles in mere thought of such exchange: "And the chef was not frustrated with you?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

"You'll be sore..." The covers are warm and he is glad, though still a little worried. For Zacharias to run this hot, healed as they may be, his wounds are still working him quite hard. Regardless, Darios nestles up as closely as he can beneath the covers and smiles.

"Scientific? I don't know if I'd give my younger self such accolades. He was just... happy to try even dumb things. I'm sure the chef would've done so eventually, but Rowan's not wanting to try it after the first would've hindered any progress."

Darios raises his hand, his finger gently taps the tip of Zacharias' nose. "I imagine he was, but in Aytolis it would have been impossible for any of them to express that sort of thing... and I admit that I enjoyed that. In Gristonne that was far from the case."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

whispers of your song drown the voices out // sephiran & darios

♪ kpop demon hunters au ♪

[thelightofcreation]

If the demon hadn't taken measures to grab hold of his wrist, he would have found his head thrown from his shoulders. If hostility had been met with hostility, his own fate may have been less certain, but Sephiarn certainly would not have missed his mark.

"Ha! People on both sides?" Ridiculous enough to make him bark a laugh, but nothing more, pressure mounts in response to lack of injury, pushing the head of his staff closer to his target as he does.

"No human would survive on the other side of the honmoon. Trying to find an easy way to ferry souls over?" Wrenching his arm out of the other's grip, he adjusts his stance. "You should have chosen something more reasonable to speak about."

A sweep of the legs, to knock the other off balance. They could speak when one of them were disarmed, and no earlier.

[grxstnnefealltoir]

More reasonable, the hunter says. Darios finds himself scowling. "You'd say the same to demons living amongst humans too. The only reasonable solution to you is the demons all gone." And sometimes that truly doesn't seem so unreasonable.

Humans on their side of the honmoon would be devoured or succumb to the same demonic pacts that landed most of them down there and become demons as well. Demons were unable to ever regain the humanity they'd lost in undertaking such things.

The hunter may be older but he is no less agile. His arm slips free from his hold and his legs are suddenly not beneath him.

Is this the only way to make him see sense? Will this even make him see it?

He lets himself fall but brings his hands up to shield his vitals. "Tell me, what would you have us do?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

He tilts his head over to face Darios, smile reassured. There's a quiet rustle of fabric as Zacharias puts some more space between himself and the wall, to place himself just a smidge closer to Darios — such that there is still enough space for them both. "When laying on your side grows to be much," he hums, "do tell me. There is always enough space." Or, underlying: I will make it.

Violet flickers down as his hand interlaces with Darios'. "The soup." Whether Darios speaks about sickness and twin rulers, or something as mundane as making broth, Zacharias thinks he can listen to that gentle drawl until time itself ends. So, he prods: "How did you... figure out your recipe?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

Darios smirks and leans closer, allowing his head to rest against Zacharias'. "You simply wish to be against the wall I see. Perhaps the only person who knows I sleep on my side is you." Because who else would he trust with his deepest sleeping hours?

Once again their hands find one another and he holds tight. "Much trial and error. My tolerance for sweetness is far higher than Rowan's so it was a matter of undercutting that sugary taste whilst not making a mess of the flavors. Boiling the plant leaves the nutrients and healing factor still in the boil but the flavor as well. The difference is it's far more muted. Apparently there's tried it before but then served it as was... and of course it was horrible."

"I must reiterate my youth when I was making this, were it me now... I doubt I'd have interrupted the chef's as I did then. That said, the brew is added early, the moment the bone broth is made. It's a flavor that slowly overwhelms that sweetness without being bland."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

A gentle smile decorates his face, right as eyes fall shut from the quiet peace. Zacharias laughs softly — any louder, and it will hurt again. "It is nothing a cup of tea with honey cannot fix. I will help you regain it before your next lectures if I must."

But again, he pats the empty part of the bed. It may not be much space, that is correct; Darios would simply have to lay there, that is also correct; but he shuffles even further off to the side, until his arm is curled up against the wall. "I do not care," he murmurs. It is blunt, but it is true: recovery matters little if his love will always be an arm's length away. "I can stay here," perfectly flat, on my back, "and ask for nothing more but your close company. Would... would that suffice?"

A pause. Again, because formalities are always needed: "...Please?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

"It's hardly interesting enough to make you do such a thing." He says as much, but this too may just be Zacharias' own way of healing. If he focuses on his injury alone, then it will be all he is at the moment.

Please.

A word that makes all resolve crumble. Zacharias' expression, that small but meaningful sacrifice of space. Darios has to look away. He can't-

"... I suppose a few minutes won't hurt, but don't squish your arm like that." Black boots are unlaced and slipped off. "I'll lay on my side, that will be enough room for that."

Hesitantly, he does. The injury rests on the right so, tempting as it may be, he can't quite hold Zacharias. "What were we talking about again... the soup?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

"I have an idea," he murmurs. The subtle shift in Darios' voice does not go unnoticed, and he lets his hand stay as comfort in Darios'. "You have done much for them, even if they have done much for you, too."

Zacharias glances back toward Darios; and then, as soft craving tugs at the back of his mind, he shuffles himself closer to one side of the bed. "There is no need for you to tell me anything. Only if you wish to speak, then I will be here to listen."

Such is the courtesy that he is granted from Darios; so he will grant the same. As he arrives at the very edge of his bed, he lets go of Darios' hand and pats the side of the bed. "Join me?" he asks, quiet. At the stillness in the room, the silence between them both, he pats the opening again. There is nothing more that he would like than to have comfort close. "If you would please?"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

And now Zacharias is added to those he owes.

It's a small chuckle accompanied by a timid smile. "The only reason I don't tell you more is for fear of losing my voice recounting it all." Someone to be so utterly honest with, to bare the sins that weigh atop his back and the joys that make carrying them worthwhile, he can find that in no other than Zacharias.

"Join you?" He would like to, but it is not him who needs such rest. He hums, drawing out the fact that he truly must think this over quite hard. "I wouldn't be able to hold you... you'd need to rest on your back just as you are."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

He is quiet throughout the story. There is much to take on here: that Rowan, just like his father, is ill; that the reason why Aytolis has dual rulers is to account for such fact; that it seems neither twin understands why it was they were placed on the throne together. No wonder Darios would try to make such herbal soup taste good, he thinks — if one is having that more frequently that most...

But still, Zacharias' gaze flickers downwards, head lulling over to the side. It is not Rowan's health that concerns him most here. "I see," he murmurs, soft. His thumb continues to trail across the back of Darios' hand. "You are not much older than them, are you? Yet, you... knew this all, and carried the burden with you in quiet."

How young were you when you were forced to grow up? And instead, he smiles in what he hopes to be reassurance. "They are quite lucky to have an older brother like you in their life. Without... the king to raise them, the impact you had on them must have been greater than anyone would understand."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

The intention is there and it strikes him faster than he can guard against it. A small jolt leaves his hands a bit tighter and his expression fighting not to turn to a pout. Always... somehow you know the truth.

"I'm five years their elder, but that's hardly it. I just... at that age I had no mother of my own so I often spoke with theirs and she was kind enough to teach me things... or at least allow me the chance to interpret them myself." A chance rarely afforded back home despite how he clamored for it. "A future ally and a teacher. A friend as well. I'm certain you can guess the expectations placed by most who knew of my bond with them."

There's a twist in his chest now and his mouth feels dry. His other hand rests atop Zacharias', part of him wishing to lay and let his mind float away for a moment. "There's much I've not really told you I'm realizing..."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

getting stabbed is a common fodlan pass time || bruno & darios

[stormofembla]

He runs his thumb across each of Darios' knuckles. The movement falls into a steady rhythm, absentminded, as he hums. Broth sounds closer to unappealing rather than palatable, but perhaps the saving grace is how Darios offers it with anecdote.

Zacharias laughs and tilts his head toward Darios. Even if Darios hadn't puffed out his chest at the declaration, he could hear the pride underlying in tone. "But you figured it out, didn't you?" The smile lingers even as his laughter subsides. "Of all the people I expect to appease such pickiness, I would certainly believe it to be you. The maids stood little chance against you who knew him to such an extent."

A hum. "Could you make the broth later, please?" He claps Darios' hand tighter, fingertips leaving gentle indents against skin — hoping that it is enough to encourage him to stay for now. "Tell me more about... what you made for him."

[grxstnnefealltoir]

It's a hypnotic motion. Slowly and easily his mind goes still, its thoughts so clear as to be transparent. "They did try their best, but I have always wondered if he was simply more compliant because it was me rather than them. He's such a— so particular." And Darios finds comfort in every bit of it.

"I can prepare it for you. It is nothing so special." Is it because he is pained or because he seeks comfort? Or... Ah.

"Aytolis has a vast array of plants and vegetables, most have a... gentle sweetness to them. Most of the herbal ones even more so. The cooks and nurses alike both tended to mix such flavors in and it was, to put it bluntly, horrible. Even with the sweeter porridges, the taste ruined any palatability of the dish, but that it was healing mattered more than if it tasted good."

With closed eyes he recalls his young self sneaking a taste and nearly gagging. He has to laugh. "If it were myself, I'd have still eaten it but Rowan's position was a bit... unique." How much should he say? It is only Zacharias and yet it is Zacharias. To know this much when the hardest fight they will face is convincing the court neither favors Aytolis more than Gristonne is almost a set up for failure... but it is Zacharias.

"The previous king of Aytolis was ill and passed due to it... that Rowan seems to have the same illness. I don't believe I've ever expressed it to either of them, but if not for that, it's likely he alone would've been crowned, but a twin rule was by far more beneficial internally and externally — ah... the broth." He's gotten much too side tracked. "The trouble is finding a way to deliver medicine whilst maintaining good taste to fully take the whole dose."