Rin sighed softly. He didn’t want to go back inside. As Rei withdrew his hand, Rin glanced away from him. It wasn’t so much that Rin minded being touched as it was that he just wasn’t used to it. It was… odd.
Perhaps it was meant to be comforting. He could only suppose that was the case. Pushing himself up into a standing position, Rin took another long, deep breath in.
He forced himself to step forward, forced himself to walk back toward the palace door. There was nothing inside as beautiful as the garden. The air was stale and dead, unlike the fresh beauty of the outdoors. Rin swallowed roughly as he crossed the threshold, ignoring the startled looks from guards used to having to haul him back inside themselves.
There was nothing to say.
Rin trudged through the halls, blindly taking corners as he headed back to his room. He didn’t even need to have his eyes open. Long fingers traced the stone wall as Rin slipped back into his bedroom.
His clothing dropped gracefully to the floor as he took to his bed, despondent. He always felt this way after the moon. Trapped. Forgotten. Helpless.
Draping a thin sheet up over his entire body, Rin closed his eyes. Perhaps… perhaps tomorrow would bring something new. When he slept, Rin dreamed of purple eyes and a food so spicy it made him cry.