"U sun ri, is rathu, is tarhu.”
Everyone in the hall almost appeared to breathe in the same motion, stand and sway as one. Rathin was no exception. The candlelight and sunlight filtered around the masses like through leaves. Life forged its own way. His mother was no exception.
“Iuhir sun save is hau, is hu.”
As still, as poetic as the moment could have been, he still realized, this was overly dramatic. The ancient language, the fact this was for an event many years prior, all those here took too much pride in not believing in some benevolent, omniscient and all powerful being. The ceremonies were just as elaborate.
“Neneiuhir, is vua.”
Rathin would never voice this. He walked out slowly. He didn't want to seem so cold to his own mother.
“She’s just dead. She’s nothing more to revere for it.”
As he walked, he kept looking down, watching the walkway which clicked beneath his feet all his way home.
“There’s no reason to devote so much time and energy to someone’s who isn’t here anymore.”
Eventually, the flagstone path lead him to the weed-laden, overgrown front of his own house. His grandparent’s house. His childhood home.
---
Of course as soon as she’d open a door she’d slam it right into her brother’s face.
“Ra’in! Are you alright?”
He stumbled a bit, backwards, into a bush, one hand clutching his face. 3 eyes closed, and the remaining one tearing up. She stepped forwards and embraced him easily, arms over his, chin on his shoulder.
“Back from the thing for mom?”
He shifted from side to side a little, seemingly a little taken aback by it no matter how many times it has happened.
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m starting up a subject.”
“This isn't the first time this has happened, Huva.”
“It might be the last.”
Huvais felt her twin squirm in the very one sided hug, and she released him, noticing how little cloud cover there was today, in comparison to others. She dropped her facade for a few seconds.
“I think mom and dad would've been happy today.”
Huvais stepped inside again, before Rathin really had a chance to hear her.
He followed slowly, in her sort of broad steps, closing and locking the door, taking off his shoes, fixing the part of his hair, straightening up his clothes.
Rathin would definitely get a bruise on his forehead later. Without fail, he bruised like a peach. Huvais had called him a delicate flower before, and she won't take those words back, even if some of the implications over complicated things. It was not a very simple situation.
Huvais decided to step back towards to the doorway, making her continuing presence more obvious. She watched Rathin struggle to find a place to put his shoes without upsetting her carefully stacked armor.
“Sorry. I was heading out to look for you, by the way.”
She leaned against the wall, tail swishing, grinning, just a little bit.
“Please take off your shoes.”
“It looks like I certainly found you, eh? Head on, too. Sorry about that, again.”
“Don’t change the topic.”
“I’m starting up a topic.”
Huvais finally began taking off her shoes, Her brother was hunched over, a neutral expression, sort of pale. His words weren’t sharp, or biting, and were barely there at all.
“You didn't go this year.”
It’s Huvais’ turn to get stepped past as Rathin moved deeper into the house. She caught up with him easily as he took smaller steps and just let his weight fall forwards instead of shifting it as he walked.
“I’m sorry.”
“Huva, it gets more disgusting every year. Sorry isn’t the most appropriate word choice”
Rathin’s eyes were all sort of dull. Up close, she could really tell he hadn't been sleeping well.
“Nothing your big sister can’t handle.”
Huvais pulled him into a hug, a bit more gently than the time before, humming some irritating tune from one place or another, just because she knew he’d find it just a little distracting.
“We’re the same age.”
She lightly hummed in agreement, letting him continue.
“We're the same size, too."
She hummed again, realizing he had his tail hidden again, probably in his pants, or, she’d probably see the end flicking just a little from his growing irritation.
He smelled of incense, smoke, and just a little bit of sweat.
Rathin sighed and moved to rest his head in her shoulder as well.
“Took you a little longer to figure out I was trying to derail you, this time.”
“I’m still the older twin.”
“They didn’t know for a couple of years which child was you, and which child was me.”
“Well, I’m the younger twin too.”
Huvais gave him a squeeze before stepping back a little.
Rathin didn't look too confused, or too sad, actually meeting her eyes this time around despite the secondary set of eyes being covered by his hair, which fell over his face. They were always covered by his hair, when he had something to say or do about it.
Huvais sort of unconsciously brushed the hair out of her face on instinct, seeing how his bangs fell.
"No need to look so down, Ra'in, I only sort of hit you in the face; it was on the side."
"Why were you home early?"
"Training and cleaning gets a little boring, you know. I don't live there, either, so I need to leave when I'm told to."
Huvais moved to yawn, stretching her sore back, but, Rathin maintained eye contact even after she opened her eyes again. He stood unimposingly, most of his body curled into himself, despite his messy hair, and loose shirt, he seemed to take up less room than he usually did.
Rathin nodded slightly, moving to crack his neck.
"Why were you looking for me?"